Comments sought on disgorgement of illegal contributions
On December 22, 2022 the Commission published a notification of availability in the Federal Register at 87 Fed. Reg. 78611 that seeks public comment on a petition for rulemaking filed by the Campaign Legal Center.
The petition asks the Commission to amend or clarify its regulations at 11 CFR 103.3 regarding the refunding of contributions that violate the source prohibitions or amount limitations of the Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act).
The petitioner requests that the Commission amend its regulations to permit committees to disgorge illegal contributions to the United States Treasury, and to provide that the Commission may require disgorgement when, according to the petitioner, a refund would be unjust and create incentives for future lawbreaking.
Public comments on the petition are due by February 21, 2023. Commenters are encouraged to submit comments electronically (reference REG 2022-06) via the Commission’s website.