LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas voters will get to decide next year whether to amend the state constitution to ban most lobbyist gifts to elected officials, prohibit corporate campaign contributions and loosen the state’s term limits, under a plan that state lawmakers advanced Friday.
Legislators also forwarded to voters a proposal that would make it harder for people to secure extra time to gather signatures to place their measures on the ballot.
The House approved the ethics and term limits amendment by a 76-3 vote. The co-chairman of a group that had been trying to get a similar measure on the ballot said it would stop collecting signatures and will instead focus on rallying support for the Legislature-backed constitutional amendment.
“I think that we’ll be able to convince the people of Arkansas that this is the right thing to do,” said David Couch, co-chairman of Regnat Populus. “We were certainly willing to bet on it ourselves.”
In addition to the campaign and gift restrictions, the proposed constitutional amendment would establish a 16-year limit on serving in the Legislature. House members are currently restricted to serving three two-year terms, and senators are limited to two four-year terms.
It also would set up an independent, seven-member commission to set the salaries for legislators, constitutional officers and judges. The salaries for those positions are currently set in the state constitution, but lawmakers are allowed to make cost-of-living adjustments.
“If people are educated on its substance, if they aren’t persuaded by glib arguments that denigrate public service, if they understand that this is one of the substantive ethics reform proposals that have been before voters in a couple decades, I think they’ll want to approve it,” said Rep. Warwick Sabin, D-Little Rock, who co-sponsored the amendment with Republican Sen. Jon Woods of Springdale.
By a 65-17 vote, the House also endorsed the proposal that would make it harder for ballot campaigns to win more time to circulate petitions.
Currently, ballot campaigns can receive an extra 30 days to circulate their petitions if the secretary of state’s office finds that they don’t have enough valid signatures. Under the proposal, at least 75 percent of signatures submitted by ballot campaigns would have to be valid in order to be granted the 30-day extensions.
Supporters say the change is needed to prevent campaigns from knowingly submitting false signatures just to buy time. The move is in response to a high number of invalid signatures that were submitted for casino and severance tax proposals that supporters tried to get on the ballot last year.
“It’s basically given people a free shot,” Rep. John Vines, D-Hot Springs, told lawmakers.
Proposed constitutional amendments need at least 78,133 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot, and proposed initiated acts need at least 62,507.
The measure faces opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and the conservative Family Council, which say the restrictions would make it virtually impossible for citizens to put measures before voters. The Arkansas AFL-CIO, which is considering putting a proposal to raise the state minimum wage on next year’s ballot, also opposes the proposal.
Legislators who oppose the measure echoed those concerns.
“This is one area where people can touch government and can affect government and the only reason for this is to make it harder for them to do that,” Rep. Bob Ballinger, R-Hindsville, said.
The Legislature can refer up to three constitutional amendments to put on next year’s ballot. Lawmakers have already forwarded to voters another proposal that would give the Legislature the authority to require legislative approval of state agency rules.
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