FEC Extends State Filing Waiver Program to U.S. Senate Candidates
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Ron Harris
September 28, 2000
Sharon Snyder
Ian Stirton
Kelly Huff
FEC EXTENDS STATE FILING WAIVER PROGRAM
TO U.S. SENATE CANDIDATES
WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission voted September 27 to extend the State Filing Waiver Program to include campaigns for U.S. Senate candidates and other political committees that support only U.S. Senate candidates.
The State Filing Waiver Program, approved by the Commission on October 14, 1999, waives the filing requirement that campaign finance reports filed with the FEC also be filed with the appropriate state election office, provided that the state has an adequate system to serve the public with electronic access to, and duplication of, reports and statements.
Prior to the Commission’s decision to extend the program, the waiver did not apply to reports filed by candidates and committees whose point-of-entry for filing reports is the Office of the Secretary of the U. S. Senate. Although Senate candidates’ point-of-entry for reports remains with the Secretary of the Senate, the FEC and the Senate on September 22 announced a joint effort to provide the FEC and its website (www.fec.gov) with computer images of Senate campaign reports. Previously, the Senate had delivered those reports to the FEC on microfilm, which could not be transferred to quality images on the website.
Accompanying the Commission’s decision to extend the waiver program was adoption of a recommendation to establish the October 15 quarterly report as the first federal campaign finance report that does not require a duplicate filing by U.S. Senate candidates in states certified for the State Filing Waiver Program.
There are currently 46 state and U.S. territorial offices participating in the State Filing Waiver Program. They are Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
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