Federal Election Commission – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Florida has scheduled special elections on April 22, 2014, and June 24, 2014, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat vacated by Representative Trey Radel. Committees required to file reports in connection with the Special Primary Election on April 22, 2014, shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report. Committees required to file reports in connection with both the Special Primary and the Special General Election on June 24, 2014, shall file a 12-day Pre-Primary Report, 12-day Pre-General Report and a Post-General Report.

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.

Under the Federal Election Commission's Administrative Fines Program (``AFP''), the Commission may assess civil monetary penalties for certain violations of the reporting requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (``FECA''). Congress recently amended FECA to extend the end date of the statutory authorization for the AFP to December 31, 2018. Accordingly, the Commission is extending its AFP regulations through the new statutory expiration date. The Commission is also deleting one administrative provision from its AFP regulations. Further information is provided in the Supplementary Information that follows.

In accordance with Section 743 of Division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117), FEC PROCUREMENT DIVISION is publishing this notice to advise the public of the availability of the FY2013 Service Contract inventory. This inventory provides information on service contract actions over $25,000 that was made in FY2013. The information is organized by function to show how contracted resources are distributed throughout the agency. The inventory has been developed in accordance with guidance issued on December 19, 2011 by the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP). OFPP's guidance is available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/procurement /memo/ service-contract-inventories-guidance-11052010.pdf. The FEC Procurement Division has posted its inventory and a summary of the inventory on the FEC homepage at the following link: https:// www.fec.gov/pages/procure/procure.shtml.

The Federal Election Commission (``Commission'') adopted a program on August 1, 2011, providing for a means by which persons and entities may have a legal question considered by the Commission earlier in both the report review process and the audit process. This new policy is identical to that August 1, 2011 program, except that it provides an alternative electronic means to file a request with the Commission.

Louisiana has scheduled a Special General Election on October 19, 2013, to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat vacated by Representative Rodney Alexander. Under Louisiana law, a majority winner in an open special election is declared elected. Should no candidate achieve a majority vote, a Special Runoff Election will be held on November 16, 2013, between the top two vote-getters. Committees participating in the Louisiana 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.

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, the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act, and the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account Act. The civil penalties being adjusted are for a knowing and willful violation of the prohibition against making a contribution in the name of another; and certain late filed or non-filed reports under the Commission's administrative fines program. The adjusted civil monetary penalties are calculated according to a statutory formula and will be effective for violations occurring after the effective date of these rules. Further information is provided in the supplementary information that follows.

The Federal Election Commission is clarifying its interpretation of the regulatory requirement that political committees report the full name and address of each person to whom they make expenditures or other disbursements aggregating more than $200 per calendar year, or per election cycle for authorized committees, and the date, amount, and purpose of such payments, in three situations: A political committee reimburses an individual who advanced personal funds to pay committee expenses aggregating more than $200 to a single vendor; a political committee pays a credit card bill that includes a charge of more than $200 for a single vendor; and a candidate uses personal funds to pay his or her authorized committee's expenses that aggregate more than $200 to a single vendor without receiving reimbursement.