FEC cites Florida and Washington campaigns for failure to file required reports
The Federal Election Commission has cited four campaign committees for failing to file reports as required by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act).
As of July 28, 2016, the required July Quarterly disclosure report had not been received from:
- Ernie Rivera for Florida (FL)
- Fatima for Congress (FL-10)
The July Quarterly report was due on July 15, 2016, and should have included financial activity for the period April 1, 2016 through June 30, 2016. The Commission notified committees of their potential filing requirements on June 21, 2016. Those committees that did not file by the due date were sent notification on July 22, 2016, that their reports had not been received and that their names would be published if they did not respond within four business days.
As of July 28, 2016, the required 12-Day Pre-Primary disclosure report for Washington’s August 2 primary had not been received from:
- Angie for Congress (WA-03)
- Friends of Jennifer Gigi Ferguson (WA-10)
The pre-primary report for Washington was due on July 21, 2016, and should have included financial activity for the period July 1, 2016, through July 13, 2016. If sent by certified or registered mail, the report should have been postmarked by July 18, 2016. The Commission notified committees involved in Washington’s primary election of their potential filing requirements on June 27, 2016. Those committees that did not file by the due date were sent notification on July 22, 2016, that their reports had not been received and that their names would be published if they did not respond within four business days.
Some individuals and their committees have no obligation to file reports under federal campaign finance law, even though their names may appear on state ballots. If an individual raises or spends $5,000 or less, he or she is not considered a "candidate" subject to reporting under the Act.
Other political committees that support Senate and House candidates in elections, but are not authorized units of a candidate''s campaign, are also required to file quarterly reports, unless they report monthly. Those committee names are not published by the FEC.
Further Commission action against non-filers and late filers is decided on a case-by-case basis. Federal law gives the FEC broad authority to initiate enforcement actions, and the FEC has implemented an Administrative Fine program with provisions for assessing monetary penalties.
Resources: