Noncandidate Commitee Filing System - Frequently Asked Questions
“NCFS” - Noncandidate Committee Filing System
“Commission” - Campaign Spending Commission
1. To obtain an electronic password, must the same Application for Electronic Filing Password be signed by the Chairperson and Treasurer?
Answer: No. The “Application for Electronic Filing Password” may be submitted in parts. Thus, the Chairperson may fill out the form, sign it, and mail it into the Commission, and the Treasurer may fill out another form, sign it, and mail it in. When the two forms are received, the Commission will issue the electronic password and send the password to the e-mail address of the Treasurer. Faxes are not accepted, as we must have original signatures on file.
2. I submitted the “Application for Electronic Filing Password” but did not receive the electronic password via e-mail. What do I do?
Answer: The electronic password is normally e-mailed on the day that the “Application for Electronic Filing Password” is received by the Commission. If you did not receive the e-mail, please call the Commission at (808) 586-0285 and we will confirm the designated e-mail address and resend your password. Users have reported that e-mails are inadvertently filtered as spam and unknowingly deleted. Thus, you may want to update your Junk e-mail filter and add to your “Safe Senders” list the following address: “cscato_email@hawaii.gov” (do not use this e-mail address for any other purpose) or check your Junk e-mail folder before deleting.
3. Is the username and password case-sensitive?
Answer: Yes. They must be entered exactly as seen in the e-mail. Users have reported confusion with the letter “l” (lowercase el) and the number “1” (one), and the letters “O” (uppercase oh) and “Q” (uppercase que) and the number “0” (zero). Thus, if you have these characters in your password, you may want to try different combinations or copy your password into Microsoft Word and change the password font from Courier New to Times New Roman with a font size 12.
4. What if I lose or forget my password?
Answer: Please call the Commission at (808) 586-0285 and we will assist you.
5. Are there any special rules for changing my password?
Answer: Yes. Passwords must have a minimum of one and not more than eight characters. Passwords can contain any pattern of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
6. Can multiple users be logged on to the NCFS at the same time?
Answer: Yes.
7. Is the NCFS Mac-compatible?
Answer: Yes. The NCFS is accessible from any computer with an Internet browser and a broadband connection such as DSL or cable. Using a dial-up connection is possible but is not recommended.
8. Is the NCFS secured?
Answer: Yes. The “s” in the https://nc.csc.hawaii.gov/ncfs web address indicates that you are on a secured connection. Any data transmitted between your Internet browser and the Commission’s database is encrypted. The red certificate at the bottom right-hand corner of the NCFS login screen also verifies the authenticity and security of the website. The Commission’s database is also protected by firewalls and regularly backed-up.
9. Can I import data from another program such as Access, Excel or Quicken into the NCFS?
Answer: No, however a feature that will allow for the importing of data is being worked on. The NCFS does allow you to export data into Excel. Click on “Export Data” from the menu bar to export data from Schedules A through E.
10. Upon initially logging on to the NCFS, I entered my opening cash on hand but that amount needs to be corrected. The NCFS is not allowing me to do that. How can I make the correction?
Answer: When you first login to the NCFS, you must complete the “Cash on Hand” field by entering your opening cash on hand as of November 7, 2006. Once you enter the cash on hand and “Save” the Organizational Report, that field will no longer be available to you. The cash on hand can only be corrected by contacting the Commission. If your committee was not in existence on November 7, 2006, enter $0 as your cash on hand.
11. I notice that the Organizational Report requests a bank account number and requires phone numbers for the officers. Will this information be posted on the Internet?
Answer: Only the bank account name and the address will be posted, but not the account number. The business phone numbers for the officers will be posted, but not residential phone numbers, unless the same phone number is used for residence and business. Some committees will purchase cell phones for these contact phone numbers.
12. Which officers are required to be listed on the Organizational Report?
Answer: Only the chairperson and treasurer are required to be listed on the Organizational Report. The Commission staff will input the chairperson’s and treasurer’s names, as listed on the submitted Application for Electronic Filing Password, into the Organizational Report.
13. Why is the committee unable to change the names of the chairperson and treasurer when the committee goes to the "Administration" menu, "Edit Organizational Report" screen to amend its Organizational Report?
Answer: The names of the chairperson and treasurer can only be changed by the Commission upon receipt of an amended "Application for Electronic Filing Password" signed by the new chairperson and/or treasurer. The treasurer's signature on the form certifies that the information on all "electronically filed" reports and attached schedules are true and accurate. The signed Application for Electronic Filing Password also serves as written acceptance of appointment for the chairperson and treasurer.
14. When I enter a contribution of $100 or less on “Schedule A - Contributions Received”, the NCFS is requiring entry of an address for the contributor. I thought contributions of $100 or less were not itemized and therefore an address was not required?
Answer: The law does not require public disclosure of contributors’ names and addresses for contributions of $100 or less. However, since the law requires that you keep a record of the names and addresses of contributors of more than $25, the Commission suggests this information be entered into the NCFS to track aggregate totals for a contributor who makes multiple contributions. This information will not appear in your public report, and is not accessible by the Commission because you may change your password after receiving your password from the Commission.
You will be allowed to aggregate these contributions up to $100 and enter them into Schedule A under a standardized code name, beginning with “$100 or Less A.” The next group of contributions that total up to $100 will be entered into Schedule A under the standardized code name of “$100 or Less B.” This alphabetical sequence will continue throughout the reporting period as A, B, C…..AA, BB, CC…..AAA, BBB, CCC. These coded entries will not be itemized on Schedule A but will appear as an aggregate total on the $100 or less line of the Disclosure Report for the applicable reporting period. For contributions of $25 or less, please contact the Commission for further instructions.
15. If I write several checks to cover committee expenditures (e.g. 5 cases paper, 4 banners, 20 lbs. of chicken), and the committee writes one check to reimburse me, do I enter that same check number in the box for each separately listed expenditure on Schedule B2?
Answer: Yes. The system will accept the same check number for multiple expenditure entries.
16. How do I file a “Late Contributions Report”?
Answer: The “Late Contributions Report” is a subset of the Final Primary and Final Election Period Reports. Contributions entered for these reports that are late contributions (contributions aggregating more than $500 from any person received fourteen through four calendar days prior to the primary or general elections) will automatically appear on the “Late Contributions Report”. Under the “Preview/Print Report” menu, click on “Special Report” and select “Late Contributions Report” from the drop-down list to preview the report. If there are no corrections, file the report under the “File Report” menu by clicking “Special Report” and selecting “Late Contributions Report” from the drop-down list.
17. What is a durable asset?
Answer: A durable asset is a non-consumable supply or equipment with a minimum purchase value of $250 and a useful life of 12 months or more (e.g. digital cameras, blackberries, computers).
18. Must a noncandidate committee enter all durable assets into the NCFS?
Answer: Yes.
19. Once the committee files the initial “Schedule E - Durable Assets” form electronically on the NCFS for a particular asset, must the committee electronically file that form with each and every report thereafter until disposal of the durable asset?
Answer: Once the committee electronically files the initial Schedule E form on the NCFS for a particular asset, the NCFS will automatically generate the Schedule E for Disclosure Reports the committee electronically files thereafter. When a durable asset is disposed of, the disposition of the durable asset must be reported in the NCFS.
20. Is there a short form on the NCFS for a noncandidate committee whose aggregate contributions and aggregate expenditures for the reporting period each total $2,000 or less?
Answer: Yes. The NCFS will only show the public a short form report for that reporting period which is limited to the Disclosure Report and Schedule E. However, all transactions must be entered into the NCFS by completing Schedule A for contributions, Schedule B1 for contributions to candidates, and Schedule B2 for expenditures that occurred during a reporting period.
21. The reporting period for which I am filing a report is not listed on the drop down menus when I click “Preview/Print Report” or “Validate Report” or “File Report.” What do I do?
Answer: Reporting periods must first be added by clicking "Administration" from the menu bar and then clicking "Reporting Schedules." Click “Add New”, select the applicable “Election Period”, then click “Reporting Schedule.” Select the reporting period that you are filing your report for by clicking “Add.” Once the reporting period is added, it will appear on the drop-down menus for “Preview/Print Report,” “Validate Report,” and “File Report”.
22. Will the committee receive a confirmation that the filed report was received by the Commission?
Answer: No, but you may confirm the Commission’s receipt of a report by clicking the “Filing Confirmations” menu and then “Disclosure / Late Contributions Reports”. That screen will list all reports filed and received by our office.
23. After the committee files its report electronically, may the committee preview and print its report from the “Preview/Print Report” menu?
Answer: While the filed report is no longer accessible from the drop-down list on the “Preview/Print Report” menu, “Disclosure Report” screen, the committee may click on “Amend Mode” from the menu bar to preview and print the committee’s filed report. However, any changes to the report must be submitted in an amended report. The Commission encourages users to review and print their report before filing the report.
24. Can the committee print its entire report, including Schedules, at one time?
Answer: No. The committee must go to the “Preview/Print Report” menu, “Disclosure Report” screen and use the Internet browser’s print feature to print the selected Disclosure Report and each Schedule separately.
25. Where can the committee access its filed reports?
Answer: The committee may go to https://nc.csc.hawaii.gov/ncfspublic to access its filed reports. Filed reports may also be printed from the public site.
26. The committee filed an amended report that affects the closing cash on hand total, does the committee have to file amended reports for all subsequently filed reports?
Answer: Yes, the NCFS does not automatically amend subsequently filed reports’ cash on hand. The committee will have to amend and file all subsequent reports separately. This is necessary because the affected closing cash on hand total will affect the cash on hand totals for all subsequently filed reports. Call the Commission staff for assistance at 586-0285.
