Michael Schiavo PAC to Target pro-Terri Lawmakers Fails to File Paperwork 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 8, 2006
Clearwater, FL (LifeNews.com) — Michael Schaivo created a political action committee at the end of last year to "hold accountable" lawmakers who supported Terri Schiavo and her family’s efforts to prevent her euthanasia death. Apparently, Michael Schiavo isn’t being accountable for filing his paperwork with national and state elections officials.
After filing an organizational statement with the FEC, the national elections office responded with a request for more information and asked TerriPAC treasurer, Michael’s brother Brian Schiavo, to respond by January 20.
The web site indicates no response has been filed.
"Failure to provide an adequate response by this date may result in an audit of the committee," the FEC wrote Brian. The nonresponse could also trigger "enforcement action" against the committee.
Should the FEC decide to audit Michael’s group, their work won’t take long. The FEC web site indicates TerriPAC has yet to receive any donations and has a $0 bank balance.
Bob Biersack of the FEC public information office told North Country Gazette that "At this point, there is no response to the letter."
"By statute, documents must be placed on the public record within 48 hours of their receipt by the commission," he said, so it is not a matter of having received a response and it not having been placed on the agency’s web site.
He told the newspaper no decisions have been made an audit yet.
Meanwhile, TerriPAC’s first financial report was due to the FEC on January 31, but Biersack said that, as of Tuesday, it had not received the report.
However, TerriPAC, on its own web site, reports having raised $5,000 of a $30,000 campaign to raise funds and said it sent contributions to candidates just before the end of the year.
In addition, the web site says "just before the New Year, TerriPAC placed ads on several popular political websites and discussion groups to get people talking." Michael Schiavo also took a trip to Virginia last year to campaign with a gubernatorial candidate.
Michael’s PAC could be subject to civil penalties if it does not file on time.
Meanwhile, the newspaper reports that TerriPAC hasn’t registered with the Florida Division of Elections as required either.
