[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 159 (Thursday, August 15, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42371-42376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20804]
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FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
11 CFR Part 104
[Notice 1996-16]
Electronic Filing of Reports by Political Committees
AGENCY: Federal Election Commission.
ACTION: Final rules; transmittal of regulations to Congress.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Election Commission is implementing an electronic
filing system for reports of campaign finance activity filed with the
agency. The Commission is publishing new rules today as part of the
process of implementing this system. The new rules establish general
requirements for
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filing reports electronically; specify the format for data to be
submitted by filers; set up procedures for submitting amendments to
reports; and explain methods of complying with the signature
requirements of the law. Further information is provided in the
supplementary information that follows.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Further action, including the announcement of an
effective date, will be taken after these regulations have been before
Congress for 30 legislative days pursuant to 2 U.S.C. 438(d). A
document announcing the effective date will be published in the Federal
Register.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Susan E. Propper, Assistant
General Counsel, or Paul Sanford, Staff Attorney, 999 E Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20463, (202) 219-3690 or (800) 424-9530.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission is today publishing the final
text of new regulations to be added to 11 CFR Part 104 regarding the
electronic filing of reports by political committees. These rules
implement provisions of Public Law 104-79, which amended the Federal
Election Campaign Act of 1971, 2 U.S.C. 431 et seq. [``the Act''], to
require, inter alia, that the Commission create a system to ``permit
reports required by this Act to be filed and preserved by means of
computer disk or any other electronic format or method, as determined
by the Commission.'' Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, Amendment,
Pub. L. No. 104-79, section 1(a), 109 Stat. 791 (December 28, 1995).
The final rules announced today set out the requirements and procedures
for filing reports electronically.
The electronic filing system is intended to reduce paper filing and
manual processing of reports, resulting in more efficient and cost-
effective methods of operation for filers and for the Commission. The
system will also provide the public with more complete on-line access
to reports on file with the Commission, thereby furthering the
disclosure purposes of the Act. Public Law 104-79 requires the
Commission to make this filing method available for reports covering
periods after December 31, 1996. Thus, the new system will be in place
for the first reports filed in the 1998 election cycle.
Public Law 104-79 requires the Commission to make the electronic
filing option available for all ``report[s], designation[s], or
statement[s] required by this Act to be filed with the Commission.''
Previously, this would not have included reports filed by the
authorized committees of candidates for the House of Representatives,
as these committees filed their reports with the Clerk of the House.
However, section 3 of Public Law 104-79 amended 2 U.S.C. 432(g) to
require the authorized committees of House candidates to file their
reports with the Commission. Consequently, these committees, as well as
those that have historically filed with the Commission, will have the
opportunity to file electronically under the new system. Committees
that are required to file reports with the Secretary of the Senate will
not be covered by the new rules.
While the Commission encourages political committees and other
persons to file their reports electronically, doing so is not required.
Under Public Law 104-79, participation in the Commission's electronic
filing program is voluntary. Therefore, filers have the option of
continuing to submit paper reports as they have in the past.
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
30 legislative days before they are finally promulgated. These
regulations were transmitted to Congress on August 9, 1996.
Explanation and Justification for 11 CFR 104.18
The Commission initiated this rulemaking with a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking [``NPRM''] published in the Federal Register on March 27,
1996. 61 FR 13465 (March 27, 1996). The NPRM contained proposed rules
covering general filing requirements, the format for electronic
reports, report validation procedures, amendments to electronically
filed reports, signature requirements, and the preservation of reports
filed electronically. The NPRM sought comments on the proposed rules
and on other issues from various segments of the regulated community,
including (1) committees that will be affected by the new rules; (2)
vendors with knowledge of the software issues involved in implementing
such a system; and (3) state and local jurisdictions that have
experience with electronic filing. The Commission received ten comments
in response to the NPRM. Several commenters offered general
observations about the features that an electronic filing system should
include. Other commenters offered specific comments on the proposed
rules set out in the notice. The Internal Revenue Service submitted a
comment in which it said that the proposed rules are not inconsistent
with IRS regulations or the Internal Revenue Code. The comments
received provided valuable information that serves as the basis for the
final rules published today.
General Comments About System Features
Some commenters offered general comments about the features that
should be incorporated into the electronic filing system. One commenter
urged the Commission to make the software for the system as user
friendly as possible, in order to make filing FEC reports easier, and
also urged the Commission to make the software available free of charge
through its World Wide Web site. This commenter said that filers should
be required to include the FEC identification number of the candidates
and PACs listed on their reports in order to ensure accurate
incorporation of the reports into the Commission's data base, and
suggested that pop-up menus could be incorporated into the software
that would allow filers to select this and other information from a
master list.
Similarly, this commenter along with one other commenter, urged the
Commission to establish a standardized list of codes for reported
disbursements. This proposal was set out in the narrative portion of
the NPRM. However, the commenter said filers should be able to include
a written elaboration. This commenter also said that any software made
available by the Commission should not include any campaign management
features, since these features would suggest assistance to candidates
and would present practical problems.
Another commenter said that encryption capabilities should be
incorporated into the electronic filing software, since this would
serve the dual purposes of compressing files and providing security in
the reporting.
The Commission shares the commenter's view that the electronic
filing system must be as easy to use as possible, and intends to make
any software that it creates available free of charge through the
Internet and other electronic means. Initially, this will be limited to
the validation software that filers will use to validate their reports
before submitting them to the Commission on diskette. Additional
software, such as encryption software, will be made available after
initial implementation, as the Commission moves towards filing by
telecommunications. The Commission will also make a list of the
identification numbers of all registered candidates and committees
available on the Internet for committees to download and
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incorporate into their reports. Committees can access this list through
the Commission's home page at www.fec.gov.
General Rule
Paragraph (a) of the proposed rules set out the general rule that
political committees who file reports with the Commission may choose to
file their reports in an electronic format that meets the requirements
of the section. Paragraph (a) also states that committees that choose
to file electronically and whose reports satisfy the validation program
described in paragraph (c), below, must continue to file electronically
all reports covering financial activity for that calendar year. The
Commission sought comment on whether the rules should distinguish
between committees that begin filing electronically but later encounter
problems and are unable to do so from those who simply decide to
discontinue filing electronic reports.
The Commission received no comments on the general rule or on the
one year continuation requirement. Generally, the final rule tracks the
proposed rule. Requiring committees that begin to file reports
electronically to continue to do so for the rest of the year will
enable the Commission to more efficiently process the committee's
reports and place them on the public record. However, the rule now
contains an exception that waives this requirement if the Commission
determines that extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances have made
it impracticable for the committee to continue filing electronically.
In order to obtain a waiver, a committee must submit a written request
to the Commission's Data Systems Development Division explaining the
circumstances that make continued electronic filing impracticable. The
Data Division will review these requests and make a determination as to
whether the committee may revert to paper filing. Generally, waivers
will only be granted if circumstances such as destruction of the
committee's computer equipment make continued electronic filing
technologically impossible. Committees that revert to paper filing will
be required to report on paper for the remainder of the calendar year.
Standard format
Under paragraph (b) of the proposed rules, reports filed
electronically must conform to the technical specifications, including
file requirements, described in the Commission's Electronic Filing
Specification Requirements [``EFSR''], and must be organized in the
order specified in those requirements. The narrative portion of the
NPRM indicated that the Commission would develop these requirements in
a parallel process to the Electronic Filing rulemaking, and would make
the requirements available to the public during the development
process. The notice invited interested persons to comment on the
requirements as they were being developed.
The draft electronic filing specification requirements were made
available for comment on May 31, 1996. Several comments were submitted
on the draft requirements. The Commission expects to issue a final
version of the EFSR during mid-August, 1996.
A few commenters addressed the issue of standardized format
specifications in their comments on the NPRM. Two commenters expressed
support for the Commission's plans to develop a standard format. One of
these commenters suggested that the Commission use the same field
structures and lengths as those in the Computerized Magnetic Media
Requirements [``CMMR''] currently used by publicly financed
presidential campaigns. The other commenter said the need to develop a
standard format for electronically filed reports was obvious, but said
that the format should not be so technical that users are unable to
generate properly formatted reports themselves.
The format required for electronically filed reports will be
relatively simple, and users should be able to easily generate properly
formatted reports using the EFSR documentation. The Commission has used
the CMMR as a model for the EFSR, and incorporated similar field
structures and lengths where appropriate. However, the EFSR will differ
in many significant respects, because the CMMR was designed to
facilitate the matching fund submission process for presidential
primary candidates, whereas the EFSR must serve the broader purposes of
reporting under Part 104 of the regulations. Thus, while the EFSR will
share some of the characteristics of the CMMR, the EFSR will include
specifications for the full range of activities that are reportable
under section 434 of the Act and Part 104 of the regulations.
In contrast to the two comments described above, a third commenter
suggested an entirely different approach for filing reports
electronically. This commenter said that filers should simply scan the
Commission's forms into their databases, complete the forms, and submit
them to the Commission by electronic mail. Or, as an alternative to
scanning, the Commission should make the forms available on a diskette
for $25.
Accepting scanned forms as electronically filed reports would
complicate the electronic filing process, because scanned forms would
be more difficult to directly integrate into the Commission's
disclosure data base. Direct integration will be achieved most
efficiently if reports are made up of a series of fields of ASCII
characters. Scanned forms are digitized images, rather than fields of
ASCII characters. Since direct integration is one of the main goals of
electronic filing, the Commission has decided not to accept scanned
images as electronically filed reports.
Acceptance of Reports Filed Electronically
1. Validation checks. Under paragraph (c) of the proposed rules,
committees submitting reports electronically would be required to check
each report against the Commission's validation software before it is
submitted, to ensure that it meets the standard format specification
requirements. Paragraph (c)(1) also indicated that electronically filed
reports would be checked again when they are received by the
Commission. The Commission would not accept reports that do not pass
the validation program, and would notify a committee if its reports are
rejected.
One commenter suggested that, instead of supplying validation
software, the Commission certify a commercial disclosure software
package. This, the commenter said, would allow filers to bypass the
process of validating each submission.
The Commission is unable to adopt this commenter's suggestion. The
validation software will ensure that electronic reports submitted to
the Commission conform to the electronic filing specification
requirements and can be integrated into the Commission's disclosure
data base. The Commission is making the validation software available
to committees so that reports can be checked before they are submitted.
This will allow filers to remedy filing problems before sending their
reports to the Commission. Although commercial software packages may
become available that will perform this function, the Commission is
reluctant to treat any of these packages as a substitute for the
validation software, because doing so would require ongoing oversight
of these software packages to ensure continued compliance with the
EFSR. The Commission is unwilling and unable to perform this oversight.
Therefore, the Commission will not
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recognize commercial software as a substitute for the validation
process.
Another commenter suggested that the Commission develop what the
commenter described as ``pre-auditing'' software that would
automatically review reports before they are submitted in order to
ensure that the reports are complete and correct to the greatest extent
possible. The commenter said that this software should check for math
errors, look for inconsistencies between the summary page and the
detailed reporting pages, and notify the filer if mandatory fields have
been left blank, contributions have been listed that exceed the
applicable limits, or data has been included that is outside the
reporting period range.
The validation software filers will be required to use in 1997 will
perform some of these functions. Specifically, this software will
ensure that all required information is included in the report, and
will also examine the report for inconsistencies between the summary
pages and detailed reporting pages. The Commission's current plans are
to incorporate other pre-auditing functions, such as checking for math
errors, etc., into the more sophisticated validation software that will
be made available for the next phase of the program in 1998. This may
further increase the accuracy of electronically filed reports as the
Commission moves towards submission by telecommunications and direct
integration into the disclosure data base.
2. Methods of transmission. The narrative portion of the NPRM
explained that the Commission initially intends to accept reports only
on floppy disk. However, the Commission will begin accepting reports
submitted through telecommunications as soon as practicable. One
commenter urged the Commission to begin accepting reports submitted by
electronic mail right away. However, another commenter said that there
are space limitations on electronic mail that preclude it from serving
this purpose, and that it is not reliable enough to serve as a filing
medium.
The Commission continues to believe that a gradual implementation
of the electronic filing program will minimize the transitional
difficulties and will be more likely to lead to a viable electronic
filing system. Accepting reports by electronic mail would raise
security issues that the Commission would rather address during the
second phase of the electronic filing program. Therefore, the
Commission has decided to adhere to its plan to initially accept
electronic reports only on floppy disk. The Commission will move toward
accepting reports through telecommunications as soon as possible.
Amended Reports
Paragraph (d) of the proposed rules would require that amendments
to electronically filed reports be filed electronically. This provision
would also require that amendments consist of a complete version of the
report as amended, rather than just those portions of the report that
have been revised. In the narrative portion of the NPRM, the Commission
recognized that requiring submission of a complete version of the
amended report has one drawback in that the complete version will not
immediately indicate which aspects of the earlier report had changed.
Thus, persons reviewing the report will have difficulty identifying new
information. The Commission specifically sought comment on whether
another approach would be preferable.
All three commenters that addressed this issue supported the
approach set out in the proposed rule. One commenter suggested that the
Commission require filers to flag revised information in the amended
report so that persons reviewing the report will be able to readily
determine which portions have been changed. Another commenter said that
information that has been amended should be highlighted in the
Commission's data base. This would be achieved by replacing the amended
field in the original report with the identification number of the
amended report containing the superseding information. This commenter
also suggested that the Commission produce a cumulative electronic list
of amended items.
The final rule tracks the proposed rule in that it requires filers
to submit a complete version of the report as amended, rather than just
those portions of the report that are being amended. However, the final
rule also adopts the commenter's suggestion in that it requires filers
to include electronic flags or markings in their amended reports that
point to the portions of the report that are being amended. These flags
will be incorporated into the Commission's disclosure process so that
persons reviewing the committee's reports will know which portions have
been revised.
Signature Requirements
1. Committee signatures. Paragraph (e) of the proposed rules would
require the committee treasurer or other person responsible for filing
the committee's report to verify the report either by submitting a
signed paper certification with the computerized magnetic media, or by
submitting a digitized copy of the signed certification as a separate
file in the electronic submission. This provision would also require
the person signing the report to certify that, to the best of the
signatory's knowledge, the report is true, correct and complete. These
verifications would be treated the same as verification by signature on
a paper report. When the Commission begins to accept reports by
telecommunications, it may provide other methods for verification, such
as providing an encryption key to the committee treasurer or allowing
simultaneous mailing of the signature page. The Commission sought
comment on these proposals, and invited commenters to suggest other
ways for complying with the signature requirement.
One commenter said the Commission should be responsible for
comparing electronically submitted signatures with signatures already
on file. If the signatures look correct, they should be treated as
valid, with the burden of proving otherwise on the person alleging the
signature is not genuine.
Comments submitted by the New York City Campaign Finance Board
indicate that the Board requires candidates who file on disk to submit
a paper control page that lists the schedule totals, file creation
dates, and contains the committee treasurer's original signature. Under
the system used by New York City, these pages cannot be created until
all report data has been entered and submission disks have been
created.
As explained above, the Commission's validation program will ensure
that electronically filed reports contain all of the necessary
information. However, Congress has specifically directed the Commission
to ``provide for one or more methods (other than requiring a signature
on the report being filed) for verifying reports filed by means of
computer disk or other electronic format or method.'' 2 U.S.C.
434(a)(11)(B), as added by Pub. L. No. 104-79, section 1(a), 109 Stat.
791 (1995). Thus, the Commission is unable to require submission of a
signature page. For these reasons, the Commission has structured this
program so that filers will include all of the required information
within the electronic data submitted. With a few exceptions, no paper
submissions will be required. The exceptions will be explained further
below.
With regard to encryption, another commenter expressed the view
that implementing a program such as ``PGP'' or ``Pretty Good Privacy''
to provide a digital signature would be nearly impossible because of
the
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administrative difficulties of issuing and receiving the necessary
keys. This commenter suggested that it would be better to achieve
security by issuing a PIN-like password to each filer by regular mail.
This commenter also recommended implementation of a cross-checking
program under which each filer would submit a signed paper summary page
for each report. The amounts listed on the summary page could then be
compared to the more detailed portions of the electronically submitted
reports to provide an additional level of security and assurance.
The Commission's validation software will compare a report's
summary page with its detailed summary page to ensure that they are
consistent, thereby providing an additional level of security. However,
the Commission has not addressed the encryption issue in this set of
final rules. The Commission expects to incorporate a more sophisticated
security system into the electronic filing program when it moves closer
to accepting reports through telecommunications.
2. Signatures of third parties. The NPRM also noted that certain
forms and schedules required by the Act and regulations must be
submitted with the signatures of third parties. For example, Schedule E
and Form 5, which are used to report independent expenditures, must be
notarized. Paragraph (f) of the proposed rules contains a list of the
schedules, materials and forms that have special signature
requirements. Under this provision, electronic filers that are required
to submit these items could do so by submitting a paper copy of the
item with their electronic report, or by including a digitized version
of the item as a separate file in the electronic submission. This would
be in addition to the general requirement that the data contained on
the form or schedule be included in the electronic report. The
Commission received no comments on this requirement.
The final rule tracks the proposed rule. Filers have the option of
submitting paper copies or a digitized image as part of their
electronic report.
Preservation of Reports
Section 104.14(b)(2) of the Commission's current regulations
requires committee treasurers to retain copies of all reports or
statements submitted for a period of three years after they are filed.
Paragraph (g) of the proposed rules would require committee treasurers
to retain machine readable copies of all reports filed electronically
as the copy preserved under this section. Paragraph (g) would also
require a treasurer to retain the original signed version of any
documents submitted in a digitized format under paragraphs (e) or (f),
as explained above.
One commenter argued that PACs should be permitted to retain files
exclusively on diskette, and said that keeping a hard copy is redundant
and self-defeating.
A file of a report retained on a diskette would be considered a
machine readable copy of that report under the final rules. Thus, a
committee could retain its reports almost exclusively on diskette.
However, if a committee submits a digitized image of the signature page
of a report, schedule or other document to the Commission, in lieu of
submitting the signed paper original, the committee must retain the
signed original signature page for three years after the report is
filed. Thus, in certain situations, committees will be required to
maintain paper copies of portions of some reports.
Additional Issues
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking sought additional information and
comment from the regulated community on other subjects related to the
electronic filing program. Specifically, the NPRM invited commenters to
describe their current computer capabilities and indicate what kind of
records they are currently maintaining electronically. The NPRM also
asked commenters to indicate whether they intend to file their reports
electronically, and to describe how they expect to benefit from the
electronic filing program. Commenters were also asked to describe the
technical and procedural problems they perceive with the system, and
provide suggestions on how these problems might be averted.
Several commenters addressed these issues. Two commenters indicated
they have PC-based systems and use software such as Microsoft Office,
Microsoft Excel, WordPerfect, and Lotus 123. These commenters intend to
file their reports electronically once the program has been
implemented. In contrast, one software vendor said that the program
would not save its clients any time or money. Thus, they would not
benefit from participating in the program.
The two commenters who intend to participate in the program said
they expect it to make the filing process more efficient by reducing
the duplication of efforts in keeping records and submitting reports to
the Commission. They hope the program will save staff time and reduce
the anxiety of timely filing.
With regard to potential problems, one of these commenters
expressed concern that the continued requirement that forms be
submitted to state offices would dilute the benefits of the electronic
filing system. See 2 U.S.C. 439, 11 CFR Part 108. This commenter also
cited the delay in the availability of electronic filing as a source of
frustration. Another commenter expressed concern about whether its
current equipment would be compatible with the system, and whether the
committee would incur significant setup costs in preparing for
electronic filing. This commenter also asked whether technical support
will be readily available.
Section 2 of Public Law 104-79 waives the duplicate filing
requirements in states that have a system for electronically accessing
and duplicating reports filed with the Commission. The Commission
expects that, in the future, states will make such a system available.
Over time, this will reduce the need for filers to generate paper
reports to send to their state filing offices. However, as with the
requirement for the preservation of reports, section 439 is
nondiscretionary for states that do not have an electronic access and
duplication system. Therefore, filers in those states will be required
to continue generating paper reports and submitting them to their state
filing offices.
The electronic filing system that the Commission will implement at
the beginning of 1997 should cause very few compatibility problems.
Files that have been created or are readable by an operating system
compatible with Microsoft DOS 2.1 or higher, including Microsoft
Windows, may be submitted under the new system. The Commission does not
expect those who wish to file electronically to incur significant setup
expenses. Validation software will be available, and the Commission
will provide this software free of charge.
As with any computer implementation effort, technical glitches may
occur. However, the Commission is committed to establishing a viable
electronic filing system, and will provide whatever technical support
filing committees need to make the program a success.
Certification of No Effect Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b) (Regulatory
Flexibility Act)
I certify that the attached final rules, if promulgated, will not
have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities. The basis of this certification is that no small entities are
required to submit
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reports electronically under the final rules.
List of Subjects in 11 CFR Part 104
Campaign funds, Political committees and parties, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements.
For the reasons set out in the preamble, subchapter A, chapter I of
title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as follows:
PART 104--REPORTS BY POLITICAL COMMITTEES
1. The authority citation for part 104 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 2 U.S.C. 431(1), 431(8), 431(9), 432(i), 434, 438(a),
438(b), 439a.
Sec. 104.17 [Reserved]
2. Section 104.17 is added and reserved.
3. Section 104.18 is added, to read as follows:
Sec. 104.18 Electronic filing of reports (2 U.S.C. 432(d) and
434(a)(11)).
(a) General. A political committee that files reports with the
Commission, as provided in 11 CFR part 105, may choose to file its
reports in an electronic format that meets the requirements of this
section. If a committee chooses to file its reports electronically, and
its first electronic report passes the Commission's validation program
in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section, it must continue to
file in an electronic format all reports covering financial activity
for that calendar year, unless the Commission determines that
extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances have made it
impracticable for the committee to continue filing electronically.
(b) Format specifications. Reports filed electronically shall
conform to the technical specifications described in the Federal
Election Commission's Electronic Filing Specifications Requirements.
The data contained in the computerized magnetic media provided to the
Commission shall be organized in the order specified by the Electronic
Filing Specifications Requirements.
(c) Acceptance of reports filed in electronic format. (1) Each
committee that submits an electronic report shall check the report
against the Commission's validation program before it is submitted, to
ensure that the files submitted meet the Commission's format
specifications and can be read by the Commission's computer system.
Each report submitted in an electronic format under this section shall
also be checked upon receipt against the Commission's validation
program. The Commission's validation program is available on request
and at no charge.
(2) A report that does not pass the validation program will not be
accepted by the Commission and will not be considered filed. If a
committee submits a report that does not pass the validation program,
the Commission will notify the committee that the report has not been
accepted.
(d) Amended reports. If a committee files an amendment to a report
that was filed electronically, it shall also submit the amendment in an
electronic format. The committee shall submit a complete version of the
report as amended, rather than just those portions of the report that
are being amended. In addition, the amended report shall contain
electronic flags or markings that point to the portions of the report
that are being amended.
(e) Signature requirements. The committee's treasurer, or any other
person having the responsibility to file a designation, report or
statement under this subchapter, shall verify the report in one of the
following ways: by submitting a signed certification on paper that is
submitted with the computerized media; or by submitting a digitized
copy of the signed certification as a separate file in the electronic
submission. Each verification submitted under this section shall
certify that the person has examined the report or statement and, to
the best of the signatory's knowledge and belief, it is true, correct
and complete. Any verification under this section shall be treated for
all purposes (including penalties for perjury) in the same manner as a
verification by signature on a report submitted in a paper format.
(f) Schedules and forms with special requirements. The following
list of schedules, materials, and forms have special signature and
other requirements and reports containing these documents shall
include, in addition to providing the required data within the
electronic report, either a paper copy submitted with the committee's
electronic report or a digitized version submitted as a separate file
in the electronic submission: Schedule C-1 (Loans and Lines of Credit
From Lending Institutions), including copies of loan agreements
required to be filed with that Schedule, Schedule E (Itemized
Independent Expenditures), Form 5 (Report of Independent Expenditures
Made and Contributions Received), and Form 8 (Debt Settlement Plan).
The committee shall submit any paper materials together with the
electronic media containing the committee's report.
(g) Preservation of reports. For any report filed in electronic
format under this section, the treasurer shall retain a machine-
readable copy of the report as the copy preserved under 11 CFR
104.14(b)(2). In addition, the treasurer shall retain the original
signed version of any documents submitted in a digitized format under
paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section.
Dated: August 9, 1996.
John Warren McGarry,
Vice Chairman, Federal Election Commission.
[FR Doc. 96-20804 Filed 8-14-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6715-01-P
