Federal Election Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Election Commission is revising its regulations regarding coordinated communications. The Commission is issuing these rules and offering a more complete explanation and justification for parts of the existing rules to comply with the decision of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Shays v. FEC and to address other issues involving the coordinated communications rules.

West Virginia has scheduled special elections on August 28, 2010, and November 2, 2010, to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat held by the late Senator Robert C. Byrd.

On December 7, 2009, the Commission published in the Federal Register final rules implementing the provision of the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act governing campaign travel on noncommercial aircraft. This document announces the effective date of amendments made by those final rules to Commission regulations pertaining to travel by and on behalf of publicly funded presidential candidates.

The Federal Election Commission (``Commission'') is adopting a new pilot program for a procedure to provide a means for persons and entities to have a legal question considered by the Commission earlier in both the report review process and the audit process.

The Federal Election Commission (``Commission'' or ``FEC''), with the concurrence of the office of Government Ethics (``OGE''), seeks comments on proposed revisions to the ``Standards of Conduct,'' which are the FEC rules that govern the conduct of Commissioners and Commission employees. The proposed rules would update the Commission's current regulations to reflect statutory changes enacted after the Standards of Conduct were originally promulgated in 1986, and to conform to regulations issued by OGE and the Office of Personnel Management (``OPM''). OGE's regulations establish a government-wide standard of ethical conduct for the Executive Branch and independent agencies, and are known as OGE's Standards of Ethical Conduct. In addition to the proposed revisions to the FEC's Standards of Conduct, the Commission, with OGE's concurrence, is also proposing new rules that would supplement, for Commissioners and employees of the FEC, the OGE Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. The proposed rules that follow do not represent a final decision by the Commission or OGE on the issues presented by this rulemaking. The supplementary information that follows provides further information.

The Federal Election Commission (``Commission'') is promulgating rules implementing statutory provisions regarding the collection of debts owed to the United States Government. The Commission is also integrating its rules regarding the collection of debts arising solely from the Administrative Fines program into the new rules.

The Federal Election Commission (``Commission'') is removing its rule regarding funds received in response to solicitations. The Commission is also removing two additional rules regarding the allocation of certain expenses by separate segregated funds and nonconnected committees. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia ordered that these rules are vacated, in accordance with a Court of Appeals decision. Further information is provided in the supplementary information that follows.

Pennsylvania has scheduled a Special General Election on May 18, 2010, to fill the U.S. House seat in the 12th Congressional District held by the late Representative John P. Murtha.

As mandated by provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (``FECA'' or ``the Act''), the Federal Election Commission (``FEC'' or ``the Commission'') is adjusting certain expenditure limitations and the lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold set forth in the Act, to index the amounts for inflation. Additional details appear in the supplemental information that follows.

On December 7, 2009, the Federal Election Commission published a notice of proposed rulemaking relating to participation by Federal candidates and officeholders in non-Federal fundraising events, with a public hearing scheduled for March 10, 2010 at 10 a.m. The Commission has rescheduled the public hearing for March 16, 2010 at 10 a.m. The comment periods for this rulemaking have not changed.