I

104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 3912

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to encourage compliance with spending limits on elections for the House of Representatives

and enhance the importance of individual contributions and contributions

originating within congressional districts.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 26, 1996

Mr. PORTER 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

encourage compliance with spending limits on elections

for the House of Representatives and enhance the importance of individual contributions and contributions originating within congressional districts.

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

3 SECTION 1. VOLUNTARY LIMITATION ON EXPENDITURES

4 IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTIONS.

5 Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act

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

7 end the following new subsection:
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1 ‘‘(i)(1)(A) Each candidate for the office of Represent2 ative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the

3 Congress may, in such form and manner as the Commis4 sion may prescribe, agree to be subject to a voluntary limi5 tation on expenditures under subparagraph (B).

6 ‘‘(B) The limitation on expenditures referred to in

7 subparagraph (A) shall be $300,000 for a candidate with

8 respect to each election, but not more than a total of

9 $600,000 with respect to a general election and any pri10 mary election related to such general election.

11 ‘‘(2) If a candidate for the office of Representative

12 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Con13 gress—

14 ‘‘(A) agrees to a limitation on expenditures

15 under paragraph (1); and

16 ‘‘(B) has an opponent who does not so agree;

17 the candidate shall be eligible to receive direct financial

18 compensation in an amount equal to the amount by which

19 the expenditures of the opponent exceed the applicable

20 limitation.’’.
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1 SEC. 2. DECREASE IN CONTRIBUTION LIMITATION AMOUNT

2 APPLICABLE TO CONTRIBUTIONS TO HOUSE

3 OF REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATES BY

4 MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL COMMITTEES.

5 Section 315(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Election Cam6 paign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) is amended

7 by inserting after ‘‘$5,000’’ the following: ‘‘, except that,

8 in the case of an election for the office of Representative

9 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Con10 gress, the limitation under this subparagraph shall be

11 $2,500’’.

12 SEC. 3. INCREASE IN CONTRIBUTION LIMITATION AMOUNT

13 APPLICABLE TO CONTRIBUTIONS TO HOUSE

14 OF REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATES BY PER15 SONS OTHER THAN MULTICANDIDATE POLIT16 ICAL COMMITTEES.

17 Section 315(a)(1)(A) of the Federal Election Cam18 paign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(1)(A)) is amended

19 by inserting after ‘‘$1,000’’ the following: ‘‘, except that,

20 in the case of an election for the office of Representative

21 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Con22 gress, the limitation under this subparagraph shall be

23 $2,000’’.
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1 SEC. 4. CONTRIBUTIONS FROM LOCAL INDIVIDUAL RESI2 DENTS TO PREDOMINATE IN HOUSE OF REP3 RESENTATIVES ELECTIONS.

4 Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act

5 of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by section 1, is fur6 ther amended by adding at the end the following new sub7 section:

‘‘(j)(1) At least 2 8 ⁄3 of the total amount of contribu9 tions accepted by a candidate for the office of Representa10 tive in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Con11 gress with respect to a reporting period for an election

12 shall be from individuals, with at least 80 percent of such

13 total from local individual residents.

14 ‘‘(2) As used in this subsection, the term ‘local indi15 vidual resident’ means an individual who resides in the

16 congressional district involved.’’.

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