U.S. House of Representatives Committee on House Administration
09/19/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/19/2024 09:58
Chairman Steil Announces Referrals to Attorneys General in ActBlue Investigation
WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) sent letters to the Attorneys General from Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri, updating them on the Committee's investigation into ActBlue, a major democratic fundraising platform. Along with the letter, the Attorneys General received the data and evidence that the Committee has collected over the course of almost a year.
"When I became the Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, I made a commitment that election integrity and security would be a top priority. Through our investigation into ActBlue and the reported campaign finance law violations, we upheld our commitment to the American people to increase transparency in our elections," Chairman Steil said. "I have faith that the five Attorneys General will build their investigations off the great work our Committee has done and I look forward to seeing their findings."
Read the letters to the Attorneys General here.
Background:
On September 20, 2023, Chairman Steil held the first full committee hearing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in over a decade.
On October 31, 2023, following reports that ActBlue was accepting political contributions without a card verification value (CVV), Chairman Steil sent a letterdemanding answers on ActBlue's practices, questioning if they are complying with federal campaign finance laws and preventing foreign and illegal contributions.
On November 27, 2023, ActBlue respondedto Chairman Steil's letter saying it did not require a CVV in order to contribute on their website.
On August 5, 2024, Chairman Steil sent a letterto FEC Chairman Cooksey and Vice Chair Weintraub requesting the FEC immediately initiate an emergency rulemaking process to require that political campaigns verify the CVV of donors who contribute online and a rulemaking to prohibit political committees from accepting online contributions from prepaid cards.
On September 6, 2024, Chairman Steil introduced H.R. 9488, the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act. The legislation prohibits political committees from accepting an online contribution unless the contributor provides the CVV and billing address associated with the card and from accepting online contributions from prepaid cards. It also adopts a top legislative recommendation from the FEC to prohibit individuals from knowingly aiding or abetting a person making a contribution in the name of another person.
On September 11, 2024, the SHIELD Act passed the Committee on House Administration by a voice-vote.
"When I became the Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, I made a commitment that election integrity and security would be a top priority. Through our investigation into ActBlue and the reported campaign finance law violations, we upheld our commitment to the American people to increase transparency in our elections," Chairman Steil said. "I have faith that the five Attorneys General will build their investigations off the great work our Committee has done and I look forward to seeing their findings."
Read the letters to the Attorneys General here.
Background:
On September 20, 2023, Chairman Steil held the first full committee hearing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in over a decade.
On October 31, 2023, following reports that ActBlue was accepting political contributions without a card verification value (CVV), Chairman Steil sent a letterdemanding answers on ActBlue's practices, questioning if they are complying with federal campaign finance laws and preventing foreign and illegal contributions.
On November 27, 2023, ActBlue respondedto Chairman Steil's letter saying it did not require a CVV in order to contribute on their website.
On August 5, 2024, Chairman Steil sent a letterto FEC Chairman Cooksey and Vice Chair Weintraub requesting the FEC immediately initiate an emergency rulemaking process to require that political campaigns verify the CVV of donors who contribute online and a rulemaking to prohibit political committees from accepting online contributions from prepaid cards.
On September 6, 2024, Chairman Steil introduced H.R. 9488, the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations (SHIELD) Act. The legislation prohibits political committees from accepting an online contribution unless the contributor provides the CVV and billing address associated with the card and from accepting online contributions from prepaid cards. It also adopts a top legislative recommendation from the FEC to prohibit individuals from knowingly aiding or abetting a person making a contribution in the name of another person.
On September 11, 2024, the SHIELD Act passed the Committee on House Administration by a voice-vote.