Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 2, February 2024
§ 500
Definitions.
(a)
Approved political
action committee
- As used in these rules, the term
"approved political action committee" means any person who:
(i) Receives contributions from one (1) or
more persons in order to make contributions to candidates, campaign committees,
ballot question committees, legislative question committees, political parties,
county political party committees, independent expenditure committees, or other
political action committees;
(ii)
Does not accept any contribution or cumulative contributions in excess of five
thousand dollars ($5,000) from any person in any calendar year; and
(iii) Registers pursuant to Ark. Code Ann.
§
7-6-215
prior to making contributions.
(b)
Contribution
- As used in these rules, the
term "contribution" means, whether direct or indirect, advances, deposits, or
transfers of funds, contracts, or obligations, whether or not legally
enforceable, payments, gifts, subscriptions, assessments, payment for services,
dues, advancements, forbearance, loans, pledge or promise of money or anything
of value, whether or not legally enforceable, to a candidate, committee, or
holder of elective office, made for the purpose of influencing the nomination
or election of any candidate or in support of or opposition to a ballot or
legislative question. "Contribution" shall include membership dues paid to a
committee but not filing fees paid to a committee by candidates.
"Contribution" includes the purchase of tickets for events such
as dinners, luncheons, rallies, and similar fundraising events; the granting of
discounts or rebates by television and radio stations and newspapers not
extended on an equal basis to all candidates for the same office; and any
payments for the services of any person serving as an agent of a candidate or
committee by a person other than the candidate or committee or persons whose
expenditures the candidates or committee must report under this subchapter. The
term "contribution" further includes any transfer of anything of value received
by a committee from another committee.
"Contribution" shall not include noncompensated, nonreimbursed,
volunteer personal services or travel.
(c)
County political party
committee - As used in these rules, the term "county
political party committee" means a person that:
(i) Is organized at the county level for the
purpose of supporting its affiliate party and making contributions;
(ii) Is recognized by an organized political
party, as defined in Ark. Code Ann. §
7-1-101, as being
affiliated with that political party;
(iii) Receives contributions from one (1) or
more persons in order to make contributions to candidates, campaign committees,
ballot question committees, legislative question committees, political parties,
political action committees, independent expenditure committees, or other
county political party committees;
(iv) Does not accept any contribution or
cumulative contributions in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) from any
person in any calendar year; and
(v) Registers pursuant to Ark. Code Ann.
§
7-6-226
prior to making contributions.
(d)
Legislative caucus
committee
- As used in these rules, the term "legislative
caucus committee" means a person that:
(i) Is
composed exclusively of members of the General Assembly;
(ii) Elects or appoints officers and
recognizes identified legislators as members of the organization; and
(iii) Exists for research and
other support of policy development and interest that the membership hold in
common.
A "legislative caucus committee" includes, but is not limited to,
a political party caucus of the General Assembly, the Senate, or the House of
Representatives.
(e)
Person
- As used in these rules, the term "person" means any individual,
proprietorship, firm, partnership, joint venture, syndicate, labor union,
business trust, company, corporation, association, committee, or any other
organization or group of persons acting in concert. It shall also include
organized political parties as defined in Ark. Code Ann. §
7-1-101, county
political party committees, and legislative caucus committees.
.
(f)
Prohibited political action committee
- As
used in these rules, the term "prohibited political action committee" means any
person who receives contributions from one (1) or more persons in order to make
contributions to candidates but who does not meet the requirements of an
approved political action committee. A prohibited political action committee
shall not include an organized political party as defined in Ark. Code Ann.
§
7-1-101, the
candidate's own campaign committee, a county political party committee, an
exploratory committee, or a ballot or legislative question committee.
§ 501
Registration by Political Action Committees
(a)
(1)
(A) To qualify as an approved political
action committee, the committee is required to register with the Secretary of
State within fifteen (15) days after accepting contributions during a calendar
year that exceed five hundred dollars ($500) in the aggregate.
(B) Registration shall be annually renewed by
January 15, unless the committee ceased to exist.
(C) Registration shall be on forms provided
by the Secretary of State, and the contents therein shall be verified by an
affidavit of an officer of the committee.
(2)
(A) The
committee shall designate a resident agent who shall be an individual who
resides in the State of Arkansas.
(B) No contribution shall be accepted from a
committee and no expenditure shall be made by a committee that has not
registered and does not have a resident agent.
(3)
(A) An
out-of-state committee, including a federal committee, shall be required to
comply with the registration and reporting provisions of these rules if the
committee contributes more than five hundred dollars ($500) in a calendar year
to candidates, campaign committees, ballot question committees, legislative
question committees, political parties, county political party committees,
independent expenditure committees, or other political action committees within
the State of Arkansas.
(B) Section
501(a)(3)(A) of these rules shall not apply to:
(i) the national committee of any political
party that is registered with the Federal Election Commission;
(ii) any federal candidate committee that is
registered with the Federal Election Commission;
(iii) funds which a subordinate committee of
the national committee of any political party that is registered with the
Federal Election Commission transfers to the federal account of an organized
political party as defined in Ark. Code Ann. §
7-1-101; or
(iv) funds which a political
action committee that is registered with the Federal Election Commission
transfers to the federal account of an organized political party as defined in
Ark. Code Ann. §
7-1-101.
(b) The
registration form of an approved political action committee shall contain the
following information:
(1) The name, address,
and, where available, phone number of the committee and the name, address,
phone number, and place of employment of each of its officers, provided if the
committee's name is an acronym, then both it and the words forming the acronym
shall be disclosed;
(2) The
professional, business, trade, labor, or other interests represented by the
committee, including any individual business, organization, association,
corporation, labor organization, or other group or firm whose interests will be
represented by the committee;
(3)
The full name and street address, city, state, and zip code of each financial
institution the committee uses for purposes of receiving contributions or
making expenditures with the State of Arkansas;
(4) A written acceptance of designation as a
resident agent;
(5) A certification
by a committee officer, under penalty of false swearing, that the information
provided on the registration is true and correct; and
(6) A clause submitting the committee to the
jurisdiction of the State of Arkansas for all purposes related to compliance
with the provisions of subchapter 2 of chapter 6, Title 7 of the Arkansas
Code.
(c)
(1) When a committee makes a change to any of
the information required in § 501(b) of these rules, an amend is required
to be filed within ten (10) days to reflect the change.
(2) A committee failing to file an amendment
shall be subject to a late filing fee of ten dollars ($10.00) for each day the
change is not filed.
§
502
Reporting by Political Action Committees
(a)
(1)
Within fifteen (15) calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter,
approved political action committees are required to file a quarterly report
with the Secretary of State, including the following information:
(A) The total amount of contributions
received and the total amount of contributions made during the filing period
and the cumulative amount of those totals;
(B) The current balance of committee
funds;
(C) The name and address of
each person that made a contribution or contributions to the committee that
exceeded five hundred dollars ($500) in the aggregate, the contributor's place
of business, employer, occupation, the date of the contribution, the amount
contributed, and the total contributed for the year;
(D) The name and address of each candidate,
campaign committee, ballot question committee, legislative question committee,
political party, county political party committee, independent expenditure
committee, or other political action committee, if any, to whom or which the
committee made a contribution or contributions that exceeded fifty dollars
($50.00) in the aggregate during the filing period, with the amount contributed
and the election for which the contribution was made;
(E) The name and address of each candidate,
campaign committee, ballot question committee, legislative question committee,
political party, county political party committee, independent expenditure
committee, or other political action committee, if any, to whom or which the
committee contributed a nonmoney item, together with a description of the item,
the date the item was contributed, and the value of the item; and
(F) The total amount of expenditures made for
administrative expenses and for each single expenditure that exceeds one
hundred dollars ($100) an itemization including the amount of the expenditure,
the name and address of the person to which the expenditure was made, and the
date the expenditure was made.
(2) The information required in §
502(a)(1)(C)-(F) of these rules may be provided in the form of schedules
attached to the report.
(3) The
reports shall be verified by an affidavit of an officer of the committee
stating that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief the information so
disclosed is a complete, true, and accurate financial statement of the
committee's contributions received and made.
(4)
(A) A
report is timely filed if it is either hand delivered or mailed to the
Secretary of State, properly addressed, postage prepaid, bearing a postmark
indicating that it was received by the post office or common carrier on the
date that the report is due.
(B)
The Secretary of State shall accept via facsimile any report if the original is
received by the Secretary of State within ten (10) days of the date of
transmission.
(C) The Secretary of
State may receive reports in a readable electronic format that is acceptable to
the Secretary of State and approved by the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
§
503
Penalties for Political Action Committees
(a) If the Arkansas Ethics Commission finds
that a person or political action committee has committed a violation of Ark.
Code Ann. §
7-6-215,
then it may impose a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) and not more
than two thousand dollars ($2,000) and/or issue a public letter of caution,
warning, or reprimand.
(b) In
addition, the Arkansas Ethics Commission may impose a late filing fee not
exceeding ten dollars ($10.00) for each day a required amendment of the
information contained in a registration form remains unfiled by a political
action committee.
§
504
Legislative Caucus Committees
A legislative caucus committee is required to comply with the
registration and reporting provisions of §§ 501-502 of these rules,
including the designation of a resident agent who is an individual who resides
in the State of Arkansas and the establishment of an account in a financial
institution, if the committee contributes more than five hundred dollars ($500)
in a calendar year to candidates, campaign committees, ballot question
committees, legislative question committees, political parties, county
political party committees, independent expenditure committees, or political
action committees.
§ 505
Out-of-State Political Action Committees
An out-of-state political action committee, including a federal
committee, is required to comply with the registration and reporting provisions
of §§ 501-502 and is subject to the jurisdiction of the State of
Arkansas for all purposes related to compliance with the provisions of
subchapter 2 of chapter 6, Title 7 of the Arkansas Code, if the committee
contributes more than five hundred dollars ($500) in a calendar year to
candidates, campaign committees, ballot question committees, legislative
question committees, political parties, county political party committees,
independent expenditure committees, or other political action committees within
the State of Arkansas.
Section 505 of these rules shall not apply to:
(i) the national committee of any political
party that is registered with the Federal Election Commission;
(ii) any federal candidate committee that is
registered with the Federal Election Commission;
(iii) funds which a subordinate committee of
the national committee of any political party that is registered with the
Federal Election Commission transfers to the federal account of an organized
political party as defined in Ark. Code Ann. §
7-1-101; or
(iv) funds which a political
action committee that is registered with the Federal Election Commission
transfers to the federal account of an organized political party as defined in
Ark. Code Ann. §
7-1-101.
§ 506
Registration by
County Political Party Committees
(a)
(1)
(A) To
qualify as a county political party committee, a committee is required to
register with the Secretary of State within fifteen (15) days after accepting
contributions during a calendar year which, in the aggregate, exceed five
thousand dollars ($5,000).
(B) The
registration is to be annually renewed by January 15, unless the committee has
ceased to exist.
(C) Registration
shall be on forms provided by the Secretary of State, and the contents of the
form shall be verified by an affidavit of an officer of the
committee.
(2)
(A) The committee is required to appoint a
treasurer who is a qualified elector of the State of Arkansas.
(B) No contribution shall be accepted from a
committee and no expenditure shall be made by a committee that has not
registered and which does not have a treasurer.
(b) The committee is required to disclose on
the registration form the following information:
(1) The name, address, and, when available,
phone number of the committee and the name, address, phone number, and place of
employment of each of its officers, provided if the committee's name is an
acronym, then both the acronym and the words forming the acronym shall be
disclosed;
(2) The political party
with which the county political party committee is affiliated;
(3) The full name and street address, city,
state, and zip code of the financial institution in the State of Arkansas that
the committee designates as its official depository for the purposes of
depositing all money contributions that it receives in this state and making
all expenditures in this state; and
(4) A written acceptance of appointment by
the treasurer.
§
507
Reporting by County Political Party Committees
(a)
(1)
Within fifteen (15) calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter,
county political party committees are required to file a quarterly report with
the Secretary of State, including the following information:
(A) The total amount of contributions
received and the total amount of contributions made during the filing period
and the cumulative amount of these totals;
(B) The current balance of committee
funds;
(C) The name and address of
each person that made a contribution or contributions to the committee that
exceeded five hundred dollars ($500) in the aggregate, the contributor's place
of business, employer, or occupation, the date of the contribution, the amount
contributed, and the total contributed for the year;
(D) The name and address of each candidate,
campaign committee, ballot question committee, legislative question committee,
political party, political action committee, independent expenditure committee,
or other county political party committee, if any, to whom or which the
committee made a contribution or contributions that exceeded fifty dollars
($50.00) in the aggregate during the filing period, with the amount contributed
and the election for which the contribution was made;
(E) The name and address of each candidate,
campaign committee, ballot question committee, legislative question committee,
political party, political action committee, independent expenditure committee,
or other county political party committee, if any, to whom or which the
committee contributed a nonmoney item, together with a description of the item,
the date the item was contributed, and the value of the item;
(F) The total amount of expenditures made for
administrative expenses and for each single expenditure that exceeds one
hundred dollars ($100) an itemization including the amount of the expenditure,
the name and address of the person to which the expenditure was made, and the
date the expenditure was made; and
(G) Any change in information required by
these rules.
(2) The
reports shall be verified by an affidavit of an officer of the committee
stating that to the best of his or her knowledge and belief the information
disclosed is a complete, true, and accurate financial statement of the
committee's contributions received and made.
(3)
(A) A
report is timely filed if it is either hand delivered or mailed to the
Secretary of State, properly addressed, postage prepaid, bearing a postmark
indicating that it was received by the post office or common carrier on the
date that the report is due.
(B)
The Secretary of State shall accept via facsimile any report if the original is
received by the Secretary of State within ten (10) days of the date of
transmission.
(C) The Secretary of
State may receive reports in a readable electronic format acceptable to the
Secretary of State and approved by the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
§ 508
Penalties for County Political Party Committees
If the Arkansas Ethics Commission finds that a person or county
political party committee has committed a violation of Ark. Code Ann. §
7-6-226,
then it may impose a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) and not more
than two thousand dollars ($2,000) and/or issue a public letter of caution,
warning, or reprimand.
§
509
Records Retention by PACs and County Political Party
Committees
Each committee is required to maintain for a period of four (4)
years records evidencing the name, address, and place of employment of each
person who contributed to the committee, along with the amount contributed.
Furthermore, each committee shall maintain for a period of four (4) years
records evidencing the name and address of each candidate, campaign committee,
ballot question committee, legislative question committee, political party,
county political party committee, independent expenditure committee, or
political action committee who or which received a contribution from the
committee, along with the amount contributed.
§ 510Contribution Limits
(a) No political action committee or county
political party committee shall accept any contribution or cumulative
contributions in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) from any person in
any calendar year.
(b) For purposes
of making contributions to candidates, each political action committee and
county political party committee may contribute up to two thousand dollars
($2,000) to a candidate's campaign for each election, whether the candidate is
opposed or unopposed.
§
511
Administrative Expenses of PACs and County Political
Party Committees
It is permissible for a PAC or a county political party committee
to pay reasonable administrative expenses out of the contributions it has
received.
