Arizona HB 2509: appropriations; one percent reduction; exceptions

Bill Text

HB2509 - 572R - I Ver 

 REFERENCE TITLE: campaign finance; corporate contributions; registration

 State of Arizona

 House of Representatives

 Fifty-seventh Legislature

 Second Regular Session

 2026

 HB 2509

 Introduced by 

 Representatives 
 Stahl Hamilton: Abeytia, Blattman, Cavero, Contreras P, Crews, De Los Santos, 
 Garcia, Gutierrez, Liguori, Sandoval, Simacek, Travers, Villegas

AN 
ACT

amending section 16-916, Arizona Revised 
Statutes; amending title 16, chapter 6, article 1.4, Arizona Revised Statutes, 
by adding section 16-926.01; relating to campaign contributions.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 16-916, Arizona Revised 
Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE16-916. Corporation, limited liability company and labor organization 
contributions; separate segregated fund; limits; requirements

A. Except as prescribed in section 
16-926.01, a corporation, limited liability company or labor 
organization shall not make contributions to a candidate committee.

B. A corporation, limited liability company or labor 
organization may make unlimited contributions to persons other than candidate 
committees.

C. A corporation, limited liability company or labor 
organization may sponsor a separate segregated fund. Employees, 
members, executives, stockholders and retirees and their families of a 
corporation, limited liability company or labor organization and any subsidiary 
or affiliate of a corporation, limited liability company or labor organization 
may make contributions to the separate segregated fund, subject to the 
following:

1. The separate segregated fund must register as a 
political action committee.

2. The sponsor or its affiliate may pay the 
administrative, personnel and fund-raising expenses of its separate 
segregated fund, which shall not be deemed contributions to the fund.

3. The sponsor or its separate segregated fund may 
solicit contributions from the sponsor's, sponsor's affiliates' or sponsor's 
subsidiaries' employees, members, executives, stockholders and retirees and 
their families. The following additional restrictions apply:

(a) With respect to an insurer, an insurer or its 
separate segregated fund may also solicit contributions from an insurance 
producer's employees, members, executives, stockholders and retirees and their 
families.

(b) With respect to a trade association or 
membership organization, the association or organization may solicit 
contributions from its members' employees, executives, stockholders, 
subsidiaries and retirees and their families.

4. A sponsor or its affiliate or a trade association 
or membership organization may facilitate the making of contributions to its 
separate segregated fund by establishing a payroll deduction system or other 
similar payment transfer method.

5. A sponsor, trade association, membership 
organization or separate segregated fund may rely on the federal election 
commission's written guidance interpreting 52 United States Code section 
30118(b) and rules adopted under that section when interpreting this 
subsection, if otherwise consistent with this article and articles 1, 1.1, 1.3, 
1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 of this chapter. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Title 16, chapter 6, article 1.4, 
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 16-926.01, to read:

START_STATUTE16-926.01. Reporting contributions made by a corporation, limited liability 
company or labor organization; registration; notification; statement; civil 
penalty; violation; classification; definition

A. Notwithstanding any other statute:

1. A corporation, limited liability 
company or labor organization that makes a contribution in at least one of the 
following threshold amounts to a political action committee or to another 
corporation, limited liability company or labor organization in an attempt to 
influence the outcome of a candidate election shall register and notify the 
appropriate filing officer not later than one day after making that 
contribution, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and other legal holidays:

(a) An 
aggregate of $5,000 or more in one or more statewide races.

(b) An 
aggregate of $2,500 or more in one or more legislative races.

(c) $1,000 
or more in one or more county, city, town or other local races if the $1,000 is 
aggregated in races in a single county, city, town or other local jurisdiction.

2. The secretary of state is the 
filing officer for registrations and notifications for contributions in 
statewide and legislative elections. City, town or county filing 
officers are the filing officers for notifications in a city, town, county or 
other local election, respectively. The corporation, limited 
liability company or labor organization also shall notify the filing officer 
within the same time limit prescribed in paragraph 1 of this subsection of each 
additional accumulation of contributions that exceeds the threshold a