Federal Election Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Montana has scheduled a Special General Election on May 25, 2017, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the At-Large Congressional District vacated by Representative Ryan Zinke. Committees required to file reports in connection with the Special General Election on May 25, 2017, shall file a 12-day Pre-General Report, and a 30-day Post-General Report.

Georgia has scheduled a Special General Election on April 18, 2017, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 6th Congressional District vacated by Representative Tom Price. Under Georgia law, a majority winner in a special election is declared elected. Should no candidate achieve a majority vote, a Special Runoff Election will be held on June 20, 2017, between the top two vote- getters. Political committees participating in the Georgia special elections are required to file pre- and post-election reports. Filing deadlines for these reports are affected by whether one or two elections are held.

California has scheduled a Special General Election on April 4, 2017, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 34th Congressional District vacated by Representative Xavier Becerra. Under California law, a majority winner in a special election is declared elected. Should no candidate achieve a majority vote, a Special Runoff Election will be held on June 6, 2017, between the top two vote- getters. Political committees participating in the California special elections are required to file pre- and post-election reports. Filing deadlines for these reports are affected by whether one or two elections are held.

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.

The Federal Election Commission requests comment on proposed changes to its regulations to address contributions and expenditures that are made by electronic means, such as through internet-based payment processors or text messaging; to eliminate and update references to outdated technologies; and to address similar issues. The Commission has not made any final decisions about the issues and proposals presented in this rulemaking.

The Federal Election Commission has received a Petition for Rulemaking that asks the Commission to amend its regulations to implement amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act made by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, which established certain new accounts for national party committees. The petition also asks the Commission to amend its regulations regarding convention committees. The Commission seeks comments on this petition.