OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP)—Staffers for the state Public Disclosure commission say a political action committee that fought the 2009 expansion of the state’s domestic partnership law had multiple violations of campaign finance laws.
The staff report, published ahead of a Thursday PDC meeting on the case, recommends that the case be forwarded to the attorney general’s office for legal action.
The report says the Family PAC and its treasurer, Joseph Backholm, failed to report legal services it incurred while fighting several campaign finance laws as it worked to oppose Referendum 71. PDC estimates unreported expenses of between $148,987 and $940,408.
Backholm is currently leading the effort against Referendum 74, which asks voters to either approve or reject the law passed earlier this year allowing gay marriage in the state.
