Filing Deadlines, Committee Review, and Amendments

    A report must be physically filed or postmarked by the due date, unless an extension has been granted by the Committee pursuant to a written request.  Total extensions for any report may not exceed 90 days.⁴⁹  An individual who files a report more than 30 days after it is due must pay a late filing fee of $200, unless the Committee waives the fee in exceptional circumstances.⁵⁰

    Within 60 days of receipt, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct reviews Financial Disclosure Statements of filers under its jurisdiction to determine whether the reports have been filed in a timely manner, appear substantially accurate and complete, and comply with applicable conflict of interest laws and rules.⁵¹  If the review indicates a possible problem, the reporting individual is notified and given an opportunity to amend within a specified period.

    A filer may also amend a Financial Disclosure Statement on his or her own initiative.  Such amendments are normally given a presumption of good faith by the Committee if submitted before the end of the year in which the report was originally filed.⁵²

    To amend a Financial Disclosure Statement, a filer may, but is not required to, submit an entirely new form.  Instead, an amendment can be in the form of a letter addressed to, and filed with, the Clerk of the House.  Both the original filing and the amendment are made public.