A bill that would all but require candidates to file campaign donation reports through an online system passed an Arkansas House committee Wednesday.
House Bill 1233, sponsored by Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, advanced to the full House after a voice vote in the State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The bill fell short when Della Rosa first presented it to the panel earlier this month, when only 11 members of the 20-member panel were present.
HB1233 requires funding reports for statewide and district candidates be filed electronically through the secretary of state's website, which will also allow searches of the compiled information.
There are exceptions, however, that would allow a candidate to file a paper version if he doesn't have "access to technology" needed for the online system or if "submitting reports in electronic form would constitute a substantial hardship." The bill would require candidates filing by paper to include a notarized affidavit stipulating to those facts.
If it is ultimately passed and signed into law, HB1233 would go into effect Oct. 1.
