Federal Election Commission 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

As required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, the Federal Election Commission is adjusting for inflation the civil monetary penalties established under the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act, and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act. The civil monetary penalties being adjusted are those negotiated by the Commission or imposed by a court for certain statutory violations, and those imposed by the Commission for late filing of or failure to file certain reports required by the Federal Election Campaign Act. The adjusted civil monetary penalties are calculated according to a statutory formula and the adjusted amounts will apply to penalties assessed after the effective date of these rules.

On August 27, 2018, the Federal Election Commission received a Petition for Rulemaking, which asks the Commission to amend a regulation that defines the term ``contribution'' in light of a recent district court decision in Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington v. Federal Election Commission. The Commission seeks comments on the petition.

New York has scheduled a special general election on November 6, 2018, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 25th Congressional District of the late Representative Louise Slaughter. Committees required to file reports in connection with the Special General Election on November 6, 2018, shall file a 12-day Pre-General Report, and a 30-day Post-General Report.

Texas has scheduled a special general election on June 30, 2018, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 27th Congressional District vacated by Representative Blake Farenthold. There are two possible elections, but only one may be necessary. Under Texas law, all qualified candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will appear on the ballot. The majority winner of the special election is declared elected. Should no candidate achieve a majority vote, the Governor will then set the date for a Special Runoff Election that will include only the top two vote-getters. Committees participating in the Texas special election are required to file pre- and post-election reports.

Mississippi has scheduled a special general election on November 6, 2018, to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator Thad Cochran. Under Mississippi law, a majority winner in a nonpartisan special election is declared elected. Should no candidate achieve a majority vote, a Special Runoff Election will be held on November 27, 2018, between the top two vote-getters. Committees participating in the Mississippi special elections are required to file pre- and post-election reports. Filing dates for these reports are affected by whether one or two elections are held.

The Federal Election Commission published a Notification of Availability in the Federal Register on March 21, 2018 regarding a Petition for Rulemaking it received on February 5, 2018. The petition asked the Commission to revise and amend the existing rules concerning the personal use of campaign funds, specifically to clarify the application of those rules to former candidates and officeholders. The published document contained errors in the ADDRESSES and SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION captions.