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House moves candidate disclosure date to late September, debates fines for late reporting
Summary
The House passed a first substitute to HB120 moving the candidate financial disclosure deadline from Aug. 31 to Sept. 30 to provide voters more up‑to‑date information before mailed ballots are distributed; sponsors debated changing fine structure to a flat 15% (removing 'greater of $50 or 15%') and deferred deeper in‑session fixes to reporting of in‑kind contributions; the bill passed 66–4.
Representative Hall moved to suspend the constitutional three‑reading requirement and introduced the first substitute for HB120, a modification to election law that changes the candidate financial‑disclosure deadline from Aug. 31 to Sept. 30.
Hall said the change is intended to give voters more current information before mailed ballots are distributed roughly 30 days before Election Day. "This changes the reporting deadline from August 31 to September 30 so that the voters have all of the relevant information at the time that they are actually voting," Hall said.
The sponsor also proposed a change to the fine structure for late filings: the current statute assesses the greater of 15% or $50; the substitute removes the "greater of $50 or" language so that the penalty becomes a flat 15% of the contribution. Representatives raised questions about how that would apply to in‑kind contributions and edge cases where the reported amount may change later. Representative DeCarlo and others pressed whether the 15% approach might be more punitive for large in‑kind contributions and asked whether the bill should instead cap fines.
Hall replied that the bill does not change the definition of contribution or when in‑kind contributions must be reported; it changes only the penalty calculation. Lawmakers agreed that further clarification about in‑kind reporting could be addressed separately; Representative Anderson moved to "circle" (hold) the bill for possible amendment on that point, and the motion to circle carried.
After floor discussion and a waived summation, the House voted to pass the first substitute HB120 by a roll call of 66 yes, 4 no. The bill will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
What happens next: HB120 changes the reporting deadline to Sept. 30 and alters the fine structure to a flat 15%; members indicated separate follow-up may be needed to clarify in‑kind contribution reporting.
