Campaigns Cited for Failure to File Pre-Primary Report

For Immediate Release:                                                                                             Contact:   Kelly Huff
March 17, 2000                                                                                                                              Ron Harris
                                                                                                                                                         Sharon Snyder
                                                                                                                                                         Ian Stirton


 

 


CAMPAIGNS CITED FOR FAILURE TO FILE PRE-PRIMARY REPORT


WASHINGTON -- Illinois will be holding primary elections on March 21, 2000, 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 16, 2000, disclosure reports from the following committees had not
been filed:


IL/02...JESSE JACKSON JR. FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE...JONATHAN JACKSON, TREAS...JESSE L.
JACKSON JR...DEM

IL/06...CHRISTENSEN FOR CONGRESS...BRENT CHRISTENSEN, TREAS...BRENT M.
CHRISTENSEN...DEM

IL/11...STEVENSON FOR CONGRESS...WILLIAM A. BETHELL, TREAS...JAMES P. STEVENSON...DEM


The reports were to include financial activity occurring from January 1 through March
1. If sent by certified or registered mail, the reports should have been postmarked by
March 6. Otherwise, the due date was close-of-business March 9.

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 14. Those committees which did not file on the due date were
notified on March 10 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 March 2 through March 31.

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