I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2141
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for a
reduction in the limitation amount for multicandidate political committee
contributions to candidates, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 28, 1995
Mr. SHAYS (for himself, Mr. LUTHER, Mrs. WALDHOLTZ, Mr. BARRETT of
Wisconsin, Mr. KLUG, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. MINGE, Mr. MCHALE, Mr. DEAL
of Georgia, Mr. DICKEY, Mr. ZIMMER, Mr. MEEHAN, and Mr. INGLIS of
South Carolina) 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 a reduction in the limitation amount for
multicandidate political committee contributions to can-
didates, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 
1. 
REDUCTION 
LIMITATION 
AMOUNT 
FOR
MULTICANDIDATE 
POLITICAL 
COMMITTEE
CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES.
Section 315(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Election Cam-
paign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) is amended
by striking out ‘‘$5,000’’ and inserting in lieu thereof
‘‘$2,500’’.
SEC. 2. PERCENTAGE LIMITATION ON CONTRIBUTIONS
FROM MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL COM-
MITTEES.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a) is amended by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
‘‘(i) A candidate for the office of Representative in,
or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress
may not, with respect to a reporting period for an election,
accept contributions from multicandidate political commit-
tees totaling in excess of 50 percent of all contributions
accepted by the candidate with respect to the reporting
period.’’.
SEC. 3. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION LIMITA-
TION ON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PERSONS
OTHER THAN IN-STATE RESIDENTS.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by section 2, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(j)(1) A candidate for the office of Representative
in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress
may not, with respect to a reporting period for an election,
accept contributions from persons other than in-State resi-
dents totaling in excess of 50 percent of all contributions
accepted by the candidate with respect to the reporting
period.
‘‘(2) As used in this subsection, the term ‘in-State
resident’ means a resident of the State in which the con-
gressional district involved is located.’’.
SEC. 4. ELIMINATION OF LIMITATIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS
TO CANDIDATES WHOSE OPPONENTS USE
LARGE AMOUNTS OF PERSONAL FUNDS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 315 of the Federal Elec-
tion Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended
by sections 2 and 3, is further amended by adding at the
end the following new subsection:
‘‘(k) Each candidate in an election for the office of
Senator or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident
Commissioner to, the Congress shall declare by September
1 of an election year if it is the intention of the candidate
to make expenditures of $100,000 or more from the per-
sonal funds of the candidate. If a candidate declares or
makes expenditures of $100,000 or more from personal
funds, then, with respect to any opponent of the candidate
who so uses personal funds and the candidate who so uses
personal funds, the limitation under subsection (a)(2)(A)
shall be deemed to be $5,000 and the limitations under
subsections (i) and (j) shall not apply.’’.
(b) NOTIFICATION.—Section 304(a)(6) of the Fed-
eral Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(6))
is amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph:
‘‘(C)(i) If expenditures of personal funds aggregate
a total of $100,000 or more, the principal campaign com-
mittee of a candidate shall notify the Commission in writ-
ing by telegram, facsimile, or other written electronic
means.
‘‘(ii) The notification requirement under clause (i)
shall be made not later than 24 hours after the expendi-
ture is made.
‘‘(iii) The Commission shall notify all other can-
didates of the expenditure immediately upon receipt of no-
tification under clause (i).’’.
SEC. 5. PROHIBITION OF LEADERSHIP COMMITTEES; RE-
STRICTION ON CONTRIBUTIONS BETWEEN
PRINCIPAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES.
(a) LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE PROHIBITION.—Sec-
tion 302 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
(2 U.S.C. 432) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subsection:
‘‘(j) A candidate for Federal office may not establish,
maintain, finance, or control a political committee, other
than the principal campaign committee of the candidate.’’.
(b) PRINCIPAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE RESTRIC-
TION.—Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by sections 2, 3,
and 4, is further amended by adding at the end the follow-
ing new subsection:
‘‘(l) A principal campaign committee of a candidate
for Federal office may not make any contribution to any
other principal campaign committee (other than the prin-
cipal campaign committee of the same individual as a can-
didate for another Federal office).’’.
SEC. 6. CONTRIBUTIONS THROUGH INTERMEDIARIES AND
CONDUITS.
Section 315(a)(8) of the Federal Election Campaign
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(8)) is amended to read
as follows:
‘‘(8) For the purposes of this subsection:
‘‘(A) Contributions made by a person, either di-
rectly or indirectly, to or on behalf of a particular
candidate, including contributions that are in any
way earmarked or otherwise directed through an
intermediary or conduit to a candidate, shall be
treated as contributions from the person to the can-
didate.
‘‘(B) Contributions made directly or indirectly
by a person to or on behalf of a particular candidate
through an intermediary or conduit, including con-
tributions made or arranged to be made by an
intermediary or conduit, shall be treated as contribu-
tions from the intermediary or conduit to the can-
didate if—
‘‘(i) the contributions made through the
intermediary or conduit are in the form of a
check or other negotiable instrument made pay-
able to the intermediary or conduit rather than
the intended recipient; or
‘‘(ii) the intermediary or conduit is—
‘‘(I) a political committee;
‘‘(II) an officer, employee, or agent of
such a political committee;
‘‘(III) a political party;
‘‘(IV) a partnership or sole proprietor-
ship;
‘‘(V) a person who is required to reg-
ister or to report its lobbying activities, or
a lobbyist whose activities are required to
be reported, under section 308 of the Fed-
eral Regulation of Lobbying Act (2 U.S.C.
267), the Foreign Agents Registration Act
of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.), or any
successor Federal law requiring a person
who is a lobbyist or foreign agent to reg-
ister or a person to report its lobbying ac-
tivities; or
‘‘(VI) an organization prohibited from
making contributions under section 316, or
an officer, employee, or agent of such an
organization acting on the organization’s
behalf.
‘‘(C)(i) The term ‘intermediary or conduit’ does
not include—
‘‘(I) a candidate or representative of a can-
didate receiving contributions to the candidate’s
principal campaign committee or authorized
committee;
‘‘(II) 
a 
professional 
fundraiser 
com-
pensated for fundraising services at the usual
and customary rate, but only if the individual
is not described in subparagraph (B)(ii);
‘‘(III) a volunteer hosting a fundraising
event at the volunteer’s home, in accordance
with section 301(8)(B), but only if the individ-
ual is not described in subparagraph (B)(ii); or
‘‘(IV) an individual who transmits a con-
tribution from the individual’s spouse.
‘‘(ii) The term ‘representative’ means an indi-
vidual who is expressly authorized by the candidate
to engage in fundraising, and who occupies a signifi-
cant position within the candidate’s campaign orga-
nization, provided that the individual is not de-
scribed in subparagraph (B)(ii).
‘‘(iii) The term ‘contributions made or arranged
to be made’ includes—
‘‘(I) contributions delivered to a particular
candidate or the candidate’s authorized commit-
tee or agent; and
‘‘(II) contributions directly or indirectly ar-
ranged to be made to a particular candidate or
the candidate’s authorized committee or agent,
in a manner that identifies directly or indirectly
to the candidate or authorized committee or
agent the person who arranged the making of
the contributions or the person on whose behalf
such person was acting.
Such term does not include contributions made, or
arranged to be made, by reason of an oral or written
communication by a candidate for Federal office or
Federal officeholder expressly advocating the nomi-
nation for election, or election, of any other can-
didate for Federal office and encouraging the mak-
ing of a contribution to such other candidate.
‘‘(iv) The term ‘acting on the organization’s be-
half’ includes the following activities by an officer,
employee or agent of a person described in subpara-
graph (B)(ii)(VI):
‘‘(I) Soliciting or directly or indirectly ar-
ranging the making of a contribution to a par-
ticular candidate in the name of, or by using
the name of, such a person.
‘‘(II) Soliciting or directly or indirectly ar-
ranging the making of a contribution to a par-
ticular candidate using other than incidental re-
sources of such a person.
‘‘(III) Soliciting contributions for a par-
ticular candidate by substantially directing the
solicitations to other officers, employees, or
agents of such a person.
‘‘(D) Nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit—
‘‘(i) bona fide joint fundraising efforts con-
ducted solely for the purpose of sponsorship of
a fundraising reception, dinner, or other similar
event, in accordance with rules prescribed by
the Commission, by—
‘‘(I) 2 or more candidates;
‘‘(II) 2 or more national, State, or
local committees of a political party within
the meaning of section 301(4) acting on
their own behalf; or
‘‘(III) a special committee formed by
2 or more candidates, or a candidate and
a national, State, or local committee of a
political party acting on their own behalf;
or
‘‘(ii) fundraising efforts for the benefit of
a candidate that are conducted by another can-
didate.
When a contribution is made to a candidate through an
intermediary or conduit, the intermediary or conduit shall
report the original source and the intended recipient of
the contribution to the Commission and to the intended
recipient.’’.
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