FEC Holds Public Hearing on Definition of Federal Election Activity

FEC HOLDS PUBLIC HEARING ON DEFINITION OF FEDERAL ELECTION ACTIVITY

Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 9:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
FEC Hearing Room

WASHINGTON—The Federal Election Commission will hold a public hearing on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) addressing the definition of Federal Election Activity on Wednesday, December 16 at 9:30 a.m. This NPRM is intended to implement part of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Opinion in Shays v. FEC (Shays III) that found invalid aspects of some of the rules the Commission promulgated to implement the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA).

The NPRM on Federal Election Activity addresses definitions of get-out-the-vote and voter registration activity. The Commission will hear testimony from the following:

• Karl Sandstrom, on behalf of the Association of State Democratic Chairs
• Paul S. Ryan, on behalf of the Campaign Legal Center
• Brian Svoboda, on behalf of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
• Neil P. Reiff and Joseph E. Sandler, Sandler, Reiff and Young, P.C.
• Ron Nehring and John Phillippe, on behalf of the Republican State Chairmen’s Committee of the Republican National Committee and the California Republican Party

The Commission will provide a live audio stream of the hearing, which can be accessed from the home page of the Commission website, www.fec.gov.

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 of Representatives, 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.