I

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 767

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

for election for the House of Representatives or the Senate to raise

at least 65 percent of their contributions from individuals residing in

the district or State involved, to limit the amount of contributions such

candidates may accept from multicandidate political committees, and

to prohibit individuals who are ineligible to register to vote in Federal

elections from making contributions to candidates or political parties.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 13, 1997

Mr. KNOLLENBERG 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 election for the House of Representatives or the Senate to raise at least 65 percent

of their contributions from individuals residing in the

district or State involved, to limit the amount of contributions such candidates may accept from multicandidate political committees, and to prohibit individuals

who are ineligible to register to vote in Federal elections

from making contributions to candidates or political parties.

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 ‘‘Common-Sense Cam3 paign Finance Reform Act of 1997’’.

4 SEC. 2. LIMITING AMOUNT OF CONGRESSIONAL CAN5 DIDATE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS

6 NOT RESIDING IN DISTRICT; LIMITING

7 AMOUNT OF CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PACS.

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 315 of the Federal Elec9 tion Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a) is amended

10 by adding at the end the following new subsection:

11 ‘‘(i)(1) A candidate for the office of Senator or the

12 office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Com13 missioner to, the Congress may not accept contributions

14 with respect to an election from individuals other than

15 local individual residents totaling in excess of 35 percent

16 of the total of all contributions from individuals accepted

17 with respect to the election (as determined on the basis

18 of the most recent information included in reports pursu19 ant to section 304(d)).

20 ‘‘(2) A candidate for the office of Senator or the of21 fice of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commis22 sioner to, the Congress may not accept contributions with

23 respect to an election from multicandidate political com24 mittees (as defined in subsection (a)(4)) totaling in excess

25 of 35 percent of the total of all contributions accepted with

26 respect to the election (as determined on the basis of the
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1 most recent information included in reports pursuant to

2 section 304(d)).

3 ‘‘(3) In determining the amount of contributions ac4 cepted by a candidate for purposes of this subsection,

5 there shall not be taken into account any contributions

6 made by a political party.

7 ‘‘(4) As used in this subsection, the term ‘local indi8 vidual resident’ means—

9 ‘‘(A) with respect to an election for the office

10 of Senator, an individual who resides in the State in11 volved; and

12 ‘‘(B) with respect to an election for the office

13 of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Com14 missioner to, the Congress, an individual who resides

15 in the congressional district involved.’’.

16 (b) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 304 of

17 such Act (2 U.S.C. 434) is amended by adding at the end

18 the following new subsection:

19 ‘‘(d) Each principal campaign committee of a can20 didate for the Senate or the House of Representatives

21 shall include the following information in the first report

22 filed under subsection (a)(2) which covers the period

23 which begins 19 days before an election and ends 20 days

24 after the election:
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1 ‘‘(1) The total contributions received by the

2 committee with respect to the election involved from

3 local individual residents (as defined in section

4 315(i)(3)), as of the last day of the period covered

5 by the report.

6 ‘‘(2) The total contributions received by the

7 committee with respect to the election involved from

8 all individuals, as of the last day of the period cov9 ered by the report.

10 ‘‘(3) The total contributions received by the

11 committee with respect to the election involved from

12 multicandidate political committees (as defined in

13 section 315(a)(4)), as of the last day of the period

14 covered by the report.’’.

15 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

16 this section shall apply with respect to contributions made

17 on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

18 SEC. 3. PROHIBITING CONTRIBUTIONS BY INDIVIDUALS

19 NOT ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELEC20 TIONS.

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Federal Election

22 Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431 et seq.) is amended

23 by adding at the end the following new section:
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1 ‘‘PROHIBITING CONTRIBUTIONS BY INDIVIDUALS NOT

2 ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS

3 ‘‘SEC. 323. (a) IN GENERAL.—An individual who is

4 not eligible to vote in any election for Federal office may

5 not make any contribution to any candidate for election

6 for Federal office or to any political party.

7 ‘‘(b) TREATMENT OF INDIVIDUALS NOT REGISTERED

8 TO VOTE.—This section shall not apply with respect to

9 an individual who would be eligible to vote in an election

10 for Federal office but for the failure of the individual to

11 register to vote.

12 ‘‘(c) CONTRIBUTION DEFINED.—In this section, the

13 term ‘contribution’ includes any amount which would be

14 treated as a contribution under section 301(8) but for sub15 paragraph (B) of such section.’’.

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

17 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to contributions

18 made on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

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