Records show candidates, political organizations and elected officials in Tennessee owe two state agencies nearly $2 million.
The Tennessean reports the Registry of Election Finance is expected to meet Wednesday to consider issuing fines against several people. Records provided to the newspaper by the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance interim Executive Director Janet Williams show the agency is owed $1.5 million. Less than 40% of fines the registry issued last year have been paid.
The registry and the Tennessee Ethics Commission serve as watchdogs to politicians and political action committees. The ethics commission has $345,000 in unpaid penalties.
Payments collected from the fines go into the state's general fund. The attorney general's office could levy interest and court costs on top of the original fine amounts.
