Campaign Cited for Failure to File Pre-Primary Report

News Releases, Media Advisories

WASHINGTON Texas will be holding primary elections on March 10, 1998, to select candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act require committees supporting candidates involved in the primary to file reports of their financial activity 12 days before the election.

As of 5 p.m., March 5, 1998, a disclosure report from the following committee had not been filed:

TX/30...EDDIE BERNIECE JOHNSON FOR CONGRESS...PAO-LING W. CHEN, TREAS...EDDIE BERNIECE JOHNSON...REP

The reports were to include financial activity occurring from January 1 through February 18. If sent by registered mail, the reports should have been postmarked by February 23. Otherwise, the due date was closeofbusiness February 26.

Some individuals and their committees have no obligation to file reports under federal election law, even though their names may appear on state ballots. If an individual raises or spends less than $5,000, he or she is not considered a "candidate" subject to reporting under the FECA.

The FEC notified committees involved in the primary of their potential filing requirements on February 2. Those committees which did not file on the due date were notified on February 27 that reports had not been received and that their names would be published if they did not respond within four business days.

Other political committees supporting Senate and House candidates in elections (those which are not authorized units of a candidate''''s campaign) also are required to file preprimary reports, unless they report monthly. Those committee names are not published by the FEC.

Further Commission action against nonfilers and late filers is decided on a casebycase basis. Federal law gives the FEC broad authority to initiate enforcement actions, including the imposition of civil penalties ($5,000 for "any violation" and $10,000 for any "knowing and willful" violation).

The next regularly scheduled disclosure reports for candidate committees will be the quarterly report due April 15. It will cover activity from February 19 through March 30..

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