State Rep. Mike Holcomb, R-Pine Bluff, has agreed to pay a $150 fine to the Arkansas Ethics Commission and receive a public letter of caution in a settlement of a complaint filed against him over filing campaign-finance reports late, according to commission records.
Holcomb, who has served in the House since 2013, also agreed to receive a second public letter of caution from the commission in a settlement of another ethics complaint filed against him, also over filing a campaign-finance report late, the records show.
In a consent order dated last Thursday and signed by Commission Chairman Robert McCormack and Holcomb, Holcomb agreed with the commission's finding that he violated state law by filing campaign-finance reports late for November 2015 and then for February, April, May, June and July of this year.
These reports were 31 days late, 10 days late, three days late, 14 days late, 21 days late and 31 days late, respectively, according to the order. In the consent order, Holcomb agreed to pay the fine within 30 days of last Thursday's consent order.
In a separate consent order also dated last Thursday and signed by McCormack and Holcomb, Holcomb agreed with the finding that he violated state law by filing his campaign-finance report for September of this year nine days late.
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In the Nov. 8 election, Holcomb defeated Sheridan Democrat Dorothy Hall. Holcomb switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in August 2015. The Nov. 8 race was a rematch of the 2012 Democratic primary runoff in which he narrowly defeated Hall.
Holcomb said Monday that his wife handled his 2014 campaign-finance reports, and he added that the reports are "pretty complicated."
Holcomb said he hired someone else to handle this year's campaign-finance reports, but the reports were turned in late. That person could not be reached for comment by telephone Monday.
Nearly two years ago, Holcomb agreed to pay a $200 fine to the Ethics Commission and to receive a public letter of caution in a settlement of another ethics complaint filed against him. In January 2015, Holcomb said the problems were clerical errors.
Metro on 12/15/2016