For Immediate Release: Contact: Kelly Huff
September 1, 2000 Ron Harris
Sharon Snyder
Ian Stirton
CAMPAIGNS CITED FOR FAILURE TO FILE PRE-PRIMARY REPORT
WASHINGTON -- Florida will be holding primary elections on September 5, 2000, to select candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act require committees supporting candidates involved in the primary to file reports of their financial activity 12 days before the election.
As of 5 p.m., August 31, 2000, disclosure reports from the following committees had not been filed:
FL......... RAY SESSMAN FOR US SENATE....ROBERT M. COYNER, TREAS...RAY SESSMAN...REP
FL/02.... DOUG DODD - U S REPRESENTATIVE CAMPAIGN...W. T. CHAPMAN, TREAS...
DOUGLAS J. DODD...REP
FL/03.... JENNIFER CARROLL FOR CONGRESS...CHARLES CURRY, TREAS...JENNIFER S.
CARROLL...REP
FL/21.... LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE...AYUBAN TOMAS,
TREAS...LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART...REP
The reports were to include financial activity occurring from July 1 through August 16. If sent by certified or registered mail, the reports should have been postmarked by August 21. Otherwise, the due date was close-of-business August 24.
Some individuals and their committees have no obligation to file reports under federal election law, even though their names may appear on state ballots. If an individual raises or spends less than $5,000, he or she is not considered a "candidate" subject to reporting under the FECA.
The FEC notified committees involved in the primary of their potential filing requirements on July 31. Those committees which did not file on the due date were notified on August 25 that reports had not been received and that their names would be published if they did not respond within four business days.
Other political committees supporting Senate and House candidates in elections (those which are not authorized units of a candidate's campaign) also are required to file pre-primary reports, unless they report monthly. Those committee names are not published by the FEC.
Further Commission action against non-filers and late filers is decided on a case-by-case basis. Federal law gives the FEC broad authority to initiate enforcement actions and the FEC has implemented a new administrative fine program which will subject committees to penalties ranging from $125 to $16,000 or more.
The next regularly scheduled disclosure reports for candidate committees will be the third quarterly report, due October 15. It will cover activity from August 17 through September 30.
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