FEC reports spike in donations to PACs

WASHINGTON, March 8 (UPI) -- Political action committees in the United States raised $477.4 million in 2005, the Federal Election Commission says.

The PACs spent $394.1 million and gave $140.5 million to the campaign of various candidates last year, the FEC said in a release Wednesday summing up the committees' 2005 disclosure information. The groups opened the year with $330.4 million in cash on hand.

The FEC said the figures represented a 27-percent increase in receipts, 37-percent increase in disbursement and a 33-percent increase in contributions over 2003, the last previous non-election year.

The federal commission said while contributions from PACs to both Democrats and Republicans were up last year, GOP members saw a greater growth rate.