[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2003 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2003

  To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require any major or 
 minor party general election candidate who receives amounts from the 
  Presidential Election Campaign Fund to participate in debates with 
                         other such candidates.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 5, 1993

  Mr. Markey introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require any major or 
 minor party general election candidate who receives amounts from the 
  Presidential Election Campaign Fund to participate in debates with 
                         other such candidates.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Presidential Debates Act of 
1993''.

SEC. 2. DEBATES BY GENERAL ELECTION CANDIDATES WHO RECEIVE AMOUNTS FROM 
              THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN FUND.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 95 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
(26 U.S.C. 9001 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 9003 the 
following new section:

``SEC. 9003A. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATES.

    ``(a) In General.--In addition to the requirements specified in 
section 9003, in order to be eligible to receive any payments under 
section 9006, the candidates of a major or minor political party for 
the offices of President and Vice President shall agree in writing--
            ``(1) that the candidate for the office of President will 
        participate in at least 3 debates, sponsored by a nonpartisan 
        organization, with all other candidates for that office who are 
        eligible under such section 9006; and
            ``(2) that the major or minor party candidate for the 
        office of Vice President will participate in at least 1 debate, 
        sponsored by a nonpartisan or bipartisan organization, with all 
        other candidates for that office who are eligible under such 
        section 9006.
    ``(b) Ineligibility.--If the Commission determines that a major or 
minor party candidate failed to participate in a debate under 
subsection (a) and was responsible at least in part for such failure, 
the candidates of the party involved shall--
            ``(1) be ineligible to receive payments under section 9006; 
        and
            ``(2) pay to the Secretary of the Treasury an amount equal 
        to the amount of the payments made to such candidates under 
        such section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 95 of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 9003 the following new item:

``Sec. 9003A. Presidential election debates.''.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.

    Section 9007(b)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 
9007(b)(5)) is amended by inserting ``or section 9003A(b)'' after 
``this subsection'' each place it appears.

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