[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5699 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5699

     To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to protect 
  uncompensated Internet activity by individuals from treatment as a 
   contribution or expenditure under the Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 3, 2008

 Mr. Hensarling (for himself, Mr. Akin, Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, 
Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Brady 
of Texas, Mr. Broun of Georgia, Mr. Campbell of California, Mr. Cannon, 
 Mr. Cantor, Mr. David Davis of Tennessee, Ms. Fallin, Mr. Feeney, Mr. 
 Flake, Mr. Fortuno, Ms. Foxx, Mr. Franks of Arizona, Mr. Gingrey, Mr. 
   Hoekstra, Mr. Kline of Minnesota, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Marchant, Mr. 
 McCarthy of California, Mrs. Musgrave, Mr. Neugebauer, Mr. Paul, Mr. 
Pence, Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Shadegg, Mr. Tancredo, 
Mr. Walberg, and Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) 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 protect 
  uncompensated Internet activity by individuals from treatment as a 
   contribution or expenditure under the Act, 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 ``Blogger Protection Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. EXEMPTION OF UNCOMPENSATED INDIVIDUAL INTERNET ACTIVITY FROM 
              TREATMENT AS CONTRIBUTION OR EXPENDITURE.

    (a) Exemptions.--
            (1) Exemption from treatment as contribution.--Section 
        301(8)(B) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 
        U.S.C. 431(8)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of clause 
                (xiii);
                    (B) by striking the period at the end of clause 
                (xiv) and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new clause:
            ``(xv) any uncompensated personal services related to 
        Internet activities, or use of equipment or services for 
        uncompensated Internet activities, that are engaged in by any 
        individual, group of individuals, or corporation wholly owned 
        by one or more individuals that engages primarily in Internet 
        activities and does not derive a substantial portion of its 
        revenue from sources other than income from its Internet 
        activities, other than--
                    ``(I) any payment for a public communication (other 
                than a nominal fee),
                    ``(II) any payment for the purchase or rental of an 
                email address list made at the direction of a political 
                committee, or
                    ``(III) any payment for an email address list that 
                is transferred to a political committee.''.
            (2) Exemption from treatment as expenditure.--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 ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new clause:
            ``(xi) any uncompensated personal services related to 
        Internet activities, or use of equipment or services for 
        uncompensated Internet activities, that are engaged in by any 
        individual, group of individuals, or corporation wholly owned 
        by one or more individuals that engages primarily in Internet 
        activities and does not derive a substantial portion of its 
        revenue from sources other than income from its Internet 
        activities, other than--
                    ``(I) any payment for a public communication (other 
                than a nominal fee),
                    ``(II) any payment for the purchase or rental of an 
                email address list made at the direction of a political 
                committee, or
                    ``(III) any payment for an email address list that 
                is transferred to a political committee.''.
    (b) Internet Activity Defined.--Section 301 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 
431) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(27) Internet Activity.--The term `Internet activity' includes 
sending or forwarding electronic messages, providing a hyperlink or 
other direct access to another person's Web site, blogging, creating, 
maintaining, or hosting a Web site, paying a nominal fee for the use of 
another person's Web site, and any other form of communication 
distributed over the Internet.''.

SEC. 3. COVERAGE OF BLOGS AND OTHER INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC 
              PUBLICATIONS UNDER GENERAL MEDIA EXEMPTION.

    Section 301(9)(B)(i) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 
(2 U.S.C. 431(9)(B)(i)) is amended by inserting ``including any 
Internet or electronic publication (including a blog),'' after 
``periodical publication,''.
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