Arizona is already poised to relax rules regarding so-called “dark money” groups starting next year, but a last-minute amendment from the state Senate could make the changes go into effect in less than a month. The proposal to accelerate the dark money regulation changes came late Thursday, as an amendment to HB 2296, and originated with the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, a dark money group that spent about $1.7 million during the 2014 election cycle.
The amendment directly borrows language regarding the requirements for a 501c(4) organization to register as a political committee from SB1516, which was passed and signed by Gov. Doug Ducey earlier this year.
The measure passed the Senate and House on party-line votes, with just a handful of House GOP members voting against it. It was sent to Ducey on Saturday.
Under existing law, those groups, which do not disclose the source of their income, have to pass the “primary purpose” test, meaning they have to spend a majority of their money on non-electioneering.
Full Article: Dark money group leads last-minute effort to speed up campaign finance changes.