Commission meeting highlights: April 2026

PDC welcomes first recipient of the Jolene Unsoeld Public Policy Internship

PDC staff introduced Evergreen State College junior Nathan Tippman – the first recipient of the Jolene Unsoeld Public Policy Internship – to the Commission at its April 23 regular meeting.  

Tippman, who studies political science at Evergreen, began his internship at the beginning of Evergreen’s 2026 spring quarter, and is working on a research project on campaign finance disclosure with guidance from PDC staff.  He is expected to discuss his project with the Commission at its June 25 regular meeting

In December 2025, the Public Disclosure Commission voted to name its regular meeting space and to create an internship to honor Jolene Unsoeld, the driving force behind the 1972 passage of Initiative 276, which created the Public Disclosure Commission. Unsoeld, who described herself as a “citizen meddler,” was also founding member of the Washington Coalition for Open Government, and represented Washington’s 22nd legislative district in the state House of Representatives and the 3rd congressional district in Congress. She died in 2021.  

The Commission expects to formally dedicate the meeting space at its May 28 meeting.  

U.S. Supreme Court decision on campaign contribution limits could affect PDC

PDC General Counsel Sean Flynn briefed the Commission on an upcoming decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that could impact Washington’s campaign financial disclosure laws.

The case stems from a lawsuit in which the National Republican Senatorial Committee argued that the Federal Election Commission’s rules regarding contribution limits of in-kind contributions to candidates from political parties are unconstitutional. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision before the end of their current term.  

Independent expenditures, both on a federal and Washington state level, are not subject to contribution limits as long as there is no coordination between the sponsor of the expenditure and the campaign. However, if a group sponsors an advertisement with the knowledge of the campaign, that contribution is subject to limits. The lawsuit challenges those limits, arguing that they constitute free speech protected by the first amendment.  

Flynn reported that the outcome of the case could ultimately affect the PDC’s ability to enforce Washington’s existing contribution limits as well.  

PDC switches reporting systems login process from Secure Access Washington to WA.gov

PDC Chief Information Officer James Gutholm briefed the Commission on a project to transfer the agency’s reporting systems login process from Secure Access Washington (SAW) to WA.gov.  

Washington state is discontinuing SAW in favor of the new WA.gov, designed to improve user experience. The new system is also intended to be more reliable and easier to use.  

Starting May 4, the Public Disclosure Commission will require users of its online filing systems to transition from Secure Access Washington (SAW) to WA.gov.  

Returning filers will receive prompts beginning May 4 when they log into the PDC system. They will be guided through the process to link their new WA.gov account with their existing PDC information.  

Read more about the change and see instructions for transferring your access to PDC systems here. 

Commission discusses delegating some authority to resolve litigation to executive director

Commission Chair J Leach proposed on April 23 that the Commission consider whether to delegate some authority to resolve minor litigation, such as contract disputes with vendors, to Executive Director Peter Frey Lavallee.  

Leach noted that the Commission currently must convene an executive session to discuss any pending litigation, while other small state and local agencies delegate authority to resolve some issues to staff, such as an executive director. Resolution of litigation would still fall under the Commission’s authority, he proposed.  

Commissioner James Oswald said the Commission should still have input on potential settlements.  

No decisions were made at the April 23 meeting. Commissioners agreed to consider the matter and discuss it again at a future public meeting.  

Enforcement report

Between March 18 and April 14, the PDC received 52 new complaints. As of April 14, the PDC had 211 active compliance cases, including 98 under initial review and 109 under formal investigation. Another three had been resolved and were waiting on a final order, and one is pending deferred enforcement.  

The agency closed 24 cases between March 18 and April 14, issuing one reminder, 15 warnings, one technical correction, two statements of understanding and five violations found by the Commission.

Staff also resolved 20 cases for late or missing filings of lobbyist monthly reports for 2025 in a brief enforcement hearing on April 3.

Staff also gave the Commission an update on ongoing enforcement caseload trends in response to questions from Commissioners at their March regular meeting. PDC Deputy Director Kim Bradford presented a chart showing trends over two years of PDC enforcement, including cases opened and closed, complaints received, and all open cases by month.  

The chart showed a gradual decrease in open cases since spring 2024, resulting partly from Commission guidance on resolving routine cases from prior election years and from staff initiatives to expedite resolution. Complaint volume and total open cases generally increase before primary and general elections, and decrease during the first few months of the year.