PriyaPatelTLDR:
- The Arizona House passed a bill requiring more frequent campaign finance reporting for four-year officeholders.
- The bill aims to increase transparency and accountability in political fundraising.
Arizona lawmakers have approved House Bill 2403, which would mandate four-year officeholders like the governor to report their campaign finances four times a year. This change eliminates a three-year reporting gap that was created by a 2016 amendment to state campaign finance law. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Matt Gress, emphasized the importance of more disclosure in political fundraising to ensure accountability to voters. The bill now awaits approval in the Senate before potentially being signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has expressed support for the measure.
Full Article:
Arizona lawmakers are advancing measures to shed light on the political fundraising of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and other statewide officeholders by eliminating a three-year period during which no public reporting is currently required. The Arizona House of Representatives passed House Bill 2403 on Thursday with a bipartisan 49-9 vote. The bill would require candidates for four-year offices, like governor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and others, report their campaign finances four times a year, even in the years between election cycles.
The bills are a response to reporting by The Arizona Republic that detailed a 2016 change to state campaign finance law that allowed four-year officeholders to go three years between elections without public disclosure of their political fundraising. Hobbs, who proved to be a good fundraiser during her run for governor, has pledged to use some of her campaign haul to oust Republican lawmakers from the Legislature. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt Gress, aims to require more frequent reporting by statewide candidates to increase transparency and accountability in political fundraising.
Sen. T.J. Shope introduced a similar bill in the Senate, requiring statewide officeholders to file reports during the two-year period before an election. The goal is to provide the public with more information about who officeholders are raising money from and how the funds are being spent. Shope emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in political fundraising, especially in the context of longer political cycles and campaigns. Both bills are expected to go through the Senate approval process before potentially being signed into law.
