Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Consent Orders topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves dozens of consent orders, levies penalties from $125 to $43,000
Summary
At the Dec. 13 meeting the commission approved a package of consent orders resolving numerous filing and disclosure violations; staff cited examples from $125 fines to a $43,000 settlement and noted some sanctions were reduced for hardship.
The Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission approved a batch of consent orders Dec. 13 that resolve a broad range of campaign-finance and filing violations across dozens of candidates and committees.
Staff described individual settlements that addressed late campaign contribution disclosure reports, late personal financial disclosure statements, failures to terminate campaign accounts, and limited reporting errors. Examples presented to the commission included an agreement with Patrick LeMagg (case 23-0037-C) settling multiple violations for a total penalty of $43,000 (civil penalty plus late fees) and smaller penalties in many other matters ranging from $125 to several hundred dollars.
Commission staff and members said they sometimes reduced penalties or handled cases as dismissals where a respondent promptly paid late fees or cooperated. In one case staff noted a reduced fine for a disabled-veteran respondent, citing hardship as a factor in the negotiated outcome.
Commissioners approved consent orders a–g and then the remainder of the package by voice vote; staff will finalize and issue the signed consent orders.
What this means: the consent-order process resolves many low-to-mid-level compliance issues without full contested hearings, but larger or contested matters continue through preliminary hearings and OSA adjudication.
Quote: staff attorney said the office had received "probably more than 2,000 emails and documents back and forth" in a complex case and recommended settlement based on the record and cooperation.
