[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3122 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3122

   To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for 
 separate limitations on contributions to qualifying and nonqualifying 
                  House of Representatives candidates.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 1996

Mr. Brown of Ohio 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 
 separate limitations on contributions to qualifying and nonqualifying 
                  House of Representatives candidates.

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

SECTION 1. LIMITATIONS APPLICABLE TO CONTRIBUTIONS TO QUALIFYING AND 
              NONQUALIFYING HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATES.

    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) Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1)(A), subsection 
(a)(2)(A), or any other provision of this Act--
            ``(A) no person shall make contributions to any qualifying 
        House of Representatives candidate with respect to a general 
        election and any primary election relating to that general 
        election which, in the aggregate, exceed $1,000; and
            ``(B) no multicandidate political committee shall make 
        contributions to any qualifying House of Representatives 
        candidate with respect to a general election and any primary 
        election relating to that general election which, in the 
        aggregate, exceed $5,000.
    ``(2) Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1)(A), subsection (a)(2)(A), 
or any other provision of this Act--
            ``(A) no person shall make contributions to any candidate 
        for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident 
        Commissioner to, the Congress (other than a qualifying House of 
        Representatives candidate) with respect to a general election 
        and any primary election relating to that general election 
        which, in the aggregate, exceed $500; and
            ``(B) no multicandidate political committee shall make 
        contributions to any candidate for the office of Representative 
        in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress 
        (other than a qualifying House of Representatives candidate) 
        with respect to a general election and any primary election 
        relating to that general election which, in the aggregate, 
        exceed $1,000.''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS ON MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL COMMITTEE AND LARGE 
              DONOR CONTRIBUTIONS THAT MAY BE ACCEPTED BY QUALIFYING 
              AND NONQUALIFYING HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATES.

    Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441a), as amended by section 1, is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsections:
    ``(j)(1) A qualifying House of Representatives candidate may not, 
with respect to an election cycle, accept contributions from the 
sources specified in paragraph (2) aggregating in excess of $200,000.
    ``(2) The sources referred to in paragraph (1) are--
            ``(A) multicandidate political committees; and
            ``(B) persons other than multicandidate political 
        committees whose contributions total more than $250.
    ``(k)(1) A candidate for the office of Representative in, or 
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress (other than a 
qualifying House of Representatives candidate) may not, with respect to 
an election cycle, accept contributions from the sources specified in 
paragraph (2) aggregating in excess of $100,000.
    ``(2) The sources referred to in paragraph (1) are--
            ``(A) multicandidate political committees; and
            ``(B) persons other than multicandidate political 
        committees whose contributions total more than $250.''.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION AMENDMENT.

    Section 301 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
431) is amended by striking out paragraph (19) and inserting in lieu 
thereof the following new paragraphs:
    ``(19) The term `qualifying House of Representatives candidate' 
means a candidate for election to the office of Representative in, or 
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress, who, as determined 
by the Commission, agrees to limit expenditures to $400,000 with 
respect to an election cycle.
    ``(20) The term `election cycle' means--
            ``(A) in the case of a candidate or the authorized 
        committees of a candidate, the term beginning on the day after 
        the date of the most recent general election for the specific 
        office which such candidate seeks and ending on the date of the 
        next general election for such office; and
            ``(B) for all other persons, the term beginning on the 
        first day following the date of the last general election and 
        ending on the date of the next general election.''.
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