A Rose for Della Rosa (Editorial)

Jana Della Rosa

Here at Arkansas Business, we know lists. We know about collecting data and organizing data so that it is useful and meaningful. Lists”R”Us, you might say. So when we see that some candidates for public office in this state carefully organize their campaign funding disclosures alphabetically by the donor’s first name, we understand that the goal was to comply with the law in the least useful and meaningful way possible.

And we know that a law that allows — even encourages — obfuscation of public information needs to be changed. Public disclosure of the money behind politics was a good thing even before the money got so big, and harnessing technology to serve that public good seems like a no-brainer.

It’s such an obvious need that we must conclude that any legislator who opposes standardized electronic reporting of campaign donations and other financial disclosures opposes the public’s right to be informed. The explanations for wanting to keep a laborious, opaque system are beyond lame; they are laughable.

Rep. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, tried last year to pass a law that would require candidates to submit electronic campaign finance reports but failed. To her continuing credit, she hasn’t given up on improving the public’s access to this vital information.

Last week, the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee gave a do-pass recommendation to her bill authorizing the secretary of state’s office to spend up to $750,000 — a solid quarter for every resident of the state — to improve its system for campaign finance reporting, and she said she’ll try again in the 2017 legislative session to mandate electronic filing.

So cheers for Della Rosa and for the Joint Budget Committee — the majority on the public’s side, that is. When HB1138 is signed into law, we’ll start to believe that the voters are as important as the donors. When electronic reporting is required, we’ll have the proof.