Wnited States Senate WASHINGTON, DC 20510 December 12, 2016 Betsy DeVos Secretary-Designate, U.S. Department of Education ‘Trump-Pence Transition Team 1717 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20006 Dear Secretary-Designate DeVos: ‘We are writing to express significant concerns about the failure of the All Children Matter Political Action Committee (PAC) to pay Ohio $5.3 million in fines and late fees for violating the state’s campaign finance laws. At the time of the violations, you were the head of the organization, and you and your husband were one of the PAC’s biggest contributors. In 2006, the federal All Children Matter PAC sought an advisory opinion from the Ohio Elections Commission to determine whether it was allowed to contribute more than the $10,000 statutory limit to its Ohio based affiliate. The Commission provided an advisory opinion stating that aggregate contributions of greater than $10,000 in a year to the Ohio affiliate would violate the law. Inexplicably, your PAC ignored this advisory opinion and proceeded to contribute $870,000 to the Ohio affiliate. ‘The bipartisan Ohio Elections Commission unanimously found both the federal and Ohio All Children Matter PACs to have violated the state’s campaign finance laws and imposed fines of $5.2 million, An Ohio court subsequently upheld the fine and imposed additional late fees for failing to pay. Rather than pay the fines for violating the law, the All Children Matter PACS simply ceased operation and never paid the significant sum it owed to the state of Ohio, ‘The blatant disregard for the law that your PAC demonstrated is deeply troubling. However, when the organization’s violations of law were punished by the Ohio Elections Commission, the PAC’s refusal to take responsibility and pay the fines is unconscionable If confirmed as Secretary of Education, you would be responsible for administering our nation’s student loan programs and ensuring that borrowers repay their loans in a timely manner. However, the PAC that you chaired failed to pay fines that were imposed on it over eight years ago. This demonstrates a serious lack of judgment by the PAC’s board and a willingness to avoid paying legally obligated public debts.Prior to your confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, we request that you take the necessary steps to ensure payment of all fines and penalties imposed on the All Children Matter PACs by the Ohio Elections Commission and the state courts. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, Tom Udall Jeffrey A. Merkley United States Senator United States Senator Sherrod Brown Edward J. Markey United States Senator United States Senator a fa Lda United States Senator