FEC Alternative Dispute Resolution Program Continues to Show Impressive Results

FEC Alternative Dispute Resolution Program Continues to Show Impressive Results

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Election Commission (FEC/Commission) successfully resolved and made public forty-four campaign finance enforcement matters through its Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program in the second half of 2007. The Commission assessed civil penalties totaling $65,700 in nineteen of the matters included in the table below.

The FEC’s innovative ADR program has proven very effective at quickly resolving basic violations and reducing the agency’s costs for resolving enforcement matters.  Since its inception on October 2, 2000, the ADR program has resolved 385 cases.

“The ADR program has broadened the reach of FEC enforcement,” said Chairman David Mason.  “Year after year, it has proven that ADR negotiation is an effective and efficient tool for resolving enforcement cases.”

Included in this summary are matters involving 26 campaigns, eight Political Action Committees (PACs), nine party committees and one corporation.  The FEC assessed financial penalties against 19 of these organizations for violations of federal campaign finance laws related to incomplete recordkeeping or disclosure of financial activity and, in one instance, receipt of a prohibited corporate contribution.  The Commission also dismissed allegations against 14 committees. A number of committees also agreed to modify their practices by reassigning staff, conducting internal audits, and attending FEC conferences in order to improve their recordkeeping and reporting practices.

The ADR process is designed to reach an expedient resolution with a mutually agreeable settlement that is in compliance with the Act.  For a case to be considered for ADR treatment, a respondent must express willingness to engage in the ADR process, agree to set aside the statute of limitations while the case is being resolved and participate in mediation, if appropriate.  Settlements reached through ADR participation are submitted to the Commissioners for final approval.  Completed ADR negotiated settlement summaries are available on the FEC’s web site and through the Public Records Office.  Additional information regarding the ADR program is available at http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/adr.shtml. 

This release contains only summary information.  For additional details, please consult publicly available documents for each case in the Enforcement Query System (EQS) on the FEC website at http://eqs.fec.gov/eqs/searcheqs .

A brief summary of each case can be found in the table below.

Table of Case Summaries

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. Established in 1975, the FEC is composed of six Commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

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