Sen. Kran proposes pilot to test state campaign‑finance software for local reporting

Sen. Kran moved and the committee adopted an A1 author's amendment to Senate File 4086 before presenting the bill, which would task the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board with a feasibility study and a pilot of a simplified version of state campaign‑finance software in four jurisdictions.

"It would direct the campaign finance board to, for feasibility study, tracking expenditures, providing software, and then picking multiple jurisdictions, four of them, I believe, to run a pilot," Sen. Kran said, describing the effort as a way to provide a standardized portal that municipalities could also use to manage election-cycle reporting.

Members questioned whether the board had capacity and whether the state should shoulder administration of thousands of local elections; sponsors said the pilot would prune state systems for local needs and provide public disclosure benefits. One senator referenced an email indicating the board might absorb modification costs; Jeff Sigurdsson, the board's executive director, identified the board's six‑member structure and confirmed active engagement with the committee on capacity questions.

The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill and adjourned.