I

104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 3658

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

campaign spending limits, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 13, 1996

Mr. VOLKMER 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 campaign spending limits, 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,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be referred to as the ‘‘Campaign

5 Spending Limitation Reform Act of 1996’’.

6 SEC. 2. NEW TITLE OF FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACT

7 OF 1971.

8 The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2

9 U.S.C. 431 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the

10 following new title:
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1 ‘‘TITLE V—CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION

2 CAMPAIGN SPENDING LIMITATIONS

3 ‘‘SEC. 501. SENATE ELECTION CAMPAIGN SPENDING LIMI4 TATIONS.

5 ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act—

6 ‘‘(1) a candidate for the office of Senator and

7 the authorized committees of the candidate may not

8 make expenditures of more than $1,000,000 with re9 spect to an election cycle;

10 ‘‘(2) an individual may not make contributions

11 of more than $500 to a candidate for the office of

12 Senator and the authorized committees of the can13 didate with respect to an election cycle;

14 ‘‘(3) a candidate for the office of Senator and

15 the authorized committees of the candidate may not

16 accept contributions from an individual who does not

17 reside in the State in which the election is held;

18 ‘‘(4) a multicandidate political committee may

19 not make contributions of more than $2,500 to a

20 candidate for the office of Senator and the author21 ized committees of the candidate with respect to an

22 election cycle;

23 ‘‘(5) a candidate for the office of Senator and

24 the authorized committees of the candidate may not

25 accept contributions from a multicandidate political
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1 committee that does not have members in the State

2 in which the election is held; and

3 ‘‘(6) a candidate for the office of Senator may

4 not make contributions of more than $10,000 to the

5 campaign of the candidate with respect to an elec6 tion cycle.

7 ‘‘SEC. 502. PROVISIONS RELATING TO NATIONAL, STATE,

8 AND LOCAL POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES

9 WITH RESPECT TO ELECTIONS FOR THE OF10 FICE OF SENATOR.

11 ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act—

12 ‘‘(1) no national political party committee may

13 make expenditures with respect to an election for the

14 office of Senator;

15 ‘‘(2) no State political party committee may

16 make expenditures with respect to an election for the

17 office of Senator; and

18 ‘‘(3) a local political party committee may not

19 make contributions of more than $100 to a can20 didate for the office of Senator and the authorized

21 committees of the candidate with respect to an elec22 tion cycle.

23 ‘‘SEC. 503. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION CAM24 PAIGN SPENDING LIMITATIONS.

25 ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act—
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1 ‘‘(1) a candidate for the office of Representative

2 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the

3 Congress and the authorized committees of the can4 didate may not make expenditures of more than

5 $200,000 with respect to an election cycle;

6 ‘‘(2) an individual may not make contributions

7 of more than $500 to a candidate for the office of

8 Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commis9 sioner to, the Congress and the authorized commit10 tees of the candidate with respect to an election

11 cycle;

12 ‘‘(3) a candidate for the office of Representative

13 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the

14 Congress and the authorized committees of the can15 didate may not accept contributions from an individ16 ual who does not reside in the congressional district

17 in which the election is held;

18 ‘‘(4) a multicandidate political committee may

19 not make contributions of more than $2,500 to a

20 candidate for the office of Representative in, or Del21 egate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress

22 and the authorized committees of the candidate with

23 respect to an election cycle;

24 ‘‘(5) a candidate for the office of Representative

25 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the
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1 Congress and the authorized committees of the can2 didate may not accept contributions from a multi3 candidate political committee that does not have

4 members in the congressional district in which the

5 election is held; and

6 ‘‘(6) a candidate for the office of Representative

7 in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the

8 Congress may not make contributions of more than

9 $10,000 to the campaign of the candidate with re10 spect to an election cycle.

11 ‘‘SEC. 504. PROVISIONS RELATING TO NATIONAL, STATE,

12 AND LOCAL POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES

13 WITH RESPECT TO HOUSE OF REPRESENTA14 TIVES ELECTIONS.

15 ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act—

16 ‘‘(1) no national political party committee may

17 make expenditures with respect to an election for the

18 office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident

19 Commissioner to, the Congress;

20 ‘‘(2) no State political party committee may

21 make expenditures with respect to an election for the

22 office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident

23 Commissioner to, the Congress; and

24 ‘‘(3) a local political party committee may not

25 make contributions of more than $100 to a can-
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1 didate for the office of Representative in, or Dele2 gate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress and

3 the authorized committees of the candidate with re4 spect to an election cycle.

5 ‘‘SEC. 505. PENALTY ASSESSMENT FOR EXCEEDING SPEND6 ING LIMITATIONS.

7 ‘‘(a) MONETARY PENALTIES.—Notwithstanding any

8 other provision of this Act, any candidate or authorized

9 committee that makes an expenditure in excess of a limita10 tion under this title—

11 ‘‘(1) in the case of an expenditure that exceeds

12 a limitation by not more than 10 percent, shall be

13 assessed a penalty in an amount equal to 10 times

14 the amount of the excess expenditure; and

15 ‘‘(2) in the case of an expenditure that exceeds

16 a limitation by more than 10 percent, shall be as17 sessed a penalty in an amount equal to 20 times the

18 amount of the excess expenditure.

19 ‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL PENALTIES.—Notwithstanding

20 any other provision of this Act, if a candidate or author21 ized committee makes an expenditure in excess of 20 per22 cent of a limitation under this title—

23 ‘‘(1) in the case of a candidate who wins the

24 election, the candidate shall forfeit the office in25 volved; and
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1 ‘‘(2) in the case of a candidate who loses the

2 election, the candidate shall be ineligible to hold any

3 Federal office for 10 years after the violation.

4 ‘‘SEC. 506. CRIMINAL PENALTY FOR USE OF SOFT MONEY

5 OR CONTRIBUTIONS IN KIND.

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro7 vision of the Act—

8 ‘‘(1) no person may use soft money with respect

9 to an election for the office of Senator or Represent10 ative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to,

11 the Congress; and

12 ‘‘(2) no person may make or accept a contribu13 tion in kind with respect to an election for the office

14 of Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resi15 dent Commissioner to, the Congress.

16 ‘‘(b) CRIMINAL PENALTY.—Whoever violates sub17 section (a) shall be fined in accordance with title 18, Unit18 ed States Code, imprisoned not more than one year, or

19 both.

20 ‘‘SEC. 507. PAYMENT OF PENALTIES.

21 ‘‘Any monetary penalties paid under this title shall

22 be deposited in the Treasury.

23 ‘‘SEC. 508. DEFINITIONS.

24 ‘‘As used in this title—

25 ‘‘(1) the term ‘election cycle’ means—
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1 ‘‘(A) in the case of a candidate or the au2 thorized committees of a candidate, the term

3 beginning on the day after the date of the most

4 general election for the specific office or seat

5 which such candidate seeks and ending on the

6 date of the next general election for such office

7 or seat; or

8 ‘‘(B) for all other persons, the term begin9 ning on the first day following the date of the

10 last general election and ending on the date of

11 the next general election.

12 ‘‘(2) the term ‘soft money’ means—an expendi13 ture for a campaign activity with the preponderant

14 purpose or effect of which is to promote a political

15 party rather than any particular Federal or non16 Federal candidate.’’.

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