I 

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.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Citizen Legislature and 

5 Political Freedom Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds as follows: 
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1 (1) The proliferation of campaign finance laws 

2 (beginning with the Federal Election Campaign Act 

3 of 1971) and the proliferation of government regula4 tions promulgated pursuant to such laws have placed 

5 strict limits on contributions by citizens to the can6 didates of their choice, limits which have served to 

7 severely hinder the ability of challengers to compete 

8 on equal terms with incumbent politicians. 

9 (2) The contribution limits imposed by the Fed10 eral Election Campaign Act of 1971 force candidates 

11 to raise funds in small amounts subject to fixed limi12 tations, inevitably fostering a system under which 

13 wealthy candidates and long-term incumbent politi14 cians hold an unfair financial advantage, which in 

15 turn serves to discourage potential candidates from 

16 seeking public office. 

17 (3) The current campaign finance laws have in18 hibited the full and fair discussion of public policy 

19 issues, as challengers who are not well known to the 

20 electorate are forced by government regulation to at21 tempt to amass contributions from large numbers of 

22 donors at the outset of a campaign. As a result, 

23 challengers who lack the necessary resources to 

24 bring new issues into the public debate often are 
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1 eliminated from political campaigns before their 

2 voices are even heard. 

3 (4) The regulation by government of political 

4 speech through the regulation of campaign contribu5 tions and expenditures is patently undemocratic be6 cause it favors institutionalized special interests over 

7 grassroots and citizen activity by imposing burden8 some reporting and disclosure requirements and 

9 stringent spending limits on the political parties, 

10 thereby tilting the financial and tactical advantage 

11 in political campaigns to well-financed interest 

12 groups and wealthy individuals. 

13 (5) The effect of the unreasonably low contribu14 tion limits has been to force more contributors and 

15 political activists to operate outside the system, re16 sulting in even less accountability and even greater 

17 encouragement of irresponsible behavior. 

18 (6) The only way to encourage the robust dis19 course of public issues and candidates, promote the 

20 free exchange of political speech and ideas, protect 

21 constitutional freedom, and foster a more informed 

22 electorate is to lift all current restrictions on polit23 ical candidate and party contributions and expendi24 tures and to provide full, instantaneous disclosure of 
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1 all contributions and expenditures in elections for 

2 Federal office. 

3 SEC. 3. REMOVAL OF LIMITATIONS ON FEDERAL ELECTION 

4 CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS. 

5 Section 315(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act 

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

7 end the following new paragraph: 

8 ‘‘(9) The limitations established under this subsection 

9 shall not apply to contributions made during calendar 

10 years beginning after 2004.’’. 

11 SEC. 4. TERMINATION OF TAXPAYER FINANCING OF PRESI12 DENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGNS. 

13 (a) TERMINATION OF DESIGNATION OF INCOME TAX

14 PAYMENTS.—Section 6096 of the Internal Revenue Code 

15 of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following 

16 new subsection: 

17 ‘‘(d) TERMINATION.—This section shall not apply to 

18 taxable years beginning after December 31, 2003.’’

19 (b) TERMINATION OF FUND AND ACCOUNT.—

20 (1) TERMINATION OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

21 CAMPAIGN FUND.—

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 95 of subtitle 

23 H of such Code is amended by adding at the 

24 end the following new section: 
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1 ‘‘SEC. 9014. TERMINATION. 

2 The provisions of this chapter shall not apply with 

3 respect to any presidential election (or any presidential 

4 nominating convention) after December 31, 2004, or to 

5 any candidate in such an election.’’

6 (B) TRANSFER OF EXCESS FUNDS TO GEN7 ERAL FUND.—Section 9006 of such Code is 

8 amended by adding at the end the following 

9 new subsection: 

10 ‘‘(d) TRANSFER OF FUNDS REMAINING AFTER

11 2004.—The Secretary shall transfer all amounts in the 

12 fund after December 31, 2004, to the general fund of the 

13 Treasury.’’

14 (2) TERMINATION OF ACCOUNT.—Chapter 96 

15 of subtitle H of such Code is amended by adding at 

16 the end the following new section: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 9043. TERMINATION. 

18 The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any 

19 candidate with respect to any presidential election after 

20 December 31, 2004.’’ 

21 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—

22 (1) The table of sections for chapter 95 of sub23 title H of such Code is amended by adding at the 

24 end the following new item:

‘‘Sec. 9014. Termination.’’
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1 (2) The table of sections for chapter 96 of sub2 title H of such Code is amended by adding at the 

3 end the following new item:

‘‘Sec. 9043. Termination.’’

4 SEC. 5. DISCLOSURE BY STATE AND LOCAL POLITICAL PAR5 TIES OF INFORMATION REPORTED UNDER 

6 STATE LAW. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 304 of the Federal Elec8 tion Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434), as amended 

9 by section 308(b) of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 

10 of 2002, is amended by adding at the end the following 

11 new subsection: 

12 ‘‘(i) If a political committee of a State or local polit13 ical party is required under a State or local law, rule, or 

14 regulation to submit a report on its disbursements to an 

15 entity of the State or local government, the committee 

16 shall file a copy of the report with the Commission at the 

17 time it submits the report to such an entity.’’. 

18 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

19 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to elections occur20 ring after January 2005. 

21 SEC. 6. PROMOTING EXPEDITED AVAILABILITY OF FEC RE22 PORTS. 

23 (a) MANDATORY ELECTRONIC FILING FOR ALL RE24 PORTS.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 304(a)(11) of the 

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

3 434(a)(11)) is amended—

4 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘a 

5 person required to file—’’ and all that follows 

6 and inserting the following: ‘‘each person re7 quired to file a report under this Act shall be 

8 required to maintain and file such report in 

9 electronic form accessible by computers.’’; 

10 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘des11 ignations, statements, and reports’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘documents’’; and 

13 (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

14 ‘‘means, with respect to’’ and all that follows 

15 and inserting the following: ‘‘means any report, 

16 designation, statement, or notification required 

17 by this Act to be filed with the Commission or 

18 the Secretary of the Senate.’’. 

19 (2) PLACEMENT OF ALL REPORTS ON INTER20 NET.—Section 304(a)(11)(B) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 

21 434(a)(11)(B)) is amended—

22 (A) by striking ‘‘a designation, statement, 

23 report, or notification’’ and inserting ‘‘each re24 port’’; and 
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1 (B) by striking ‘‘the designation, state2 ment, report, or notification’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘the report’’. 

4 (3) SOFTWARE FOR FILING OF ALL REPORTS.—

5 Section 304(a)(12) of such Act (2 U.S.C 

6 434a(a)(12)), as added by section 306 of the Bipar7 tisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, is amended—

8 (A) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking 

9 ‘‘each person required to file a designation, 

10 statement, or report in electronic form’’ and in11 serting ‘‘each person required to file a report 

12 (as defined in paragraph (11)(D))’’; and 

13 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘any 

14 designation, statement, or report’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘any report (as defined in paragraph 

16 (11)(D))’’. 

17 (b) REQUIRING REPORTS FOR ALL CONTRIBUTIONS

18 MADE TO ANY POLITICAL COMMITTEE WITHIN 90 DAYS

19 OF ELECTION; REQUIRING REPORTS TO BE MADE WITH20 IN 24 HOURS.—Section 304(a)(6)(A) of such Act (2 

21 U.S.C. 434(a)(6)(A)) is amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(A) Each political committee shall notify the Sec23 retary or the Commission, and the Secretary of State, as 

24 appropriate, in writing, of any contribution received by the 

25 committee during the period which begins on the 90th day 
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1 before an election and ends at the time the polls close for 

2 such election. This notification shall be made within 24 

3 hours (or, if earlier, by midnight of the day on which the 

4 contribution is deposited) after the receipt of such con5 tribution and shall include the name of the candidate in6 volved (as appropriate) and the office sought by the can7 didate, the identification of the contributor, and the date 

8 of receipt and amount of the contribution.’’. 

9 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

10 this section shall apply with respect to reports for periods 

11 beginning on or after January 1, 2005. 

12 SEC. 7. WAIVER OF ‘‘BEST EFFORTS’’ EXCEPTION FOR IN13 FORMATION ON IDENTIFICATION OF CON14 TRIBUTORS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 302(i) of the Federal 

16 Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 432(i)) is 

17 amended—

18 (1) by striking ‘‘(i) When the treasurer’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘(i)(1) Except as provided in paragraph 

20 (2), when the treasurer’’; and 

21 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

22 paragraph: 

23 ‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply with respect to 

24 information regarding the identification of any person who 

25 makes a contribution or contributions aggregating more 
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1 than $200 during a calendar year (as required to be pro2 vided under subsection (c)(3)).’’. 

3 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

4 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to persons making 

5 contributions for elections occurring after January 2005.

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