[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 228 (Monday, November 27, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 70644]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30152]


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FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

11 CFR Part 104

[Notice 2000-20]


Election Cycle Reporting by Authorized Committees

AGENCY: Federal Election Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: On July 11, 2000, the Commission published the text of 
revisions to the regulations requiring authorized committees of federal 
candidates to aggregate, itemize and report all receipts and 
disbursements on an election-cycle basis rather than on a calendar-
year-to-date basis. The Commission announces that these rules are 
effective as of January 1, 2001.

DATES: Effective January 1, 2001.
    Applicability date: Reporting periods beginning on or after January 
1, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rosemary C. Smith, Assistant 
General Counsel, or Ms. Cheryl A. Fowle, Attorney, 999 E Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20463, (202) 694-1650 or toll free (800) 424-9530.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission is announcing the effective 
date of revisions to the regulations at 11 CFR 104.3, 104.7, 104.8 and 
104.9 requiring authorized committees of federal candidates to 
aggregate, itemize and report all receipts and disbursements on an 
election-cycle basis. See Explanation and Justification for Election 
Cycle Reporting by Authorized Committees, 65 FR 42619 (July 11, 2000). 
These rules implement a 1999 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign 
Act at 2 U.S.C. 434(b). Pub. L. 106-58, 106th Cong. 1st Sess., sec. 
641, 113 Stat. 430, 477 (1999). The statutory amendment and the 
regulations apply only to the authorized committees of federal 
candidates.
    While the amendment required all types of disbursements including 
operating expenditures to be aggregated and reported on an election-
cycle basis, it does not require that each itemizable operating 
expenditure be reported on an election-cycle basis. Thus, the amendment 
could be interpreted to mean that operating expenditures would be 
reported on the summary pages on an election-cycle basis and itemized 
on Schedule B on a calendar-year basis. However, the Commission's final 
rules construed the statutory amendment to require all disbursements, 
including operating expenditures, to be both aggregated on the summary 
page and itemized on Schedule B on an election-cycle basis. The 
Commission believes this regulatory interpretation is necessary because 
it would be extremely burdensome, and possibly unworkable, for 
authorized committees to itemize these expenditures on a calendar year 
basis and, at the same time, report total amounts on an election-cycle-
to-date basis in the same report.
    Section 438(d) of Title 2, United States Code requires that any 
rules or regulations prescribed by the Commission to carry out the 
provisions of Title 2 of the United States Code be transmitted to the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate 
thirty legislative days prior to final promulgation. These rules were 
transmitted to Congress July 6, 2000. Thirty legislative days expired 
in the Senate on September 26, 2000, and the House of Representatives 
on October 3, 2000.
    The Commission also revised its forms, specifically the Detailed 
Summary Page and Schedule B for FEC Forms 3 and 3P, to facilitate the 
reporting of all expenditures by authorized committees on an election 
cycle basis. In accordance with 2 U.S.C. 438(d), these forms were 
transmitted to Congress on September 15, 2000, and ended their ten 
legislative day period on September 29, 2000, in the House of 
Representatives and on October 2, 2000, in the Senate. The revised 
forms will also be used for reporting periods beginning on or after 
January 1, 2001.

    Dated: November 21, 2000.
Danny L. McDonald,
Vice Chairman, Federal Election Commission.
[FR Doc. 00-30152 Filed 11-24-00; 8:45 am]
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