Week of May 8 - May 12, 2017

Commission meetings and hearings

On May 9 and 11, the Commission held an executive session. The open meeting previously scheduled for May 11 was canceled.

Advisory opinions

Comment received

Advisory Opinion Request 2017-03 (American Association of Clinical Urologists, Inc. et al.)

On May 9, the Commission received a Comment on Advisory Opinion Request 2017-03. Requestors ask whether the American Association of Clinical Urologists remains affiliated with the American Urological Association.

Enforcement

The Commission made public two closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System.

MUR 6761

• COMPLAINANT: Dewhurst for Texas (the Committee)
  
• RESPONDENT: Kenneth A. “Buddy” Barfield; and Teresa Wheatley
  
• SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Barfield, the Committee’s campaign manager and assistant treasurer, embezzled approximately $1.2 million from the Committee. The Commission also considered whether Barfield’s assistant, Wheatley, effected the making of a contribution in the name of another by directing the transfer of $5,000 from the bank account of a consulting group headed by Barfield to her own account and then contributing the funds to Dewhurst, a 2012 candidate for Texas’s United States Senate seat.
  
• DISPOSITION: The Commission found reason to believe Barfield knowingly and willfully embezzled funds from the Committee. The Commission took no further action in connection with Barfield, who currently is serving an 87-month prison sentence and is under court order to pay restitution of nearly $3 million. The Commission found reason to believe Wheatley effected the making of a contribution in the name of another and entered into a conciliation agreement providing for Wheatley to pay a civil penalty of $5,000.
  

MUR 7071

• COMPLAINANT: Courtney White
  
• RESPONDENTS: Mike Bishop for Congress and Valerie Tillstrom, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
  
• SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the Committee failed to include a proper disclaimer on its contribution website page. Bishop was a 2016 candidate for reelection to represent Michigan’s 8th Congressional District.
  
• DISPOSITION: Given the de minimis nature of the alleged violation, the unlikelihood that the public was misled by the website page at issue, and the Committee’s remedial actions, the Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter in consideration of Commission priorities.
  

Outreach

On May 12, Commissioner Matthew S. Petersen met with a group of undergraduate students from Brigham Young University to discuss the work of the Commission and paths to public service.

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

• May 23 and 25: The Commission is scheduled to hold an executive session.

• May 25: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.

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

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.

Upcoming educational programs

• May 17: Party Committee Webinar. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.

• June 7: Candidate Committee Webinar. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.

Upcoming reporting dates

• May 20: May Monthly Reports are due. For more information on monthly reporting dates, refer to the 2017 Monthly Reporting page of the Commission website.

Additional research materials

The Official 2016 Presidential General Election Results are available in the Library section of the website. This listing was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.

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

The latest edition of the Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available in the Public Records section of the Commission website. 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 Commission has published the May Record newsletter. Sign up to receive email notification when new Record articles are posted.

The 2017 edition of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations can be downloaded from the website. To order printed copies, call (800) 424-9530 (press 6) or send an email to info@fec.gov.

Coming soon!

FEC.gov is getting an update this month, following a redesign to provide the public with easier access to campaign finance information. After that date, users can still view an archive copy of the current website at classic.FEC.gov. Preview our new designs at beta.fec.gov , and let us know what you think. Use our anonymous feedback tool or email webmanager@fec.gov.