The Government and Veterans Affairs Committee voted to advance an amended campaign finance recodification bill, House Bill 2156, and endorsed a new Secretary of State electronic filing system that will let filers enter contributions and expenditures like a digital checkbook.

Representative Heidi Steiner, sponsor of the committee amendment, told members the bill largely consolidates existing Century Code provisions into a new chapter and updates technical reporting rules while adding features to support a forthcoming Secretary of State software rollout. "The secretary of state's office is getting new software ... so a large part of this bill is to be able to transfer it over into the software," Steiner said.

Committee members said the changes aim to improve timeliness and reduce calculation errors while keeping small contributions private. The bill raises the reporting threshold that triggers individual disclosure from $200 to $250 (matching provisions in a separate vehicle, referenced in committee as House Bill 1577), clarifies that the deposit date will determine which reporting period receives a contribution, and preserves aggregated reporting for contributions at or below $250 so donors' names are not published. The Secretary of State's office also requested removal of contributor residential addresses from the publicly posted detail for contributions above the threshold.

Secretary of State staff briefed the committee on the vendor and system features. Deputy Secretary of State Sandy McMurdie said the vendor has launched similar systems in other states and the office has built-in reminders and back-end checks. "The system will flag you on the back end and say, 'hey, it looks like you're missing $200. Do you want a check before you submit your report?'" McMurdie said, describing an automated integrity check intended to reduce later amendments.

The proposed software will record deposit dates and automatically aggregate expenditures into predefined categories (advertising, operations, etc.). Staff said the system will support two approaches: filers may use a detailed checkbook entry method that posts individual checks and expenditures, or they may continue to enter aggregated amounts into categories. The Secretary of State's office told the committee the software will also provide reminders tied to hard reporting deadlines and will allow certain corrections to flow forward through subsequent reports so filers do not have to file separate amendments for multiple periods.

Other substantive changes in the bill explained during the hearing include:
- A move of existing campaign finance code from chapter 0.1 (repealed) into a consolidated chapter 0.2 to make the rules easier to find.
- Addition of non-statewide political parties to the group required to file electronic reports.
- Clarification that when a contribution is received but deposited later, the deposit date determines the reporting period; the bill specifies reporting-period deadlines for January–May, May–October, and pre-election periods.
- Retention of an existing 48-hour supplemental reporting window; committee members discussed but did not change that timing.
- Continued aggregation of small contributions (now $250 or less) with individual disclosure required for amounts over $250.
- Request from the Secretary of State to explicitly extend the foreign-national contribution prohibition to political committees.
- Changes to late-filing fees and public posting of unpaid late fees; the bill retains tiered late fees ($25, $50) and would adopt a Senate-proposed $500 tier for repeated late filings to encourage compliance.

Committee members questioned the vendor contract, activation timing, training and maintenance costs. McMurdie said the vendor's shell is in development and that the software will require ongoing maintenance fees. Committee members asked about training resources; McMurdie said the Secretary of State's office will provide video tutorials, live or recorded trainings, and reference material.

Members also asked about the software activation date; the committee discussion referenced an anticipated activation of January 1, 2026. The bill contains no emergency clause setting an earlier effective date.

Votes at a glance
- House Bill 2156 (as amended): committee recommendation "do pass as amended" approved on roll call, 13 yes, 0 no, 1 absent. (Moved by Representative Heidi Steiner; seconded by Representative Brandon Wolff.)
- Committee adoption of amendments to HB2156: motion to adopt amendments moved by Representative Wolff, seconded by Vice Chair Satrim; voice vote to adopt the amendments carried prior to the final recommendation vote.

Representative Steiner and Secretary of State staff said the intent is to reduce user error and to make compliance easier for candidates and committees; the committee approved the amended bill and sent it on for consideration by the full House. Chairman Schauer said the bill was slated for caucus and then the floor, likely the following week, and that if it passed the House it would proceed to conference with the Senate.