[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2183 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2183

   To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reform the 
financing of campaigns for elections for Federal office, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 17, 1997

 Mr. Hutchinson (for himself, Mr. Allen, Mr. Boyd, Mr. Cook, Mr. Davis 
of Florida, Mr. Gibbons, Mr. Hill, Mr. Hulshof, Mr. Kind, Mr. Lampson, 
     Mr. Pascrell, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Berry, Mr. Blagojevich, Mr. 
  Blumenauer, Mr. Boswell, Mr. Brady, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. 
  Ford, Mr. Hinojosa, Ms. Hooley of Oregon, Mr. John, Mr. Johnson of 
 Wisconsin, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. Maloney of Connecticut, Mr. 
Redmond, Mr. Snyder, Mr. Turner, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Wexler, and Mr. Weygand) 
 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 reform the 
financing of campaigns for elections for Federal office, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bipartisan Campaign Integrity Act of 
1997''.

  TITLE I--SOFT MONEY AND CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES OF POLITICAL 
                                PARTIES

SEC. 101. BAN ON SOFT MONEY OF NATIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES AND 
              CANDIDATES.

    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 use of soft money by national political parties and candidates

    ``Sec. 323. (a) National Parties.--A national committee of a 
political party, including the national congressional campaign 
committees of a political party, and any officers or agents of such 
party committees, may not solicit, receive, or direct any 
contributions, donations, or transfers of funds, or spend any funds, 
which are not subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting 
requirements of this Act. This subsection shall apply to any entity 
that is established, financed, maintained, or controlled (directly or 
indirectly) by, or acting on behalf of, a national committee of a 
political party, including the national congressional campaign 
committees of a political party, and any officers or agents of such 
party committees.
    ``(b) Candidates.--
            ``(1) In general.--No candidate for Federal office, 
        individual holding Federal office, or any agent of such 
        candidate or officeholder may solicit, receive, or direct--
                    ``(A) any funds in connection with any Federal 
                election unless such funds are subject to the 
                limitations, prohibitions and reporting requirements of 
                this Act;
                    ``(B) any funds that are to be expended in 
                connection with any election for other than a Federal 
                office unless such funds are not in excess of the 
                amounts permitted with respect to contributions to 
                Federal candidates and political committees under 
                section 315(a) (1) and (2), and are not from sources 
                prohibited from making contributions by this Act with 
                respect to elections for Federal office; or
                    ``(C) any funds on behalf of any person which are 
                not subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and 
                reporting requirements of this Act if such funds are 
                for the purpose of financing any activity on behalf of 
                a candidate for election for Federal office or any 
                communication which refers to a clearly identified 
                candidate for election for Federal office.
            ``(2) Exception for certain activities.--Paragraph (1) 
        shall not apply to--
                    ``(A) the solicitation or receipt of funds by an 
                individual who is a candidate for a non-Federal office 
                if such activity is permitted under State law for such 
                individual's non-Federal campaign committee; or
                    ``(B) the attendance by an individual who holds 
                Federal office at a fundraising event for a State or 
                local committee of a political party of the State which 
                the individual represents as a Federal officeholder, if 
                the event is held in such State.
    ``(c) Prohibiting Transfers of Non-Federal Funds Between State 
Parties.--A State committee of a political party may not transfer any 
funds to a State committee of a political party of another State unless 
the funds are subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting 
requirements of this Act.
    ``(d) Applicability to Funds From All Sources.--This section shall 
apply with respect to funds of any individual, corporation, labor 
organization, or other person.''.

SEC. 102. INCREASE IN AGGREGATE ANNUAL LIMIT ON CONTRIBUTIONS BY 
              INDIVIDUALS TO POLITICAL PARTIES.

    (a) In General.--The first sentence of section 315(a)(3) of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(3)) is amended 
by striking ``in any calendar year'' and inserting the following: ``to 
political committees of political parties, or contributions aggregating 
more than $25,000 to any other persons, in any calendar year''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 315(a)(1)(B) of such Act (2 
U.S.C. 441a(a)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ``$20,000'' and inserting 
``$25,000''.

SEC. 103. REPEAL OF LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF COORDINATED EXPENDITURES 
              BY POLITICAL PARTIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 315(d) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(d)) is amended by striking paragraphs (2) 
and (3).
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 315(d)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
441a(d)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(d)(1)'' and inserting ``(d)''; and
            (2) by striking ``, subject to the limitations contained in 
        paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection''.

                 TITLE II--INDEXING CONTRIBUTION LIMITS

SEC. 201. INDEXING CONTRIBUTION LIMITS.

    Section 315(c) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 
U.S.C. 441a(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
    ``(3)(A) The amount of each limitation established under subsection 
(a) shall be adjusted as follows:
            ``(i) For calendar year 1999, each such amount shall be 
        equal to the amount described in such subsection, increased (in 
        a compounded manner) by the percentage increase in the price 
        index (as defined in subsection (c)(2)) for each of the years 
        1997 through 1998.
            ``(ii) For calendar year 2003 and each fourth subsequent 
        year, each such amount shall be equal to the amount for the 
        fourth previous year (as adjusted under this subparagraph), 
        increased (in a compounded manner) by the percentage increase 
        in the price index for each of the four previous years.
    ``(B) In the case of any amount adjusted under this subparagraph 
which is not a multiple of $100, the amount shall be rounded to the 
nearest multiple of $100.''.

    TITLE III--EXPANDING DISCLOSURE OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE INFORMATION

SEC. 301. DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN COMMUNICATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Any person who expends an aggregate amount of 
funds during a calendar year in excess of $25,000 for communications 
described in subsection (b) relating to a single candidate for election 
for Federal office (or an aggregate amount of funds during a calendar 
year in excess of $100,000 for all such communications relating to all 
such candidates) shall file a report describing the amount expended for 
such communications, together with the person's address and phone 
number (or, if appropriate, the address and phone number of the 
person's principal officer).
    (b) Communications Described.--A communication described in this 
subsection is any communication which is broadcast to the general 
public through radio or television and which mentions or includes (by 
name, representation, or likeness) any candidate for election for 
Senator or for Representative in (or Delegate or Resident Commissioner 
to) the Congress, other than any communication which would be described 
in clause (i), (iii), or (v) of section 301(9)(B) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 if the payment were an expenditure under 
such section.
    (c) Deadline for Filing.--A person shall file a report required 
under subsection (a) not later than 7 days after the person first 
expends the applicable amount of funds described in such subsection, 
except that in the case of a person who first expends such an amount 
within 10 days of an election, the report shall be filed not later than 
24 hours after the person first expends such amount. For purposes of 
the previous sentence, the term ``election'' shall have the meaning 
given such term in section 301(1) of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971.
    (d) Place of Submission.--Reports required under subsection (a) 
shall be submitted--
            (1) to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, in the 
        case of a communication involving a candidate for election for 
        Representative in (or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to) the 
        Congress; and
            (2) to the Secretary of the Senate, in the case of a 
        communication involving a candidate for election for Senator.
    (e) Penalties.--Whoever knowingly fails to--
            (1) remedy a defective filing within 60 days after notice 
        of such a defect by the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of 
the House of Representatives; or
            (2) comply with any other provision of this section,
shall, upon proof of such knowing violation by a preponderance of the 
evidence, be subject to a civil fine of not more than $50,000, 
depending on the extent and gravity of the violation.

SEC. 302. REQUIRING MONTHLY FILING OF REPORTS.

    (a) Principal Campaign Committees.--Section 304(a)(2)(A)(iii) of 
the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(2)(A)(iii)) 
is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(iii) monthly reports, which shall be filed no 
                later than the 20th day after the last day of the month 
                and shall be complete as of the last day of the month, 
                except that, in lieu of filing the reports otherwise 
                due in November and December of the year, a pre-general 
                election report shall be filed in accordance with 
                clause (i), a post-general election report shall be 
                filed in accordance with clause (ii), and a year end 
                report shall be filed no later than January 31 of the 
                following calendar year.''.
    (b) Other Political Committees.--Section 304(a)(4) of such Act (2 
U.S.C. 434(a)(4)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(4)(A) In a calendar year in which a regularly scheduled general 
election is held, all political committees other than authorized 
committees of a candidate shall file--
            ``(i) monthly reports, which shall be filed no later than 
        the 20th day after the last day of the month and shall be 
        complete as of the last day of the month, except that, in lieu 
        of filing the reports otherwise due in November and December of 
        the year, a pre-general election report shall be filed in 
        accordance with paragraph clause (ii), a post-general election 
        report shall be filed in accordance with clause (iii), and a 
        year end report shall be filed no later than January 31 of the 
        following calendar year;
            ``(ii) a pre-election report, which shall be filed no later 
        than the 12th day before (or posted by registered or certified 
        mail no later than the 15th day before) any election in which 
        the committee makes a contribution to or expenditure on behalf 
        of a candidate in such election, and which shall be complete as 
        of the 20th day before the election; and
            ``(iii) a post-general election report, which shall be 
        filed no later than the 30th day after the general election and 
        which shall be complete as of the 20th day after such general 
        election.
    ``(B) In any other calendar year, all political committees other 
than authorized committees of a candidate shall file a report covering 
the period beginning January 1 and ending June 30, which shall be filed 
no later than July 31 and a report covering the period beginning July 1 
and ending December 31, which shall be filed no later than January 31 
of the following calendar year.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--(1) Section 304(a) of such Act (2 
U.S.C. 434(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (8).
    (2) Section 309(b) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 437g(b)) is amended by 
striking ``for the calendar quarter'' and inserting ``for the month''.

SEC. 303. MANDATORY ELECTRONIC FILING FOR CERTAIN REPORTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 304(a)(11)(A) of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(11)(A)) is amended by striking 
the period at the end and inserting the following: ``, except that the 
Commission shall require the reports to be filed and preserved by such 
means, format, or method, unless the aggregate amount of contributions 
or expenditures (as the case may be) reported by the committee in all 
reports filed with respect to the election involved (taking into 
account the period covered by the report) is less than $50,000.''.
    (b) Providing Standardized Software Package.--Section 304(a)(11) of 
such Act (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(11)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D); 
        and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following new 
        subparagraph:
    ``(C) The Commission shall make available without charge a 
standardized package of software to enable persons filing reports by 
electronic means to meet the requirements of this paragraph.''.

SEC. 304. WAIVER OF ``BEST EFFORTS'' EXCEPTION FOR INFORMATION ON 
              OCCUPATION OF INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS.

    Section 302(i) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 
U.S.C. 432(i)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(i) When the treasurer'' and inserting 
        ``(i)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), when the 
        treasurer''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to information 
regarding the occupation or the name of the employer of any individual 
who makes a contribution or contributions aggregating more than $200 
during a calendar year (as required to be provided under subsection 
(c)(3)).''.

                        TITLE IV--EFFECTIVE DATE

SEC. 401. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall apply with 
respect to elections occurring after January 1999.
                                 <all>