Pre-FEC Oversight Hearing Press Conference Thursday: Good Government Groups to Urge Obama to Fix the Federal Election Commission

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With Major Election Year Approaching, Agency Is Needed to Enforce Campaign Finance Laws

 

WHAT:          Press conference by good government groups to highlight the failures of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and call on President Barack Obama to fill the vacancies on the FEC so the agency can adequately enforce campaign finance laws. This is particularly important as candidates gear up for the presidential and congressional elections that are widely expected to be the most expensive ever.

 

Currently, the terms of five of the six FEC commissioners have expired. The commission is dysfunctional; it frequently deadlocks, is lax in launching investigations or enforcing the law, and has an astonishing record of refusing to accept settlements negotiated by staff.

 

The press conference is being held just prior to the House Administration Committee oversight hearing on the FEC. However, because only FEC commissioners have been asked to testify at the hearing, it is unlikely that the problems of the agency will be discussed. The good government groups have asked the House Administration Committee to investigate the FEC’s failings; it has ignored the request.

 

The House Administration Committee hearing on the FEC is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. in 1310 Longworth House Office Building. The event will end in time for all to attend.

 

WHEN:          9:15 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Nov. 3.

 

WHERE:       Room 402, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 (Independence Avenue, between First St. and New Jersey Ave. SE)

                                  

WHO:            Fred Wertheimer, President, Democracy 21

Lloyd Leonard, Senior Director of Advocacy, League of Women Voters

Craig Holman, Government Affairs Lobbyist, Public Citizen

Paul S. Ryan, FEC Program Director, Campaign Legal Center

Stephen Spaulding, Legal Associate, Common Cause

Blair Bowie, Democracy Advocate, U.S. Public Interest Research Group

 

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Contact: Angela Bradbery, Public Citizen (202) 588-7741 abradbery@citizen.org

David Vance, Campaign Legal Center (202) 736-2200 dvance@campaignlegalcenter.org

Erin Kesler, Democracy 21 (202) 355-9600 ekesler@democracy21.org

Mary Boyle, Common Cause (202) 833-1200 mboyle@commoncause.org

Kelly Ceballos, League of Women Voters (202) 263-1331 kceballos@lwv.org

Garrett Russo, CREW (202) 408-5565 grusso@citizensforethics.org