[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2565 Introduced in House (IH)]


104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2565

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to ban activities of 
political action committees in House of Representatives elections, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 31, 1995

Mr. Horn (for himself, Mr. Inglis of South Carolina, and Mrs. Smith of 
 Washington) 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 ban activities of 
political action committees in House of Representatives elections, 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. BAN ON ACTIVITIES OF POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES IN HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES ELECTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971 (2 U.S.C. 431 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

    ``ban on activities of political action committees in house of 
                       representatives elections

    ``Sec. 323. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no 
person other than an individual or a political committee may make 
contributions, solicit or receive contributions, or make expenditures 
for the purpose of influencing an election for the office of 
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the 
Congress.''.
    (b) Definition of Political Committee.--(1) Section 301(4) of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(4)) is amended to 
read as follows:
    ``(4) The term `political committee' means--
            ``(A) the principal campaign committee of a candidate;
            ``(B) any national, State, or district committee of a 
        political party, including any subordinate committee thereof; 
        and
            ``(C) any local committee of a political party which--
                    ``(i) receives contributions aggregating in excess 
                of $5,000 during a calendar year;
                    ``(ii) makes payments exempted from the definition 
                of contribution or expenditure under paragraph (8) or 
                (9) aggregating in excess of $5,000 during a calendar 
                year; or
                    ``(iii) makes contributions or expenditures 
                aggregating in excess of $1,000 during a calendar 
                year.''.
    (2) Section 316(b)(2) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 
(2 U.S.C. 441b(b)(2)) is amended by striking out subparagraph (C).
    (c) Candidate's Committees.--(1) Section 315(a) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(9) For the purposes of the limitations provided by paragraphs 
(1) and (2), any political committee which is established or financed 
or maintained or controlled by any candidate or Federal officeholder 
shall be deemed to be an authorized committee of such candidate or 
officeholder.''.
    (2) Section 302(e)(3) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 
(2 U.S.C. 432(e)(3)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(3) No political committee that supports or has supported more 
than one candidate may be designated as an authorized committee, except 
that a candidate for the office of President nominated by a political 
party may designate the national committee of such political party as 
the candidate's principal campaign committee, but only if that national 
committee maintains separate books of account with respect to its 
functions as a principal campaign committee.''.
    (d) Rules Applicable When Ban Not in Effect.--For purposes of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, during any period in which the 
limitation under section 323 of that Act (as added by subsection (a)) 
is not in effect--
            (1) the amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) shall 
        not be in effect; and
            (2) it shall be unlawful--
                    (A) for any person that is treated as a political 
                committee by reason of paragraph (1) and is directly or 
                indirectly established, administered, or supported by a 
                connected organization which is a corporation, labor 
                organization, or trade association to make 
                contributions to any candidate or the candidate's 
                authorized committee; and
                    (B) for any person that is treated as a political 
                committee by reason of paragraph (1) and is not 
                directly or indirectly established, administered, or 
                supported by a connected organization which is a 
                corporation, labor organization, or trade association 
                to make contributions to any candidate or the 
                candidate's authorized committee for any election 
                aggregating in excess of $1,000.

SEC. 2. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION LIMITATION ON CONTRIBUTIONS 
              FROM PERSONS OTHER THAN LOCAL INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTS.

    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)(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 local individual residents totaling in excess 
of the total of contributions accepted from local individual residents.
    ``(2) As used in this subsection, the term `local individual 
resident' means an individual who resides in the congressional district 
involved.
    ``(3)(A) Any candidate who accepts contributions that exceed the 
limitation under this subsection with respect to the pre-election 
report period or the post-election report period shall pay to the 
Commission, for deposit in the Treasury, an amount equal to 5 times the 
amount of the excess contributions plus a civil penalty in an amount 
determined by the Commission.
    ``(B) Any candidate who accepts contributions that exceed the 
limitation under this subsection with respect to a period other than a 
period referred to in subparagraph (A) shall pay to the Commission, for 
deposit in the Treasury, an amount equal to 3 times the amount of the 
excess contributions.
    ``(C) Each report under section 304(a)(6) shall include a 
certification by the treasurer of the committee that the contributions 
reported do not exceed the limitation under this subsection.''.

SEC. 3. EXPENDITURE LIMITATION OF $600,000 FOR EACH HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATE.

    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) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, a candidate 
for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to, the Congress may not make expenditures of more than 
$600,000 with respect to a general election, including any primary 
election related to such general election.''.

SEC. 4. PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION LIMITATION OF $100,000 FOR EACH HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATE.

    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) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, a candidate 
for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to, the Congress may not make personal contributions of 
more than $100,000 with respect to a general election, including any 
primary election related to such general election.''.

SEC. 5. BAN ON INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
              ELECTIONS.

    Title III of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
431 et seq.), as amended by section 1, is further amended by adding at 
the end the following new section:

``ban on independent expenditures in house of representatives elections

    ``Sec. 324. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no 
person may make any independent expenditure with respect to an election 
for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to, the Congress.''.

SEC. 6. BAN ON SOFT MONEY IN ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICE.

    Section 301 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
431) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (8), by striking out 
        ``include--'' in the matter before clause (i) and all that 
        follows through the end of the subparagraph, and inserting in 
        lieu thereof ``include the value of services provided without 
        compensation by any individual who volunteers on behalf of a 
        candidate or political committee.'';
            (2) by striking out paragraph (9)(B);
            (3) by redesignating paragraph (9)(A) as paragraph (9); and
            (4) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) of paragraph (9), 
        as so redesignated by paragraph (3) of this subsection, as 
        subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively.

SEC. 7. FRANKING PROVISIONS.

    (a) Limitation on Mass Mailings During an Election Year.--
            (1) In general.--Paragraph (6) of section 3210(a) of title 
        39, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
    ``(G)(i) A Member of or Member-elect to the House may not, during 
any even-numbered calendar year, mail any mass mailing as franked mail 
which is postmarked on or before the Tuesday next after the 1st Monday 
in November of such year.
    ``(ii) Nothing in clause (i) shall be considered to make 
permissible, with respect to the portion of the year remaining after 
the Tuesday referred to in such clause, the mailing of any mass mailing 
which would be impermissible under any other provision of law or any 
rule or regulation.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Subparagraph (F) of section 
        3210(a)(6) of such title is amended by striking ``(A) and (C)'' 
        and inserting ``(A), (C), and (G),''.
    (b) Definition of a Mass Mailing.--
            (1) In general.--Paragraph (6) of section 3210(a) of title 
        39, United States Code, as amended by subsection (a), is 
        further amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(H) For purposes of applying this section with respect to a 
Member of or Member-elect to the House, subparagraph (E) shall be 
deemed to be amended--
            ``(i) by striking `500' and inserting `25'; and
            ``(ii) by striking `or' at the end of clause (ii), by 
        striking the period at the end of clause (iii) and inserting `; 
        or', and by adding after clause (iii) the following:
            `` `(iv) in furtherance of the administrative duties of the 
        Member.'.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Subparagraph (E) of section 
        3210(a)(6) of such title is amended by striking ``As used'' and 
        inserting ``Subject to subparagraph (H), as used''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date of enactment of this Act and shall apply with 
respect to mail sent on or after such date. For purposes of any 
determination as to whether or not a mailing sent by a Member of or 
Member-elect to the House of Representatives constitutes a mass 
mailing, mail sent before such date shall be considered separately from 
any mail sent on or after such date.
                                 <all>