An appropriation bill to pay for upgrading the state's online campaign-finance reporting system passed the House on Tuesday and will advance to the Senate.
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Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, who sponsored House Bill 1138, said she has fielded questions from 80 or 90 lawmakers in the past week about the measure, which passed 85-3.
"When you watch it on the floor, it looks like nothing happened -- a couple people spoke and it rolled on through," she said. "That's not what would have happened last Thursday. There has been a lot of discussion that has gone on between members between then and now."
The state mandates that candidates file campaign-finance reports that specify who gave them money and how they spent it. The reports can be handwritten and need not be typed into a database or spreadsheet. The secretary of state's office, which oversees elections, keeps the finance reports on file for elections for statewide and regional offices, such as Congress and the Legislature.
Della Rosa led an unsuccessful push to mandate electronic disclosure in the 2015 regular legislative session. She said the measure would have allowed the public to more easily track campaign donations across candidates and races.
The appropriation passed Tuesday by the House does not require lawmakers to submit campaign-donation information online, but it does provide up to $750,000 to update the existing computer system that lawmakers have described as frustrating and unreliable.
Fixing problems with the software is a first step. Della Rosa plans to introduce legislation during the next regular session in 2017 to mandate filing electronically whether a new system is funded or not.
During a speech on the House floor, Rep. James Sorvillo, R-Little Rock, spoke against the appropriation.
"The ROI, which would be the return on investment, will be insignificant. The software will eliminate the amount of time that it takes to scan our contributions and expense documents, but will not reduce the secretary of state personnel at this time," he said.
"I've been told that however the vote is, the money will get spent either way. If that is the case, then maybe spending it on issues that would help those that provide the money to the state should be considered. This system does not add value to taxpayers. The question should be, does HB1138 [represent] the best use of our tax dollars?"
No one else spoke against the bill.
Della Rosa credited House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, and House Minority Leader Michael John Gray, D-Augusta, for building support for the appropriation.
"[Gillam] voted right off the bat," she said, then referred to the lights on the board showing the tally. "He was the first green, pretty much. That's not common. If he throws his name up there, that's a statement."
Della Rosa expects the Senate to consider her bill today.
A Section on 05/04/2016