[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1694 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 1694

  To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for a 
   voluntary limitation on contributions from other than individual 
       district residents in House of Representatives elections.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 1995

 Mr. Clinger introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on House Oversight

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for a 
   voluntary limitation on contributions from other than individual 
       district residents in House of Representatives elections.
    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. VOLUNTARY PROVISION FOR LIMITATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS FROM 
              OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT AND FROM OTHER THAN INDIVIDUALS IN 
              THE DISTRICT TO 45 PERCENT OF TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO A 
              CANDIDATE IN A HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CAMPAIGN.
    Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441a) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:
    ``(i)(1) Not later than 30 days after an individual becomes a 
candidate for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to, the Congress, that individual shall file with the 
Commission a declaration of whether or not the individual will comply 
with paragraph (2) and paragraph (3). If a candidate in an election for 
such office chooses not to comply with both such paragraphs, only 
paragraph (2) shall apply to such candidate and neither paragraph (2) 
nor paragraph (3) shall apply to the other candidates in the election.
    ``(2) A candidate for the office of Representative in, or Delegate 
or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress who agrees to be subject to 
this section may not accept a contribution with respect to an election 
if--
            ``(A) the contribution is from a person other than an 
        individual resident of the district; and
            ``(B) the sum of the contribution and the total of 
        contributions previously accepted from such persons exceeds the 
        amount equal to 45 percent of the total of contributions 
        accepted from all sources.
    ``(3) For purposes of paragraph (1), in determining the total 
amount of contributions from individuals resident in a district, not 
more than $1,000 in contributions from the personal funds of the 
candidate may be taken into account.
    ``(4) In each report of contributions under this Act, a candidate 
referred to in paragraph (1) shall certify compliance with this 
subsection.
    ``(j)(1) If a candidate accepts contributions with respect to a 
reporting period that exceed a limitation under subsection (i), the 
candidate, at the time of filing the report involved, shall pay to the 
Commission, for deposit in the general fund of the Treasury as 
miscellaneous receipts, a civil fine.
    ``(2) In the case of reporting periods under section 304(a)(2)(A), 
the civil fines shall be as follows: (A) 1st quarter report, 2 times 
the excess amount; (B) 2d quarter report, 3 times the excess amount; 
(C) pre-primary report, 3 times the excess amount; (D) 3d quarter 
report, 3 times the excess amount; (E) pregeneral election report, 5 
times the excess amount; (F) postgeneral election report, 5 times the 
excess amount; and (G) 4th quarter report, 5 times the excess amount.
    ``(3) In the case of reporting periods under section 304(a)(2)(B), 
the civil fine shall be an amount equal to the excess amount.''.
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