Political Action Committee (PAC) . . .
Alabama's Fair Campaign
Practices Act (FCPA) defines a political committee as:
Any political action committee,
club, association, principal campaign committee, political party, or
other group of one or more persons which receives or anticipates
receiving contributions or makes or anticipates making expenditures to
or on behalf of any elected official, proposition, candidate, principal
campaign committee, or other political action committee . . . [Code of Alabama,
1975, §17-5-1(a)(10)]
Statement of Organization . . .
If a political committee (other
than a Principal Campaign Committee formed by a candidate) receives
contributions or makes expenditures in excess of $1,000, the committee
must file a Statement of Organization Form within 10 days of reaching
that threshold or within 10 days of forming. The statement and
subsequent campaign finance pre-election reports are filed with the
Secretary of State's office, if the PAC supports candidates or issues at
the state level, or with the local probate judge, if it supports county
or municipal candidates or issues.
Financial Disclosure Reports . . .
PACs are required to file when
they participate in an election, but all PACs must file the Annual
Report that is due by January 31 each year. [§17-5-8(b)]
Pre-election reports are
filed at specific times:
-
Primary
50-45 days before the primary
10-5 days before the primary
-
Primary Run-off
10-5 days before the primary run-off
-
General
50-45 days before the general
10-5 days before the general
Notification of Material Change . . .
Changes in officers, phone
number or address, or a name change for a political action committee
must be reported within 10 days of the change. [§17-5-5(c)] An Update
Form is available for reporting new information.
Termination of Committee . . .
Once a PAC becomes inactive, the
chairperson should dissolve the committee by filing a Statement of
Dissolution with the Secretary of State or probate judge. This form must
be accompanied by a final report showing all contributions and
expenditures not previously reported and stating how any excess funds
will be distributed. [§17-5-5(d)] |
|
PAC Points
The FCPA requires that
receipts and cancelled checks must be kept for two years from the date
of expenditure. [§17-5-4(d)]
The law specifies that the
political committee's money shall not be commingled with any personal
funds of officers, members or associates of the political committee.
[§17-5-3(b)]
Tax Information
Some state PACs are not tax
exempt. For additional information, contact the State Revenue
Department, 334-242-9800, and the Internal Revenue Service.
Advertising
When a PAC sponsors any
political advertising for or against a candidate or ballot issue, the
advertising must be clearly identified by the PAC.
For further information, ask for the handout,
Campaign
Advertising Disclaimer Guidelines, produced by the Office of
Secretary of State.
Federal Elections
PACs participating in federal
elections are subject to federal campaign finance law and regulations.
These PACs should call or
write the Federal Election Commission for filing information.
Telephone:
1-800-424-9530
Mail:
Federal Election Commission
999 E. Street, NW
Washington, DC 20463
|