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<div><tt><font color="#000000">Apr 17, 5:32 PM EDT<br>
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Idaho GOP pays $10,000 penalty for 2002 report irregularities<br>
<br>
By CHRISTOPHER SMITH<br>
Associated Press Writer<br>
<br>
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- The Idaho Republican Party has agreed to pay a
$10,000 fine and to boost internal accounting procedures after a
federal audit found numerous irregularities and violations of campaign
contribution reporting regulations during the 2002 election year.<br>
<br>
The Federal Election Commission announced the negotiated settlement
with the Idaho GOP Monday, although the agreement was signed in
December after it was approved in August 2005 by the members of the
federal commission that oversees political campaign contribution
laws.<br>
<br>
The FEC said it was making the case public now because it was part of
a handful of recent cases that were closed through the commission's
alternative dispute resolution program, which is intended to speed up
enforcement actions through mediated settlements. Some of the personal
information in the case file had to be redacted before it was made
public.</font></tt><br>
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<div><tt><font color="#000000">"The alternative dispute
resolution circumvents a full process and allows respondents who say,
'Yeah, I guess we did violate these laws' to settle the case quickly,"
said Ian Stirton, a spokesman for the FEC in
Washington.</font></tt></div>
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The Idaho Republican Party was audited by FEC investigators after
financial misstatements and missing information were noticed in the
2002 election year disclosure reports the state party is required to
file with the federal government.<br>
<br>
FEC auditors found that party records for contributions received
during the 2002 campaign did not disclose occupations or employers for
31 percent of the donors for a total of more than $98,000 in
contributions. Federal law requires political committees to disclose
occupations and names of employers of anyone donating more than $200
within the calendar year. Treasurers of the political committee must
attempt to make a "best effort" to gather the employment and
occupation data if it is not included with the contribution.<br>
<br>
The FEC audit found 90 percent of contribution entries listed on
reports by the party headquarters included the notation
"information requested" but the party could not prove it had
made any follow-up request to donors for the missing occupation and
employer information.<br>
<br>
According to enforcement case documents released Monday by the FEC,
Idaho GOP officials blamed the failure to obtain contributor
information on staff turnover and the lack of a full-time professional
staff member familiar with reporting requirements. The party has since
contracted with professional reporting staff, has created new internal
accounting procedures and is sending follow-up letters to 2002
contributors whose information is still missing.<br>
<br>
Besides the $10,000 civil penalty imposed by the FEC, the party agreed
to determine whether all data from contributions is accounted for
before the money is spent by the party and to file amended 2002
campaign finance reports disclosing the occupations and employers of
contributors.<br>
<br>
Idaho Republican Party officials did not immediately return calls to
The Associated Press on Monday seeking comment.<br>
<br>
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<div><tt><font color="#000000">On the Net:
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