House reconsiders and passes bill critics say could allow campaign contribution rollovers

The Arizona House on June 17 voted to reconsider its prior action and then passed Senate Bill 11 29 on reconsideration, 31-25-4, forwarding the bill to the Senate.

Majority Leader Carbone moved the House to reconsider its May 7 action and place Senate Bill 11 29 back on third reading. The motion carried and, following debate, the House recorded a final vote of 31 ayes, 25 nays and 4 not voting.

Opponents on the floor warned the bill would create a loophole around Arizona's campaign finance limits. "This bill is written to allow folks to make an end run around our state's campaign finance laws," Representative Collin said, arguing that municipal committees could take contributions above legislative limits and later roll them into state campaigns. "If you allow that money to be rolled over into a legislative campaign ... you allow somebody to open up a municipal committee, take contributions in excess of the limit, and then roll them over to the legislative campaign, circumventing our state's campaign finance laws," Collin said.

Supporters did not offer extended debate on the floor beyond moving the reconsideration and adopting committee recommendations; the clerk recorded that the House had passed the bill on reconsideration and instructed the clerk to convey it to the Senate.

The measure's critics framed the vote as a change that could affect how campaign money is collected and transferred between municipal and legislative committees. The House journal entry records the motion to reconsider by Representative Carbone and the recorded passage on reconsideration; the transcript shows Representative Collin explaining his no vote but does not include an extended defense of the bill text on the floor.