Committee advances bill to simplify campaign carryover accounts and lift retention cap

Representative Evans presented HB1675 to modernize campaign-account reporting. The bill would eliminate an outdated requirement to transfer campaign funds into a separate "carryover" account and would remove the statutory cap on retained campaign funds, aligning Arkansas practice with surrounding states, the sponsor said.

Graham Sloan, director of the Ethics Commission, testified that the commission had not formally adopted a position; he said the original draft would have conflicted with existing law, that he provided edits to avoid conflicts, and that removing the cap represents a notable change in law that could allow an incumbent to retain more funds for future state or local campaigns. Representative Evans said edits incorporated Sloans suggestions and that the bill preserves contribution limits and reporting rules.

The committee asked clarifying questions about interactions with federal elections and other technical items; sponsor defended the change as restoring fairness for incumbents without altering donor limits. The committee passed HB1675.