FEC to Hold Public Hearing on Website and Internet Communications Improvement Initiative

Attention Wire Services, Daybook Editors:

FEC PUBLIC HEARING ON WEBSITE AND INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE

Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

The Federal Election Commission will hold a public hearing on its Website and Internet Communications Improvement Initiative on Wednesday, July 29, at 10 a.m. The initiative is intended to ensure that the Commission website continues to be a state-of-the-art resource for disclosure of information to the public, including campaign finance data, information on federal campaign finance laws and Commission actions. The Commission has continually engaged in ongoing efforts to improve all aspects of how it discloses information through its website.

On July 1, the Commission published a notice in the Federal Register seeking recommendations from all segments of the public regarding ways to improve its website and Internet communications and announcing this week’s hearing. In addition to the written comments it received in response to that notice, the Commission will hear testimony Wednesday from an array of witnesses. The following are scheduled to testify at the hearing:

• Craig Engle, Arent Fox LLP
• Brian Svoboda, Perkins Coie LLP
• Michael Toner, Bryan Cave LLP; Former FEC Chairman
• Matt DeBergalis, ActBlue, Chairman & Founder
• Paul W. Houghtaling, Political CFOs, Founder
• Nathaniel Pearlman, NGP Software, Inc., Founder
• Clay Johnson, The Sunlight Foundation, Director of Sunlight Labs
• Michael Malbin, Campaign Finance Institute, Executive Director
• Darrell West, Brookings Institution, Vice President and Director of Government Studies

The Commission will provide a live audio stream of the hearing, which can be accessed from the home page of the Commission website, www.fec.gov. While recorded podcasts of FEC meetings have been available since 2006, this is the first time the agency will offer a live, on-line audio feed of one of its meetings. The Commission intends to provide live audio for all future public meetings.

For more information on the hearing, including the agenda, click here.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. Established in 1975, the FEC is composed of six Commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

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