The Washington Budget & Policy Center has agreed to pay more than $30,000 in relation to violations of state campaign-disclosure law, according to the state Attorney Generals Office. The action stems from a complaint by the right-leaning Freedom Foundation.<\/p>\n
Seattle Times Olympia bureau <\/p>\n
OLYMPIA The Washington Budget & Policy Center has agreed to pay about $30,000 in relation to violations of state campaign-disclosure law, according to the state Attorney Generals Office. <\/p>\n
The center didnt properly report independent expenditures that it made while opposing Initiative 1366, according to court records detailing the settlement. <\/p>\n
Voters in 2015 approved I-1366, a Tim Eyman-sponsored, anti-tax proposal. <\/p>\n
But a court tossed the initiative a few months later. <\/p>\n
Under a Thurston County Superior Court judgment, the center, a liberal think tank based in Seattle, received $33,510 in penalties. <\/p>\n
Half of that is suspended for four years, however, as long as the center doesnt commit any other campaign-finance violations during that time. <\/p>\n
The court also ordered the center to pay $13,790 in attorney fees and court and investigation costs, according to a statement by the Attorney Generals Office. <\/p>\n
The action stems from a complaint filed by the right-leaning Freedom Foundation, according to Misha Werschkul, executive director for the center. <\/p>\n
We are committed to tracking and disclosing all reportable activities and we have taken action to update our internal policies and practices for campaign reporting, Werschkul wrote in an email. <\/p>\n
The settlement comes as the Attorney Generals Office takes action on another Freedom Foundation complaint. The office last week announced a lawsuit against SEIU 14 over alleged campaign-finance violations. <\/p>\n
The office determined the union made significant campaign contributions but failed to register and report as a political committee in at least 2014 and 2016, according to a statement released last week. <\/p>\n
That lawsuit marks the seventh time in less than two years Freedom Foundation complaints have led to legal action and\/or penalties against government unions or their allies for violating state campaign finance laws, according to a Freedom Foundation statement. <\/p>\n
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Liberal think tank in Seattle ordered to pay $30000-plus in campaign-disclosure fines - Seattle Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Washington Budget & Policy Center has agreed to pay more than $30,000 in relation to violations of state campaign-disclosure law, according to the state Attorney Generals Office. Continue reading