[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 554 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 554

   To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow individuals a 
deduction of up to $100 for contributions made to candidates for public 
                                office.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 21, 1993

  Mr. Upton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Ways and Means

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow individuals a 
deduction of up to $100 for contributions made to candidates for public 
                                office.

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

SECTION 1. ALLOWANCE OF DEDUCTION.

    (a) Deduction for Political Contributions.--
            (1) General rule.--Part VII of subchapter B of chapter 1 of 
        the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after 
        section 217 the following:

``SEC. 218. CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES FOR PUBLIC OFFICE.

    ``(a) Allowance of Deduction.--In the case of an individual, there 
shall be allowed as a deduction any political contribution payment of 
which is made by such individual within the taxable year.
    ``(b) Limitations.--
            ``(1) Amount.--The deduction under subsection (a) shall not 
        exceed $100 ($200) in the case of a joint return under section 
        6013).
            ``(2) Verification.--The deduction under subsection (a) 
        shall be allowed, with respect to any political contribution, 
        only if such contribution is verified in such manner as the 
        Secretary shall prescribe by regulations.
    ``(c) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the term--
            ``(1) `candidate' means, with respect to any Federal, 
        State, or local elective public office, an individual who
                    ``(A) publicly announces before the close of the 
                calendar year following the calendar year in which the 
                contribution or gift is made that he is a candidate for 
                nomination or election to such office; and
                    ``(B) meets the qualifications prescribed by law to 
                hold such office.
            ``(2) `local' means a political subdivision or part 
        thereof, or 2 or more political subdivisions or parts thereof, 
        of a State;
            ``(3) `national political party' means--
                    ``(A) in the case of contributions made during a 
                taxable year of the taxpayer in which the electors of 
                President and Vice President are chosen, a political 
                party presenting candidates or electors for such 
                offices on the official election ballot of 10 or more 
                States, or
                    ``(B) in the case of contributions made during any 
                other taxable year of the taxpayer, a political party 
                which met the qualifications described in subparagraph 
                (A) in the last preceding election of a President and 
                Vice President;
            ``(4) `political contribution' means a contribution or gift 
        of money to--
                    ``(A) an individual who is a candidate for 
                nomination or election to any Federal, State, or local 
                elective office in any primary, general, or special 
                election, for use by such individual to further his 
                candidacy for nomination or election to such office;
                    ``(B) any committee, association, or organization 
                (whether or not incorporated) organized and operated 
                exclusively for the purpose of influencing, or 
                attempting to influence, the nomination or election of 
                one or more individuals who are candidates for 
                nomination or election to any Federal, State, or local 
                elective public office, for use by such committee, 
                association, or organization to further the candidacy 
                of such individual or individuals for nomination or 
                election to such office;
                    ``(C) the national committee of a national 
                political party;
                    ``(D) the State committee of a national political 
                party as designated by the national committee of such 
                party; or
                    ``(E) a local committee or a national political 
                party as designated by the State committee of such 
                party designated under subparagraph (D); and
            ``(5) `State' means the various States and the District of 
        Columbia.
    ``(d) Cross Reference.--

                                ``For disallowance of deduction to 
estates and trusts, see section 642(j).''
            (2) Conforming amendment.--The table of sections for part 
        VII of subchapter B of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by 
        inserting after the item relating to section 217 the following:

                              ``Sec. 218. Contribution to candidates 
                                        for public office.''
    (b) Disallowance of Deduction to Estates and Trusts.--Section 642 
of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Political Contributions.--An estate or trust shall not be 
allowed the deduction for contributions to candidates for public office 
provided by section 218.''

SEC. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by section 1 shall apply to taxable years 
beginning after December 31, 1993.

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