AR HB1899

Requires comprehensive disclosure and reporting of noncandidate expenditures in races for Court of Appeals Judge and Supreme Court Justice offices, with reports due 60, 30, and 7 days before elections and 30 days after the election.

Defines noncandidate expenditures as communications naming or depicting candidates for appellate judicial office within 120 days before an election that reach 1,000 or more voters, excluding news articles and organizational internal communications.

Requires noncandidate expenditure committees to register with the Secretary of State within 15 days of accepting contributions exceeding $1,000 and annually renew registration by January 15, with a designated resident agent required.

Prohibits coordination between noncandidate expenditure committees and candidates, restricts transfer of funds between contributors, requires segregated accounts for contributions, and mandates 4-year record retention with records available to the Arkansas Ethics Commission and prosecuting attorneys.

Empowers registered voters to bring civil actions in circuit court to enforce compliance and recover attorney's fees if they prevail; implementation requirements delayed until the 2022 November judicial runoff election with registration beginning July 1, 2022.