1. (a)

   1. (1) An exploratory committee is a person that receives contributions held to be transferred later to a single candidate.

   2. (2) It shall not include:

      1. (A) A political party that meets the definition of a political party under Arkansas Code § 7‑1‑101 or the requirements of Arkansas Code § 7‑7‑205; or
      2. (B) The candidate's own campaign committee.

2. (b)

   1. (1) Exploratory committees must register within fifteen (15) days after receiving contributions during a calendar year that, in the aggregate, exceed five hundred dollars ($500).
   2. (2) The committee must also disclose the name, address, and telephone numbers of the committee and its officers as well as the name of the person who, upon becoming a candidate, is intended to receive the contributions received by the committee.
   3. (3) The place of filing for an exploratory committee for a state or district office shall be the Secretary of State’s office, and the place of filing for an exploratory committee for a county, municipal, township, or school district office shall be the county clerk’s office.

3. (c)

   1. (1)

      1. (A) Within thirty (30) days of the end of each month, an exploratory committee shall file a report indicating the total amount of contributions received during the filing period and/or the previous month and disclose:

4. (i) The names and addresses of persons contributing in excess of two hundred dollars ($200), along with the contributor's principal place of business, employer, occupation, and the amount contributed;

   1. (ii) The total amount of expenditures made; and

      1. (iii) For each single expenditure that exceeds one hundred dollars ($100), an itemization including the:
5. (a) (a) Amount of the expenditure;

6. (b) (b) Name and address of the person to whom the expenditure was made; and

   1. (c) (c) Date the expenditure was made.

      1. (B) The first report shall be filed for the month in which the committee files its registration.

      2. (C) A final report shall be filed within thirty (30) days after the end of the month in which the committee either:

         1. (i) Transfers the contributions received to the candidate; or
         2. (ii) No longer intends to accept contributions on behalf of the candidate.
   2. (2) The reports required by this section shall be filed in electronic form through the official website of the Secretary of State.
   3. (3) The Arkansas Ethics Commission shall approve the format used by the Secretary of State for the filing of exploratory reports in electronic form to ensure that all required information is requested.

   4. (4) The official website of the Secretary of State shall allow for searches of exploratory committee report information filed in electronic form.

      1. (d) An exploratory committee under this section may file reports in paper form under this section if:
   5. (1) The exploratory committee does not have access to the technology necessary to submit reports in electronic form; and
   6. (2) Submitting reports in electronic form would constitute a substantial hardship for the exploratory committee.
7. (e) An exploratory committee shall not accept contributions after the filing of a final report.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules contained the following footnotes: A footnote to 7 CAR § 3-152(a)(2)(B) cited "70 Ark. Code Ann. § 7-6-201(9)". A footnote to 7 CAR § 3-152(b)(3) cited "71 Ark. Code Ann. § 7-6-216 (a) and (b)". A footnote to 7 CAR § 3-152(c)(1)(A)(iii) cited "72 Ark. Code Ann. § 7-6-207 (b)(1)(B) requires itemization of all contributions to campaign committees in excess of $50.00. See Arkansas Ethics Commission Opinion No. 97-EC-007". A footnote to 7 CAR § 3-152(c)(1)(C) cited "73 Ark. Code Ann. § 7-6-216(c) and (d)".