I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6286 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to repeal the limitation 

on the annual aggregate amount of contributions individuals may make 

to candidates for election for Federal office, to repeal the limitations 

on the amount of coordinated expenditures by political parties, and 

to protect uncompensated Internet activity by individuals from treatment 

as a contribution or expenditure under the Act. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2010 

Mr. COLE 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 

repeal the limitation on the annual aggregate amount 

of contributions individuals may make to candidates for 

election for Federal office, to repeal the limitations on 

the amount of coordinated expenditures by political parties, and to protect uncompensated Internet activity by 

individuals from treatment as a contribution or expenditure under the Act. 

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. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Free Speech and Cit3 izen Fairness Act of 2010’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REPEAL OF ANNUAL AGGREGATE LIMIT ON 

5 AMOUNT OF CONTRIBUTIONS BY INDIVID6 UALS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 315(a) of the Federal 

8 Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)) is 

9 amended by striking paragraph (3). 

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 315(c) of 

11 such Act (2 U.S.C. 441a(c)) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i), by striking 

13 ‘‘(a)(3),’’; 

14 (2) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘(a)(3),’’; 

15 and 

16 (3) in paragraph (2)(B)(ii), by striking 

17 ‘‘(a)(3),’’. 

18 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF COORDI19 NATED EXPENDITURES BY POLITICAL PAR20 TIES. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 315(d) of the Federal 

22 Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(d)) is 

23 amended— 

24 (1) by striking ‘‘(d)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘(d)’’; 


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1 (2) by striking ‘‘, subject to the limitations con2 tained in paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of this sub3 section’’; and 

4 (3) by striking paragraphs (2), (3), and (4). 

5 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 315(c) of 

6 such Act (2 U.S.C. 441a(c)) is amended— 

7 (1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i), by striking ‘‘(d),’’; 

8 and 

9 (2) in paragraph (2)(B)(i), by striking ‘‘sub10 sections (b) and (d),’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

11 (b),’’. 

12 SEC. 4. BLOGGER PROTECTION. 

13 (a) EXEMPTION OF UNCOMPENSATED INDIVIDUAL

14 INTERNET ACTIVITY FROM TREATMENT AS CONTRIBU15 TION OR EXPENDITURE.— 

16 (1) EXEMPTIONS.— 

17 (A) EXEMPTION FROM TREATMENT AS

18 CONTRIBUTION.—Section 301(8)(B) of the Fed19 eral Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 

20 431(8)(B)) is amended— 

21 (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 

22 clause (xiii); 

23 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

24 of clause (xiv) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 


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1 (iii) by adding at the end the fol2 lowing new clause: 

3 ‘‘(xv) any uncompensated personal services re4 lated to Internet activities, or use of equipment or 

5 services for uncompensated Internet activities, that 

6 are engaged in by any individual, group of individ7 uals, or corporation wholly owned by one or more in8 dividuals that engages primarily in Internet activi9 ties and does not derive a substantial portion of its 

10 revenue from sources other than income from its 

11 Internet activities, other than— 

12 ‘‘(I) any payment for a public communica13 tion (other than a nominal fee), 

14 ‘‘(II) any payment for the purchase or 

15 rental of an email address list made at the di16 rection of a political committee, or 

17 ‘‘(III) any payment for an email address 

18 list that is transferred to a political com19 mittee.’’. 

20 (B) EXEMPTION FROM TREATMENT AS EX21 PENDITURE.—Section 301(9)(B) of such Act (2 

22 U.S.C. 431(9)(B)) is amended— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 

24 clause (ix); 


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1 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

2 of clause (x) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (iii) by adding at the end the fol4 lowing new clause: 

5 ‘‘(xi) any uncompensated personal services re6 lated to Internet activities, or use of equipment or 

7 services for uncompensated Internet activities, that 

8 are engaged in by any individual, group of individ9 uals, or corporation wholly owned by one or more in10 dividuals that engages primarily in Internet activi11 ties and does not derive a substantial portion of its 

12 revenue from sources other than income from its 

13 Internet activities, other than— 

14 ‘‘(I) any payment for a public communica15 tion (other than a nominal fee), 

16 ‘‘(II) any payment for the purchase or 

17 rental of an email address list made at the di18 rection of a political committee, or 

19 ‘‘(III) any payment for an email address 

20 list that is transferred to a political com21 mittee.’’. 

22 (2) INTERNET ACTIVITY DEFINED.—Section 

23 301 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 431) is amended by add24 ing at the end the following new paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(27) INTERNET ACTIVITY.—The term ‘Internet ac2 tivity’ includes sending or forwarding electronic messages, 

3 providing a hyperlink or other direct access to another per4 son’s Web site, blogging, creating, maintaining, or hosting 

5 a Web site, paying a nominal fee for the use of another 

6 person’s Web site, and any other form of communication 

7 distributed over the Internet.’’. 

8 (b) COVERAGE OF BLOGS AND OTHER INTERNET

9 AND ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS UNDER GENERAL

10 MEDIA EXEMPTION.—Section 301(9)(B)(i) of such Act (2 

11 U.S.C. 431(9)(B)(i)) is amended by inserting ‘‘including 

12 any Internet or electronic publication (including a blog),’’ 

13 after ‘‘periodical publication,’’. 

14 SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

15 The amendments made by this Act shall apply with 

16 respect to expenditures and disbursements made during 

17 2010 or any succeeding year. 

Æ 


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