[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3525 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3525

   To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reform the 
        financing of campaigns for election for Federal office.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 19, 2003

Mr. Doolittle (for himself, Mr. Hastert, Mr. DeLay, Mr. Sam Johnson of 
Texas, Mr. Herger, Mr. Lewis of California, and Mr. McKeon) introduced 
   the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House 
Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reform the 
        financing of campaigns for election for Federal office.

    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 ``Citizen Legislature and Political 
Freedom Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The proliferation of campaign finance laws (beginning 
        with the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971) and the 
        proliferation of government regulations promulgated pursuant to 
        such laws have placed strict limits on contributions by 
        citizens to the candidates of their choice, limits which have 
        served to severely hinder the ability of challengers to compete 
        on equal terms with incumbent politicians.
            (2) The contribution limits imposed by the Federal Election 
        Campaign Act of 1971 force candidates to raise funds in small 
        amounts subject to fixed limitations, inevitably fostering a 
        system under which wealthy candidates and long-term incumbent 
        politicians hold an unfair financial advantage, which in turn 
        serves to discourage potential candidates from seeking public 
        office.
            (3) The current campaign finance laws have inhibited the 
        full and fair discussion of public policy issues, as 
        challengers who are not well known to the electorate are forced 
        by government regulation to attempt to amass contributions from 
        large numbers of donors at the outset of a campaign. As a 
        result, challengers who lack the necessary resources to bring 
        new issues into the public debate often are eliminated from 
        political campaigns before their voices are even heard.
            (4) The regulation by government of political speech 
        through the regulation of campaign contributions and 
        expenditures is patently undemocratic because it favors 
        institutionalized special interests over grassroots and citizen 
        activity by imposing burdensome reporting and disclosure 
        requirements and stringent spending limits on the political 
        parties, thereby tilting the financial and tactical advantage 
        in political campaigns to well-financed interest groups and 
        wealthy individuals.
            (5) The effect of the unreasonably low contribution limits 
        has been to force more contributors and political activists to 
        operate outside the system, resulting in even less 
        accountability and even greater encouragement of irresponsible 
        behavior.
            (6) The only way to encourage the robust discourse of 
        public issues and candidates, promote the free exchange of 
        political speech and ideas, protect constitutional freedom, and 
        foster a more informed electorate is to lift all current 
        restrictions on political candidate and party contributions and 
        expenditures and to provide full, instantaneous disclosure of 
        all contributions and expenditures in elections for Federal 
        office.

SEC. 3. REMOVAL OF LIMITATIONS ON FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 
              CONTRIBUTIONS.

    Section 315(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 
U.S.C. 441a(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph:
    ``(9) The limitations established under this subsection shall not 
apply to contributions made during calendar years beginning after 
2004.''.

SEC. 4. TERMINATION OF TAXPAYER FINANCING OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 
              CAMPAIGNS.

    (a) Termination of Designation of Income Tax Payments.--Section 
6096 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Termination.--This section shall not apply to taxable years 
beginning after December 31, 2003.''
    (b) Termination of Fund and Account.--
            (1) Termination of presidential election campaign fund.--
                    (A) In general.--Chapter 95 of subtitle H of such 
                Code is amended by adding at the end the following new 
                section:

``SEC. 9014. TERMINATION.

    The provisions of this chapter shall not apply with respect to any 
presidential election (or any presidential nominating convention) after 
December 31, 2004, or to any candidate in such an election.''
                    (B) Transfer of excess funds to general fund.--
                Section 9006 of such Code is amended by adding at the 
                end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Transfer of Funds Remaining After 2004.--The Secretary shall 
transfer all amounts in the fund after December 31, 2004, to the 
general fund of the Treasury.''
            (2) Termination of account.--Chapter 96 of subtitle H of 
        such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        section:

``SEC. 9043. TERMINATION.

    The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any candidate 
with respect to any presidential election after December 31, 2004.''
    (c) Clerical Amendments.--
            (1) The table of sections for chapter 95 of subtitle H of 
        such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        item:

                              ``Sec. 9014. Termination.''
            (2) The table of sections for chapter 96 of subtitle H of 
        such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        item:

                              ``Sec. 9043. Termination.''

SEC. 5. DISCLOSURE BY STATE AND LOCAL POLITICAL PARTIES OF INFORMATION 
              REPORTED UNDER STATE LAW.

    (a) In General.--Section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434), as amended by section 308(b) of the Bipartisan 
Campaign Reform Act of 2002, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(i) If a political committee of a State or local political party 
is required under a State or local law, rule, or regulation to submit a 
report on its disbursements to an entity of the State or local 
government, the committee shall file a copy of the report with the 
Commission at the time it submits the report to such an entity.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to elections occurring after January 2005.

SEC. 6. PROMOTING EXPEDITED AVAILABILITY OF FEC REPORTS.

    (a) Mandatory Electronic Filing for All Reports.--
            (1) In general.--Section 304(a)(11) of the Federal Election 
        Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(11)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``a person 
                required to file--'' and all that follows and inserting 
                the following: ``each person required to file a report 
                under this Act shall be required to maintain and file 
                such report in electronic form accessible by 
                computers.'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                ``designations, statements, and reports'' and inserting 
                ``documents''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``means, with 
                respect to'' and all that follows and inserting the 
                following: ``means any report, designation, statement, 
                or notification required by this Act to be filed with 
                the Commission or the Secretary of the Senate.''.
            (2) Placement of all reports on internet.--Section 
        304(a)(11)(B) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(11)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``a designation, statement, report, 
                or notification'' and inserting ``each report''; and
                    (B) by striking ``the designation, statement, 
                report, or notification'' and inserting ``the report''.
            (3) Software for filing of all reports.--Section 304(a)(12) 
        of such Act (2 U.S.C 434a(a)(12)), as added by section 306 of 
        the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking ``each 
                person required to file a designation, statement, or 
                report in electronic form'' and inserting ``each person 
                required to file a report (as defined in paragraph 
                (11)(D))''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``any 
                designation, statement, or report'' and inserting ``any 
                report (as defined in paragraph (11)(D))''.
    (b) Requiring Reports for All Contributions Made to Any Political 
Committee Within 90 Days of Election; Requiring Reports To Be Made 
Within 24 Hours.--Section 304(a)(6)(A) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
434(a)(6)(A)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(A) Each political committee shall notify the Secretary or the 
Commission, and the Secretary of State, as appropriate, in writing, of 
any contribution received by the committee during the period which 
begins on the 90th day before an election and ends at the time the 
polls close for such election. This notification shall be made within 
24 hours (or, if earlier, by midnight of the day on which the 
contribution is deposited) after the receipt of such contribution and 
shall include the name of the candidate involved (as appropriate) and 
the office sought by the candidate, the identification of the 
contributor, and the date of receipt and amount of the contribution.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
with respect to reports for periods beginning on or after January 1, 
2005.

SEC. 7. WAIVER OF ``BEST EFFORTS'' EXCEPTION FOR INFORMATION ON 
              IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRIBUTORS.

    (a) In General.--Section 302(i) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 432(i)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(i) When the treasurer'' and inserting 
        ``(i)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), when the 
        treasurer''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to information 
regarding the identification of any person who makes a contribution or 
contributions aggregating more than $200 during a calendar year (as 
required to be provided under subsection (c)(3)).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to persons making contributions for elections 
occurring after January 2005.
                                 <all>