Commission invites comments on segregated accounts of national party committees
On February 14, 2024, the Commission published an inquiry notification in response to two petitions seeking new and revised rules governing the segregated accounts of national party committees. The Commission particularly requests comments from national party committees or members of the public with experience administering and interpreting information about these segregated accounts.
Background
The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015 (the Appropriations Act) amended the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) by authorizing separate limits on contributions to three types of segregated accounts established by national party committees. Under the Appropriations Act, national party committees may receive up to three times the usual contribution limit into segregated accounts for (1) presidential nominating conventions; (2) party headquarters buildings; and (3) election recounts or contests and other legal proceedings.
REG 2014-10
On January 8, 2016, the Commission received a Petition for Rulemaking from the Perkins Coie LLP Political Law Group requesting the Commission adopt a “new regulatory framework” for each type of party segregated account, and to amend current regulations or adopt new regulations for all such accounts. Additionally, the Perkins Petition asked the Commission to remove regulations concerning the public funding of presidential nominating conventions that Congress had terminated in 2014.
REG 2019-04
On August 5, 2019, the Commission received a Petition for Rulemaking from the Campaign Legal Center and the Center for Responsive Politics asking it to “promulgate rules and forms requiring national party committees to delineate within their reports the individual and aggregate transactions involving” the accounts created by the Appropriations Act.
The Commission invites comments on issues raised in both petitions and the inquiry notification. Public comments on the inquiry notification are due by March 15, 2024. Commenters are encouraged to submit comments electronically via the Commission’s website at http://sers.fec.gov/fosers (reference REG 2014-10 and 2019-04).