The New Castle County Chamber of Commerce PAC has once again failed to disclose, in accordance with Delaware election law, the source of an incoming donation that exceeded the legal limit allowed to keep that information private.

Despite regulations stipulating that all contributions exceeding $100 be itemized on campaign finance reports filed by any candidate, political action committee or third-party advertiser, the chamber’s PAC did not disclose a $120 donation from the Health Executives Action League (HEAL) PAC. According to the most recent campaign finance report filed by the HEAL PAC on August 17, 2020, HEAL PAC’s donation was made on April 13, 2020.

However, campaign finance forms filed for that same reporting period by the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce PAC failed to document the transaction. As has been shown to be common practice at the PAC, all incoming “receipts” are categorized as “contributions not exceeding $100,” even when some contributions have been much greater than $100. 

Delaware Call has previously reported on the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce PAC’s failure to disclose thousands of dollars in contributions from corporate donors on campaign finance forms, in apparent violation of state law. In response to that report, the PAC amended numerous campaign finance forms dating back to 2013 and paid more than $4,000 in outstanding fines. The PAC had accumulated nearly $20,000 in fines since 2014 for “failure to file” campaign finance forms in accordance with state reporting deadlines.

Although the contribution from HEAL PAC is far less than other large-dollar donations the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce PAC had failed to previously disclose in campaign finance reports, the lack of disclosure suggests a troubling pattern of behavior, suggests the anonymous tipster who brought this latest issue to the attention of the Delaware Call.