[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 356 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 356

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to ban activities of 
           political action committees in Federal elections.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 1995

 Mr. Portman 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 Federal elections.

    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 FEDERAL 
              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 federal election activities by political action committees

    ``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 Federal office.''.
    (b) Definition of Political Committee.--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;
            ``(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; 
                and
            ``(D) any committee jointly established by a principal 
        campaign committee and any committee described in subparagraph 
        (B) or (C) for the purpose of conducting joint fundraising 
        activities.''.
    (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) 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; and
            ``(B) a candidate may designate a political committee 
        established solely for the purpose of joint fundraising by such 
        candidates as an authorized 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 on making contributions under section 323 of that Act (as 
added by subsection (a)) is not in effect--
            (1) the amendments made by subsections (a), (b), and (c) 
        shall not be in effect; and
            (2) the limitation amount under section 315(a)(2)(A) of the 
        Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) 
        shall be $1,000.
                                 <all>