The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has released more than 1,000 pages of enforcement procedures to the House Subcommittee on Elections, after drawing fire from the panel at a Nov. 3 hearing. The documents are being reviewed and have not been released to the public, according to a Nov. 22 BNA Money & Politics report.
At the Nov. 3 hearing, subcommittee members questioned the six FEC commissioners about their perceived lack of disclosure of enforcement penalties, penalty schedules and other agency procedures. The subcommittee was prepared to subpoena the FEC if it did not comply with the panel's request for agency operation manuals. Prior to the hearing, the subcommittee presented specific questions to the FEC regarding agency operations, and the FEC complied.
Reactions to FEC transparency criticisms are mixed among the campaign finance community. While many are pushing for increased disclosure of enforcement guidelines, others question the subcommittee's motives ahead of 2012, since campaign committees are regulated by the FEC.
Additional resources:
- FEC Testifies Before House Subcommittee on Elections
- View the Nov. 4 hearing in its entirety
- Read the FEC's press release and joint statement presented at the hearing
The Council will continue to keep you informed on developments related to these matters. If you have any questions, please contact Breanna Olson, our staff expert on campaign finance issues, at bolson@pac.org.
