Opinion ID: 1202753
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: New violations.

Text: Part of the increase in penalty during the course of the administrative appeal was due to new violations of the Campaign Disclosure Act. Specifically, VECO failed to file four reports due at certain times from October, 1984 to January, 1985  the period surrounding the 1984 election. [28] We do not believe that these new violations are excused by the penalty originally assessed language of 2 AAC 50.390(g), discussed above. That regulation prevents daily penalties from accruing, to avoid chilling the use of the appeals process. But, its purpose is not to immunize a claimant from the consequences of committing new violations. Of course, VECO could have sought to enjoin the state from enforcing the Campaign Disclosure Act. That would require a showing of irreparable harm, among other things. Alaska Pub. Util. Comm'n v. Greater Anchorage Area Borough, 534 P.2d 549, 554 (Alaska 1975). But in the absence of such a showing, we do not believe 2 AAC 50.390(g) was intended to have the same effect as a preliminary injunction. We are particularly mindful of the fact that two of VECO's new violations involved the failure to file on October 8 and October 30, 1984, just prior to the election  perhaps the most important of all the reports. It was then that the public was most susceptible to influence, and most interested in improper influence. It is not clear from the record whether penalties for the new violations were even formally assessed prior to the Commission's final decision on February 16, 1985. Yet, it seems that both parties understood the new violations to be included in the appeal. Under these circumstances, the Commission should now determine what portion of the fine can fairly be said to have been originally assessed for the four new violations. That portion is properly includable in the fine. However, for the four new violations, just as with the earlier violations, there should have been no further daily increase of the fine.