Week of October 29 – November 2, 2018

Commission meetings and hearings

No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.

Advisory Opinions

• Advisory Opinion Request 2018-15 (Ron Wyden). On October 31, the Commission made public a draft of Advisory Opinion 2018-15 in response to a request from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. The requestor asks whether Members of Congress may use excess campaign funds for cybersecurity-related expenses for their personal devices and accounts.

Litigation

• Campaign Legal Center, et al. v. FEC (Case No. 18-5239). On October 25, the Commission filed a Reply in Support of Its Motion for Summary Affirmance in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
• CREW, et al. v. FEC (Case No. 17-2770). On October 26, the Commission filed a Reply in Support of Its Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
• Crossroads GPS v. CREW, et.al. (Case No. 18-5261). On October 25, Defendant-Appellant Crossroads GPS filed an Opposition to Plaintiffs-Appellees’ Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On November 1, Plaintiffs-Appellees CREW and Nicholas Mezlak filed a Reply in support of their motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction.
• Libertarian National Committee, Inc. v. FEC (Case No. 18-5227). On October 26, Plaintiffs filed a Reply Brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On October 29, the Commission filed a Reply in Support of the Commission’s Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction.
• McChesney, et al. v. FEC (Case No. 17-1179). On October 30, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an Order denying Plaintiff’s Petition for Panel Rehearing.

Outreach

• On October 28 – 30, Vice Chair Ellen L. Weintraub spoke at Carnegie Mellon University as part of the University Lecture Series for 2018-2019, and participated in small-group discussions with students.
• On October 30, Public Affairs Specialist Myles Martin discussed campaign finance disclosure rules and the role of the Commission with a group of journalists and government and private sector leaders from the Near East and North Africa, visiting the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
• On October 30, Communications Specialist Don Michael discussed the role and work of the Commission with a delegation from Thailand, visiting the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program’s “Elections in Democracies.”
• On October 30, Communications Specialist Mary Ann Baker discussed campaign finance disclosure rules and enforcement of the laws with a group of party representatives from Spain, visiting the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program’s “US Midterm Elections.”
• On October 31, Vice Chair Weintraub discussed campaign finance disclosure rules and the role of the Commission with a delegation visiting the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program. Vice Chair Weintraub also met with the Nigerian Electoral Commissioner and members of the Independent National Electoral Commission to discuss Commission operations and U.S. campaign finance law. The group is visiting the United States as part of the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
• On November 1, Chair Caroline C. Hunter spoke with a group of Liberal Arts students at Penn State University’s Careers in Politics or Government Lunch and Learn.

Regulations

• Public comments are due by November 16 on the Commission’s Rulemaking Petition on personal use of Leadership PAC funds.

Trainings

• On November 14, the Commission will host a Winding Down the Campaign and Post-General Reporting webinar.

For more information, see the Commission’s Trainings page.

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

• November 8, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
• November 14, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.

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

Upcoming reporting due dates

• December 6: 30-Day Post-General Election Reports are due.

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.

Printed copies of the 2018 edition of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) are now available. Contact the Commission's Information Division at (202) 694-1100 or (800) 424-9530 (press 6, when prompted) to order printed copies of the CFR at no charge. You may also email the Information Division to place an order at info@fec.gov.

The 2017 Campaign Guide for Corporations and Labor Organizations is available. Other Campaign Guides are available, as well.

The 2018 Congressional Primary Election Dates list is available.

Federal Elections 2016: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives is available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices. To order a printed copy, please contact the FEC’s Public Records Office at 800/424-9530 (option 2) or 202/694-1120, or send an email to pubrec@fec.gov.

The 2017 edition of the Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. 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.

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 media has not been authorized by the FEC.