Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 592 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S3/5/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 351 3
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By: Senator J. Dismang 5
By: Representative Eaves 6
7
For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ETHICS AND 9
CAMPAIGN FINANCE; TO AMEND PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 10
1 OF 1990; TO AMEND PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 1 OF 11
1996; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 12
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Subtitle 15
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING ETHICS AND 16
CAMPAIGN FINANCE; TO AMEND PORTIONS OF 17
INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1990; AND TO AMEND 18
PORTIONS OF INITIATED ACT 1 OF 1996. 19
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 21
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-203(a)(1), concerning a candidate's 23
acceptance of campaign contributions and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 24
1996, is amended to add an additional subdivision to read as follows: 25
(C) It shall be unlawful for a prospective contributor 26
other than those under subdivisions (a)(1)(A)(i) -(vi) of this section to make 27
a contribution to: 28
(i) A candidate for public office; or 29
(ii) A person acting on the candidate’s behalf. 30
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-203(f)(4)(A)(iii), concerning a 32
candidate's acceptance of campaign funds as personal income and resulting 33
from Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows: 34
(iii) If a candidate or officeholder is assessed a 35
fine by the Arkansas Ethics Commission under § 7 -6-218(b)(4)(B) for the use 36 As Engrossed: S3/5/25 SB351
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of campaign funds as personal income, a candidate or officeholder shall not 1
use campaign funds or carryover remaining campaign funds to pay the fine. 2
3
SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-203(g)(2)(E), concerning a candidate's 4
acceptance of campaign funds as personal income and resulting from Initiated 5
Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows: 6
(E) If a candidate or officeholder uses campaign funds or 7
carryover remaining campaign funds to pay a fine imposed by the Arkansas 8
Ethics Commission under § 7 -6-218(b)(4)(B) for the use of campaign funds as 9
personal income, the candidate or officeholder shall be deemed to have taken 10
campaign funds as personal income. 11
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SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-206(a), concerning records of 13
contributions and expenditures for campaign finance, is amended to read as 14
follows: 15
(a) A candidate, a political party, or a person acting in the 16
candidate's behalf, a political party, a county political party committee, a 17
political action committee, an independent expenditure committee, or a person 18
making independent expenditures shall keep records of all contributions and 19
expenditures in a manner sufficient to evidence compliance with §§ 7-6-207 — 20
7-6-210 § 7-6-201 et seq. 21
22
SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-207(a)(1)(F), concerning records of 23
contributions and expenditures for campaign finance and resulting from 24
Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows: 25
(F)(i) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds after 26
an election, but does not have any activity before the end of the year, the 27
candidate shall not be required to file a fourth quarter report. 28
(ii) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds 29
and or raises campaign funds for a future campaign, or expends campaign funds 30
for office holder expenses or a future election, the candidate shall continue 31
filing the reports required by this subsection. 32
(iii) If a candidate keeps remaining campaign funds 33
after an election, the candidate shall continue filing the reports required 34
by this subsection. 35
36 As Engrossed: S3/5/25 SB351
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SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-207(b)(2)(B), concerning records of 1
contributions and expenditures for campaign finance and resulting from 2
Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows: 3
(B) If a candidate's campaign has ended and the candidate 4
is retaining remaining campaign funds, the final report shall also indicate 5
the amount of funds retained by the candidate in accordance with § 7 -6-201(3) 6
[repealed] as remaining campaign funds . 7
8
SECTION 7. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-208(b)(2)(A), concerning reports of 9
contributions for candidates for school district, township, or municipal 10
office and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as 11
follows: 12
(2)(A) When the candidate's campaign has ended, the final report 13
shall also indicate which option under § 7 -6-203(g) was used to dispose of 14
any surplus of campaign funds, the amount of funds disposed of by the 15
candidate, and the amount of funds retained by the candidate in accordance 16
with § 7-6-201(3) [repealed] as remaining campaign funds . 17
18
SECTION 8. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-209(b)(2)(A), concerning reports of 19
contributions for candidates for county offices and resulting from Initiated 20
Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows: 21
(2)(A) When the candidate's campaign has ended, the final report 22
shall also indicate which option under § 7 -6-203(g) was used to dispose of 23
any surplus of campaign funds, the amount of funds disposed of by the 24
candidate, and the amount of funds retained by the candidate in accordance 25
with § 7-6-201(3) [repealed] as remaining campaign funds . 26
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SECTION 9. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-215(d)(6), concerning registration and 28
reporting by approved political action committees and resulting from 29
Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is amended to read as follows: 30
(6)(A) A political action committee shall indicate on its 31
quarterly report for the fourth quarter of each calendar year whether or not 32
it intends to terminate its registration for the next calendar year. 33
(B) If a quarterly report for the fourth quarter is filed 34
in paper form, the form utilized by the Secretary of State for filing shall 35
require the political action committee to indicate whether or not it intends 36 As Engrossed: S3/5/25 SB351
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to terminate its registration for the next calendar year. 1
(C) If the Secretary of State offers electronic filing of 2
political action committee reports, the format used by the Secretary of State 3
for the filing of political action committee reports in electronic form shall 4
require a political action committee indicating that it intends to terminate 5
its registration for the next calendar year to terminate its registration for 6
the next calendar year before submitting its quarterly report for the fourth 7
quarter. 8
(D)(B) If a political action committee does not file any 9
quarterly reports for a period of two (2) years, the Secretary of State shall 10
terminate the political action committee's registration due to inactivity. 11
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SECTION 10. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-216(c), concerning registration and 13
reports by exploratory committees and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1990, 14
is amended to read as follows: 15
(c) Within thirty (30) days of the end of each month, No later than 16
twenty (20) days after the end of each month, an exploratory committee shall 17
file a report with the appropriate filing office indicating: 18
(1) The total amount of contributions received during the filing 19
period; 20
(2) The name and address of each person who has made a 21
contribution which, in the aggregate, exceeds two hundred dollars ($200), 22
along with the contributor's principal place of business, employer, 23
occupation, and the amount contributed; and 24
(3) The total amount of expenditures made and, for each single 25
expenditure that exceeds one hundred dollars ($100), an itemization, 26
including the amount of the expenditure, the name and address of the person 27
to whom the expenditure was made, and the date the expenditure was made. 28
29
SECTION 11. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-220(a)(1)(B), concerning the report of 30
independent expenditures and resulting from Initiated Act 1 of 1996, is 31
amended to read as follows: 32
(B) Each subsequent report shall be filed no later than 33
fifteen (15) twenty (20) days after the end of each month until the election 34
is held, except as required in subdivision (a)(1)(C) of this section. 35
36 As Engrossed: S3/5/25 SB351
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SECTION 12. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-227(a)(1)(A), concerning registration 1
by an independent expenditure committee, is amended to read as follows: 2
(a)(1)(A) An independent expenditure committee shall register with the 3
Secretary of State within fifteen (15) days after accepting contributions or 4
making independent expenditures that exceed five hundred dollars ($500) two 5
hundred dollars ($200) in the aggregate during a calendar year. 6
7
SECTION 13. Arkansas Code § 7 -6-228(c)(2), concerning campaign signs 8
and campaign materials, is amended to read as follows: 9
(2) Subdivision (c)(1)(A) of this section applies only to 10
campaign signs, campaign literature, and other printed campaign materials 11
created by or sponsored by a political candidate, the campaign of a political 12
candidate, a political action committee, or an independent expenditure 13
committee, or persons making independent expenditures . 14
15
SECTION 14. Arkansas Code § 7 -9-402(2)(B), concerning the definition 16
of "ballot question committee" as it relates to matters referred to voters, 17
is amended to read as follows: 18
(B) A person other than an individual or an approved 19
political action committee as defined in § 7 -6-201, located within or outside 20
Arkansas, also qualifies as a ballot question committee if an amount equal to 21
two percent (2%) or more of its annual revenues, operating expenses, or funds 22
are for the most recently completed year is used to make a contribution or 23
contributions to another ballot question committee and if the contribution or 24
contributions exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in value; 25
26
SECTION 15. Arkansas Code § 7 -9-402(10)(B), concerning the definition 27
of "legislative question committee" as it relates to matters referred to 28
voters, is amended to read as follows: 29
(B) A person other than an individual or an approved 30
political action committee as defined in § 7 -6-201, located within or outside 31
Arkansas, also qualifies as a legislative question committee if an amount 32
equal to two percent (2%) or more of its annual revenues, operating expenses, 33
or funds are for the most recently completed year is used to make a 34
contribution or contributions to another legislative question committee and 35
if the contribution or contributions exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in 36 As Engrossed: S3/5/25 SB351
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value; 1
2
SECTION 16. Arkansas Code § 7 -9-409(a)(3), concerning time for filing 3
financial reports for matters referred to voters, is amended to read as 4
follows: 5
(3)(A) Furthermore, a A final financial report shall be filed no 6
later than thirty (30) days after the election. 7
(B) If a ballot question fails to qualify for the ballot 8
or is disqualified, the final financial report required under subdivision 9
(a)(3)(A) of this section shall be filed no later than thirty (30) days after 10
the end of the month in which the ballot question fails to qualify for the 11
ballot or is disqualified. 12
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SECTION 17. Arkansas Code Title 7, Chapter 9, Subchapter 4, is amended 14
to add an additional section to read as follows: 15
7-9-416. Contributions and expenditures for campaign signs, campaign 16
literature, and printed campaign materials. 17
(a) A ballot question committee, a legislative question committee, an 18
individual person, or an elected official who receives contributions or makes 19
expenditures to support or oppose a ballot question or legislative question: 20
(1) May reuse the campaign signs, campaign literature, and other 21
printed campaign materials in future initiative campaigns that have been 22
properly reported in a previous campaign by that committee, individual 23
person, or elected official; and 24
(2) Is not required to list the campaign signs, campaign 25
literature, and other printed campaign materials under subdivision (a)(1) of 26
this section in future reports filed under this subchapter. 27
(b)(1) Campaign signs, campaign literature, and other printed campaign 28
materials under subsection (a) of this section shall clearly contain the 29
words “Paid for by” followed by the name of the committee, individual person, 30
or elected official who paid for the campaign sign, campaign literature, or 31
other printed campaign materials. 32
(2) The ballot question committee, legislative question 33
committee, individual person, or elected official printing the campaign sign, 34
campaign literature, or other printed campaign materials shall be responsible 35
for including the language required under subdivision (b)(1) of this section. 36 As Engrossed: S3/5/25 SB351
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1
SECTION 18. Arkansas Code § 21 -8-703(a), concerning the place and 2
manner for filing a statement of financial interest, is amended to add an 3
additional subdivision to read as follows: 4
(7) Executive directors of education service cooperatives 5
required to file shall file with the county clerk. 6
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/s/J. Dismang 8
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APPROVED: 4/14/25 11
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