[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2461 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 2461

    To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to permit a 
corporation or labor organization to expend or donate funds for staging 
public debates between presidential candidates only if the organization 
staging the debate invites each candidate who is eligible for matching 
payments from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and qualified for 
the ballot in a number of States such that the candidate is eligible to 
 receive the minimum number of electoral votes necessary for election.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 1, 1999

Mr. Traficant introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to permit a 
corporation or labor organization to expend or donate funds for staging 
public debates between presidential candidates only if the organization 
staging the debate invites each candidate who is eligible for matching 
payments from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and qualified for 
the ballot in a number of States such that the candidate is eligible to 
 receive the minimum number of electoral votes necessary for election.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REQUIREMENTS FOR ORGANIZATIONS STAGING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.

    (a) Candidates Required To Be Invited.--Section 316 of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441b) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a 
corporation or labor organization may directly or indirectly expend or 
donate funds for staging a public debate between candidates for 
election for President, but only if the person staging the debate 
invites each candidate who is eligible for matching payments under 
chapter 95 or 96 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and qualified for 
the ballot in a number of States such that the candidate is eligible to 
receive not fewer than the minimum number of electoral votes necessary 
for election.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to elections occurring after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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