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      FEC holds hearing on internet communication disclaimers

Press ReleaseFEC holds hearing on internet communication disclaimersJune 28, 2018 WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission heard testimony Wednesday and Thursday from 18 experts at a two-day public hearing on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding internet communication disclaimers. The Commission is considering proposals for a rulemaking to amend the definition of “public communication” and regulations concerning disclaimers on public communications on the internet that contain express advocacy, solicit contributions, or are made by political committees. The Commission received over 165,800 public comments and signatories to others’ comments on the NPRM, which are availablehere. “My goal is to try to come up with something that is administrable, clear, and objective,” Chair Caroline C. Hunter said as she opened the hearing Wednesday. Vice Chair Ellen L. Weintraub joined her in thanking the witnesses for their written comments and for their testimony at the hearing. “Making sure that the voters are fully informed is one of my strong priorities,” Vice Chair Weintraub said. The witnesses (with links to their or their organizations’ written comments) were, in order of appearance:  Allen Dickerson, Legal Director, Institute for Free SpeechBrendan Fischer, Director, Federal Reform, Campaign Legal CenterPaul S. Ryan, Vice President, Policy & Litigation, Common CauseIlya Shapiro, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato InstituteDave Grimaldi, Executive Vice President, Public Policy, Interactive Advertising BureauJoseph Jerome, Policy Counsel, Center for Democracy & TechnologyYoung Mie Kim, Ph.D., Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of WisconsinBerin Szóka, President, TechFreedomDan Backer, Counsel, Coolidge-Reagan FoundationVictor E. Bernson, Jr., Vice President and General Counsel, Americans for ProsperityCraig Holman, Ph.D., Government Affairs Lobbyist, Public CitizenIan Vandewalker, Senior Counsel, Democracy Program, Brennan Center for JusticeChristine Bannan, Administrative Law and Policy Fellow, Electronic Privacy Information CenterDoug Hochberg, Chief Digital Officer, Republican National CommitteeChris Nolan, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Spot-OnTheodore Peterson, Digital Director, NRCCThomas Reiker, Deputy Digital Director, NRSCCarmen Scurato, Vice President, Policy & General Counsel, National Hispanic Media Coalition, on behalf, also, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Color of Change                  Video of the first day of the hearing is availablehere. Video of the entire hearing, with separate links to video of each panel, will be availablehere. The hearing record will remain open for additional written comments until mid-July.
 The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. Established in 1975, the FEC is composed of six Commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
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Read next: FEC cites committees for failure to file 12-Day Pre-Primary Financial Report
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This information is not intended to replace the law or to change its meaning, nor does this information create or confer any rights for or on any person or bind the Federal Election Commission or the public. The reader is encouraged also to consult the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.), Commission regulations (Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations), Commission advisory opinions and applicable court decisions.


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