Venable partner Larry Norton was quoted in a February 3, 2016 Politico article on the various federal agencies which Congress has not reauthorized. Among the agencies featured in the article is the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which Congress has not reauthorized since 1981. When congressional authorization – the set of rules defining the priorities and activities of a federal agency – expires, it is typically a chance to reconsider and modernize the agency’s mission. In the case of the FEC, both parties have avoided its reauthorization given the controversy surrounding campaign finance and super PACs.
"The last time the agency was reauthorized, no one had heard of the Internet," said Norton. "Now there are all sorts of new technologies and implications for the raising and spending of money that haven't been addressed in the law."