FEC Approves Advisory Opinion, Approves NPRM on Standards of Conduct

FEC APPROVES ADVISORY OPINION, APPROVES NPRM ON STANDARDS OF CONDUCT

WASHINGTON – At its open meeting today, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) approved an Advisory Opinion and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Standards of Conduct.

In Advisory Opinion 2010-01 (Nevada State Democratic Party), the Commission concluded that proposed payments by the State Party for campaign materials to be used in connection with volunteer activities on behalf of a Federal candidate before the Nevada 2010 primary election would be exempt from the definitions of “contribution” and “expenditure” if the candidate is the State Party’s presumptive nominee.  Candidate filing closes on March 12, 2010.  If a Candidate is unopposed after that date he is the presumptive nominee.  Only volunteer activities which take place after that date qualify for the exemption.

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Standards of Conduct proposes possible revisions and supplements to the agency’s current rules governing the conduct of Commissioners and Commission employees. The draft proposed rules would update 11 CFR part 7 to reflect statutory changes enacted after the Standards of Conduct originally were promulgated, and to conform to regulations issued by the Office of Government Ethics and Office of Personnel Management. The draft rules also would supplement, for Commissioners and employees of the Commission, the Office of Government Ethics Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch.