Filings are expected next week on the campaigns to put a minimum wage increase and casino gambling expansion on the November ballot. One other campaign reported financial information last week

U.S. Term Limits, the backer of a proposal to limit state legislative service to 10 years (down from the current minimum of 16 and possible exceptions up to 22) reported a $49,200 contribution from a related nonprofit, U.S. Term Limits Foundation in Florida. That money went right back out the door to pay for paid petition canvassers.

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The group has accumulated and spent $421,000 so far in a long petition-campaign to roll back more expansive term limits that the legislature craftily inserted in a so-called “ethics” amendment in 2014.

The secretary of state is currently reviewing petitions submitted by U.S. Term Limits to see if they have sufficient legitimate signatures of voters to qualify for the ballot. No organized opposition has emerged to the measure except for social media complaints from — guess who? — state legislators who like longer service, particularly at the vastly inflated pay that also was enabled by the “ethics” amendment.

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The Center for Public Integrity did some sleuthing in 2004 on contributors to the term limits foundation and listed a number of wealthy conservatives in the effort, including Warren Stephens and Jackson T. Stephens Jr., heirs to the Arkansas Stephens fortune. The Kochs have contributed significantly over the years to the term limits movement.

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