[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 569 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 569

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reduce the amount 
that a nonparty multicandidate political committee may contribute to a 
     candidate in a congressional election, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 1997

 Mrs. Fowler 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 reduce the amount 
that a nonparty multicandidate political committee may contribute to a 
     candidate in a congressional election, 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. REDUCTION IN AMOUNT THAT A NONPARTY MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL 
              COMMITTEE MAY CONTRIBUTE TO A CANDIDATE IN A 
              CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION.

    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, with respect to an election for the office 
of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner 
to, the Congress, the limitation applicable to a nonparty 
multicandidate political committee under this subparagraph shall be 
$1,000''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION LIMITATION ON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PERSONS 
              OTHER THAN IN-STATE 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)(1) A candidate for the office of Senator or Representative 
in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress may not, with 
respect to a reporting period for an election, accept contributions 
from persons other than in-State individual residents that, in total, 
are equal to or greater than the total of contributions accepted from 
in-State individual residents.
    ``(2) The exceptions relating to the name and address of a person 
making a contribution of $50 or less and the date of such contribution, 
as contained in subsection (b)(1), subsection (b)(2)(A), and subsection 
(c)(2) of section 302, shall not apply to contributions with respect to 
elections for the office of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate 
or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
    ``(3) As used in this subsection, the term `in-State individual 
resident' means an individual who resides in the State in which the 
election involved is held.''.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF CASH CONTRIBUTIONS IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

    Section 321 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441g), is amended by striking out ``which, in the aggregate, exceed 
$100,''.

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION OF INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES WITHIN 7 DAYS BEFORE A 
              CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION.

    Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441a), as amended by section 2, is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(j) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, during the 
period beginning 7 days before the date of an election for the office 
of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner 
to, the Congress, and ending on the date of the election, no person may 
make any independent expenditure with respect to the election.''.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON CONTRIBUTIONS BETWEEN MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL 
              COMMITTEES.

    Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441a), as amended by sections 2 and 4, is further amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(k) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, a 
multicandidate political committee may not make a contribution to 
another multicandidate political committee.''.

SEC. 6. MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL COMMITTEE NAME REQUIREMENT.

    Section 303 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
433) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Any multicandidate political committee that is affiliated 
with another organization shall include the entire name of the 
organization in the name of the multicandidate political committee.''.

SEC. 7. PROHIBITION OF BUNDLING.

    Section 315(a)(8) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 
U.S.C. 441a(a)(8)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(8) No person may make a contribution through an intermediary or 
conduit, except that a person may facilitate a contribution by 
providing--
            ``(A) advice to another person as to how the other person 
        may make a contribution; and
            ``(B) addressed mailing material or similar items to 
        another person for use by the other person in making a 
        contribution.''.

SEC. 8. REQUIREMENT FOR DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYIST STATUS BY LOBBYISTS WHO 
              MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS.

    Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441a), as amended by sections 2, 4, and 5, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(l) Any person who is a lobbyist and who makes a contribution 
shall include with the contribution a statement in writing that 
discloses the status of the person as a lobbyist.''.

SEC. 9. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR LOBBYISTS.

    Section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
434) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) Not later than 20 days after the end of the month in which 
a lobbyist makes a contribution, the lobbyist, in such form and manner 
as the Commission shall prescribe by regulation, shall report the 
contribution to the Commission.''.

SEC. 10. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR OUT-OF-STATE CONTRIBUTIONS IN HOUSE 
              OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTIONS.

    Section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
434), as amended by section 9, is further amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Any report of contributions with respect to an election for 
the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner 
to, the Congress, shall segregate and itemize all out-of-State 
contributions.''.

SEC. 11. BAN ON SOFT MONEY.

    Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441a), as amended by sections 2, 4, 5, and 8, is further amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(m)(1) It shall be unlawful for the purpose of influencing any 
election to Federal office--
            ``(A) to solicit or receive any soft money; or
            ``(B) to make any payments from soft money.
    ``(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the term `soft money' means 
any amount--
            ``(A) solicited or received from a source which is 
        prohibited under section 316(a);
            ``(B) contributed, solicited, or received in excess of the 
        contribution limits under section 315; or
            ``(C) not subject to the recordkeeping, reporting, or 
        disclosure requirements under section 304 or any other 
        provision of this Act.''.

SEC. 12. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the amendments made by 
this Act shall apply with respect to elections beginning with the 
general election on November 5, 1998.
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