OK Senate PAC Agrees to Pay Fines, Dissolve

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An influential political action committee that has helped elect Republicans to the Oklahoma Senate has agreed to dissolve and pay a fine of more than $60,000 to the state after an investigation revealed multiple state campaign finance rule violations.

The Republican Senatorial Committee entered into a settlement agreement on Friday with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. PAC officials acknowledged accepting more than $35,000 of impermissible contributions from corporations or contributions earmarked for a specific candidate or candidate committee. Both contributions violate state ethics rules.

Jeff Starling, an Oklahoma City attorney and the most recent chairman of the PAC, said: “These are inadvertent clerical issues from quite some time ago, and we’re happy to have them resolved and behind us.”

Under the agreement, the PAC agreed to pay $37,750 to the state’s general fund, an amount equal to the impermissible contributions it accepted, plus another $25,000 in civil penalties. PAC officials also agreed to dissolve the committee and dispose of any remaining assets.