[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2141 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2141

  To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for a 
    reduction in the limitation amount for multicandidate political 
     committee contributions to candidates, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 1995

  Mr. Shays (for himself, Mr. Luther, Mrs. Waldholtz, Mr. Barrett of 
  Wisconsin, Mr. Klug, Mr. Castle, Mr. Minge, Mr. McHale, Mr. Deal of 
 Georgia, Mr. Dickey, Mr. Zimmer, Mr. Meehan, and Mr. Inglis of South 
  Carolina) 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 
    reduction in the limitation amount for multicandidate political 
     committee contributions to candidates, and for other purposes.
    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REDUCTION LIMITATION AMOUNT FOR MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL 
              COMMITTEE CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES.

    Section 315(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 
(2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) is amended by striking out ``$5,000'' and 
inserting in lieu thereof ``$2,500''.
SEC. 2. PERCENTAGE LIMITATION ON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MULTICANDIDATE 
              POLITICAL COMMITTEES.

    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 subsection:
    ``(i) A candidate for the office of Representative in, or Delegate 
or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress may not, with respect to a 
reporting period for an election, accept contributions from 
multicandidate political committees totaling in excess of 50 percent of 
all contributions accepted by the candidate with respect to the 
reporting period.''.

SEC. 3. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION LIMITATION ON CONTRIBUTIONS 
              FROM PERSONS OTHER THAN IN-STATE RESIDENTS.

    Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441a), as amended by section 2, is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(j)(1) A candidate for the office of Representative in, or 
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress may not, with 
respect to a reporting period for an election, accept contributions 
from persons other than in-State residents totaling in excess of 50 
percent of all contributions accepted by the candidate with respect to 
the reporting period.
    ``(2) As used in this subsection, the term `in-State resident' 
means a resident of the State in which the congressional district 
involved is located.''.
SEC. 4. ELIMINATION OF LIMITATIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES WHOSE 
              OPPONENTS USE LARGE AMOUNTS OF PERSONAL FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by sections 2 and 3, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(k) Each candidate in an election for the office of Senator or 
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the 
Congress shall declare by September 1 of an election year if it is the 
intention of the candidate to make expenditures of $100,000 or more 
from the personal funds of the candidate. If a candidate declares or 
makes expenditures of $100,000 or more from personal funds, then, with 
respect to any opponent of the candidate who so uses personal funds and 
the candidate who so uses personal funds, the limitation under 
subsection (a)(2)(A) shall be deemed to be $5,000 and the limitations 
under subsections (i) and (j) shall not apply.''.
    (b) Notification.--Section 304(a)(6) of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(6)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subparagraph:
    ``(C)(i) If expenditures of personal funds aggregate a total of 
$100,000 or more, the principal campaign committee of a candidate shall 
notify the Commission in writing by telegram, facsimile, or other 
written electronic means.
    ``(ii) The notification requirement under clause (i) shall be made 
not later than 24 hours after the expenditure is made.
    ``(iii) The Commission shall notify all other candidates of the 
expenditure immediately upon receipt of notification under clause 
(i).''.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF LEADERSHIP COMMITTEES; RESTRICTION ON 
              CONTRIBUTIONS BETWEEN PRINCIPAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES.

    (a) Leadership Committee Prohibition.--Section 302 of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 432) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(j) A candidate for Federal office may not establish, maintain, 
finance, or control a political committee, other than the principal 
campaign committee of the candidate.''.
    (b) Principal Campaign Committee Restriction.--Section 315 of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by 
sections 2, 3, and 4, is further amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(l) A principal campaign committee of a candidate for Federal 
office may not make any contribution to any other principal campaign 
committee (other than the principal campaign committee of the same 
individual as a candidate for another Federal office).''.
SEC. 6. CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH INTERMEDIARIES AND CONDUITS.

    Section 315(a)(8) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 
U.S.C. 441a(a)(8)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(8) For the purposes of this subsection:
            ``(A) Contributions made by a person, either directly or 
        indirectly, to or on behalf of a particular candidate, 
        including contributions that are in any way earmarked or 
        otherwise directed through an intermediary or conduit to a 
        candidate, shall be
         treated as contributions from the person to the candidate.
            ``(B) Contributions made directly or indirectly by a person 
        to or on behalf of a particular candidate through an 
        intermediary or conduit, including contributions made or 
        arranged to be made by an intermediary or conduit, shall be 
        treated as contributions from the intermediary or conduit to 
        the candidate if--
                    ``(i) the contributions made through the 
                intermediary or conduit are in the form of a check or 
                other negotiable instrument made payable to the 
                intermediary or conduit rather than the intended 
                recipient; or
                    ``(ii) the intermediary or conduit is--
                            ``(I) a political committee;
                            ``(II) an officer, employee, or agent of 
                        such a political committee;
                            ``(III) a political party;
                            ``(IV) a partnership or sole 
                        proprietorship;
                            ``(V) a person who is required to register 
                        or to report its lobbying activities, or a 
                        lobbyist whose activities are required to be 
                        reported, under section 308 of the Federal 
                        Regulation of Lobbying Act (2 U.S.C. 267), the 
                        Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 
                        U.S.C. 611 et seq.), or any successor Federal 
                        law requiring a person who is a lobbyist or 
                        foreign agent to register or a person to report 
                        its lobbying activities; or
                            ``(VI) an organization prohibited from 
                        making contributions under section 316, or an 
                        officer, employee, or agent of such an 
                        organization acting on the organization's 
                        behalf.
            ``(C)(i) The term `intermediary or conduit' does not 
        include--
                    ``(I) a candidate or representative of a candidate 
                receiving contributions to the candidate's principal 
                campaign committee or authorized committee;
                    ``(II) a professional fundraiser compensated for 
                fundraising services at the usual and customary rate, 
                but only if the individual is not described in 
                subparagraph (B)(ii);
                    ``(III) a volunteer hosting a fundraising event at 
                the volunteer's home, in accordance with section 
                301(8)(B), but only if the individual is not described 
                in subparagraph (B)(ii); or
                    ``(IV) an individual who transmits a contribution 
                from the individual's spouse.
            ``(ii) The term `representative' means an individual who is 
        expressly authorized by the candidate to engage in fundraising, 
        and who occupies a significant position within the candidate's 
        campaign organization, provided that the individual is not 
        described in subparagraph (B)(ii).
            ``(iii) The term `contributions made or arranged to be 
        made' includes--
                    ``(I) contributions delivered to a particular 
                candidate or the candidate's authorized committee or 
                agent; and
                    ``(II) contributions directly or indirectly 
                arranged to be made to a particular candidate or the 
                candidate's authorized committee or agent, in a manner 
                that identifies directly or indirectly to the candidate 
                or authorized committee or agent the person who 
                arranged the making of the contributions or the person 
                on whose behalf such person was acting.
        Such term does not include contributions made, or arranged to 
        be made, by reason of an oral or written communication by a 
        candidate for Federal office or Federal officeholder expressly 
        advocating the nomination for election, or election, of any 
        other candidate for Federal office and encouraging the making 
        of a contribution to such other candidate. 
            ``(iv) The term `acting on the organization's behalf' 
        includes the following activities by an officer, employee or 
        agent of a person described in subparagraph (B)(ii)(VI):
                    ``(I) Soliciting or directly or indirectly 
                arranging the making of a contribution to a particular 
                candidate in the name of, or by using the name of, such 
                a person.
                    ``(II) Soliciting or directly or indirectly 
                arranging the making of a contribution to a particular 
                candidate using other than incidental resources of such 
                a person.
                    ``(III) Soliciting contributions for a particular 
                candidate by substantially directing the solicitations 
                to other officers, employees, or agents of such a 
                person.
            ``(D) Nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit--
                    ``(i) bona fide joint fundraising efforts conducted 
                solely for the purpose of sponsorship of a fundraising 
                reception, dinner, or other similar event, in 
                accordance with rules prescribed by the Commission, 
                by--
                            ``(I) 2 or more candidates;
                            ``(II) 2 or more national, State, or local 
                        committees of a political party within the 
                        meaning of section 301(4) acting on their own 
                        behalf; or
                            ``(III) a special committee formed by 2 or 
                        more candidates, or a candidate and a national, 
                        State, or local committee of a political party 
                        acting on their own behalf; or
                    ``(ii) fundraising efforts for the benefit of a 
                candidate that are conducted by another candidate.
When a contribution is made to a candidate through an intermediary or 
conduit, the intermediary or conduit shall report the original source 
and the intended recipient of the contribution to the Commission and to 
the intended recipient.''.
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