[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8353-8355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3688]


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FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

[Notice 2010-02]


Price Index Adjustments for Expenditure Limitations and Lobbyist 
Bundling Disclosure Threshold

AGENCY: Federal Election Commission.

ACTION: Notice of adjustments to expenditure limitations and lobbyist 
bundling disclosure threshold.

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SUMMARY: As mandated by provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971, as amended (``FECA'' or ``the Act''), the Federal Election 
Commission (``FEC'' or ``the Commission'') is adjusting certain 
expenditure limitations and the lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold 
set forth in the Act, to index the amounts for inflation. Additional 
details appear in the supplemental information that follows.

DATES: Effective Date: January 1, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Greg J. Scott or Mr. Kevin R. 
Salley, Information Division, 999 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20463; 
(202) 694-1100 or (800) 424-9530.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971, 2 U.S.C. 431 et seq., as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign 
Reform Act of 2002 \1\ and the Honest Leadership and Open Government 
Act of 2007,\2\ coordinated party expenditure limits (2 U.S.C. 
441a(d)(2) and (3)(A), (B)) and the disclosure threshold for 
contributions bundled by lobbyists (2 U.S.C. 434(i)(3)(A)) are adjusted 
periodically to reflect changes in the consumer price index. See 2 
U.S.C. 434(i)(3) and 441a(c)(1), and 11 CFR 109.32 and 110.17(a), (f). 
The Commission is publishing this notice to announce the adjusted 
limits and disclosure threshold.
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    \1\ Public Law 107-155, 116 Stat. 81 (Mar. 27, 2002).
    \2\ Public Law 110-81, 121 Stat. 735 (Sep. 14, 2007).
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Coordinated Party Expenditure Limits for 2010

    Under 2 U.S.C. 441a(c), the Commission must adjust the expenditure 
limitations established by 2 U.S.C. 441a(d) (the limits on expenditures 
by national party committees, state party committees, or their 
subordinate committees in connection with the general election campaign 
of candidates for Federal office) annually to account for inflation. 
This expenditure limitation is increased by 4.35110, which reflects the 
difference between the price index, as certified to the Commission by 
the Secretary of Labor, for the 12 months preceding the beginning of 
the calendar year and the price index for the base period (calendar 
year 1974).

1. Expenditure Limitation for House of Representatives in States With 
More Than One Congressional District

    Both the national and state party committees have an expenditure 
limitation for each general election held to fill a seat in the House 
of

[[Page 8354]]

Representatives in States with more than one congressional district. 
This limitation also applies to those States that elect individuals to 
the office of Delegate or Resident Commissioner.\3\ The formula used to 
calculate the expenditure limitation in such States multiplies the base 
figure of $10,000 by the difference in the price index (4.35110), 
rounding to the nearest $100. See 2 U.S.C. 441a(c)(1)(B) and 
441a(d)(3)(B), and 11 CFR 109.32(b) and 110.17. Based upon this 
formula, the expenditure limitation for 2010 general elections for 
House candidates in these States is $43,500.
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    \3\ Currently, these States include the District of Columbia, 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories of American 
Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands and the Northern 
Mariana Islands. See http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml and http://about.dc.gov/statehood.asp.
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2. Expenditure Limitation for Senate and for House of Representatives 
in States With Only One Congressional District

    Both the national and state party committees have an expenditure 
limitation for a general election held to fill a seat in the Senate or 
in the House of Representatives in States with only one congressional 
district. The formula used to calculate this expenditure limitation 
considers not only the price index but also the voting age population 
(``VAP'') of the state. The VAP of each state is published annually in 
the Federal Register by the Department of Commerce. 11 CFR 110.18. The 
general election expenditure limitation is the greater of: The base 
figure ($20,000) multiplied by the difference in the price index, 
4.35110 (which totals $87,000); or $0.02 multiplied by the VAP of the 
state, multiplied by 4.35110. Amounts are rounded to the nearest $100. 
See 2 U.S.C. 441a(c)(1)(B) and 441a(d)(3)(A), and 11 CFR 109.32(b) and 
110.17. The chart below provides the state-by-state breakdown of the 
2010 general election expenditure limitations for Senate elections. The 
expenditure limit for 2010 House elections in states with only one 
congressional district \4\ is $87,000.
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    \4\ Currently, these States are: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, 
North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. See  http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml.

                         Senate General Election Expenditure Limitations--2010 Elections
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                                                                                                     Senate
                                                                                               expenditure limit
                                                              VAP (in        VAP x .02 x the    (the greater of
                         State                               thousands)        price index       the amount in
                                                                                (4.35110)         column 3 or
                                                                                                    $87,000)
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Alabama................................................              3,580           $311,500           $311,500
Alaska.................................................                515             44,800             87,000
Arizona................................................              4,864            423,300            423,300
Arkansas...............................................              2,180            189,700            189,700
California.............................................             27,526          2,395,400          2,395,400
Colorado...............................................              3,797            330,400            330,400
Connecticut............................................              2,710            235,800            235,800
Delaware...............................................                678             59,000             87,000
Florida................................................             14,480          1,260,100          1,260,100
Georgia................................................              7,245            630,500            630,500
Hawaii.................................................              1,005             87,500             87,500
Idaho..................................................              1,127             98,100             98,100
Illinois...............................................              9,733            847,000            847,000
Indiana................................................              4,834            420,700            420,700
Iowa...................................................              2,295            199,700            199,700
Kansas.................................................              2,114            184,000            184,000
Kentucky...............................................              3,300            287,200            287,200
Louisiana..............................................              3,369            293,200            293,200
Maine..................................................              1,047             91,100             91,100
Maryland...............................................              4,348            378,400            378,400
Massachusetts..........................................              5,161            449,100            449,100
Michigan...............................................              7,620            663,100            663,100
Minnesota..............................................              4,005            348,500            348,500
Mississippi............................................              2,184            190,100            190,100
Missouri...............................................              4,556            396,500            396,500
Montana................................................                755             65,700             87,000
Nebraska...............................................              1,345            117,000            117,000
Nevada.................................................              1,962            170,700            170,700
New Hampshire..........................................              1,036             90,200             90,200
New Jersey.............................................              6,662            579,700            579,700
New Mexico.............................................              1,499            130,400            130,400
New York...............................................             15,117          1,315,500          1,315,500
North Carolina.........................................              7,103            618,100            618,100
North Dakota...........................................                503             43,800             87,000
Ohio...................................................              8,828            768,200            768,200
Oklahoma...............................................              2,769            241,000            241,000
Oregon.................................................              2,953            257,000            257,000
Pennsylvania...........................................              9,830            855,400            855,400
Rhode Island...........................................                826             71,900             87,000
South Carolina.........................................              3,481            302,900            302,900
South Dakota...........................................                613             53,300             87,000
Tennessee..............................................              4,803            418,000            418,000
Texas..................................................             17,886          1,556,500          1,556,500
Utah...................................................              1,916            166,700            166,700

[[Page 8355]]

 
Vermont................................................                495             43,100             87,000
Virginia...............................................              6,035            525,200            525,200
Washington.............................................              5,095            443,400            443,400
West Virginia..........................................              1,433            124,700            124,700
Wisconsin..............................................              4,345            378,100            378,100
Wyoming................................................                412             35,900             87,000
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Contribution Limitations for Individuals, Non-Multicandidate Committees 
and for Certain Political Party Committees Giving to U.S. Senate 
Candidates for the 2009-2010 Election Cycle

    For the convenience of the readers, the Commission is also 
republishing the contribution limitations for individuals, non-
multicandidate committees and for certain political party committees 
giving to U.S. Senate candidates for the 2009-2010 election cycle:

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     Statutory provision        Statutory amount    2009-2010 Limitation
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2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(1)(A)......  $2,000..............  $2,400
2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(1)(B)......  $25,000.............  $30,400
2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(3)(A)......  $37,500.............  $45,600
2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(3)(B)......  $57,500 (of which no  $69,900 (of which no
                               more than $37,500     more than $45,600
                               may be attributable   may be attributable
                               to contributions to   to contributions to
                               political             political
                               committees that are   committees that are
                               not political         not political
                               committees of         committees of
                               national political    national political
                               parties).             parties)
2 U.S.C. 441a(h)............  $35,000.............  $42,600
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Lobbyist Bundling Disclosure Threshold for 2010

    The Act, as amended by HLOGA, requires certain political committees 
to disclose contributions bundled by lobbyists/registrants and 
lobbyist/registrant political action committees once the contributions 
exceed a specified threshold amount. The Commission must adjust this 
threshold amount annually to account for inflation. The disclosure 
threshold is increased by multiplying the $15,000 statutory disclosure 
threshold by 1.06418, the difference between the price index, as 
certified to the Commission by the Secretary of Labor, for the 12 
months preceding the beginning of the calendar year and the price index 
for the base period (calendar year 2006). The resulting amount is 
rounded to the nearest multiple of $100. See 2 U.S.C. 434(i)(3)(A) and 
(B), 441a(c)(1)(B) and 11 CFR 104.22(g). Based upon this formula 
($15,000 x 1.06418), the lobbyist bundling disclosure threshold for 
calendar year 2010 is $16,000, unchanged from 2009.

    On behalf of the Commission.
    Dated: February 19, 2010.
Matthew S. Petersen,
Chairman, Federal Election Commission.
[FR Doc. 2010-3688 Filed 2-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6715-01-P