[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 458 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 458

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to ban soft money in 
         elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 21, 1997

 Mr. Clement 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 soft money in 
         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 ``Campaign Truth and Fairness Act of 
1997''.

SEC. 2. BAN ON SOFT MONEY IN ELECTIONS FOR FEDERAL OFFICE.

    (a) Soft Money of Committees of Political Parties.--Title III of 
the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section:

               ``soft money of political party committees

    ``Sec. 323. (a) Limitations on National Committee.--(1) A national 
committee of a political party and the congressional campaign 
committees of a political party may not solicit or accept contributions 
or transfers not subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and 
reporting requirements of this Act.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to contributions--
            ``(A) that--
                    ``(i) are to be transferred to a State committee of 
                a political party and are used solely for activities 
                described in clauses (xi) through (xvii) of paragraph 
                (9)(B) of section 301; or
                    ``(ii) are described in section 301(8)(B)(viii); 
                and
            ``(B) with respect to which contributors have been notified 
        that the funds will be used solely for the purposes described 
        in subparagraph (A).
    ``(b) Activities Subject to This Act.--Any amount solicited, 
received, expended, or disbursed directly or indirectly by a national, 
State, district, or local committee of a political party with respect 
to any of the following activities shall be subject to the limitations, 
prohibitions, and reporting requirements of this Act:
            ``(1)(A) Any get-out-the-vote activity conducted during a 
        calendar year in which an election for the office of President 
        is held.
            ``(B) Any other get-out-the-vote activity unless subsection 
        (c)(2) applies to the activity.
            ``(2) Any generic campaign activity.
            ``(3) Any activity that identifies or promotes a Federal 
        candidate, regardless of whether--
                    ``(A) a State or local candidate is also identified 
                or promoted; or
                    ``(B) any portion of the funds disbursed 
                constitutes a contribution or expenditure under this 
                Act.
            ``(4) Voter registration.
            ``(5) Development and maintenance of voter files during an 
        even-numbered calendar year.
            ``(6) Any other activity that--
                    ``(A) significantly affects a Federal election, or
                    ``(B) is not otherwise described in section 
                301(9)(B)(xvii).
Any amount spent to raise funds that are used, in whole or in part, in 
connection with activities described in the preceding paragraphs shall 
be subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements 
of this Act.
    ``(c) Get-Out-The-Vote Activities By State, District, and Local 
Committees of Political Parties.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph 
(2), any get-out-the-vote activity for a State or local candidate, or 
for a ballot measure, which is conducted by a State, district, or local 
committee of a political party shall be subject to the limitations, 
prohibitions, and reporting requirements of this Act.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any activity which the State 
committee of a political party certifies to the Commission is an 
activity which--
            ``(A) is conducted during a calendar year other than a 
        calendar year in which an election for the office of President 
        is held,
            ``(B) is exclusively on behalf of (and specifically 
        identifies only) one or more State or local candidates or 
        ballot measures, and
            ``(C) does not include any effort or means used to identify 
        or turn out those identified to be supporters of any Federal 
        candidate (including any activity that is undertaken in 
        coordination with, or on behalf of, a candidate for Federal 
        office).
    ``(d) State Party Grassroots Funds.--(1) A State committee of a 
political party may make disbursements and expenditures from its State 
Party Grassroots Fund only for--
            ``(A) any generic campaign activity;
            ``(B) payments described in clauses (v), (x), and (xii) of 
        paragraph (8)(B) and clauses (iv), (viii), and (ix) of 
        paragraph (9)(B) of section 301;
            ``(C) subject to the limitations of section 315(d), 
        payments described in clause (xii) of paragraph (8)(B), and 
        clause (ix) of paragraph (9)(B), of section 301 on behalf of 
        candidates other than for President and Vice President;
            ``(D) voter registration; and
            ``(E) development and maintenance of voter files during an 
        even-numbered calendar year.
    ``(2) Notwithstanding section 315(a)(4), no funds may be 
transferred by a State committee of a political party from its State 
Party Grassroots Fund to any other State Party Grassroots Fund or to 
any other political committee, except a transfer may be made to a 
district or local committee of the same political party in the same 
State if such district or local committee--
            ``(A) has established a separate segregated fund for the 
        purposes described in paragraph (1); and
            ``(B) uses the transferred funds solely for those purposes.
    ``(e) Amounts Received by Grassroots Fund From State and Local 
Candidate Committees.--(1) Any amount received by a State Party 
Grassroots Fund from a State or local candidate committee for 
expenditures described in subsection (b) that are for the benefit of 
that candidate shall be treated as meeting the requirements of 
subsection (b) if--
            ``(A) such amount is derived from funds which meet the 
        requirements of this Act with respect to any limitation or 
        prohibition as to source or dollar amount specified in section 
        315(a) (1)(A) and (2)(A); and
            ``(B) the State or local candidate committee--
                    ``(i) maintains, in the account from which payment 
                is made, records of the sources and amounts of funds 
                for purposes of determining whether such requirements 
                are met; and
                    ``(ii) certifies that such requirements were met.
    ``(2) For purposes of paragraph (1)(A), in determining whether the 
funds transferred meet the requirements of this Act described in such 
paragraph--
            ``(A) a State or local candidate committee's cash on hand 
        shall be treated as consisting of the funds most recently 
        received by the committee, and
            ``(B) the committee must be able to demonstrate that its 
        cash on hand contains sufficient funds meeting such 
        requirements as are necessary to cover the transferred funds.
    ``(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), any State Party Grassroots 
Fund receiving any transfer described in paragraph (1) from a State or 
local candidate committee shall be required to meet the reporting 
requirements of this Act, and shall submit to the Commission all 
certifications received, with respect to receipt of the transfer from 
such candidate committee.
    ``(4) For purposes of this subsection, a State or local candidate 
committee is a committee established, financed, maintained, or 
controlled by a candidate for other than Federal office.
    ``(f) Related Entities.--The provisions of this Act shall apply to 
any entity that is established, financed, or maintained by a national 
committee or State committee of a political party in the same manner as 
they apply to the national or State committee.''
    (b) Contributions and Expenditures.--
            (1) Contributions.--Section 301(8)(B) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
        431(8)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of clause 
                (xiii);
                    (B) by striking clause (xiv); and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
                            ``(xiv) any amount contributed to a 
                        candidate for other than Federal office;
                            ``(xv) any amount received or expended to 
                        pay the costs of a State or local political 
                        convention;
                            ``(xvi) any payment for campaign activities 
                        that are exclusively on behalf of (and 
                        specifically identify only) State or local 
                        candidates and do not identify any Federal 
                        candidate, and that are not activities 
                        described in section 323(b) (without regard to 
                        paragraph (6)(B)) or section 323(c)(1);
                            ``(xvii) any payment for administrative 
                        expenses of a State or local committee of a 
                        political party, including expenses for--
                                    ``(I) overhead, including party 
                                meetings;
                                    ``(II) staff (other than 
                                individuals devoting a significant 
                                amount of their time to elections for 
                                Federal office and individuals engaged 
in conducting get-out-the-vote activities for a Federal election); and
                                    ``(III) conducting party elections 
                                or caucuses;
                            ``(xviii) any payment for research 
                        pertaining solely to State and local candidates 
                        and issues;
                            ``(xix) any payment for development and 
                        maintenance of voter files other than during 
                        the 1-year period ending on the date during an 
                        even-numbered calendar year on which regularly 
                        scheduled general elections for Federal office 
                        occur; and
                            ``(xx) any payment for any other activity 
                        which is solely for the purpose of influencing, 
                        and which solely affects, an election for non-
                        Federal office and which is not an activity 
                        described in section 323(b) (without regard to 
                        paragraph (6)(B)) or section 323(c)(1).''.
            (2) Expenditures.--Section 301(9)(B) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
        431(9)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of clause (ix);
                    (B) by striking the period at the end of clause (x) 
                and inserting a semicolon; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
                            ``(xi) any amount contributed to a 
                        candidate for other than Federal office;
                            ``(xii) any amount received or expended to 
                        pay the costs of a State or local political 
                        convention;
                            ``(xiii) any payment for campaign 
                        activities that are exclusively on behalf of 
                        (and specifically identify only) State or local 
                        candidates and do not identify any Federal 
                        candidate, and that are not activities 
                        described in section 323(b) (without regard to 
                        paragraph (6)(B)) or section 323(c)(1);
                            ``(xiv) any payment for administrative 
                        expenses of a State or local committee of a 
                        political party, including expenses for--
                                    ``(I) overhead, including party 
                                meetings;
                                    ``(II) staff (other than 
                                individuals devoting a significant 
                                amount of their time to elections for 
                                Federal office and individuals engaged 
                                in conducting get-out-the-vote 
                                activities for a Federal election); and
                                    ``(III) conducting party elections 
                                or caucuses;
                            ``(xv) any payment for research pertaining 
                        solely to State and local candidates and 
                        issues;
                            ``(xvi) any payment for development and 
                        maintenance of voter files other than during 
                        the 1-year period ending on the date during an 
                        even-numbered calendar year on which regularly 
                        scheduled general elections for Federal office 
                        occur; and
                            ``(xvii) any payment for any other activity 
                        which is solely for the purpose of influencing, 
                        and which solely affects, an election for non-
                        Federal office and which is not an activity 
                        described in section 323(b) (without regard to 
                        paragraph (6)(B)) or section 323(c)(1).''.

SEC. 3. EQUALIZATION OF MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL COMMITTEE CANDIDATE 
              CONTRIBUTION LIMITATION WITH LIMITATION APPLICABLE TO 
              OTHER PERSONS.

    (a) Persons Generally.--Section 315(a)(1)(A) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(1)(A)) is amended by 
striking out ``$1,000'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``$2,500''.
    (b) Multicandidate Political Committees.--Section 315(a)(2)(A) of 
the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) is 
amended by striking out ``$5,000'' and inserting in lieu thereof 
``$2,500''.

SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY CANDIDATES IN HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES ELECTIONS.

    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 make contributions of 
more than $100,000 to the campaign of the candidate with respect to an 
election cycle. As used in this subsection, the term `election cycle' 
means, with respect to a candidate, the period beginning on the day 
after the date of the most recent general election for the office 
involved and ending on the date of the next general election for such 
office.''.
                                 <all>