Week of December 27 - 31, 2021
Commission meetings and hearings
No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.
Litigation
End Citizens United PAC v. FEC (21-2128). On December 27, Defendant-Intervenor New Republican PAC filed a Corrected Motion to Dismiss and Memorandum in Support of Intervenor-Defendant’s Renewed Motion to Dismiss in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and the Plaintiff filed a Motion for Default Judgment Or, In the Alternative, Summary Judgment and supporting Memorandum of Points and Authorities.
Regulations and agency procedures
Final Rules for REG 2021-20 (Civil Monetary Penalties Annual Inflation Adjustments 2022) On December 28, the Commission’s Final Rules to adjust its civil monetary penalty amounts for inflation were published in the Federal Register. The Commission determined these amounts through a statutory formula, which applies the most recent cost-of-living adjustment ratio, issued by the Office of Management and Budget, to the current amounts. The amended civil monetary penalties took effect as of the publication date.
Federal Register Notice 2021-19 (Privacy Act of 1974; New System of Records) On December 28, the Commission published a notice in the Federal Register seeking comment regarding FEC 17, Reasonable Accommodation, a new system of records collected and maintained by the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office at the Commission. Comments on the establishment of the new system, which would be effective as of February 7, 2022, must be received no later than January 27, 2022 and should be addressed in writing to Gregory Baker, Co-Chief Privacy Officer, Federal Election Commission, 1050 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20463.
Upcoming Commission meetings
On January 11, the Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
On January 13, the Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.
Upcoming educational programs
January 12 and 19, 2022: The Commission will host Year-End Reporting and FECFile webinars.
February 8-9, 2022: The Commission will host a Regional Conference in San Diego, CA.
For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission’s Trainings page.
Upcoming reporting due dates
January 31, 2022: Year-end Reports are due. For more information, see the 2021 Monthly Reporting schedule.
Status of agency operations
See the Commission’s statement on the status of agency operations, updated on April 15, 2021. At this stage, most agency staff remain in telework status and the Commission’s office remains closed to visitors. See also the agency’s Workplace Safety Plan, dated May 6, 2021.
Updated Campaign Guide
The Commission recently updated its Campaign Guide for Congressional Candidates and Committees. The new Guide, which replaces the 2014 edition, provides an overall summary of the federal campaign finance laws that apply to candidates for the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate and their campaign committees.
Additional research materials
Contribution Limits. In addition to the current limits, the Commission has posted an archive of contribution limits that were in effect going back to the 1975-1976 election cycles.
2020 Presidential General Election Results and Federal Elections 2018: Election Results for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.
FEC Notify: Want to be notified by email when campaign finance reports are received by the agency? Sign up here.
Additional research materials about the agency, campaign finance information, and election results are available through the Library section of the Commission website.
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.
Other election-related resources
Videos on protecting U.S. elections. The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides videos designed to help political campaigns protect themselves from foreign influence. The 2019 videos offer guidance on ransomware, business email compromise, supply chain, social media literacy, and foreign influence operations. Other videos, released in 2018, include cyber hygiene topics such as social engineering, patching, router hardening, and app and browser safety.
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. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other media has not been authorized by the FEC.