Assigned to JUDE FOR
COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
candidate committees; posthumous closure
Purpose
Deems that a candidate committee has the intention to terminate after the death of the candidate and outlines an order of succession for the candidate committee treasurer if the deceased candidate was acting as treasurer.
Background
Current statute requires a candidate committee to continue filing campaign finance reports until the committee terminates. A candidate committee that intends to terminate must properly dispose of surplus monies, pay off all debts and obligations and have the treasurer file a termination statement. A candidate committee that fails to make a timely campaign finance report must pay a penalty of $10 each day for the first 15 days after the filling deadline and $25 each subsequent day the filing is late, with penalties accruing until the late report is filed (A.R.S. §§ 16-933; 16-934; and 16-937).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Deems a candidate's candidate committee to have the intention to terminate the committee upon the death of the candidate.
2. Specifies that, notwithstanding any other law, if a deceased candidate was serving as the treasurer for that candidate's own candidate committee, the following individuals are authorized to assume the treasurer position in the following order of priority, unless an alternate treasurer was previously designated by the deceased candidate:
a) if the candidate provided for allocation of an unexpected balance through a will or trust, the personal representative of the will or the trustee of the trust;
b) the surviving spouse of the deceased candidate;
c) the next of kin of the deceased candidate;
d) an individual who is appointed by the court.
3. Requires the subsequent treasurer to note on the termination statement that the candidate is deceased and provide the filing officer with documentation that verifies the candidate’s death.
4. Allows a filing officer to waive any penalties from a candidate committee’s failure to file a report if the report was due after the candidate’s death.
5. Makes technical changes.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
January 12, 2026
ZD/MY/ci