Senators advance bills for online campaign filing, charter school buildings

A bill requiring constitutional, legislative and judicial candidates in Arkansas to file their campaign finance reports online passed a Senate committee Thursday, while the full Senate passed a bill requiring public schools to make unused and underutilized facilities available to local charter schools.

House Bill 1427 by Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, passed the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The bill would require campaign finance reports to be filed online. The reports would be searchable by citizens. Currently, citizens can see an individual’s campaign donations at the secretary of state’s website but cannot cross-reference the donations with other candidates or do a search to track overall donor giving.

The bill requires a two-thirds vote because it modifies voter-initiated acts passed in 1990 and 1996. It would not apply to county or city candidates.

The bill now goes to the full Senate. If it passes there, it goes to the governor’s desk.

The full Senate also passed Senate Bill 308 by Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, which would require public school districts to make unused and underutilized public school facilities available for lease or purchase to public charter schools located within the district’s boundaries.

The facilities would be made available at no more than fair market value. The public school would not have to make the facility available if it can show that it will be needed for future growth.

The bill passed 25-4.

Clark said the bill was needed to ensure the facilities are put to good use and don’t fall into disrepair.

But Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, said the term “underutilized” was not defined in the bill. She pointed to the state takeover of the Pulaski County Special School District, where she said buildings were taken from the district, and the Little Rock School District, where the state, now in control, is planning school closures.

The bill now goes to the House.