Week of April 2 - April 6, 2018

Commission meetings and hearings

No Commission meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.

Advisory Opinions

Advisory Opinion Request Received

Advisory Opinion Request 2018-06 (Shirley)

On April 6, 2018, the Commission made public Advisory Opinion Request 2018-06 (Shirley).  Liuba Grechen Shirley, a candidate for the House of Representatives, asks whether campaign funds may be used to pay for the candidate's child care expenses. The Commission will accept written comments on the request during the 10-day period following publication of the request (no later than April 16) and must issue a response no later than 60 days after the receipt of the complete request, that is, by June 4, 2018.

Litigation

Campaign Legal Center, et al. v. FEC (18-cv-00053-TSC)

On April 2, Plaintiff filed its Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant Federal Election Commission’s Motion to Dismiss in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

CREW, et al. v. FEC (17-2770)

On March 30, the Commission filed a Motion to Dismiss in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Doe, et al. v. FEC (Case No. 17-2694 (ABJ))

On April 6, the Commission filed a Response to Plaintiffs' Emergency Motion for a Stay or an Injunction Pending Appeal in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

FEC v. Jeremy Johnson and John Swallow (Case 2:15-cv-00439-DB)

On April 6, the United States Court for the District of Utah Central Division issued aMemorandum Decision and Order granting Defendant Swallow’s Motion to Dismiss and denying the Commission’s cross motion for judgment on the pleadings. The court held that the regulation at 11 C.F.R. § 110.4(b)(1)(iii), which provides that the Federal Election Campaign Act’s ban on contributions in the name of another includes those who “knowingly help or assist,” exceeds the Commission’s statutory authority. 

Rulemaking and agency procedures

REG 2014-02 (Independent expenditures by authorized committees; reporting multistate independent expenditures and electioneering communications). The Commission has posted comments submitted in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

Educational programs

On April 4, the Commission hosted FECFile webinars for candidate committees, PACs, and party committees. Additional information is available on the educational outreach page of the Commission website.

Outreach

On April 4, Communication Specialist Paul Stoetzer spoke with political and private leaders from the Western Hemisphere about the role of the Commission. The meeting was part of the “Minority Participation in the Political Process” program sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.

Public disclosure

On April 6, the Commission issued the Statistical Summary of 12-Month Campaign Activity of the 2017-2018 Election Cycle.

Press releases

District Court issues opinion in FEC v. Jeremy Johnson and John Swallow (issued April 6)

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

• April 10, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.

The open meeting previously scheduled for April 12 has been canceled.

Meeting dates are subject to change. Please contact the Press Office the week of the scheduled meeting for confirmation.

Upcoming reporting due dates

• April 15: April Quarterly Reports are due. For information on quarterly reporting dates, refer to the 2018 Quarterly Reporting page of the Commission website.
• April 20: April Monthly Reports are due. For more information on monthly reporting dates, refer to the 2018 Monthly Reporting page of the Commission website.
  

Upcoming educational programs

• On April 11, the Commission will host a webinar for candidates, their committee staff members, and others looking to understand rules related to federal candidate committees.

Additional information is available on the educational outreach page of the Commission website. 

Additional research materials

Additional research materials about the agency, campaign finance information, and election results are available through the Library section of the Commission website.

Printed copies of the 2018 edition of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) are now available. Contact the Commission's Information Division at (202) 694-1100 or (800) 424-9530 (press 6, when prompted) to order printed copies of the CFR at no charge. You may also email the Information Division to place an order at info@fec.gov.

The 2017 Campaign Guide for Corporations and Labor Organizations is available. Other Campaign Guides are available, as well.

The 2018 Congressional Primary Election Dates list is available.

Federal Elections 2016: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives is available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.

The 2017 edition of the Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives and other financial filings.

The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.

Join the FEC on Twitter and YouTube

 Follow @FEC on Twitter to receive the latest information on agency updates, news releases, and weekly activity. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, FECTube: FECConnect on Demand, to watch instructional videos that have been designed to help candidates and committees comply with federal campaign finance laws. Note that the FEC is not currently available through other social media platforms at this time. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other mediums has not been authorized by the FEC.