Committee advances bill allowing Campaign Finance Board access to Department of Revenue records for refund administration

The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee recommended that Senate File 9 be referred to the Senate Taxes Committee after members discussed how the bill would let the Campaign Finance Board use contribution records stored in a Department of Revenue system to administer a refund program.

The measure would allow the Campaign Finance Board to access or use data entered into a Department of Revenue system and classifies much of the related receipt and validation information as private or nonpublic data. The bill also sets a minimum contribution receipt amount of $10 as the trigger for eligibility to apply for the refund and contemplates the electronic system summing contributions to determine eligibility. According to committee discussion, portions of the bill were written to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

Why it matters: The bill affects who can see individual contribution records and how those records…