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104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 3653

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require candidates

for the House of Representatives or the Senate to file information included in quarterly candidate reports with the Federal Election Commission within 48 hours of the time the information becomes available,

to require all reports filed with the Federal Election Commission to

be filed electronically, to require the information contained in such reports to be made available through the Internet, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 13, 1996

Ms. RIVERS 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

require candidates for the House of Representatives or

the Senate to file information included in quarterly candidate reports with the Federal Election Commission

within 48 hours of the time the information becomes

available, to require all reports filed with the Federal

Election Commission to be filed electronically, to require

the information contained in such reports to be made

available through the Internet, 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. SHORT TITLE.

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Citizens’ Right to

3 Know Act’’.

4 SEC. 2. 48 HOUR DEADLINE FOR FILING REPORTS OF AU5 THORIZED COMMITTEES.

6 Section 304(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act

7 of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)) is amended by adding at the

8 end the following new paragraph:

9 ‘‘(12) Notwithstanding any other provision of this

10 section, in addition to filing reports under paragraph (2),

11 each principal campaign committee of a candidate for the

12 House of Representatives or for the Senate shall file the

13 information required to be included in such reports with

14 the Commission not later than 48 hours after the informa15 tion becomes available to the committee.’’.

16 SEC. 3. TIMETABLE FOR ELECTRONIC FILING OF FEC RE17 PORTS.

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—

19 (1) REQUIREMENT FOR ELECTRONIC FILING.—

20 Section 304(a)(11)(A) of the Federal Election Cam21 paign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(11)(A)), as

22 added by section 1(a) of Public Law 104–79, is

23 amended by adding at the end the following new

24 sentence: ‘‘Except as provided in subparagraph (C),

25 all such reports for periods beginning after Decem26 ber 31, 1998, shall be filed and preserved by means
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1 of computer disk or other format determined by the

2 Commission under the previous sentence.’’.

3 (2) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN REPORTS.—Sec4 tion 304(a)(11) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(11))

5 is amended—

6 (A) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as

7 subparagraph (D); and

8 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B)

9 the following new subparagraph:

10 ‘‘(C)(i) In the case of a report filed by a political com11 mittee reporting less than the designated threshold

12 amount of contributions or expenditures during the elec13 tion cycle for which the report is filed, the committee may

14 file the report—

15 ‘‘(I) by means of computer disk or other format

16 determined by the Commission under subparagraph

17 (A); or

18 ‘‘(II) typed or printed in black ink on paper,

19 using forms supplied by the Commission.

20 ‘‘(ii) In clause (i), the ‘designated threshold amount’

21 is—

22 ‘‘(I) in the case of an authorized committee,

23 $50,000; or
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1 ‘‘(II) in the case of any other political commit2 tee, such amount as the Commission may establish

3 by regulation.

4 ‘‘(iii) In this subparagraph, the term ‘election cycle’

5 means—

6 ‘‘(I) in the case of a candidate or the authorized

7 committees of a candidate, the term beginning on

8 the day after the date of the most recent general

9 election for the specific office or seat which such

10 candidate seeks and ending on the date of the next

11 general election for such office or seat; or

12 ‘‘(II) for all other persons, the term beginning

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

14 election and ending on the date of the next general

15 election.’’.

16 (b) AVAILABILITY OF SOFTWARE.—Section 311(a) of

17 such Act (2 U.S.C. 438(a)) is amended—

18 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph

19 (9);

20 (2) by striking the period at the end of para21 graph (10) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and

22 (3) by adding at the end the following new

23 paragraph:
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1 ‘‘(11) develop and make available without

2 charge any computer software required for the elec3 tronic filing of reports under section 304(a)(11).’’.

4 SEC. 4. INTERNET ACCESS TO FEC REPORTS.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 311(a)(4) of the Federal

6 Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 438(a)(4)) is

7 amended by inserting after ‘‘such copying,’’ the following:

8 ‘‘and make the information contained in those reports and

9 statements available on the Internet (under such guide10 lines and criteria as the Commission considers appro11 priate),’’.

12 (b) PROHIBITING USE OF INTERNET INFORMATION

13 FOR SOLICITING CONTRIBUTIONS OR COMMERCIAL PUR14 POSES.—Section 311(a)(4) of such Act (2 U.S.C.

15 438(a)(4)) is amended by inserting after ‘‘such reports or

16 statements’’ the following: ‘‘or obtained from such reports

17 or statements through the Internet’’.

18 (c) INTERNET DEFINED.—Section 301 of such Act

19 (2 U.S.C. 431) is amended by adding at the end the fol20 lowing new paragraph:

21 ‘‘(20) The term ‘Internet’ means the international

22 computer network of both Federal and non-Federal inter23 operable packet-switched data networks.’’.
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1 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by

2 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to reports for peri3 ods beginning after December 31, 1998.

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