Campaigns Cited for Failure to File Pre-Primary Report
CAMPAIGNS CITED FOR FAILURE TO FILE PRE-PRIMARY REPORT
WASHINGTON -- Arizona and New York will be holding primary elections on September 12, 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. September 8, 2000, disclosure reports from the following committees had not been filed:
AZ/06...COMMITTEE TO ELECT KEVIN B. HARRIS TO CONGRESS...BYRON ATKINSON, TREAS...KEVIN
BRUCE HARRIS...DEM
NY/06...MEEKS FOR CONGRESS 2000...CHARLES H. REEVES III, TREAS...GREGORY W. MEEKS...DEM
NY/11...CLARKE 2000...RAYNEL L. TROTMAN, TREAS...UNA S. CLARKE...DEM
NY/29... FRIENDS OF JOHN LAFALCE...THERESA FEZER OPALINSKI, TREAS...JOHN J. LAFALCE...DEM
NY/30...JOHN FEE FOR CONGRESS...JOHN H. CROSTA, TREAS...JOHN FEE...DEM
The reports were to include financial activity occurring from July 1 through August 23. If sent by certified or registered mail, the reports should have been postmarked by August 28. Otherwise, the due date was close-of-business August 31.
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 August 7. Those committees which did not file on the due date were notified on September 1 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 and the FEC has implemented a new administrative fine program which will subject committees to penalties ranging from $125 to $16,000 or more.
The next regularly scheduled disclosure reports for candidate committees will be the third quarterly report, due October 15. It will cover activity from August 24 through September 30.
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