Campaigns Cited for Failure to File Pre-Primary Report
CAMPAIGNS CITED FOR FAILURE TO FILE PRE-PRIMARY REPORT
WASHINGTON -- California will be holding primary elections on March 7, 2000, to select candidates for the U.S. Senate and 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 2, 2000, disclosure reports from the following committees had not been filed:
CA/22...ALLEN ROWE FOR CONGRESS...ALLEN ROWE, TREAS...ERNEST ALLEN ROWE...REP
CA/36...PEGRAM FOR CONGRESS...JOSEPH CHOU, TREAS...ROBERT T. PEGRAM...REP
CA/45...COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT CONGRESSMAN DANA ROHRABACHER...DANA W. REED, TREAS...DANA ROHRABACHER...REP
CA/48...ELECT PETER KOUVELIS...GARY J. HALBERT, TREAS...PETER KOUVELIS...DEM
The reports were to include financial activity occurring from January 1 through February 16. If sent by certified or registered mail, the reports should have been postmarked by February 21. Otherwise, the due date was close-of-business February 24.
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 January 31. Those committees which did not file on the due date were notified on February 25 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 pre-primary reports, unless they report monthly. Those committee names are not published by the FEC.
Further Commission action against non-filers and late filers is decided on a case-by-case basis. Federal law gives the FEC broad authority to initiate enforcement actions, including the imposition of civil penalties ($5,500 for "any violation" and $11,000 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 17 through March 31.
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