Schedule for Hearing on Coordinated Communications

WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission will conduct a public hearing on Wednesday and Thursday, January 25-26. The schedule of witnesses appears below.

The Commission is considering changes to its rule defining "coordinated communications" consistent with the ruling of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Shays v. FEC. The Commission''''s current rules set out a three-prong test for determining whether a communication is "coordinated" with, and therefore an in-kind contribution to, a Federal candidate or political party committee. In Shays the Court of Appeals invalidated one aspect of the so-called content prong of the coordinated communications test, because the court believed that the Commission had not provided adequate explanation and justification for the current rules. To comply with the decision of the Court of Appeals, and to address other issues involving the coordinated communications rules, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on December 14, 2005.

Public Hearing on Coordinated Communications

Schedule of Witnesses

January 25, 2006

9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.              Opening Remarks

9:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.            Panel 1

• Jan Witold Baran, Chamber of Commerce
• Robert F. Bauer, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
• Donald J. Simon, Democracy 21

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.          Break

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.            Panel 2

• Marc E. Elias, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
• Paul S. Ryan, Campaign Legal Center
• Michael Trister, AFL-CIO

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lunch Break

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Panel 3

• Thomas J. Josefiak, Republican National Committee
• Steve Hoersting, Center for Competitive Politics
• Joseph E. Sandler, Democratic National Committee

January 26, 2006

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Panel 4

• William J. McGinley, National Republican Senatorial Committee
• Cleta Mitchell, Foley &Lardner LLP
• Brian G. Svoboda, Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee

11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Break

11:15 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Panel 5

• Ellen R. Malcolm, EMILY''''s List
• Karl J. Sandstrom, Association of State Democratic Chairs
• John Sullivan, Service Employees International Union

12:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lunch Break

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Panel 6

• Margaret McCormick, National Education Association
• Donald F. McGahn II, National Republican Congressional Committee
• Lawrence M. Noble, The Center for Responsive Politics

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