pac.dog / 101

Module 2 of 9

What a committee is

Money in federal politics flows through committees— not through candidates directly. A committee is a registered entity (Form 1 filed with the FEC) with a treasurer, an address, a bank account, and an FEC committee id like C00580100.

The committee type field in FEC data uses single-letter codes (P, H, S, N, Q, O, X, U, V, W, Y, Z); designation uses another single letter (P, A, J, D, U, B). The taxonomy below maps the policy categories onto those codes.

Candidate committees

• Principal campaign committee — designation P, type H (House), S (Senate), or P (President). The one committee a candidate must designate; receives contributions on the candidate's behalf, pays for the campaign, files quarterly Form 3. "Pelosi for Congress", "Cruz for Senate". Contribution limit from an individual: $3,500 per election (primary + general counted separately).
• Authorized committee — designation A. A non-principal committee the candidate has authorized (typically a recount fund or compliance fund). Same contribution rules as the principal committee.

Political action committees (PACs)

• Multicandidate / qualified PAC — type Q or N (separate-segregated-fund vs non-connected, designation U). To "qualify", a PAC must register 6+ months, raise from 50+ contributors, and give to 5+ federal candidates. Once qualified, the PAC can accept up to $5,000 per individual donor per calendar year and give up to $5,000 per candidate per election. Most legacy PACs (AFL-CIO COPE, NRA-PVF, NEA-PAC) sit here.
• Non-multicandidate PAC — same types Q / N, just under the qualifying thresholds. Contribution limits are lower: $3,500 per candidate per election (mirrors the individual cap).
• Leadership PAC — designation D. A sitting office-holder's vehicle for funding other candidates and party committees. Same per-candidate limits as a qualified PAC. Operates legally as a separate committee from the office-holder's own principal campaign committee. "PAC to the Future" (Pelosi), "Jobs, Opportunity & New Ideas" (Schumer).
• Separate Segregated Fund (SSF) — type Q, the PAC arm of a corporation, labor union, or trade association. Solicits only its restricted class (employees, members, stockholders). "Microsoft Corporation Political Action Committee". Same dollar limits as a non-connected qualified PAC.

Super PACs + hybrid PACs

• Super PAC— formally a "independent-expenditure-only committee" (IEOC), type O. Created by Citizens United (2010) + SpeechNow.org v. FEC (2010, D.C. Cir.). No limit on what individuals, corporations, or unions can contribute to it. Cannot contribute to or coordinate with candidate committees; can only make independent expenditures (ads, mailers, ground game) that explicitly advocate for or against candidates. "Senate Majority PAC" (D), "Senate Leadership Fund" (R).
• Hybrid (Carey) PAC — type V (with a separately bank-accounted IEOC half) or W. Result of the Carey v. FEC (2011) settlement. Maintains two accounts within one committee:
  • An IEOC account: unlimited receipts, only independent expenditures.
  • A traditional-PAC account: limited receipts ($5,000/year from individuals), can contribute directly to candidates.
  The two pots are commingled-banned; the FEC requires separate banking and accounting.

Joint fundraising committees (JFCs)

• Joint Fundraising Committee — designation J. Two or more committees (typically a candidate committee + a party committee + several leadership PACs) pool fundraising and split proceeds per a pre-agreed allocation formula filed with the FEC. The JFC itself doesn't make contributions; it raises and immediately distributes. "Trump Victory", "Biden Victory Fund", "WinRed", "ActBlue". A single $X check to a JFC actually fills multiple contribution buckets across the participating committees — the legal limits still apply per recipient committee.

Party committees

• National party committee — type X. The DNC, RNC. Highest per-recipient contribution limit for individuals: $44,300 per year per committee(with three separate accounts for headquarters, conventions, and recounts, each at $132,900/year). Can give limited amounts directly to candidates and unlimited coordinated expenditures.
• National congressional committee — type Y. DCCC, DSCC, NRCC, NRSC. Same per-individual contribution caps as the national party committees.
• State / district / local party committee — type X at the state level. Lower individual caps ($10,000/year combined to all of a state party's federal accounts).

Adjacent entities (not technically PACs but in the data)

• 527 organizations — IRS political tax-exempt orgs. Some overlap with super PACs; some 527s are state-level or don't file with the FEC. Spend on political activity but aren't always FEC-regulated.
• 501(c)(4) social-welfare orgs— IRS-regulated, not the FEC. Can spend on political activity as long as it's not the "primary purpose." Donor disclosure not required at IRS level; FEC sees them only when they make independent expenditures or fund other committees. The "dark money" label points here. "Crossroads GPS", "Patriot Majority USA".
• 501(c)(6) trade associations — similar to 501(c)(4) for spending rules; donor names not disclosed.

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