[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3700 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3700

     To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to permit 
   interactive computer services to provide their facilities free of 
      charge to candidates for Federal offices for the purpose of 
    disseminating campaign information and enhancing public debate.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 1996

Mr. White (for himself, Mr. Thomas, Ms. Dunn of Washington, Ms. Pryce, 
and Mr. Rohrabacher) 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 permit 
   interactive computer services to provide their facilities free of 
      charge to candidates for Federal offices for the purpose of 
    disseminating campaign information and enhancing public debate.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Internet Election Information Act of 
1996''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) For the purposes of enhancing public debate and 
        awareness, candidates for Federal office should be encouraged 
        to provide voters with meaningful and substantive information 
        about their candidacy and important public policy issues.
            (2) The Internet and other interactive computer services 
        did not exist when the laws that currently govern Federal 
        elections were enacted, and these services represent a new 
        medium where voters can obtain meaningful and substantive 
        information about issues and candidates.

SEC. 3. EXEMPTION OF DONATED INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SERVICES FROM 
              COVERAGE UNDER FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACT OF 1971.

    (a) Exemption From Treatment as 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 ``and'' at the end of clause (xiii);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of clause (xiv) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new clause:
            ``(xv) the value of services provided without charge to a 
        candidate by an interactive computer service (as defined in 
        section 230(e)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934) in 
        permitting the candidate to use its facilities for distributing 
        election or candidate information, posting position papers, 
        responding to campaign related inquiries, soliciting lawful 
        contributions, convening electronic campaign forums, or 
        otherwise lawfully utilizing the resources of the interactive 
        computer service, if the service permits its facilities to be 
        used for such purposes under the same terms and conditions by 
        all other candidates in the election for the same office.''.
    (b) Exemption From Treatment as Expenditure.--Section 301(9)(B) of 
such Act (2 U.S.C. 431(9)(B)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of clause (ix);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of clause (x) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new clause:
            ``(xi) any direct costs incurred by an interactive computer 
        service (as defined in section 230(e)(2) of the Communications 
        Act of 1934) in permitting a candidate to use its facilities 
        for distributing election or candidate information, posting 
        position papers, responding to campaign related inquiries, 
        soliciting lawful contributions, convening electronic campaign 
        forums, or otherwise lawfully utilizing the resources of the 
        interactive computer service, if the service permits its 
        facilities to be used for such purposes under the same terms 
        and conditions by all other candidates in the election for the 
        same office.''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments shall take effect on the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
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