[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 153 (Saturday, December 13, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  EXPLANATION OF CONGRESSIONAL INTENT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the intent of division N, section 101 is to 
establish separate limits for funds raised into separate, segregated 
accounts established by national political party committees for certain 
specified purposes. All of these funds are ``hard money'' subject to 
all of the source limitations, prohibitions, and disclosure provisions 
of the act.
  The first account, described in section 315(a)(9)(A) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971, ``FECA'', as amended, is intended to 
allow a national committee of a political party--other than a national 
congressional campaign committee--to defray expenses related to a 
Presidential nominating convention using funds raised under separate, 
increased limits. Section 315(a)(9)(A) also caps the aggregate amount 
of expenditures a national political party committee may make from such 
account with respect to any convention at $20,000,000. This section is 
intended to provide national political party committees with a means of 
acquiring additional resources to be used specifically in connection 
with the funding of Presidential nominating conventions because such 
conventions may no longer be paid for with public funds. It is the 
intent to allow these funds to be used in the same manner as the former 
public funds could have been used, as well as to pay for the costs of 
fundraising for this segregated account.
  The second account, described in section 315(a)(9)(B) of FECA, as 
amended, is intended to permit a national committee of a political 
party--including a national congressional campaign committee of a 
political party--to defray expenses incurred with respect to the 
construction, purchase, renovation, operation and furnishing of party 
headquarters buildings located throughout the United States, including 
the cost of fundraising for this segregated account, using funds raised 
under separate, increased limits. Funds in these accounts also may be 
used to repay loans and other obligations incurred for the purpose of 
defraying such building expenses, including loans and obligations 
incurred 2 years before the date of the enactment of this act.
  The third account, described in section 315(a)(9)(C) of FECA, as 
amended, is intended to permit a national committee of a political 
party--including a national congressional campaign committee of a 
political party--to defray expenses incurred with respect to the 
preparation for and the conduct of election recounts and contests and 
other legal proceedings, including the costs of fundraising for this 
segregated account, using funds raised under a separate limit. Section 
101 of division N is not intended to modify Federal Election Commission 
precedent permitting the raising and spending of funds by campaign or 
State or national party committees. See FEC Advisory Opinions 2006-24, 
2009-4. Section 101 is also intended to permit the national parties to 
use such funds for costs, fees, and disbursements associated with other 
legal proceedings.
  Finally, under current law coordinated limits do not apply even 
absent these provisions to the existing accounts as described in 
section 315 of FECA and therefore it is the intent of the amendments 
contained herein that expenditures made from the accounts described in 
section 315(a)(9) of FECA, many of which, such as recount and legal 
proceeding expenses, are not for the purpose of influencing Federal 
elections, do not count against the coordinated party expenditure 
limits described in section 315(d) of FECA.

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