Week of December 26 – December 30, 2016

Commission meetings and hearings

No Commission open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.

Advisory opinions

Advisory Opinion Request 2016-26 (Green Party of Florida)

On December 27, the Commission made public Advisory Opinion Request 2016-26 (Green Party of Florida). The requestor asks whether it qualifies as a state party committee. The Commission will accept written comments on the request during the 10-day period following publication of the request (no later than January 6, 2017) and must issue a response no later than 60 days after receipt of the complete request, that is, by February 21, 2017.

Enforcement

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

MUR 7044

• COMPLAINANT: Glen Charles Robertson
• RESPONDENTS: Jodey Cook Arrington; Texans for Jodey Cook Arrington and David Seim, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); and Scott Laboratories, Inc.
• SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Scott Laboratories made and Arrington and the Committee received a corporate in-kind contribution in the form of salary payments while he campaigned for a congressional seat. Arrington was a 2016 candidate for Texas’s 19th Congressional District.
• DISPOSITION: The Commission found no reason to believe a violation occurred because based on the record evidence, it appears the compensation Scott Laboratories paid to Arrington resulted exclusively from bona fide employment independent of his candidacy and that the compensation did not exceed the amount of compensation that would be paid to any other similarly qualified person for the same work over the same period of time.

MUR 7061

• COMPLAINANT: Cherunda Fox
• RESPONDENTS: Hillary Victory Fund and Elizabeth Jones, in her official capacity as treasurer; and Hillary for America and Jose Villarreal, in his official capacity as treasurer
• SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that a Hillary Clinton fundraiser raised individual contributions of $353,000 in excess of the applicable limits because the state party participants in the joint fundraising committee were affiliated and as a consequence subject to a single $10,000 contribution limit. Clinton was a 2016 candidate for United States president.
• DISPOSITION: The Commission found no reason to believe the respondents exceeded contribution limits in connection with the fundraiser because Commission regulations do not affiliate state party committees from different states.

Rulemakings and Commission policies

REG 2011-02: Internet Communication Disclaimers

On December 23, the Commission made public six comments submitted in response to the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Internet Communication Disclaimers.

Federal Register notices

Technical Amendments and Corrections

On December 23, the Commission published a series of technical changes to various sections of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). 81 Fed. Reg. 94238 in the Federal Register.

Join the FEC on Twitter and YouTube in 2017

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.

Upcoming educational programs

• January 18, 2017: Webinar on Year-End Reporting for PACs and Party Committees. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.
• January 18, 2017: Webinar on FECFile for PACs and Party Committees. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.
• January 25, 2017: Webinar on Year-End Reporting for Candidate Committees. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.
• January 25, 2017: Webinar on FECFile for Candidate Committees. Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.

Upcoming reporting due dates

• January 31, 2017: Year-End Reports are due. For information on reporting dates, refer to the 2016 Reporting Dates page of the Commission website.

Disclosure iniatives

Commission staff, together with our partners at 18F, continue to add new features to the agency's beta.fec.gov website. The Commission encourages website visitors to submit comments and questions by clicking on the “Feedback” tab at the bottom of each page.

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 2016 edition of the Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available in the Public Records section of the 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 Commission has published the December Record newsletter. Sign up to receive email notification when new Record articles are posted.

The 2016 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.