Week of April 28 - May 2, 2014

Weekly Digest

Week of April 28 – May 2

COMMISSION MEETINGS AND HEARINGS

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

ADVISORY OPINIONS

Request Received

AOR 2014-04 (Enterprise Holdings, Inc.). On April 28, the Commission made public Advisory Opinion Request 2014-04. Enterprise Holdings, Inc. asks whether the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, (the Act) and Commission regulations preempt a state law that appears to prohibit an employer''''s use of payroll deductions for contributions to that employer''''s separate segregated fund. The Commission must issue a response no later than 60 days after receipt of the complete request, or specifically by June 23, 2014.

ENFORCEMENT

The Commission made public three closed cases and one Statement of Reasons, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System.

MUR 6615 
COMPLAINANT: Brandie Reiner
RESPONDENTS: SAVE 9 480-459-6842; and John Doe(s)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that SAVE 9 480-459-6842 (SAVE 9) and the individuals associated with at least 50 campaign signs that purportedly expressly advocated the defeat of Kyrsten Sinema failed to identify who paid for the signs and to disclose whether they were authorized by another candidate or candidate’s committee. Sinema was a 2012 candidate for Arizona’s 9th Congressional District.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter in light of the fact that the signs did not contain express advocacy and in light of the likely de minimis cost associated with the signs.

MUR 6640
COMPLAINANT: Robert Sterling
RESPONDENTS: Friends of Jeff Kazanow and Jeff Kazanow, in his official capacity as treasurer; and Jeffrey H. Kazanow
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Friends of Jeff Kazanow and Kazanow, in his official capacity as treasurer, (the Committee) and Kazanow failed to include the year the candidate was seeking election in his Statement of Candidacy and filed a quarterly report late. The complaint alleged further that the Committee’s website lacked a disclaimer stating that the Committee had paid for it.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter in light of the relatively limited scope of the violations and in consideration of Commission priorities.

MUR 6648
COMPLAINANT: Republican Party of Arkansas
RESPONDENT: Gene Jeffress for Congress and Allen Searcy, in his official capacity as treasurer
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Gene Jeffress for Congress and Searcy, in his official capacity as treasurer, (the Committee) failed to provide proper disclaimers on the Committee’s campaign materials.
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter in light of the fact that the distribution of the campaign materials appears to have been minimal and in light of the Committee’s prompt remedial action.

MUR 6656 – Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP; and Evan H. Snapper. On April 29, Commissioners Caroline C. Hunter, Matthew S. Petersen, and Ellen L. Weintraub issued a Statement of Reasons.

LITIGATION

Wagner v. FEC (Case 13-5162). On April 25, the plaintiffs filed a Supplemental Brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  On May 2, the Commission filed its Supplemental Brief.

COMMISSIONER’S STATEMENT

On April 30, Vice Chair Ann M. Ravel delivered testimony in her capacity as Former Chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission at a hearing of the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

On April 30, the Commission hosted a Seminar/Webinar for Corporations and their PACs.

OUTREACH

On April 28, Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub discussed the work of the Commission with the Secretary General of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), H.E. Yong-Hi Kim. 

On April 29, Chairman Lee E. Goodman met with a Nigerian Senate delegation. The Chairman spoke in connection with a seminar the International Law Institute was hosting on U.S. election laws in advance of Nigeria''''s upcoming 2015 elections.

UPCOMING COMMISSION MEETINGS

May 6: The Commission is scheduled to hold an executive session.

May 8: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

June 4: FEC Chairman Goodman and Vice Chair Ravel will host an informal public forum to discuss agency operations that affect local, state, and national political parties with Commissioners and senior staff. If you would like to attend the forum in person or participate via webcast, or if you are unable to attend but would like to submit written comments, please email us at politicalpartyforum@fec.gov. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either of our offices at 202-694-1000.

UPCOMING REPORTING DUE DATES

May 20: May Monthly Reports are due. For more information on monthly reporting dates, refer to the 2014 Monthly Reporting page of the Commission website.

UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

May 21, Federal Election Commission, Washington, D.C. Seminar/Webinar for Trade Associations, Labor Organizations, Membership Organizations and their PACs. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.

OTHER RESOURCES

The 2014 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 2014 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.

The 2013 Legislative Recommendations are available on the Commission’s website.

The August 2013 edition of the Federal Election Commission Campaign Guide for Political Party Committees is available on the Commission’s website.

The Official 2012 Presidential General Election Results are available in the Library section of the website. This listing was compiled from the official election results published by state election offices.

An index to the Record news articles published in 2013 is available on the Commission website. The Record news page is available in the Publications section of the Commission website. Sign up to receive email notification when new articles are posted.

The FEC Annual Reports from 1975-2006 are now available on the website. Beginning in 2007, the Commission consolidated its Annual Report with its Performance and Accountability Report (PAR) to provide a single account of the agency''''s activities for each fiscal year.

Instructional videos are available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/FECTube?feature=watch. These videos are also available on the Commission''''s E-Learning resources page at http://www.fec.gov/info/elearning.shtml.

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