I

104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 3122

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for separate

limitations on contributions to qualifying and nonqualifying House of

Representatives candidates.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 20, 1996

Mr. BROWN of Ohio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on House Oversight

A BILL

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to

provide for separate limitations on contributions to qualifying and nonqualifying House of Representatives candidates.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. LIMITATIONS APPLICABLE TO CONTRIBUTIONS

4 TO QUALIFYING AND NONQUALIFYING

5 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATES.

6 Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act

7 of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a) is amended by adding at the end

8 the following new subsection:
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1 ‘‘(i)(1) Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1)(A), sub2 section (a)(2)(A), or any other provision of this Act—

3 ‘‘(A) no person shall make contributions to any

4 qualifying House of Representatives candidate with

5 respect to a general election and any primary elec6 tion relating to that general election which, in the

7 aggregate, exceed $1,000; and

8 ‘‘(B) no multicandidate political committee shall

9 make contributions to any qualifying House of Rep10 resentatives candidate with respect to a general elec11 tion and any primary election relating to that gen12 eral election which, in the aggregate, exceed $5,000.

13 ‘‘(2) Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1)(A), sub14 section (a)(2)(A), or any other provision of this Act—

15 ‘‘(A) no person shall make contributions to any

16 candidate for the office of Representative in, or Del17 egate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress

18 (other than a qualifying House of Representatives

19 candidate) with respect to a general election and any

20 primary election relating to that general election

21 which, in the aggregate, exceed $500; and

22 ‘‘(B) no multicandidate political committee shall

23 make contributions to any candidate for the office of

24 Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commis25 sioner to, the Congress (other than a qualifying
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1 House of Representatives candidate) with respect to

2 a general election and any primary election relating

3 to that general election which, in the aggregate, ex4 ceed $1,000.’’.

5 SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS ON MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL

6 COMMITTEE AND LARGE DONOR CONTRIBU7 TIONS THAT MAY BE ACCEPTED BY QUALIFY8 ING AND NONQUALIFYING HOUSE OF REP9 RESENTATIVES CANDIDATES.

10 Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act

11 of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by section 1, is fur12 ther amended by adding at the end the following new sub13 sections:

14 ‘‘(j)(1) A qualifying House of Representatives can15 didate may not, with respect to an election cycle, accept

16 contributions from the sources specified in paragraph (2)

17 aggregating in excess of $200,000.

18 ‘‘(2) The sources referred to in paragraph (1) are—

19 ‘‘(A) multicandidate political committees; and

20 ‘‘(B) persons other than multicandidate political

21 committees whose contributions total more than

22 $250.

23 ‘‘(k)(1) A candidate for the office of Representative

24 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress

25 (other than a qualifying House of Representatives can-
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1 didate) may not, with respect to an election cycle, accept

2 contributions from the sources specified in paragraph (2)

3 aggregating in excess of $100,000.

4 ‘‘(2) The sources referred to in paragraph (1) are—

5 ‘‘(A) multicandidate political committees; and

6 ‘‘(B) persons other than multicandidate political

7 committees whose contributions total more than

8 $250.’’.

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITION AMENDMENT.

10 Section 301 of the Federal Election Campaign Act

11 of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431) is amended by striking out para12 graph (19) and inserting in lieu thereof the following new

13 paragraphs:

14 ‘‘(19) The term ‘qualifying House of Representatives

15 candidate’ means a candidate for election to the office of

16 Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner

17 to, the Congress, who, as determined by the Commission,

18 agrees to limit expenditures to $400,000 with respect to

19 an election cycle.

20 ‘‘(20) The term ‘election cycle’ means—

21 ‘‘(A) in the case of a candidate or the author22 ized committees of a candidate, the term beginning

23 on the day after the date of the most recent general

24 election for the specific office which such candidate
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1 seeks and ending on the date of the next general

2 election for such office; and

3 ‘‘(B) for all other persons, the term beginning

4 on the first day following the date of the last general

5 election and ending on the date of the next general

6 election.’’.

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