Week of December 9 - December 13, 2013

Weekly Digest

Week of December 9 - 13

COMMISSION MEETINGS AND HEARINGS

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

ENFORCEMENT

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

MUR 6664
COMPLAINANT: Ron Tusler
RESPONDENTS: Wall for Congress and Florence Magnuson, in her official capacity as treasurer; James Wall; Service Employees International Union; Wisconsin Jobs Now!, Inc.; and Paula Zellner
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Wisconsin Jobs Now!, Inc. (Wisconsin Jobs Now) made and Wall for Congress and Magnuson, in her official capacity as treasurer, (Wall Committee) and Wall accepted prohibited contributions in the form of Zellner’s campaign management services. The complaint also raised questions about potential coordination of protests between Wisconsin Jobs Now and the Wall Committee.
DISPOSITION: The Commission found no reason to believe prohibited contributions occurred in light of the sworn statements denying, and information contradicting, the allegation that Zellner was simultaneously employed by Wisconsin Jobs Now and the Wall Committee. The Commission also found no reason to believe that Wisconsin Jobs Now made and the Wall Committee accepted a prohibited contribution in the form of coordination in light of the lack of information suggesting that Wisconsin Jobs Now had made an expenditure in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of Wall or the Wall Committee.

MUR 6675
COMPLAINANT: Kyrsten Sinema for Congress
RESPONDENT: Vernon Parker for Congress and Kelly Lawler, in her official capacity as treasurer
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Vernon Parker for Congress and Lawler, in her official capacity as treasurer, (the Committee) failed to include an appropriate disclaimer in automated phone calls the Committee funded. 
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter in light of the small scope of activity at issue and in consideration of Commission priorities.

ADMINISTRATIVE FINES

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

AF 2698 – Brad Miller for United States Congress and John Wallace, in his official capacity as treasurer. The Commission voted to terminate the proceedings.

LITIGATION

Garcia for Congress, et al. v. FEC (Case 3:13-cv-02401-K). On December 9, the plaintiffs filed a Response to Commission''''s Motion for Summary Judgment in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.

OUTREACH

December 8 – 11, Quebec, Canada. Chair Ellen L. Weintraub, Commissioner Ann M. Ravel and several senior Commission staff members attended the annual conference of the Council of Government Ethics Laws (COGEL), a professional organization for government agencies, organizations, and individuals with responsibilities in governmental ethics, elections, campaign finance, lobbying laws and freedom of information.

UPCOMING COMMISSION MEETINGS

December 17: The Commission is scheduled to hold both an open meeting and an executive session.

December 19: The Commission is scheduled to hold an executive session.

UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

February 11-12, 2014, Tampa, Florida, Regional Conference for House & Senate Campaigns, Political Party Committees and Corporate/Trade/Labor PACs. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.

UPCOMING REPORTING DUE DATES

December 20: December Monthly Reports are due. For information on monthly reporting dates, refer to the 2013 Monthly Reporting page of the Commission website.

January 31, 2014: Year-end Reports are due. For more information on reporting dates, refer to the 2013 Reporting Dates page of the Commission website.

OTHER RESOURCES

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

The 2013 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 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.

The 2012 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.

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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