[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 732 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 732

 To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reform House of 
     Representatives campaign finance laws, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 1995

   Mr. Goss introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on House Oversight and, in addition, to the Committees on 
   Government Reform and Oversight and Commerce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned.

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reform House of 
     Representatives campaign finance laws, 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. 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) 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--
            ``(1) from persons other than individual residents of the 
        congressional district involved in excess of 50 percent of the 
        total of contributions accepted; or
            ``(2) from persons other than individual residents of the 
        State in which the congressional district involved is located 
        in excess of 10 percent of the total of contributions 
        accepted.''.

SEC. 2. 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. 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. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OFFICIAL MAIL ALLOWANCE FORMULA 
              REDUCTION.

    Section 311(e)(2)(B)(i) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations 
Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e(e)(2)(B)(i)) is amended by striking out ``3'' 
and inserting in lieu thereof ``1.5''.

SEC. 5. BAN ON UNSOLICITED MAIL AS FRANKED MAIL WITHIN 60 DAYS BEFORE A 
              MEMBER'S PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTION.

    (a) In General.--Section 3210(a)(6) of title 39, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking out ``mass mailing'' and inserting in lieu 
        thereof ``unsolicited mailing'' each place it occurs in 
        subparagraphs (A) through (D); and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(G) As used in this paragraph, the term 
                `unsolicited mailing' means all mail other than mail 
                that is--
                            ``(i) in direct response to a communication 
                        from a person to whom the matter is mailed;
                            ``(ii) from a Member of Congress to other 
                        Members of Congress;
                            ``(iii) a news release to the 
                        communications media; or
                            ``(iv) in furtherance of the administrative 
                        duties of the Member of Congress.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to sessions of Congress beginning after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 6. DISCLOSURE OF MEMBER'S FIRST CLASS MAILINGS TO THE PUBLIC.

    (a) In General.--Section 311(a)(3) of the Legislative Branch 
Appropriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e(a)(3)) is amended by adding 
before the period at the end the following: ``, including (by separate 
category) the costs relating to franked, first class mass mailings''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to sessions of Congress beginning after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. AMENDMENTS TO COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1934.

    Section 315 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1)--
                    (A) by striking ``forty-five'' and inserting 
                ``30'';
                    (B) by striking ``sixty'' and inserting ``45''; and
                    (C) by striking ``lowest unit charge of the station 
                for the same class and amount of time for the same 
                period'' and insert ``lowest charge of the station for 
                the same amount of time for the same period'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (d) and (e), respectively;
            (3) by inserting immediately after subsection (b) the 
        following new subsection:
    ``(c)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a licensee shall not 
preempt the use, during any period specified in subsection (b)(1), of a 
broadcasting station by a legally qualified candidate for public office 
who has purchased and paid for such use pursuant to the provisions of 
subsection (b)(1).
    ``(2) If a program to be broadcast by a broadcasting station is 
preempted because of circumstances beyond the control of the 
broadcasting station, any candidate advertising spot scheduled to be 
broadcast during that program may also be preempted.''; and
            (4) in subsection (d) (as redesignated by paragraph (2) of 
        this section)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph 
                (1);
                    (B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph 
                (2) and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end thereof the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(3) a station's lowest charge for purposes of paragraph 
        (1)--
                    ``(A) with respect to a primary or primary runoff 
                election, is determined for the interval beginning 60 
                days before such election and ending on the date of 
                that election; and
                    ``(B) with respect to a general or special 
                election, is determined for the interval beginning 90 
                days before such election and ending on the date of 
                that election.''.

SEC. 8. PROHIBITION OF TRAVEL BY MEMBERS, OFFICERS, AND EMPLOYEES OF 
              THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AT LOBBYIST EXPENSE.

    (a) In General.--A Member, officer, or employee of the House of 
Representatives may not perform any travel at the expense of a person 
who is required to register under section 308 of the Federal Regulation 
of Lobbying Act (2 U.S.C. 267).
    (b) Definition.--As used in this section, the term ``Member of the 
House of Representatives'' means a Representative in, or a Delegate or 
Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
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