Posted June 30, 2014
The
campaign committee behind last fall’s food-labeling initiative must pay $4,000
fine for failing to report funds from other assisting groups until
after the election was over, according to an article on the Herald Net by Jerry
Cornfield available here.
The News Tribune also published the article here
and TDN here.
The state
Public Disclosure Commission issed the fine on the Yes on I-522 Committee for failure to
disclose almost $118,000 of in-kind contributions by PCC Natural Markets, Ben
& Jerry’s Ice Cream, and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.
An
investigation found that the majority of in-kind contributions involved $2,000
worth of free ice cream and $95,000 worth of ads endorsing the measure, which
voters rejected.
On Thursday,
commissioners approved the penalty as a part of a settlement negotiated with
committee representatives.
Committee
representatives said a clerical error led to the failure to report the in-kind
contributions before the election.
“There was
no attempt at concealment,” Jim Frush, an attorney for Yes on I-522, told
commissioners. “We’re very apologetic for the oversight.”
Initiative
522 would have required genetically modified food labeling, but it lost by a
margin of 51.1 to 48.9 percent.
Opposing
sides spent approximately $20 million in the campaign. The Yes on I-522
Committee reported nearly $8 million in expenditures, of which $600,000 came
from in-kind contributions.
For more information on food labeling, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
