Comments sought on contributions through untraceable electronic payment methods
On November 26, 2024, the Commission published a notification of availability in the Federal Register at 89 Fed. Reg. 93224 that seeks public comment on a petition for rulemaking submitted by Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas.
The petition asks the Commission to adopt two amendments to 11 CFR 104.14 concerning the use of credit cards to make contributions, to address the potential use of prepaid cards to circumvent contribution amount limitations and source prohibitions.
First, the petition requests an amendment to 11 CFR 104.14(b)(5) to provide that records for contributions made by credit, debit, prepaid, or gift card must include documentation confirming that a cross-check occurred between the contributor’s self-reported identifying information with the card issuing institution’s own information on the name and billing address of the cardholder.
Second, the petition requests an amendment to 11 CFR 104.14(e) to provide that contributions cannot be accepted from prepaid or gift cards unless the information from those prepaid or gift cards can be cross-checked with the card issuing institution to confirm the name and billing address required under the proposed amendment to 11 CFR 104.14(b)(5).
Public comments on the petition are due by January 27, 2025. Commenters are encouraged to submit comments electronically (reference REG 2024-08) via the Commission’s website.