[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2478 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2478

  To require that candidates who receive campaign financing from the 
    Presidential Election Campaign Fund agree not to participate in 
  multicandidate forums that exclude candidates who have broad-based 
                            public support.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 1997

   Mr. Paul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on House Oversight

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require that candidates who receive campaign financing from the 
    Presidential Election Campaign Fund agree not to participate in 
  multicandidate forums that exclude candidates who have broad-based 
                            public support.

    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 ``Freedom Debate Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT THAT CANDIDATES WHO RECEIVE CAMPAIGN FINANCING FROM 
              THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN FUND AGREE NOT TO 
              PARTICIPATE IN MULTICANDIDATE FORUMS THAT EXCLUDE 
              CANDIDATES WITH BROAD-BASED PUBLIC SUPPORT.

    (a) In General.--In addition to the requirements under subtitle H 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, in order to be eligible to 
receive payments from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, a 
candidate shall agree in writing not to appear in any multicandidate 
forum with respect to the election involved unless the following 
individuals are invited to participate in the multicandidate forum:
            (1) Each other eligible candidate under such subtitle.
            (2) Each individual who is qualified in at least 40 States 
        for the ballot for the office involved.
    (b) Enforcement.--If the Federal Election Commission determines 
that a candidate--
            (1) has received payments from the Presidential Election 
        Campaign Fund; and
            (2) has violated the agreement referred to in subsection 
        (a);
the candidate shall pay to the Treasury an amount equal to the amount 
of the payments so made.
    (c) Definition.--As used in this Act, the term ``multicandidate 
forum'' means a meeting--
            (1) consisting of a moderated reciprocal discussion of 
        issues among candidates for the same office; and
            (2) to which any other person has access in person or 
        through an electronic medium.
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