IIA

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2527

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

NOVEMBER 14, 1995

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and

Administration

AN ACT

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to

improve the electoral process by permitting electronic

filing and preservation of Federal Election Commission

reports, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. ELECTRONIC FILING AND PRESERVATION OF

2 FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION REPORTS.

3 (a) SECTION 304 AMENDMENT.—Subsection (a) of

4 section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971

5 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)) is amended by adding at the end the

6 following new paragraph:

7 ‘‘(11)(A) The Commission shall permit reports re8 quired by this Act to be filed and preserved by means of

9 computer disk or any other appropriate electronic format

10 or method, as determined by the Commission.

11 ‘‘(B) In carrying out subparagraph (A) with respect

12 to filing of reports, the Commission shall provide for one

13 or more methods (other than requiring a signature on the

14 report being filed) for verifying reports filed by means of

15 computer disk or other electronic format or method. Any

16 verification under the preceding sentence shall be treated

17 for all purposes (including penalties for perjury) in the

18 same manner as a verification by signature.

19 ‘‘(C) As used in this paragraph, the term ‘report’

20 means, with respect to the Commission, a report, designa21 tion, or statement required by this Act to be filed with

22 the Commission.’’.

23 (b) SECTION 302 AMENDMENT.—Subsection (d) of

24 section 302 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971

25 (2 U.S.C. 432(d)) is amended by adding at the end the

26 following new sentence: ‘‘For any report filed in electronic
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1 format under section 304(a)(11), the treasurer shall retain

2 a machine-readable copy of the report as the copy pre3 served under the preceding sentence.’’.

4 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

5 subsection (a) and subsection (b) shall apply with respect

6 to reports for periods beginning after December 31, 1996.

7 SEC. 2. WAIVER OF DUPLICATE FILING REQUIREMENT FOR

8 STATES WITH ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO FED9 ERAL ELECTION COMMISSION REPORTS AND

10 STATEMENTS.

11 Section 312 of the Federal Election Campaign Act

12 of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 439) is amended by adding at the end

13 the following new subsection:

14 ‘‘(c) Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply with re15 spect to any State that, as determined by the Commission,

16 has a system that permits electronic access to, and dupli17 cation of, reports and statements that are filed with the

18 Commission.’’.
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1 SEC. 3. FILING OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION

2 REPORTS WITH THE FEDERAL ELECTION

3 COMMISSION, RATHER THAN WITH THE

4 CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA5 TIVES.

6 (a) SECTION 302 AMENDMENTS.—Subsection (g) of

7 section 302 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971

8 (2 U.S.C. 432(g)) is amended—

9 (1) by striking out paragraph (1);

10 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through

11 (5) as paragraphs (1) through (4), respectively;

12 (3) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated by

13 paragraph (2) of this subsection—

14 (A) by striking out ‘‘Clerk of the House of

15 Representatives and the’’; and

16 (B) by striking out ‘‘them’’ and inserting

17 in lieu thereof ‘‘the Secretary’’;

18 (4) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated by

19 paragraph (2) of this subsection, by striking out

20 ‘‘paragraphs (1) and (2)’’ and inserting in lieu

21 thereof ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and

22 (5) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated by

23 paragraph (2) of this subsection, by striking out

24 ‘‘Clerk of the House of Representatives and the’’.
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1 (b) SECTION 304 AMENDMENTS.—Section 304 of the

2 Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434)

3 is amended—

4 (1) in the first sentence of subsection (a)(6), by

5 striking out ‘‘Clerk, the Secretary,’’ and inserting in

6 lieu thereof ‘‘Secretary’’; and

7 (2) in the third sentence of subsection (c)(2),

8 by striking out ‘‘Clerk, the Secretary,’’ and inserting

9 in lieu thereof ‘‘Secretary’’.

10 (c) SECTION 311 AMENDMENT.—Section 311(a)(4)

11 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C.

12 438(a)(4)) is amended by striking out ‘‘Clerk, Secretary,’’

13 and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘Secretary’’.

14 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

15 this section shall apply with respect to reports, designa16 tions, and statements required to be filed after December

17 31, 1995.

Passed the House of Representatives November 13,

1995.

Attest: ROBIN H. CARLE,

Clerk.