I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2788 

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit a candidate 

for election to the office of Senator or Member of the House of Representatives from making campaign expenditures for the election from 

amounts that were not raised during the election cycle for that office, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 1, 2011 

Mr. WOODALL (for himself and Mr. BARTLETT) 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 

prohibit a candidate for election to the office of Senator 

or Member of the House of Representatives from making 

campaign expenditures for the election from amounts 

that were not raised during the election cycle for that 

office, 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 cited as the ‘‘Competitive Elections 

5 Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITING CANDIDATES FROM MAKING EXPEND2 ITURES OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS NOT RAISED 

3 DURING ELECTION CYCLE. 

4 (a) PROHIBITION.—Title III of the Federal Election 

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

6 by inserting after section 315A the following new section: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 315B. PROHIBITING CANDIDATES FROM MAKING EX8 PENDITURES OF FUNDS NOT RAISED DURING 

9 ELECTION CYCLE. 

10 ‘‘(a) RESTRICTION ON EXPENDITURES.—An author11 ized committee of a candidate for election for the office 

12 of Senator or the office of Representative in, or Delegate 

13 or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress may not make 

14 any expenditure of funds in support of the candidate’s 

15 campaign for election that were not deposited in the ac16 count of the committee during the election cycle for the 

17 office involved. 

18 ‘‘(b) EXCEPTION FOR CANDIDATES FACING CERTAIN

19 OPPONENTS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) STATEMENTS OF EXPENDITURES FROM

21 PERSONAL FUNDS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) INITIAL NOTIFICATION.—Not later 

23 than 24 hours after a candidate for election for 

24 the office of Senator or the office of Represent25 ative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner 

26 to, the Congress makes expenditures from perVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:56 Aug 04, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2788.IH H2788

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1 sonal funds during the election cycle in an ag2 gregate amount that exceeds $100,000, the can3 didate shall file a statement with the Commis4 sion and each other candidate in the same elec5 tion that sets forth the amount by which ex6 penditures from personal funds made by the 

7 candidate during the cycle exceeds $100,000. 

8 ‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL NOTIFICATIONS.—After 

9 a candidate files an initial statement under sub10 paragraph (A), the candidate shall file an addi11 tional statement each time the candidate makes 

12 or obligates to make expenditures from personal 

13 funds during the election cycle in an aggregate 

14 amount that exceeds $50,000. Such additional 

15 statement shall be filed not later than 24 hours 

16 after the expenditure is made, and shall set 

17 forth the amount of expenditures from personal 

18 funds made by the candidate since the most re19 cent statement filed under this paragraph. 

20 ‘‘(2) PERMITTING USE OF PREVIOUSLY RAISED

21 FUNDS BASED ON STATEMENTS FROM OPPO22 NENTS.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), an author23 ized committee of a candidate who receives a state24 ment under paragraph (1) from another candidate 

25 in the election may make expenditures of funds that 


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1 were deposited in the account of the committee prior 

2 to the election cycle for the office involved in an 

3 amount equal to the sum of— 

4 ‘‘(A) $100,000; plus 

5 ‘‘(B) an amount equal to the product of— 

6 ‘‘(i) the number of statements the 

7 candidate receives under paragraph (1) 

8 during the election cycle; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) $50,000. 

10 ‘‘(3) EXPENDITURE FROM PERSONAL FUNDS

11 DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘expenditure 

12 from personal funds’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) an expenditure made by a candidate 

14 using personal funds; and 

15 ‘‘(B) a contribution or loan made by a can16 didate using personal funds or a loan secured 

17 using such funds to an authorized committee of 

18 the candidate. 

19 ‘‘(c) ELECTION CYCLE DEFINED.—In this section, 

20 the term ‘election cycle’ means— 

21 ‘‘(1) with respect to a candidate for election for 

22 the office of Senator, the period beginning on the 

23 day after the date of the most recent regularly 

24 scheduled general election for that office and ending 


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1 on the date of the next regularly scheduled general 

2 election for that office; and 

3 ‘‘(2) with respect to a candidate for election for 

4 the office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resi5 dent Commissioner to, the Congress, the period be6 ginning on the day after the most recent regularly 

7 scheduled general election for Federal office and 

8 ending on the date of the next regularly scheduled 

9 general election for Federal office.’’. 

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

11 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to each election 

12 cycle that begins after the date of the enactment of this 

13 Act. For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘‘election 

14 cycle’’ has the meaning given such term in section 315B(c) 

15 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (as added 

16 by subsection (a)). 

Æ 


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