Week of December 25 - December 29, 2017

Commission meetings and hearings

No Commission meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.

 Enforcement 

The Commission made public one closed case, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System.

MUR 7127

• COMPLAINANT: Allie Marie Sumner
  
• RESPONDENTS: Sean Braddy for US Senate and Kim Braddy, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); Sean Braddy; and Kim Braddy
  
• SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that (1) the Braddys used the Committee’s campaign funds for personal use, (2) the Committee failed to properly report campaign funds, and (3) the Braddys pressured the complainant to request cash donations at campaign events, which they did not report. Sean Braddy was a 2016 candidate for Oklahoma’s United States Senate seat.
  
• DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the allegations in consideration of Commission priorities. The Commission observed the de minimis amounts and modest activity at issue. The Commission sent a letter cautioning the respondents (1) against converting campaign funds to personal use, (2) regarding the prohibition against commingling campaign funds with personal funds, (3) regarding the prohibition against receiving cash contributions in excess of $100 and the requirement that excessive cash contributions be properly refunded, and (4) regarding the requirements for the timely filing of disclosure reports and proper reporting of in-kind contributions.
  

Alternative dispute resolution

The Commission made public one campaign finance enforcement matter that was resolved through its Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System.

 ADR 830

• COMPLAINANT: FEC-Initiated
  
• RESPONDENT: Orentlicher for Congress and Russell Stilwell, in his official capacity as treasurer
  
• SUBJECT: The respondent failed to timely refund or re-designate 2016 General Election contributions totaling $28,950 within the permissible timeframe.
  
• DISPOSITION: The respondent agreed to participate in a one-on-one training regarding reporting requirements and procedures and to pay a civil penalty of $2,150.
  

 Administrative fines

The Commission made public three campaign finance enforcement matters that were resolved through its Administrative Fines (AF) program, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System.

 AF 3331

Jill Stein for President and Steven Welzer, in his official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $14,587.

 AF 3332

Jill Stein for President and Steven Welzer, in his official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $3,751.

 AF 3334

The Farm Credit Council Political Action Committee and William Jeffry Shipp, in his official capacity as treasurer. The Commission made a final determination and assessed a civil penalty of $1,946.

 Litigation

• CREW v. FEC (Case 1:17-cv-02770). On December 22, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a Complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the Commission’s dismissal of a CREW administrative complaint.
  

 Regulations and agency operations

• Final Rules for Change of Address; Technical Corrections. On December 26, the Commission’s Final Rules for changes to its regulations containing the Commission’s street address were published in the Federal Register.  In March 2018, the Commission will be moving from its current location at 999 E Street, NW, Washington, DC to 1050 First Street, NE, Washington, DC. The Commission will begin receiving mail at its new address on March 5, 2018.  The changes revise the Commission’s regulations so that they reflect its location at its current and subsequent street addresses.  The revised regulations will be included in the 2018 electronic and print compilations of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
  
• Final Rules for REG 2017-01 (Civil Monetary Penalties Annual Inflation Adjustments 2018). On December 27, the Commission’s Final Rules to adjust its civil monetary penalty amounts for inflation were published in the Federal Register. The Commission determined these amounts through a statutory formula, which applies the most recent “cost-of-living adjustment multiplier,” issued by the Office of Management and Budget each December, to the current amounts. The amended civil monetary penalties took effect as of the publication date.
  

Public disclosure

On December 28, the Commission made public a new report: Federal Elections 2016: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

• January 9, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to hold an executive session.
• January 11, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting and an executive session.
  

 Meeting dates are subject to change. Please contact the Press Office the week of the scheduled meeting for confirmation.

 Additional research materials

Additional research materials about the agency, campaign finance information, and election results are available through the Library section of the Commission website.

The 2017 edition of the Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available on the new Commission website. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives and other financial filings.

The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.

The 2017 edition of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations can be downloaded from the website.  To order printed copies, call (800) 424-9530 (press 6) or send an email to info@fec.gov.

 Join the FEC on Twitter and YouTube

 Follow @FEC on Twitter to receive the latest information on agency updates, news releases, and weekly activity. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, FECTube: FECConnect on Demand, to watch instructional videos that have been designed to help candidates and committees comply with federal campaign finance laws. Note that the FEC is not currently available through other social media platforms at this time. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other mediums has not been authorized by the FEC.