The organization Progress for America requested an advisory opinion from the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) for guidance on when a nonprofit organization can be considered an FEC-regulated political committee. In response, the FEC sent them a letter last week saying that an answer will not be given.

It is no secret that House leaders are planning a major ethics reform bill, but the package will be brought to the House floor piecemeal. This will ensure that each important proposal, such as banning gifts from lobbyists, is debated on and receives its own vote. This should also bring about more media attention and hopefully a positive glimpse into how Democrats will act as the majority party.

It is no secret that during this past election there was wide spread use of "robo calls". Voters were bombarded throughout the country with repetitive, deceptive calls and now legislators want to act on these misleading campaign methods. The incoming majority leader Harry Reid and other Democratic leaders have serious concerns about these calls and other unethical campaign practices utilized before the election. Rep. John Conyers has called for federal officials to investigate complaints about the calls, possibly resulting in hearings before the House Judiciary Committee. Most notably, Sen.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) charged that in 2004 the nonprofit environmental group Sierra Club, a 501(c)(4), used funds from its corporate treasury to pay for a pamphlet "expressly advocating" the defeat of federal candidates. A specific guide was considered titled, "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide," that used check marks to compare the environmental records of Bush and Kerry and the U.S. Senate candidates. It was found that the pamphlet “expressly advocated” Kerry and Castor’s election and Bush and Martinez’s defeat.