A law firm's political action committee agreed to pay a $100 fine and receive a public letter of caution in a settlement of a complaint filed with the Arkansas Ethics Commission over a contribution made in a 2020 state House race.
The Kutak Rock L.L.P. Political Action Committee, the campaign fundraising arm of a law firm by the same name in Omaha, Neb., with offices in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas, gave $1,500 to Rep. Ashley Hudson, D-Little Rock, who narrowly defeated former Rep. Jim Sorvillo, R-Little Rock, in the 2020 election.
Vicki Young, the PAC's treasurer, signed a consent order on April 5 stating that she agreed with the commission's finding that the group violated Arkansas Code Annotated 7-6-203(d)(2) by contributing to a candidate for public office before registering as a political action committee in the state. The group is registered federally.
Hudson signed a consent order over the same contribution in December, agreeing to a public letter of caution and a $50 fine.
In response to the complaint filed by Seth Mays, former senior political director for the state Republican Party, the state ethics panel found that Hudson violated Arkansas Code Annotated 7-6-203 by accepting the contribution because the group is not registered as a political action committee in Arkansas.
In other business from the Ethics Commission's meeting Friday, the panel approved increasing the individual contribution amount for political campaigns from $2,800 to $2,900 for the 2022 elections.
Under Act 1280 of 2015, the state adjusts the limits for campaign contributions by individuals at the beginning of each odd-numbered year in an amount equal to the percentage certified to the Federal Election Commission by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
For the 2020 elections, the commission approved an increase from $2,700 to $2,800.
The change requires final approval from the Arkansas Legislative Council's Administrative Rules Subcommittee.