[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1751 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1751

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to modify reporting 
 requirements and increase contribution limits, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 19, 1999

   Mr. Hatch introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to modify reporting 
 requirements and increase contribution limits, 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 ``Citizens' Right to Know Act of 
1999''.

SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Disclosure of Contributions and Expenditures on the Internet.--
            (1) In general.--Section 304 of the Federal Election 
        Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434) is amended by adding at the 
        end the following:
    ``(d) Required Disclosure on the Internet.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), 
        each political committee shall make available to the public on 
        the Internet the information required under subparagraphs (A) 
        and (B) of paragraph (3) and paragraph (5)(A) of subsection 
        (b), not later than 14 days after--
                    ``(A) the date on which the committee receives a 
                contribution from or makes an expenditure to a person, 
                aggregating $200 or more during the calendar year; and
                    ``(B) each date on which the committee receives a 
                contribution from or makes an expenditure to such 
                person, aggregating an additional $200 or more during 
                such calendar year.
            ``(2) Use of information.--Any information made available 
        under paragraph (1) may not be sold or used by any person for 
        the purpose of soliciting contributions or donations or for any 
        commercial purpose, other than using the name and address of 
        any political committee to solicit contributions from such 
        committee.
            ``(3) Candidate.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In the case of a candidate or 
                the candidate's authorized committee, the requirement 
                under paragraph (1) that disclosure occur within 14 
                days shall only apply during the period which begins 18 
                months before the date of the general election for the 
                office for which such candidate is running and ends on 
                such date.
                    ``(B) Time period covered.--The first disclosure 
                required under subparagraph (A) shall include aggregate 
                contributions received and expenditures made during the 
                election cycle for the office for which the candidate 
                is seeking and not previously made available under 
                paragraph (1).''.
            (2) Definition of election cycle.--Section 301 of the 
        Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431) is amended 
        by adding at the end the following:
            ``(20) Election cycle.--The term `election cycle' means--
                    ``(A) in the case of a candidate or the authorized 
                committees of a candidate, the period beginning on the 
                day after the date of the most recent general election 
                for the specific office or seat that the candidate 
                seeks and ending on the date of the next general 
                election for that office or seat; and
                    ``(B) in the case of all other persons, the period 
                beginning on the first day following the date of the 
                last general election and ending on the date of the 
                next general election.''.
    (b) Identification of Contributors Not Required for Certain 
Political Committees.--Section 304(b)(3)(A) of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(b)(3)(A)) is amended by inserting 
``for a political party committee, '' before ``person''.
    (c) Disclosure of Certain Broadcasting Records.--Section 315 of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315) is amended by redesignating 
subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively, and 
inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Political Record.--
            ``(1) In general.--A licensee or operator of a cable system 
        shall maintain, and make available for public inspection, a 
        complete record of a request to purchase broadcast time that--
                    ``(A) is made by or on behalf of a legally 
                qualified candidate for Federal office; or
                    ``(B) will communicate a message that--
                            ``(i) refers to a clearly identified 
                        candidate, Federal office holder, or national 
                        political party; and
                            ``(ii) is made for the purpose of 
                        influencing a Federal election.
            ``(2) Contents of record.--A record maintained under 
        paragraph (1) shall contain information regarding--
                    ``(A) whether the request to purchase broadcast 
                time is accepted or rejected by the licensee or 
                operator of a cable system;
                    ``(B) the rate charged for the broadcast time;
                    ``(D) the date and time that the communication is 
                aired;
                    ``(E) the class of time that is purchased; and
                    ``(F) the name of the candidate, office holder, or 
                political party to which the communication refers and 
                the office to which the candidate is seeking election 
                (as applicable).
            ``(3) Time to maintain file.--The information required 
        under this subsection shall be placed in a political file as 
        soon as possible and shall be retained by the licensee or 
        operator of a cable system for a period of not less than 2 
        years.''.

SEC. 3. MODIFICATION OF CONTRIBUTION LIMITS.

    (a) Candidate Limit.--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 
``$1,000'' and inserting ``$5,000''.
    (b) Party Limits.--Section 315(a) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``$20,000'' and 
        inserting ``$50,000''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``$15,000'' and 
        inserting ``$50,000''.
    (c) State Party Limit.--Section 315(a) of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (C)--
                            (i) by inserting ``(other than a committee 
                        described in subparagraph (D))'' after 
                        ``committee''; and
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(D) to a political committee established and maintained 
        by a State committee of a political party in any calendar year 
        which, in the aggregate, exceed $15,000.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (C)--
                            (i) by inserting ``(other than a committee 
                        described in subparagraph (D))'' after 
                        ``committee''; and
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(D) to a political committee established and maintained 
        by a State committee of a political party in any calendar year 
        which, in the aggregate, exceed $15,000.''.
    (d) Aggregate Limit.--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 to read as follows: ``An individual shall not make an aggregate 
amount of contributions in any calendar year, described in 
subparagraphs (A) and (C) of paragraph (1) in excess of $50,000 and 
described in subparagraphs (B) and (D) of paragraph (1) in excess of 
$50,000.''.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES OF POLITICAL COMMITTEES.

    (a) Definition of Contribution.--Section 301(8)(B) of Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(8)(B)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (xiii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (xiv), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(xv) any amount received by a committee of a political 
        party specifically designated to defray the cost of legal or 
        accounting services or other services required for compliance 
        with this Act or chapter 95 or chapter 96 of the Internal 
        Revenue Code of 1986, including the costs of developing and 
        maintaining a system of electronic recordkeeping and 
        reporting.''.
    (b) Definition of Expenditure.--Section 301(9)(B) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(9)(B)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (ix), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (x), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(xi) the payment by a committee of a political party for 
        the cost of legal or accounting services or other services 
        required for compliance with this Act or chapter 95 or chapter 
        96 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, including the costs of 
        developing and maintaining a system of electronic recordkeeping 
        and reporting.''.

SEC. 4. TAX DEDUCTION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO CERTAIN POLITICAL COMMITTEES 
              AND CANDIDATES.

    (a) In General.--Part VII of subchapter B of chapter 1 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by redesignating section 222 
as section 223 and inserting after section 221 the following new 
section:

``SEC. 222. POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS.

    ``(a) Allowance of Deduction.--In the case of an individual, there 
shall be allowed as a deduction for the taxable year an amount equal to 
the lesser of--
            ``(1) the aggregate amount of qualified political 
        contributions made by the taxpayer during the taxable year, or
            ``(2) $100 ($200 in the case of a joint return).
    ``(b) Qualified Political Contributions.--For purposes of this 
section--
            ``(1) In general.--For purposes of this section, the term 
        `qualified political contributions' means an amount paid or 
        incurred to a--
                    ``(A) candidate or candidate's authorized 
                committee,
                    ``(B) political committee of a national political 
                party; or
                    ``(C) qualified political committee.
            ``(2) Qualified political committee.--The term `qualified 
        political committee' means a separate segregated fund described 
        in section 316(b)(2)(C) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
        1971 (2 U.S.C. 441b(b)(2)(C)) and maintained by a corporation, 
        labor organization, membership organization, cooperative, or 
        corporation without capital stock which is certified by the 
        Federal Election Commission for the calendar year in which the 
        taxable year begins as meeting the voluntary disclosure 
        requirements of section 324 of such Act.
    ``(c) Verification.--The credit allowed by subsection (a) shall be 
allowed, with respect to any contribution, only if such contribution is 
verified in such manner as the Secretary shall prescribe by 
regulations.
    ``(d) Other Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the terms 
`authorized committee', `candidate', `contribution', and `political 
committee' have the meaning given those terms in section 301 of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.''.
    (b) Voluntary Disclosure Requirement.--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:

``SEC. 324. VOLUNTARY DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT.

    ``(a) Disclosure.--An organization which maintains a separate 
segregated fund described in section 316(b)(2)(C) may elect to disclose 
disbursements made for political activity during the 12-month period 
ending on August 15 of a calendar year by filing an annual report with 
the Commission under this section.
    ``(b) Political Activity.--In this section, the term `political 
activity' means activity in connection with any election or candidate, 
including--
            ``(1) voter registration activity;
            ``(2) voter identification and get-out-the-vote activity;
            ``(3) organizing and running direct mail campaigns or phone 
        banks;
            ``(4) disbursements for broadcast time or print 
        advertising; and
            ``(5) polling.
    ``(c) Form of Report.--A report under subsection (a) shall be filed 
annually with the Commission--
            ``(1) in such form and containing such information as the 
        Commission determines necessary, and
            ``(2) not later than September 1 of the calendar year to 
        which such report relates.
    ``(d) Public Access.--
            ``(1) Report.--A report filed under subsection (a) shall be 
        made accessible to the public by the Commission not later than 
        September 30 of the calendar year to which such report relates.
            ``(2) Reporting organizations.--Not later than September 30 
        of each calendar year, the Commission shall make available to 
        the public a list of each organization which elects to file a 
        report under subsection (a).
    ``(e) Certification.--For purposes of section 222 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to political contributions), not later 
than September 30 of each calendar year, the Commission shall certify 
to the Secretary of Treasury and each organization electing to report 
under this section the name of each organization which meets the 
voluntary reporting requirements of this section.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for part VII of 
subchapter B of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 
amended by striking the last item and inserting the following new 
items:

                              ``Sec. 222. Political contributions.
                              ``Sec. 223. Cross reference.''

    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to taxable years beginning after the date of enactment of this 
Act.

SEC. 5. TREATMENT OF PERSONAL SERVICES PROVIDED IN COORDINATION WITH A 
              POLITICAL COMMITTEE.

    Section 301(8)(A)(ii) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 
(2 U.S.C. 431(8)(A)(ii)) is amended by inserting ``or in coordination 
with a political committee'' after ``committee''.
                                 <all>