[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2638 Introduced in House (IH)]


104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2638

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to lower the maximum 
 amount of contributions a multicandidate political committee may make 
    to a House of Representatives candidate, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 15, 1995

  Mr. Blute 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 lower the maximum 
 amount of contributions a multicandidate political committee may make 
    to a House of Representatives candidate, 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 IN LIMITATION AMOUNT APPLICABLE TO CONTRIBUTIONS 
              BY A MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL COMMITTEE TO A HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATE.

    Section 315(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 
(2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting after ``$5,000'' the 
following: ``, except that in the case of an election for the office of 
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the 
Congress, the limitation shall be $1,000.''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES GENERAL ELECTION 
              CONTRIBUTIONS IN NONELECTION YEARS.

    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 solicit or accept any 
contribution in an odd-numbered year with respect to a general election 
for such office or any primary election relating to the general 
election.''.

SEC. 3. BAN ON SOFT MONEY.

    (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:

  ``limitations and reporting requirements for amounts paid for mixed 
                          political activities

    ``Sec. 323. (a) Any payment by the national committee of a 
political party or a State committee of a political party for a mixed 
political activity--
            ``(1) shall be subject to limitation and reporting under 
        this Act as if such payment were an expenditure; and
            ``(2) may be paid only from an account that is subject to 
        the requirements of this Act.
    ``(b) As used in this section, the term `mixed political activity' 
means, with respect to a payment by the national committee of a 
political party or a State committee of a political party, an activity, 
such as a voter registration program, a get-out-the-vote drive, or 
general political advertising, that is both (1) for the purpose of 
influencing an election for Federal office, and (2) for any purpose 
unrelated to influencing an election for Federal office.''.
    (b) Repeal of Building Fund Exception to the Definition of the Term 
``Contribution''.--Section 301(8)(B) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(8)(B)) is amended--
            (1) by striking out clause (viii); and
            (2) by redesignating clauses (ix) through (xiv) as clauses 
        (viii) through (xiii), respectively.

SEC. 4. VOLUNTARY EXPENDITURE LIMITATION FOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
              ELECTIONS.

    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) In such form and manner as the Commission may prescribe, each 
candidate for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to, the Congress in a general election or a primary 
election for such office shall be given the opportunity to comply with 
a voluntary expenditure limitation of $600,000 with respect to the 
general election and any primary election relating to the general 
election. In the case of a candidate who declines to comply with the 
voluntary limitation, the limitation under subsection (a)(1)(A) shall 
be $250.''.

SEC. 5. 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 sections 2 and 4, is further amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(k)(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 one-
half of the total of contributions accepted with respect to the 
reporting period.
    ``(2) As used in this subsection, the term `in-State resident' 
means an individual who resides in the State in which the congressional 
district involved is located.''.

SEC. 6. PROHIBITION OF FRANKED MASS MAILINGS BY MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES IN ELECTION YEARS.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, or any rule or other 
authority, a Member of the House of Representatives may not make any 
franked mass mailing in an even-numbered year. As used in this 
section--
            (1) the term ``mass mailing'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 3210 of title 39, United States Code; and
            (2) the term ``Member of the House of Representatives'' 
        means a Representative in, or a Delegate or Resident 
        Commissioner to, the Congress.

SEC. 7. ELIMINATION OF CARRY-OVER OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS BETWEEN HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES ELECTIONS.

    Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441a), as amended by sections 2, 4, and 5, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(l) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, if after 
satisfying all financial obligations with respect to a general election 
and any primary election relating to the general election, a candidate 
for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to, the Congress has a campaign account balance, the 
candidate shall, at the option of the candidate, return the excess 
funds to contributors, donate the excess funds to charity, or deposit 
the excess funds in the Treasury for reduction of the national debt. No 
excess funds may be carried forward or used for any other purpose.''.
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