AARP PAC Fined for Campaign Violations Opposing Initiative 2124 (Long-Term Care)

March 29th of 2024, AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) formed a PAC, or political action committee, to fight against allowing people to choose if they wanted to donate to the already financially insolvent CARES Act--an opt out.

  Now the PDC has fined them for late reporting of contributions

WA State campaign laws require candidates, PACS and other political entities involved in elections to file all information about campaign contributions in a timely manner.

In late 2024, a complaint to the PDC indicated public data from AARP PAC was not listed as required by law on the PDC site.  According to the PDC:

"In August 2024, PDC staff opened a case against the committee after receiving a complaint that the PAC had failed to timely and accurately report contributions and expenditures, and had failed to provide complete description of in-kind contributions."

In-kind contributions are those of a non-financial nature. Various contributions were anywhere from 10 to 111 days late in being reported. The PDC voted to issues a $5,000 fine, half suspended, provided AARP PAC follows all rules, regulations and stipulations regarding the complaint and the judgement.

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AARP PAC was running a "No on I-2124" campaign.  I-2124 would have removed the mandatory payments from taxpayers toward the state's CARES Long Term Care Act, which is already financially insolvent. That claim is from Republican legislators who say it could run out as early as 2026 or 2027.  Program administrators claim as long as deductions are made from worker's payrolls, it will last much longer.

However, sponsors and Democratic legislators have already attempted to raise the percentages of taxes taken from worker's pay to fund the program.