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SB 395

Requiring treasurers of candidates and persons who support or oppose constitutional amendments to report lists of small donors' names and addresses to the public disclosure commission and providing that such lists shall not be a part of any report required to be made public.

2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 395 mandates Kansas campaigns report small donor names and addresses to the state but shields those lists from public disclosure, balancing privacy against transparency concerns.

Died in Committee
#elections
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Bill Summary · SB 395

Legislative bill overview

SB 395 requires campaign treasurers and organizations supporting/opposing constitutional amendments to submit lists of small donors to Kansas's public disclosure commission. Critically, these donor lists would be submitted to the state but explicitly prohibited from public disclosure, creating a non-public reporting requirement.

Why is this important

Campaign finance transparency directly affects electoral accountability and voter decision-making. This bill creates a middle ground between complete secrecy and full public disclosure, but establishes whether the state collects donor data for potential enforcement purposes while shielding donor privacy from public scrutiny. The distinction between "reported to the state" versus "reported to the public" has significant implications for both transparency and privacy interests.

Potential points of contention

  • Privacy vs. Transparency Trade-off: Supporters argue small donors deserve privacy protection from potential harassment or social/economic retaliation; opponents argue hidden donor lists undermine transparency and enable undisclosed influence while still requiring reporting burdens on campaigns.
  • Enforcement and Oversight: Unclear what the state does with non-public donor information—if it's only for compliance verification, proponents may view it as reasonable; if it enables targeting or enforcement actions, critics may see it as surveillance without public accountability.
  • Definition of "Small Donors": The bill's threshold for which donors qualify as "small" isn't specified in this summary, which could dramatically affect how many people's information is collected and what reporting burden this creates.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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