Federal Election Commission July 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
Results 1 - 11 of 11
Reorganization of National Voter Registration Act Regulations
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) are jointly taking action to transfer regulations implementing the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) from the FEC to the EAC. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 transferred the FEC's former statutory authority regarding the NVRA regulations to the EAC. Further information is provided in the supplementary information that follows.
Civil Monetary Penalties Inflation Adjustments; Correction
The Federal Election Commission published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2009, a document concerning the application of inflation adjustments to certain civil monetary penalties under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act, and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act. The Commission inadvertently entered the signature date on the document as March 25, 2009. This document removes that signature date and inserts the correct date, which is June 25, 2009. The Commission is also correcting two typographical errors.
Candidate Debates
The Commission announces its disposition of two Petitions for Rulemaking regarding the Commission's candidate debate regulations. The first petition, filed on May 25, 1999 by Mary Clare Wohlford, William T. Wohlford, and Martin T. Mortimer (``Wohlford Petition''), urged the Commission to amend its rules so that the objective criteria for inclusion in Presidential and Vice Presidential debates would be established by the Commission itself, and not left to the discretion of debate staging organizations. The second petition, filed on April 10, 2002 by several major news organizations, urged the Commission to amend its rules to state explicitly that the sponsorship by a news organization (or a related trade association) of a debate among candidates does not constitute an illegal corporate campaign contribution or expenditure in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (``the Act'') and that the Commission would have no jurisdiction over such sponsorship. The Commission has decided not to initiate a rulemaking in response to either of these petitions. The petitions are available for inspection in the Commission's Public Records Office, and on its Web site, https:// www.fec.gov.
Filing Dates for the California Special Election in the 10th Congressional District
California has scheduled a special general election on September 1, 2009, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the Tenth Congressional District vacated by Representative Ellen O. Tauscher. 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 November 3, 2009, among the top vote-getters of each qualified political party, including qualified independent candidates.
Web Site and Internet Communications Improvement Initiative; Correction
The Federal Election Commission published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2009, a document concerning the improvement of public information disclosure via the Commission's Web site and other Internet communications. The Commission inadvertently entered the signature date on the document as March 25, 2009. This document removes that signature date and inserts the correct date, which is June 25, 2009.
Procedural Rules for Audit Hearings
The Federal Election Commission (``Commission'') is instituting a program that provides committees that are audited pursuant to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (``FECA'') with the opportunity to have a hearing before the Commission prior to the Commission's adoption of a Final Audit Report. Similar to the Commission's current program for hearings at the probable cause stage of the enforcement process, audit hearings will provide audited committees with the opportunity to present oral arguments to the Commission directly and give the Commission an opportunity to ask relevant questions prior to adopting a Final Audit Report. Further information about the procedures for the audit program is provided in the supplementary information that follows.
Advisory Opinion Procedure
The Commission is establishing a program to allow persons requesting an advisory opinion, or their counsel, a limited opportunity to appear before the Commission. The purpose of their appearances is to answer questions from the Commission at the open meeting during consideration of the requestor's draft advisory opinion.
Web Site and Internet Communications Improvement Initiative
The Federal Election Commission (the ``FEC'' or ``Commission'') has adopted an initiative to seek public comment on how to improve all aspects of how the Commission discloses information to the public on its Web site and through the use of Internet communications. While the FEC, which was first constituted in 1975, continually engages in ongoing efforts to improve all aspects of how the Commission discloses information through the Internet, with a primary focus on its Web site, the FEC has never before sought formal public comment on the means by which the Commission discloses information to the public.\1\ As part of these efforts, the Commission is seeking written comments and will conduct a public hearing on ways the Commission can improve how it communicates to the public using the Internet and, specifically, how it can improve its Web site to ensure that the FEC Web site is a state-of-the-art resource for disclosure of information to the public including (1) disclosure of campaign finance data, (2) information about Federal campaign finance laws, and (3) the actions of the Commission.
Civil Monetary Penalties Inflation Adjustments
In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended, the Federal Election Commission is adopting final rules to apply inflation adjustments to certain civil monetary penalties under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (``FECA''), the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act, and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act. The civil penalties being adjusted are for certain violations of these statutes that are not knowing and willful, involving contributions and expenditures; knowing and willful violations of the prohibition against the making of a contribution in the name of another; knowing and willful violations of the confidentiality provisions of FECA; certain penalties for late filed or non-filed reports under the administrative fines program; and failure to file timely 48-hour notices. The adjusted civil monetary penalties are calculated according to the formula set forth in the law and will be effective for violations occurring on or after the effective date of these rules. Further information is provided in the supplementary information that follows.
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