Week of September 4 – 8, 2023

Commission meetings and hearings

No open meeting or executive sessions were scheduled this week.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

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

ADR 1106

COMPLAINANT: FEC-Initiated
RESPONDENT: Pennsylvania United (PA United)
SUBJECT: In the normal course of exercising its supervisory responsibilities, the Commission initiated proceedings to determine whether there was reason to believe PA United failed to file four 48-Hour Reports to support 15 independent expenditures totaling $54,902.03, disclosed on its Amended 2020 October Quarterly Report.
DISPOSITION: PA United agreed to 1) retain counsel to review compliance procedures and conduct training with those responsible for preparing and filing reports; 2) develop and certify implementation of a compliance operations manual, which includes procedures for disclosing independent expenditures and internal controls; and 3) pay a civil penalty of $2,750.

Regulations and agency procedures

Request for public comment on improvements to report filing processes and website usability On September 8, the Commission issued a notification of request for comment to provide the public with an opportunity to identify concerns with the process for filing required disclosure reports and offer potential solutions and opportunities for improvement. The Commission also seeks comments on how to improve its website, including the organization, substance, and how to best provide the public with easily accessible information. The Commission will use the comments received to help determine whether to change its policies or processes. Comments must be in writing and submitted by email to publiccomment2023-14@fec.gov. The deadline for comments will be 60 days after the Notice is published in the Federal Register.

Litigation

Freedman v. FEC (Case No. 22-1542) On September 1, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order granting the Commission’s Motion to Dismiss.

Press releases

FEC requests public comment on improvements to report filing processes and website usability (issued September 8)

Employment opportunities

The Commission is accepting applications for the position of Deputy Staff Director for Management and Administration (SL00) through September 26, 2023.

The Commission is accepting applications for the position of Assistant General Counsel for Litigation (GS-15) through September 19, 2023.

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

September 12, 2023: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.

September 14, 2023: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.

October 3, 2023: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.

October 5, 2023: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.

Upcoming educational programs

September 27, 2023: The Commission is scheduled to host a full-day Seminar for Separate Segregated Funds at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. In-person attendance is limited, but virtual attendance is also available.

October 4, 2023: The Commission is scheduled to host a FECFile webinar for candidate committees.

October 25, 2023: The Commission is scheduled to host a full-day Seminar for Candidate and Political Party Committees at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. In-person attendance is limited, but virtual attendance is also available.

For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission’s Trainings page.

Upcoming reporting due dates

September 20: September Monthly Reports are due. For more information, see the 2023 Monthly Reporting schedule.

Additional research materials

Election Dates The Commission has posted Preliminary 2024 Presidential and Congressional Primary Dates, which are subject to change.

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.

Federal Elections 2020: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives is now 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.

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 Presidential Election Campaign Fund Tax Checkoff Chart provides information on balance of the Fund, monthly deposits into the Fund reported by the Department of the Treasury, payments from the Fund as certified by the FEC, and participation rates of taxpayers as reported by the Internal Revenue Service. For more information on the Presidential Public Funding Program, see the Public Funding of Presidential Elections page.

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.