Finance Committee Notes:

GPUS Finance Com
Monday Feb 21 7:30- 8:30 PM EST

Facilitator - Jake
Note taker - Doug
Present: Jake, Jo, Doug, Paul, Brent, Jeff, Mark, Emily, Peggy

Approval of minutes of Feb 14 meeting

Introduce any new members of FinCom - none

1. Database and Income reporting systems Update - David Spitzley is working on the db- still work to do. Mark: DIA update - posted plan for internet fundraising and outreach. Job description for position for online fundraising. Sharing: on web site donors can choose to share with a state or caucus with a 50/50 share. For caucuses it is set up at 100% if donors go to stand alone committee page, 50% sharing if sharing box is checked from main page

2. GPUS Sharing Policy with Committees, Caucuses and Networks- Discussion about sharing with Networks or committees. Concern about 100% sharing from a main page. Agreement that sharing would be okay for Committees and Networks as well as Caucuses and States. . Agreement that on stand alone page should have an option for 50% and/or 100%. Agreement to stay with only two options - 100% or 50%.

3. DIA position: Jody talked to Kendra Markle about her monthly statements that they need to be more accurate about what work she did. Statements tend to be standard from month to month although the work varies. Also she needs to get passwords to Brent. Brent needs administrator access to elections db.

Discussion of having Kendra do DIA work. Although Kendra primarily writes code and DIA is more of a project manager position. Code Weavers might be able to do code work. We might need a recruiting process for future work.

3. 2005 Budget/ Media Com request- Jake discussion of Reinstate administrators stipend $300 - the committee needs to include this in a  tier 1 or tier 2 proposal and get back to fincom. Tier 1 has not been approved yet.

4. 2005 Budget Committee, Caucus & Network Tier 1 Proposals- Jake - all committees or caucuses still need to submit proposals for tier 1 spending to fincom. Tier spending has not been approved yet. Approval of draft 2 for proposals -- 1 (one) wk discussion and 1 (one) wk voting.

6. Fin Com List serve Update- Jake

7. Jeff Toste - Doug: Jeff Toste was a candidate for RI state senate and is also the RI co-chair. USGP gave Toste a $250 matching contribution in Sept

2004. On Feb 9 2005 the state notified him the donation is illegal to accept and he needs to return it. Doug followed up with the RI Board of Elections and spoke to the employee who wrote the letter to Toste. The representative from the RI Board of Elections confirmed that candidates can not accept money from the national party. Also Doug asked about regular state sharing and this would appear to also apply to state sharing of all kinds. This is the second state in addition to Montana that has a problem with accepting money. A solution in the future is that a PAC be opened in the state that the USGP can donate to. AZ was going to open the first state PAC but never did. Doug is soliciting any ideas as to what if anything can be done for Jeff  Toste including legal action or advice. Toste has a deadline of April 9 to return the $250 to the national party. Jake and Doug will work on this with Jeff Toste.

8. CCC budget 2005 - Brent: Wants to approve Tier spending for CCC. Time urgency. Tier 1 spending for CCC not approved yet but workplan is approved. As soon as Tier 1 is approved by national committee then CCC is good to go for Tier 1.

Respectfully Submitted,
Doug Malkan

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