Conference committee adds AG, governor's-residence language and sets late-filing fines in campaign-reporting bill

The conference committee on House Bill 1377 on Thursday afternoon approved adding two amendments — language referencing an Attorney General opinion and provisions related to the governor’s residence — and set a tiered fine schedule for late campaign finance filings, while also approving a provision to make late fees and the identity of the fined person publicly available in a Secretary of State–prescribed format.

The changes came during a multi-member House-Senate meeting that combined policy discussion with three formal votes. “Let's call this conference committee to order on House Bill 13 77,” the committee chair said at the start of the session.

Committee members said they were trying to strike a balance between enforcement and fairness. Representative Schauer said the House preferred smaller initial penalties: “I would still rather have the 25.” Chair Steiner described the compromise that emerged on fines as reasonable: “50 is reasonable to me.”

Why it matters: The language and votes affect how the state enforces campaign reporting deadlines, how much money late filers pay, and what information is shown to voters on the Secretary of State’s public campaign-finance pages. The committee discussed system capabilities, who the rules should cover, and…