Week of October 2 – October 6, 2017

Commission meetings and hearings

·No Commission open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.

Enforcement

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

MUR 7027

• COMPLAINANT: Self-Initiated
  
• RESPONDENTS: MV Transportation, Inc. (MV); R. Carter Pate; and Brad Cornelsen
  
• SUBJECT: MV and Pate notified the Commission that MV reimbursed Pate, its former Chief Executive Officer, for six political contributions, totaling $43,100, to federal candidates and political committees between 2011 and 2013.
  
• DISPOSITION: The Commission found reason to believe MV (1) made contributions in the name of another, (2) made prohibited corporate contributions, and (3) made contributions as a federal contractor. The Commission found reason to believe Pate knowingly and willfully made contributions in the name of another and knowingly permitted his name to be used to effect such contributions, and that he knowingly and willfully consented to making prohibited corporate contributions. Finally, the Commission found reason to believe Cornelson, MV’s former Chief Financial Officer, assisted in making a contribution in the name of another and consented to the making of a corporate contribution. The Commission entered into a conciliation agreement providing for MV to pay a civil penalty of $21,000 and to waive the right to any refund of the contributions at issue in this matter. The Commission entered into a conciliation agreement providing for Pate to pay a civil penalty of $43,000. The Commission voted to take no further action as to Cornelsen.
  

Administrative fines

The Commission made public two campaign finance enforcement matters that were resolved through its Administrative Fines (AF) program, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System. 

AFs 3269 and 3304

Liberty Action Group and Joey Cammer, in his official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed civil penalties of $9,290 and $6,735, respectively.

Litigation

• Campaign Legal Center, et al. v. FEC (Case 1:16-CV-00752-JDB). On October 2, the Plaintiffs filed a Reply Memorandum in Support of Their Motion for Summary Judgment and Memorandum in Opposition to Defendants' Cross-Motions for Summary Judgment in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
  
• CREW, et al. v. FEC (Case 1:17-cv-01576). On September 25, the Plaintiffs filed a Notice of Dismissal in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
  
• Level the Playing Field, et al. v. FEC (Case 1:15-cv-01397-TSC). On October 4, Independent Voter Project, Admiral James Stavridis, Senator Joseph Robert Kerrey, Senator Joseph Isadore Lieberman, the Honorable Clarine Nardi Riddle, the Honorable David M. Walker, and the Honorable Christine Todd Whitman filed an Amici Curiae Brief in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment in the District Court for the District of Columbia. On October 5, Nonprofit Leaders, Scholars and Practitioners filed an Amici Curiae Brief in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Summary Judgment.
  
• Libertarian National Committee, Inc. v. FEC (Case 1:16-cv-00121-BAH). On October 5, the Commission filed its Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction and Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion to Certify Facts and Questions in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
  

Educational programs

• On October 4, the Commission hosted an October Quarterly reporting Webinar for Candidates and their Committees. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website. 
  
• On October 4, the Commission hosted a FECFile Webinar for Candidates and their Committees. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website. 
  

Public disclosure

On October 3, the Commission’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) made public its Review of Outstanding Recommendations as of August 2017 . On October 5, OIG made public its Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2018.

Rulemaking and agency procedures

REG 2011-02: Internet Communication Disclaimers. On October 3, the Commission unanimously approved a Federal Register Notice to reopen the comment period on the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Internet Communication Disclaimers. The Commission will accept comments on the Notice once it is published in the Federal Register.

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

• October 11 and 12: The Commission is scheduled to hold an executive session. Meeting dates are subject to change. Please contact the Press Office the week of the scheduled meeting for confirmation.
  

Upcoming educational programs

• November 14-15: Washington, DC Regional Conference for candidates, parties and separate segregated funds. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.
  

Upcoming reporting due dates

• October 15: October Quarterly Reports are due. For information on quarterly reporting dates, refer to the 2017 Quarterly Reporting page of the Commission website.
  
• October 20: October 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 2017 edition of the Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available on the new 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 FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.

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.

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.