Committee approves amendment to remove home addresses from public campaign finance database

The Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee voted to add an amendment to House Bill 433 and advanced the measure after members approved the change by voice vote.

The bill, as described to the committee, would require the Secretary of State to maintain a searchable campaign-finance database while removing residential (home) addresses from publicly viewable filings. An office representative from the Secretary of State's office told the committee: "so basically the way it currently works is when you file with the party, it's party challenges. So you put your residential address with the party... so this specifically takes off resial addresses." The office clarified that the change affects what the public sees and does not alter the original official records.

Committee members asked how residency challenges would be handled if home addresses are omitted from the public database. The office representative said residential addresses are filed with party organizations and that the bill targets only the campaign-finance side of filings to remove residential addresses from public view while preserving internal records for administrative or legal challenges.

A text amendment that specified system naming and an effective date was offered, seconded by Representative Harrison and adopted by the committee. The chair announced that "the amendment is added" and later stated the bill was given (advanced) from committee on a voice vote.

The committee did not hold an extended public debate on fiscal impacts in the portion of the transcript provided. Next procedural steps for HB433 will follow the committee's standard legislative calendar.