Alabama Ethics Commission fines Rep. Marilyn Lands $4,500 for missing reporting deadline

Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville, reviews an agenda in the Alabama House of Representatives before the start of the session on May 2, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)

The Alabama Ethics Commission Wednesday imposed a $4,500 fine against Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville.

The fines, which total $4,500, were issued after the Lands campaign failed to file daily campaign finance reports as required by law during the last week of the special election. This requirement is triggered when donations or expenditures exceed $5,000 within a 24-hour period.

“We looked back at the previous committee and saw that they had filed daily reports in the past, thus showing familiarity with the daily report requirement. The FCPA [Fair Campaign Practices Act] calendar that we have for each election cycle is posted on our website,” said Jeff Elrod, director of elections for the Alabama Secretary of State.

Peck Fox, counsel for Christine Starnes, who was responsible for filing the daily reports, said that even though Starnes had done the daily reports in a previous cycle, she forgot the daily filing requirements this time around. He also said that the donations that required daily reporting were reported in the weekly report submitted before the special election.

“We certainly do not contend that the campaign did not make a mistake, but we would ask that the number of fines and offenses be reduced,” Fox said.

Lands, who campaigned on ending Alabama’s near-total abortion ban and protecting access to contraception and in vitro fertilization, won a special election in March, flipping a House seat previously held by a Republican.

In a phone interview, Lands said in a phone interview that she wishes the commission had given the campaign some leniency, which she felt was acceptable under the circumstances.

“I believe that the commission acted with good intentions. I know a couple of them. I think it was their first day, and I have to believe that everyone’s acting in good faith here,” Lands said.

Mike Jones, attorney with the Secretary of State, said it was a “unique position” because the donation amounts were “substantially” more than reporting thresholds.

Of the 14 appeals on the agenda, Lands’ was the only case in which every violation was upheld. The Secretary of State’s office recommended that fines and penalties from seven of the 14 appeals be dismissed. Jones said during the commission meeting that it is typical to drop fines and penalties, but this case was not “standard.”

Donations that required daily reporting ranged from $6,000 to $30,000.

“It is a little different just because of the timing and amounts,” Jones said.

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