528 
(c) SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON USE OF FUNDS TO 
ENABLE CANDIDATES TO PARTICIPATE IN MATCHING 
FUNDS PROGRAM.—If the State plan under this section 
includes an allocation for activities described in section 
8001(b)(2)(A) (relating to payments to participating can-
didates in the State under title V of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971), the State shall include in the plan 
specific information on how the amount of the allocation 
will enable the State to provide for the viable participation 
of candidates in the State under such title, including the 
assumptions made by the State in determining the amount 
of the allocation. 
SEC. 8003. PROHIBITING REDUCTION IN ACCESS TO PAR-
TICIPATION IN ELECTIONS. 
(a) PROHIBITING USE OF PAYMENTS.—A State may 
not use a payment made under the Program to carry out 
any activity which has the purpose or effect of diminishing 
the ability of any citizen of the United States to partici-
pate in the electoral process. 
(b) STATE-BASED
ADMINISTRATIVE
COMPLAINT 
PROCEDURES.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—A State receiving a pay-
ment under the Program shall establish uniform and 
nondiscriminatory State-based administrative com-
plaint procedures under which any person who be-
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529 
lieves that a violation of subsection (a) has occurred, 
is occurring, or is about to occur may file a com-
plaint. 
(2) NOTIFICATION TO DIRECTOR.—The State 
shall transmit to the Director a description of each 
complaint filed under the procedures, together 
with— 
(A) if the State provides a remedy with re-
spect to the complaint, a description of the rem-
edy; or 
(B) if the State dismisses the complaint, a 
statement of the reasons for the dismissal. 
(3) REVIEW BY DIRECTOR.— 
(A) REQUEST FOR REVIEW.—Any person 
who is dissatisfied with the final decision under 
a State-based administrative complaint proce-
dure under this subsection may, not later than 
60 days after the decision is made, file a re-
quest with the Director to review the decision. 
(B) ACTION BY DIRECTOR.—Upon receiv-
ing a request under subparagraph (A), the Di-
rector shall review the decision and, in accord-
ance with such procedures as the Director may 
establish, including procedures to provide notice 
and an opportunity for a hearing, may uphold 
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530 
the decision or reverse the decision and provide 
an appropriate remedy. 
(C) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY
OF
MATE-
RIAL.—The Director shall make available on a 
publicly accessible website all material relating 
to a request for review and determination by 
the Director under this paragraph, except that 
the Director may redact material required to be 
made available under this subparagraph if the 
material would be properly withheld from dis-
closure under section 552 of title 5, United 
States Code, or if the public disclosure of the 
material is otherwise prohibited by law. 
(4) RIGHT TO PETITION FOR REVIEW.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Any person aggrieved 
by an action of the Director under subpara-
graph (B) of paragraph (3) may file a petition 
with the United States District Court for the 
District of Columbia. 
(B) DEADLINE TO FILE PETITION.—Any 
petition under this subparagraph shall be filed 
not later than 60 days after the date of the ac-
tion taken by the Director under subparagraph 
(B) of paragraph (3). 
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531 
(C) STANDARD OF REVIEW.—In any pro-
ceeding under this paragraph, the court shall 
determine whether the action of the Director 
was arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discre-
tion, or otherwise not in accordance with law 
under section 706 of title 5, United States 
Code, and may direct the Office to conform 
with any such determination within 30 days. 
(c) ACTION BY ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR DECLARA-
TORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.—The Attorney General 
may bring a civil action against any State in an appro-
priate United States District Court for such declaratory 
and injunctive relief (including a temporary restraining 
order, a permanent or temporary injunction, or other 
order) as may be necessary to enforce subsection (a). 
SEC. 8004. AMOUNT OF STATE ALLOCATION. 
(a) STATE-SPECIFIC AMOUNT.—The amount of the 
allocation made to a State under the Program for a fiscal 
year shall be equal to the product of— 
(1) the Congressional district allocation amount 
(determined under subsection (b)); and 
(2) the number of Congressional districts in the 
State for the next regularly scheduled general elec-
tion for Federal office held in the State. 
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532 
(b) 
CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT
ALLOCATION 
AMOUNT.—For purposes of subsection (a), the ‘‘Congres-
sional district allocation amount’’ with respect to a fiscal 
year is equal to the quotient of— 
(1) the aggregate amount available for alloca-
tions to States under the Program for the fiscal 
year, as determined by the Director under sub-
section (c); divided by 
(2) the total number of Congressional districts 
in all States. 
(c) DETERMINATION
OF
AGGREGATE
AMOUNT 
AVAILABLE
FOR
ALLOCATIONS; 
NOTIFICATION
TO 
STATES.—Not later than 120 days before the first day 
of each fiscal year, the Director— 
(1) shall, in accordance with section 8012, de-
termine and establish the aggregate amount avail-
able for allocations to States under the Program for 
the fiscal year; and 
(2) shall notify each State of the amount of the 
State’s allocation under the Program for the fiscal 
year. 
(d) SOURCE OF PAYMENTS.—The amounts used to 
make allocations and payments under the Program shall 
be derived solely from the Trust Fund. 
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533 
SEC. 8005. PROCEDURES FOR DISBURSEMENTS OF PAY-
MENTS AND ALLOCATIONS. 
(a) DIRECT PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR CERTAIN AC-
TIVITIES UNDER STATE PLAN.— 
(1) DIRECT PAYMENT.—If the approved State 
plan of a State includes activities for which alloca-
tions are not made under subsections (b), (c), or (d), 
upon approving the State plan under section 8002, 
the Director shall direct the Secretary of the Treas-
ury to disburse amounts from the Trust Fund for 
payment to the State in the aggregate amount pro-
vided under the plan for such activities. 
(2) TIMING.—As soon as practicable after the 
Director directs the Secretary of the Treasury to 
disburse amounts for payment to a State under 
paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
make the payment to the State under such para-
graph. 
(3) CONTINUING
AVAILABILITY
OF
FUNDS 
AFTER
APPROPRIATION.—A payment made to a 
State under this subsection shall be available with-
out fiscal year limitation. 
(b) ALLOCATION TO ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMIS-
SION FOR PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR CERTAIN ELECTION 
ADMINISTRATION ACTIVITIES.— 
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(1) ALLOCATION.—If the approved State plan 
of a State includes activities described in section 
8001(b)(1), upon approving the State plan under 
section 8002, the Director shall direct the Secretary 
of the Treasury to allocate to the Election Assist-
ance Commission the amount provided for such ac-
tivities under the plan. 
(2) PAYMENT
TO
STATE.—As soon as prac-
ticable after receiving an allocation under paragraph 
(1) with respect to a State, the Election Assistance 
Commission shall make a payment to the State in 
the amount of the State’s allocation. 
(3) CONTINUING
AVAILABILITY
OF
FUNDS 
AFTER
APPROPRIATION.—A payment made to a 
State by the Election Assistance Commission under 
this subsection shall be available without fiscal year 
limitation. 
(c) ALLOCATION TO FEDERAL ELECTION COMMIS-
SION FOR PAYMENTS TO PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES 
FROM STATE.—If the approved State plan of a State in-
cludes activities described in section 8001(b)(2)(A), relat-
ing to payments to participating candidates in the State 
under title V of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971, upon approving the State plan under section 8002, 
the Director shall direct the Secretary of the Treasury to 
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535 
allocate to the Federal Election Commission the amount 
provided for such activities under the plan. 
(d) ALLOCATION TO FEDERAL ELECTION COMMIS-
SION
FOR PAYMENTS
FOR DEMOCRACY CREDIT PRO-
GRAM.—If the approved State plan of a State includes ac-
tivities described in section 8001(b)(2)(B), relating to pay-
ments to the State for the operation of a Democracy Cred-
it Program under part 1 of subtitle B, upon approving 
the State plan under section 8002, the Director shall di-
rect the Secretary of the Treasury to allocate to the Fed-
eral Election Commission the amount provided for such 
activities under the plan. 
(e) CERTAIN PAYMENTS MADE DIRECTLY TO LOCAL 
ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS.—Under rules established by 
the Director not later than 270 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, portions of amounts disbursed to 
States by the Secretary of the Treasury under subsection 
(a) and payments made to States by the Election Assist-
ance Commission under subsection (b) may be provided 
directly to local election administrators carrying out activi-
ties in the State plan which may be carried out with such 
amounts and payments. 
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536 
SEC. 8006. OFFICE OF DEMOCRACY ADVANCEMENT AND IN-
NOVATION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established as an 
independent establishment in the executive branch the Of-
fice of Democracy Advancement and Innovation. 
(b) DIRECTOR.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall be headed 
by a Director, who shall be appointed by the Presi-
dent with the advice and consent of the Senate. 
(2) TERM
OF
SERVICE.—The Director shall 
serve for a term of 6 years and may be reappointed 
to an additional term, and may continue serving as 
Director until a replacement is appointed. A vacancy 
in the position of Director shall be filled in the same 
manner as the original appointment. 
(3) COMPENSATION.—The Director shall be 
paid at an annual rate of pay equal to the annual 
rate in effect for level II of the Executive Schedule. 
(4) REMOVAL.—The Director may be removed 
from office by the President. If the President re-
moves the Director, the President shall communicate 
in writing the reasons for the removal to both 
Houses of Congress not later than 30 days before-
hand. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed 
to prohibit a personnel action otherwise authorized 
by law. 
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537 
(c) GENERAL COUNSEL AND OTHER STAFF.— 
(1) GENERAL
COUNSEL.—The Director shall 
appoint a general counsel who shall be paid at an 
annual rate of pay equal to the annual rate in effect 
for level III of the Executive Schedule. In the event 
of a vacancy in the position of the Director, the 
General Counsel shall exercise all the responsibilities 
of the Director until such vacancy is filled. 
(2) SENIOR STAFF.—The Director may appoint 
and fix the pay of staff designated as Senior staff, 
such as a Deputy Director, who may be paid at an 
annual rate of pay equal to the annual rate in effect 
for level IV of the Executive Schedule. 
(3) OTHER STAFF.—In addition to the General 
Counsel and Senior staff, the Director may appoint 
and fix the pay of such other staff as the Director 
considers necessary to carry out the duties of the 
Office, except that no such staff may be com-
pensated at an annual rate exceeding the daily 
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect 
for grade GS–15 of the General Schedule. 
(d) DUTIES.—The duties of the Office are as follows: 
(1) ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.—The Di-
rector shall administer the Program, in consultation 
with the Election Assistance Commission and the 
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538 
Federal Election Commission, including by holding 
quarterly meetings of representatives from such 
Commissions. 
(2) OVERSIGHT OF TRUST FUND.—The Direc-
tor shall oversee the operation of the Trust Fund 
and monitor its balances, in consultation with the 
Secretary of the Treasury. The Director may hold 
funds in reserve to cover the expenses of the Office 
and to preserve the solvency of the Trust Fund. 
(3) REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the regularly scheduled general election 
for Federal office held in 2026 and each succeeding 
regularly scheduled general election for Federal of-
fice thereafter, the Director shall submit to the 
Committee on House Administration of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Rules and 
Administration of the Senate a report on the activi-
ties carried out under the Program and the amounts 
deposited into and paid from the Trust Fund during 
the two most recent fiscal years. 
(e) COVERAGE UNDER INSPECTOR GENERAL ACT OF 
1978 FOR CONDUCTING AUDITS AND INVESTIGATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 415(a)(1)(A) of title 
5, United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘the 
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539 
Office of Democracy Advancement and Innovation,’’ 
after ‘‘Election Assistance Commission,’’. 
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 
by paragraph (1) shall take effect 180 days after the 
appointment of the Director. 
(f) COVERAGE UNDER HATCH ACT.—Clause (i) of 
section 7323(b)(2)(B) of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subclause 
(XIII); and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
clause: 
‘‘(XV) the Office of Democracy Advance-
ment and Innovation; or’’. 
(g) REGULATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), not later than 270 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall promulgate 
such rules and regulations as the Director considers 
necessary and appropriate to carry out the duties of 
the Office under this Act and the amendments made 
by this Act. 
(2) STATE PLAN SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL 
AND DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
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540 
Director shall promulgate such rules and regulations 
as the Director considers necessary and appropriate 
to carry out the requirements of this part and the 
amendments made by this part. 
(3) COMMENTS BY THE ELECTION ASSISTANCE 
COMMISSION AND THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMIS-
SION.—The Election Assistance Commission and the 
Federal Election Assistance shall timely submit com-
ments with respect to any proposed regulations pro-
mulgated by the Director under this subsection. 
(h) INTERIM AUTHORITY PENDING APPOINTMENT 
AND CONFIRMATION OF DIRECTOR.— 
(1) AUTHORITY OF DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF 
MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET.—Notwithstanding sub-
section (b), during the transition period, the Direc-
tor of the Office of Management and Budget is au-
thorized to perform the functions of the Office under 
this title, and shall act for all purposes as, and with 
the full powers of, the Director. 
(2) INTERIM ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES.— 
(A) AUTHORITY OF OFFICE OF MANAGE-
MENT AND BUDGET.—During the transition pe-
riod, the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget may provide administrative services 
necessary to support the Office. 
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541 
(B) TERMINATION
OF
AUTHORITY; PER-
MITTING EXTENSION.—The Director of the Of-
fice of Management and Budget shall cease pro-
viding interim administrative services under this 
paragraph upon the expiration of the transition 
period, except that the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget may continue to pro-
vide such services after the expiration of the 
transition period if the Director and the Direc-
tor of the Office of Management and Budget 
jointly transmit to the Committee on House Ad-
ministration of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Rules and Administra-
tion of the Senate— 
(i) a written determination that an or-
derly implementation of this title is not 
feasible by the expiration of the transition 
period; 
(ii) an explanation of why an exten-
sion is necessary for the orderly implemen-
tation of this title; 
(iii) a description of the period during 
which the Director of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget shall continue pro-
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542 
viding services under the authority of this 
subparagraph; and 
(iv) a description of the steps that will 
be taken to ensure an orderly and timely 
implementation of this title during the pe-
riod described in clause (iii). 
(3) TRANSITION
PERIOD
DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the ‘‘transition period’’ is the period 
which begins on the date of the enactment of this 
Act and ends on the date on which the Director is 
appointed and confirmed. 
(4) LIMIT ON LENGTH OF PERIOD OF INTERIM 
AUTHORITIES.—Notwithstanding any other provision 
of this subsection, the Director of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget may not exercise any authority 
under this subsection after the expiration of the 24- 
month period which begins on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated from the Trust Fund 
such sums as may be necessary to carry out the activities 
of the Office for fiscal year 2025 and each succeeding fis-
cal year. 
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543 
PART 2—STATE ELECTION ASSISTANCE AND 
INNOVATION TRUST FUND 
SEC. 8011. STATE ELECTION ASSISTANCE AND INNOVATION 
TRUST FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘‘State Election As-
sistance and Innovation Trust Fund’’. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The Trust Fund shall consist solely 
of— 
(1) amounts transferred under section 3015 of 
title 18, United States Code, section 9706 of title 
31, United States Code, and section 6761 of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 (as added by section 
8013); and 
(2) gifts or bequests deposited pursuant to sub-
section (d). 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts in the Trust Fund 
shall be used to make payments and allocations under the 
Program (as described in section 8012(a)) and to carry 
out the activities of the Office. 
(d) ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS.—The Office may accept 
gifts or bequests for deposit into the Trust Fund. 
(e) NO TAXPAYER FUNDS PERMITTED.—No tax-
payer funds may be deposited into the Trust Fund. For 
purposes of this subsection, the term ‘‘taxpayer funds’’ 
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544 
means revenues received by the Internal Revenue Service 
from tax liabilities. 
(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 
on the date of the enactment of this subtitle. 
SEC. 8012. USES OF FUND. 
(a) PAYMENTS AND ALLOCATIONS DESCRIBED.—For 
each fiscal year, amounts in the Fund shall be used as 
follows: 
(1) Payments to States under the Program, as 
described in section 8005(a). 
(2) Allocations to the Election Assistance Com-
mission, to be used for payments for certain election 
administration activities, as described in section 
8005(b). 
(3) Allocations to the Federal Election Commis-
sion, to be used for payments to participating can-
didates under title V of the Federal Election Cam-
paign Act of 1971, as described in section 8005(c). 
(4) Allocations to the Federal Election Commis-
sion, to be used for payments to States operating a 
Democracy Credit Program under part 1 of subtitle 
B, as described in section 8005(d). 
(b) DETERMINATION OF AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF 
STATE ALLOCATIONS.—The Director shall determine and 
establish the aggregate amount of State allocations for 
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545 
each fiscal year, taking into account the anticipated bal-
ances of the Trust Fund. In carrying out this subsection, 
the Director shall consult with the Federal Election Com-
mission and the Election Assistance Commission, but shall 
be solely responsible for making the final determinations 
under this subsection. 
SEC. 8013. ASSESSMENTS AGAINST FINES AND PENALTIES. 
(a) ASSESSMENTS RELATING
TO CRIMINAL OF-
FENSES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Chapter 201 of title 18, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 3015. Special assessments for State Election Assist-
ance and Innovation Trust Fund 
‘‘(a) ASSESSMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) CONVICTIONS OF CRIMES.—In addition to 
any assessment imposed under this chapter, the 
court shall assess on any organizational defendant or 
any defendant who is a corporate officer or person 
with equivalent authority in any other organization 
who is convicted of a criminal offense under Federal 
law an amount equal to 4.75 percent of any fine im-
posed on that defendant in the sentence imposed for 
that conviction. 
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546 
‘‘(2) SETTLEMENTS.—The court shall assess on 
any organizational defendant or defendant who is a 
corporate officer or person with equivalent authority 
in any other organization who has entered into a 
settlement agreement or consent decree with the 
United States in satisfaction of any allegation that 
the defendant committed a criminal offense under 
Federal law an amount equal to 4.75 percent of the 
amount of the settlement. 
‘‘(b) MANNER
OF COLLECTION.—An amount as-
sessed under subsection (a) shall be collected in the man-
ner in which fines are collected in criminal cases. 
‘‘(c) TRANSFERS.—In a manner consistent with sec-
tion 3302(b) of title 31, there shall be transferred from 
the General Fund of the Treasury to the State Election 
Assistance and Innovation Trust Fund under section 8011 
of the Freedom to Vote Act an amount equal to the 
amount of the assessments collected under this section.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions of chapter 201 of title 18, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘3015. Special assessments for State Election Assistance and Innovation Trust 
Fund.’’. 
(b) ASSESSMENTS
RELATING
TO
CIVIL
PEN-
ALTIES.— 
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547 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Chapter 97 of title 31, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 9706. Special assessments for State Election Assist-
ance and Innovation Trust Fund 
‘‘(a) ASSESSMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) CIVIL PENALTIES.—Any entity of the Fed-
eral Government which is authorized under any law, 
rule, or regulation to impose a civil penalty shall as-
sess on each person, other than a natural person 
who is not a corporate officer or person with equiva-
lent authority in any other organization, on whom 
such a penalty is imposed an amount equal to 4.75 
percent of the amount of the penalty. 
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTIES.—Any entity 
of the Federal Government which is authorized 
under any law, rule, or regulation to impose an ad-
ministrative penalty shall assess on each person, 
other than a natural person who is not a corporate 
officer or person with equivalent authority in any 
other organization, on whom such a penalty is im-
posed an amount equal to 4.75 percent of the 
amount of the penalty. 
‘‘(3) SETTLEMENTS.—Any entity of the Federal 
Government which is authorized under any law, rule, 
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or regulation to enter into a settlement agreement or 
consent decree with any person, other than a natural 
person who is not a corporate officer or person with 
equivalent authority in any other organization, in 
satisfaction of any allegation of an action or omis-
sion by the person which would be subject to a civil 
penalty or administrative penalty shall assess on 
such person an amount equal to 4.75 percent of the 
amount of the settlement. 
‘‘(b) MANNER
OF COLLECTION.—An amount as-
sessed under subsection (a) shall be collected— 
‘‘(1) in the case of an amount assessed under 
paragraph (1) of such subsection, in the manner in 
which civil penalties are collected by the entity of the 
Federal Government involved; 
‘‘(2) in the case of an amount assessed under 
paragraph (2) of such subsection, in the manner in 
which administrative penalties are collected by the 
entity of the Federal Government involved; and 
‘‘(3) in the case of an amount assessed under 
paragraph (3) of such subsection, in the manner in 
which amounts are collected pursuant to settlement 
agreements or consent decrees entered into by the 
entity of the Federal Government involved. 
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549 
‘‘(c) TRANSFERS.—In a manner consistent with sec-
tion 3302(b) of this title, there shall be transferred from 
the General Fund of the Treasury to the State Election 
Assistance and Innovation Trust Fund under section 8011 
of the Freedom to Vote Act an amount equal to the 
amount of the assessments collected under this section. 
‘‘(d) EXCEPTION
FOR PENALTIES
AND SETTLE-
MENTS UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE 
CODE OF 1986.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—No assessment shall be 
made under subsection (a) with respect to any civil 
or administrative penalty imposed, or any settlement 
agreement or consent decree entered into, under the 
authority of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
‘‘(2) CROSS
REFERENCE.—For application of 
special assessments for the State Election Assistance 
and Innovation Trust Fund with respect to certain 
penalties under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 
see section 6761 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions of chapter 97 of title 31, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘9706. Special assessments for State Election Assistance and Innovation Trust 
Fund.’’. 
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550 
(c) ASSESSMENTS RELATING
TO CERTAIN PEN-
ALTIES UNDER
THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE
OF 
1986.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 68 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subchapter: 
‘‘Subchapter 
D—Special 
Assessments 
for 
State Election Assistance and Innovation 
Trust Fund 
‘‘SEC. 6761. SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS FOR STATE ELECTION 
ASSISTANCE AND INNOVATION TRUST FUND. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each person required to pay a 
covered penalty shall pay an additional amount equal to 
4.75 percent of the amount of such penalty. 
‘‘(b) COVERED PENALTY.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘covered penalty’ means any addition to tax, 
additional amount, penalty, or other liability provided 
under subchapter A or B. 
‘‘(c) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a taxpayer 
who is an individual, subsection (a) shall not apply 
to any covered penalty if such taxpayer is an exempt 
taxpayer for the taxable year for which such covered 
penalty is assessed. 
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551 
‘‘(2) EXEMPT TAXPAYER.—For purposes of this 
subsection, a taxpayer is an exempt taxpayer for any 
taxable year if the taxable income of such taxpayer 
for such taxable year does not exceed the dollar 
amount at which begins the highest rate bracket in 
effect under section 1 with respect to such taxpayer 
for such taxable year. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION OF CERTAIN RULES.—Except as 
provided in subsection (e), the additional amount deter-
mined under subsection (a) shall be treated for purposes 
of this title in the same manner as the covered penalty 
to which such additional amount relates. 
‘‘(e) TRANSFER TO STATE ELECTION ADMINISTRA-
TION AND INNOVATION TRUST FUND.—The Secretary 
shall deposit any additional amount under subsection (a) 
in the General Fund of the Treasury and shall transfer 
from such General Fund to the State Election Assistance 
and Innovation Trust Fund under section 8011 of the 
Freedom to Vote Act an amount equal to the amounts 
so deposited (and, notwithstanding subsection (d), such 
additional amount shall not be the basis for any deposit, 
transfer, credit, appropriation, or any other payment, to 
any other trust fund or account). Rules similar to the rules 
of section 9601 shall apply for purposes of this sub-
section.’’. 
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552 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sub-
chapters for chapter 68 of such Code is amended by 
adding at the end the following new item: 
‘‘SUBCHAPTER D—SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS FOR STATE ELECTION ASSISTANCE 
AND INNOVATION TRUST FUND’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the amendments made by this section 
shall apply with respect to convictions, agreements, 
and penalties which occur on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
(2) ASSESSMENTS RELATING TO CERTAIN PEN-
ALTIES UNDER THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 
1986.—The amendments made by subsection (c) 
shall apply to covered penalties assessed after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
PART 3—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
SEC. 8021. DEFINITIONS. 
In this subtitle, the following definitions apply: 
(1) The term ‘‘chief State election official’’ has 
the meaning given such term in section 253(e) of the 
Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 
21003(e)). 
(2) The term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of 
the Office. 
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553 
(3) The term ‘‘election cycle’’ means the period 
beginning on the day after the date of the most re-
cent regularly scheduled general election for Federal 
office and ending on the date of the next regularly 
scheduled general election for Federal office. 
(4) The term ‘‘Indian lands’’ includes— 
(A) Indian country, as defined under sec-
tion 1151 of title 18, United States Code; 
(B) any land in Alaska owned, pursuant to 
the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), by an Indian Tribe that 
is a Native village (as defined in section 3 of 
that Act (43 U.S.C. 1602)) or by a Village Cor-
poration that is associated with an Indian Tribe 
(as defined in section 3 of that Act (43 U.S.C. 
1602)); 
(C) any land on which the seat of the Trib-
al government is located; and 
(D) any land that is part or all of a Tribal 
designated statistical area associated with an 
Indian Tribe, or is part or all of an Alaska Na-
tive village statistical area associated with an 
Indian Tribe, as defined by the Census Bureau 
for the purposes of the most recent decennial 
census. 
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554 
(5) The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Office of De-
mocracy Advancement and Innovation established 
under section 8005. 
(6) The term ‘‘Program’’ means the Democracy 
Advancement and Innovation Program established 
under section 8001. 
(7) The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the several 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United 
States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands. 
(8) The term ‘‘Trust Fund’’ means the State 
Election Assistance and Innovation Trust Fund es-
tablished under section 8011. 
SEC. 8022. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING CALCULA-
TION OF DEADLINES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to the calculation of 
any period of time for the purposes of a deadline in this 
subtitle, the last day of the period shall be included in 
such calculation, unless such day is a Saturday, a Sunday, 
or a legal public holiday, in which case the period of such 
deadline shall be extended until the end of the next day 
which is not a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal public holi-
day. 
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555 
(b) LEGAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY DEFINED.—For the 
purposes of this section, the term ‘‘legal public holiday’’ 
means a day described in section 6103(a) of title 5, United 
States Code. 
Subtitle B—Elections for House of 
Representatives 
SEC. 8101. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Government By 
the People Act of 2023’’. 
PART 1—OPTIONAL DEMOCRACY CREDIT 
PROGRAM 
SEC. 8102. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Federal Election Com-
mission (hereafter in this part referred to as the ‘‘Commis-
sion’’) shall establish a program under which the Commis-
sion shall make payments to States to operate a credit 
program which is described in section 8103 during an elec-
tion cycle. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS FOR PROGRAM.—A State is eligi-
ble to operate a credit program under this part with re-
spect to an election cycle if, not later than 120 days before 
the cycle begins, the State submits to the Commission a 
statement containing— 
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556 
(1) information and assurances that the State 
will operate a credit program which contains the ele-
ments described in section 8103(a); 
(2) information and assurances that the State 
will establish fraud prevention mechanisms described 
in section 8103(b); 
(3) information and assurances that the State 
will establish a commission to oversee and implement 
the program as described in section 8103(c); 
(4) information and assurances that the State 
will carry out a public information campaign as de-
scribed in section 8103(d); 
(5) information and assurances that the State 
will submit reports as required under section 8104; 
(6) information and assurances that, not later 
than 60 days before the beginning of the cycle, the 
State will complete any actions necessary to operate 
the program during the cycle; and 
(7) such other information and assurances as 
the Commission may require. 
(c) REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS.— 
(1) REIMBURSEMENT.—Upon receiving the re-
port submitted by a State under section 8104(a) 
with respect to an election cycle, the Commission 
shall transmit a payment to the State in an amount 
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557 
equal to the reasonable costs incurred by the State 
in operating the credit program under this part dur-
ing the cycle. 
(2) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—Payments to a State 
under the program shall be made using amounts al-
located to the Commission for purposes of making 
payments under this part with respect to the State 
from the State Election Assistance and Innovation 
Trust Fund (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Fund’’) 
under section 8012, in the amount allocated with re-
spect to the State under section 8005(d). 
(3) CAP ON AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The aggre-
gate amount of payments made to any State with re-
spect to two consecutive election cycles may not ex-
ceed $10,000,000. If the State determines that the 
maximum payment amount under this paragraph 
with respect to such cycles is not, or may not be, 
sufficient to cover the reasonable costs incurred by 
the State in operating the program under this part 
for such cycles, the State shall reduce the amount of 
the credit provided to each qualified individual by 
such pro rata amount as may be necessary to ensure 
that the reasonable costs incurred by the State in 
operating the program will not exceed the amount 
paid to the State with respect to such cycles. 
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558 
(d) CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AFTER 
APPROPRIATION.—A payment made to a State under this 
part shall be available without fiscal year limitation. 
SEC. 8103. CREDIT PROGRAM DESCRIBED. 
(a) GENERAL ELEMENTS OF PROGRAM.— 
(1) ELEMENTS DESCRIBED.—The elements of a 
credit program operated by a State under this part 
are as follows: 
(A) The State shall provide each qualified 
individual upon the individual’s request with a 
credit worth $25 to be known as a ‘‘Democracy 
Credit’’ during the election cycle which will be 
assigned a routing number and which at the op-
tion of the individual will be provided in either 
paper or electronic form. 
(B) Using the routing number assigned to 
the Democracy Credit, the individual may sub-
mit the Democracy Credit in either electronic or 
paper form to qualified candidates for election 
for the office of Representative in, or Delegate 
or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress and 
allocate such portion of the value of the Democ-
racy Credit in increments of $5 as the indi-
vidual may select to any such candidate. 
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559 
(C) If the candidate transmits the Democ-
racy Credit to the Commission, the Commission 
shall pay the candidate the portion of the value 
of the Democracy Credit that the individual al-
located to the candidate, which shall be consid-
ered a contribution by the individual to the can-
didate for purposes of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971. 
(2) DESIGNATION
OF
QUALIFIED
INDIVID-
UALS.—For purposes of paragraph (1)(A), a ‘‘quali-
fied individual’’ with respect to a State means an in-
dividual— 
(A) who is a resident of the State; 
(B) who will be of voting age as of the 
date of the election for the candidate to whom 
the individual submits a Democracy Credit; and 
(C) who is not prohibited under Federal 
law from making contributions to candidates 
for election for Federal office. 
(3) TREATMENT
AS
CONTRIBUTION
TO
CAN-
DIDATE.—For purposes of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971, the submission of a Democ-
racy Credit to a candidate by an individual shall be 
treated as a contribution to the candidate by the in-
dividual in the amount of the portion of the value 
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560 
of the Credit that the individual allocated to the can-
didate. 
(b) FRAUD PREVENTION MECHANISM.—In addition 
to the elements described in subsection (a), a State oper-
ating a credit program under this part shall permit an 
individual to revoke a Democracy Credit not later than 
2 days after submitting the Democracy Credit to a can-
didate. 
(c) OVERSIGHT COMMISSION.—In addition to the ele-
ments described in subsection (a), a State operating a 
credit program under this part shall establish a commis-
sion or designate an existing entity to oversee and imple-
ment the program in the State, except that no such com-
mission or entity may be comprised of elected officials. 
(d) PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN.—In addition 
to the elements described in subsection (a), a State oper-
ating a credit program under this part shall carry out a 
public information campaign to disseminate awareness of 
the program among qualified individuals. 
(e) NO TAXPAYER FUNDS PERMITTED TO CARRY 
OUT PROGRAM.—No taxpayer funds shall be used to carry 
out the credit program under this part. For purposes of 
this subsection, the term ‘‘taxpayer funds’’ means reve-
nues received by the Internal Revenue Service from tax 
liabilities. 
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561 
SEC. 8104. REPORTS. 
(a) STATE REPORTS.—Not later than 6 months after 
each first election cycle during which the State operates 
a program under this part, the State shall submit to the 
Commission and the Office of Democracy Advancement 
and Innovation a report analyzing the operation and effec-
tiveness of the program during the cycle and including 
such other information as the Commission may require. 
(b) STUDY AND REPORT ON IMPACT AND EFFEC-
TIVENESS OF CREDIT PROGRAMS.— 
(1) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a 
study on the efficacy of political credit programs, in-
cluding the program under this part and other simi-
lar programs, in expanding and diversifying the pool 
of individuals who participate in the electoral proc-
ess, including those who participate as donors and 
those who participate as candidates. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
first election cycle for which States operate the pro-
gram under this part, the Commission shall publish 
and submit to Congress a report on the study con-
ducted under paragraph (1). 
SEC. 8105. ELECTION CYCLE DEFINED. 
In this part, the term ‘‘election cycle’’ means the pe-
riod beginning on the day after the date of the most recent 
regularly scheduled general election for Federal office and 
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562 
ending on the date of the next regularly scheduled general 
election for Federal office. 
PART 2—OPTIONAL SMALL DOLLAR FINANCING 
OF ELECTIONS FOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES 
SEC. 8111. BENEFITS AND ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 
FOR CANDIDATES. 
The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 
U.S.C. 30101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘TITLE V—SMALL DOLLAR FI-
NANCING OF ELECTIONS FOR 
HOUSE 
OF 
REPRESENTA-
TIVES 
‘‘Subtitle A—Benefits 
‘‘SEC. 501. BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—If a candidate for election to the 
office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Com-
missioner to, the Congress is certified as a participating 
candidate under this title with respect to an election for 
such office, the candidate shall be entitled to payments 
as provided under this title. 
‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The amount of a pay-
ment made under this title shall be equal to 600 percent 
of the amount of qualified small dollar contributions re-
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563 
ceived by the candidate since the most recent payment 
made to the candidate under this title during the election 
cycle, without regard to whether or not the candidate re-
ceived any of the contributions before, during, or after the 
Small Dollar Democracy qualifying period applicable to 
the candidate under section 511(c). 
‘‘(c) LIMIT
ON
AGGREGATE
AMOUNT
OF
PAY-
MENTS.—The aggregate amount of payments made to a 
participating candidate with respect to an election cycle 
under this title may not exceed 50 percent of the average 
of the 20 greatest amounts of disbursements made by the 
authorized committees of any winning candidate for the 
office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Com-
missioner to, the Congress during the most recent election 
cycle, rounded to the nearest $100,000. 
‘‘(d) NO TAXPAYER FUNDS PERMITTED.—No tax-
payer funds shall be used to make payments under this 
title. For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘taxpayer 
funds’ means revenues received by the Internal Revenue 
Service from tax liabilities. 
‘‘SEC. 502. PROCEDURES FOR MAKING PAYMENTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Division Director shall 
make a payment under section 501 to a candidate who 
is certified as a participating candidate upon receipt from 
the candidate of a request for a payment which includes— 
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564 
‘‘(1) a statement of the number and amount of 
qualified small dollar contributions received by the 
candidate since the most recent payment made to 
the candidate under this title during the election 
cycle; 
‘‘(2) a statement of the amount of the payment 
the candidate anticipates receiving with respect to 
the request; 
‘‘(3) a statement of the total amount of pay-
ments the candidate has received under this title as 
of the date of the statement; and 
‘‘(4) such other information and assurances as 
the Division Director may require. 
‘‘(b) RESTRICTIONS
ON
SUBMISSION
OF
RE-
QUESTS.—A candidate may not submit a request under 
subsection (a) unless each of the following applies: 
‘‘(1) The amount of the qualified small dollar 
contributions in the statement referred to in sub-
section (a)(1) is equal to or greater than $5,000, un-
less the request is submitted during the 30-day pe-
riod which ends on the date of a general election. 
‘‘(2) The candidate did not receive a payment 
under this title during the 7-day period which ends 
on the date the candidate submits the request. 
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565 
‘‘(c) TIME
OF PAYMENT.—The Division Director 
shall, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, 
take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that the 
Secretary is able to make payments under this section 
from the Treasury not later than 2 business days after 
the receipt of a request submitted under subsection (a). 
‘‘SEC. 503. USE OF FUNDS. 
‘‘(a) USE OF FUNDS FOR AUTHORIZED CAMPAIGN 
EXPENDITURES.—A candidate shall use payments made 
under this title, including payments provided with respect 
to a previous election cycle which are withheld from remit-
tance to the Commission in accordance with section 
524(a)(2), only for making direct payments for the receipt 
of goods and services which constitute authorized expendi-
tures (as determined in accordance with title III) in con-
nection with the election cycle involved. 
‘‘(b) PROHIBITING USE OF FUNDS FOR LEGAL EX-
PENSES, FINES, OR PENALTIES.—Notwithstanding title 
III, a candidate may not use payments made under this 
title for the payment of expenses incurred in connection 
with any action, claim, or other matter before the Commis-
sion or before any court, hearing officer, arbitrator, or 
other dispute resolution entity, or for the payment of any 
fine or civil monetary penalty. 
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566 
‘‘SEC. 504. QUALIFIED SMALL DOLLAR CONTRIBUTIONS DE-
SCRIBED. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In this title, the term ‘qualified 
small dollar contribution’ means, with respect to a can-
didate and the authorized committees of a candidate, a 
contribution that meets the following requirements: 
‘‘(1) The contribution is in an amount that is— 
‘‘(A) not less than $1; and 
‘‘(B) not more than $200. 
‘‘(2)(A) The contribution is made directly by an 
individual to the candidate or an authorized com-
mittee of the candidate and is not— 
‘‘(i) forwarded from the individual making 
the contribution to the candidate or committee 
by another person; or 
‘‘(ii) received by the candidate or com-
mittee with the knowledge that the contribution 
was made at the request, suggestion, or rec-
ommendation of another person. 
‘‘(B) In this paragraph— 
‘‘(i) the term ‘person’ does not include an 
individual (other than an individual described in 
section 304(i)(7) of the Federal Election Cam-
paign Act of 1971), a political committee of a 
political party, or any political committee which 
is not a separate segregated fund described in 
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567 
section 316(b) of the Federal Election Cam-
paign Act of 1971 and which does not make 
contributions or independent expenditures, does 
not engage in lobbying activity under the Lob-
bying Disclosure Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1601 et 
seq.), and is not established by, controlled by, 
or affiliated with a registered lobbyist under 
such Act, an agent of a registered lobbyist 
under such Act, or an organization which re-
tains or employs a registered lobbyist under 
such Act; and 
‘‘(ii) a contribution is not ‘made at the re-
quest, suggestion, or recommendation of an-
other person’ solely on the grounds that the 
contribution is made in response to information 
provided to the individual making the contribu-
tion by any person, so long as the candidate or 
authorized committee does not know the iden-
tity of the person who provided the information 
to such individual. 
‘‘(3) The individual who makes the contribution 
does not make contributions to the candidate or the 
authorized committees of the candidate with respect 
to the election involved in an aggregate amount that 
exceeds the amount described in paragraph (1)(B), 
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568 
or any contribution to the candidate or the author-
ized committees of the candidate with respect to the 
election involved that otherwise is not a qualified 
small dollar contribution. 
‘‘(b) TREATMENT OF DEMOCRACY CREDITS.—Any 
payment received by a candidate and the authorized com-
mittees of a candidate which consists of a Democracy 
Credit under the Freedom to Vote Act shall be considered 
a qualified small dollar contribution for purposes of this 
title, so long as the individual making the payment meets 
the requirements of paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection 
(a). 
‘‘(c) RESTRICTION
ON
SUBSEQUENT
CONTRIBU-
TIONS.— 
‘‘(1) PROHIBITING DONOR FROM MAKING SUB-
SEQUENT
NONQUALIFIED
CONTRIBUTIONS
DURING 
ELECTION CYCLE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—An individual who 
makes a qualified small dollar contribution to a 
candidate or the authorized committees of a 
candidate with respect to an election may not 
make any subsequent contribution to such can-
didate or the authorized committees of such 
candidate with respect to the election cycle 
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569 
which is not a qualified small dollar contribu-
tion. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO 
CANDIDATES
WHO
VOLUNTARILY
WITHDRAW 
FROM PARTICIPATION DURING QUALIFYING PE-
RIOD.—Subparagraph (A) does not apply with 
respect to a contribution made to a candidate 
who, during the Small Dollar Democracy quali-
fying period described in section 511(c), sub-
mits a statement to the Commission under sec-
tion 513(c) to voluntarily withdraw from par-
ticipating in the program under this title. 
‘‘(2) 
TREATMENT
OF
SUBSEQUENT
NON-
QUALIFIED
CONTRIBUTIONS.—If, notwithstanding 
the prohibition described in paragraph (1), an indi-
vidual who makes a qualified small dollar contribu-
tion to a candidate or the authorized committees of 
a candidate with respect to an election makes a sub-
sequent contribution to such candidate or the au-
thorized committees of such candidate with respect 
to the election which is prohibited under paragraph 
(1) because it is not a qualified small dollar con-
tribution, the candidate may take one of the fol-
lowing actions: 
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570 
‘‘(A) Not later than 2 weeks after receiving 
the contribution, the candidate may return the 
subsequent contribution to the individual. In 
the case of a subsequent contribution which is 
not a qualified small dollar contribution because 
the contribution fails to meet the requirements 
of paragraph (3) of subsection (a) (relating to 
the aggregate amount of contributions made to 
the candidate or the authorized committees of 
the candidate by the individual making the con-
tribution), the candidate may return an amount 
equal to the difference between the amount of 
the subsequent contribution and the amount de-
scribed in paragraph (1)(B) of subsection (a). 
‘‘(B) The candidate may retain the subse-
quent contribution, so long as not later than 2 
weeks after receiving the subsequent contribu-
tion, the candidate remits to the Commission an 
amount equal to any payments received by the 
candidate under this title which are attributable 
to the qualified small dollar contribution made 
by the individual involved. Such amount shall 
be used to supplement the allocation made to 
the Commission with respect to candidates from 
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571 
the State in which the candidate seeks office, as 
described in section 541(a). 
‘‘(3) NO EFFECT ON ABILITY TO MAKE MUL-
TIPLE
CONTRIBUTIONS.—Nothing in this section 
may be construed to prohibit an individual from 
making multiple qualified small dollar contributions 
to any candidate or any number of candidates, so 
long as each contribution meets each of the require-
ments of paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection 
(a). 
‘‘(d) NOTIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
CAN-
DIDATES.— 
‘‘(1) NOTIFICATION.—Each authorized com-
mittee of a candidate who seeks to be a participating 
candidate under this title shall provide the following 
information in any materials for the solicitation of 
contributions, including any internet site through 
which individuals may make contributions to the 
committee: 
‘‘(A) A statement that if the candidate is 
certified as a participating candidate under this 
title, the candidate will receive matching pay-
ments in an amount which is based on the total 
amount of qualified small dollar contributions 
received. 
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572 
‘‘(B) A statement that a contribution 
which meets the requirements set forth in sub-
section (a) shall be treated as a qualified small 
dollar contribution under this title. 
‘‘(C) A statement that if a contribution is 
treated as a qualified small dollar contribution 
under this title, the individual who makes the 
contribution may not make any contribution to 
the candidate or the authorized committees of 
the candidate during the election cycle which is 
not a qualified small dollar contribution. 
‘‘(2) ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF MEETING RE-
QUIREMENTS.—An authorized committee may meet 
the requirements of paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) by including the information de-
scribed in paragraph (1) in the receipt provided 
under section 512(b)(3) to a person making a 
qualified small dollar contribution; or 
‘‘(B) by modifying the information it pro-
vides to persons making contributions which is 
otherwise required under title III (including in-
formation it provides through the internet). 
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573 
‘‘Subtitle B—Eligibility and 
Certification 
‘‘SEC. 511. ELIGIBILITY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A candidate for the office of 
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner 
to, the Congress is eligible to be certified as a participating 
candidate under this title with respect to an election if 
the candidate meets the following requirements: 
‘‘(1) The candidate files with the Commission a 
statement of intent to seek certification as a partici-
pating candidate. 
‘‘(2) The candidate meets the qualifying re-
quirements of section 512. 
‘‘(3) The candidate files with the Commission a 
statement certifying that the authorized committees 
of the candidate meet the requirements of section 
504(d). 
‘‘(4) Not later than the last day of the Small 
Dollar Democracy qualifying period, the candidate 
files with the Commission an affidavit signed by the 
candidate and the treasurer of the candidate’s prin-
cipal campaign committee declaring that the can-
didate— 
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574 
‘‘(A) has complied and, if certified, will 
comply with the contribution and expenditure 
requirements of section 521; 
‘‘(B) if certified, will run only as a partici-
pating candidate for all elections for the office 
that such candidate is seeking during that elec-
tion cycle; and 
‘‘(C) has either qualified or will take steps 
to qualify under State law to be on the ballot. 
‘‘(5) The candidate files with the Commission a 
certification that the candidate will not use any allo-
cation from the Fund to directly or indirectly pay 
salaries, fees, consulting expenses, or any other com-
pensation for services rendered to themselves, family 
members (including spouses as well as children, par-
ents, siblings, or any of their spouses), or any entity 
or organization in which they have an ownership in-
terest. 
‘‘(b) GENERAL ELECTION.—Notwithstanding sub-
section (a), a candidate shall not be eligible to be certified 
as a participating candidate under this title for a general 
election or a general runoff election unless the candidate’s 
party nominated the candidate to be placed on the ballot 
for the general election or the candidate is otherwise quali-
fied to be on the ballot under State law. 
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575 
‘‘(c) SMALL DOLLAR DEMOCRACY QUALIFYING PE-
RIOD DEFINED.—The term ‘Small Dollar Democracy 
qualifying period’ means, with respect to any candidate 
for an office, the 180-day period (during the election cycle 
for such office) which begins on the date on which the 
candidate files a statement of intent under section 
511(a)(1), except that such period may not continue after 
the date that is 30 days before the date of the general 
election for the office. 
‘‘SEC. 512. QUALIFYING REQUIREMENTS. 
‘‘(a) RECEIPT OF QUALIFIED SMALL DOLLAR CON-
TRIBUTIONS.—A candidate for the office of Representative 
in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress 
meets the requirement of this section if, during the Small 
Dollar Democracy qualifying period described in section 
511(c), each of the following occurs: 
‘‘(1) Not fewer than 1,000 individuals make a 
qualified small dollar contribution to the candidate. 
‘‘(2) The candidate obtains a total dollar 
amount of qualified small dollar contributions which 
is equal to or greater than $50,000. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS RELATING
TO RECEIPT
OF 
QUALIFIED
SMALL
DOLLAR
CONTRIBUTION.—Each 
qualified small dollar contribution— 
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576 
‘‘(1) may be made by means of a personal 
check, money order, debit card, credit card, elec-
tronic payment account, or any other method 
deemed appropriate by the Division Director; 
‘‘(2) shall be accompanied by a signed state-
ment (or, in the case of a contribution made online 
or through other electronic means, an electronic 
equivalent) containing the contributor’s name and 
address; and 
‘‘(3) shall be acknowledged by a receipt that is 
sent to the contributor with a copy (in paper or elec-
tronic form) kept by the candidate for the Commis-
sion. 
‘‘(c) VERIFICATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) PROCEDURES.—The Division Director 
shall establish procedures for the auditing and 
verification of the contributions received and expend-
itures made by participating candidates under this 
title, including procedures for random audits, to en-
sure that such contributions and expenditures meet 
the requirements of this title. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORITY
OF
COMMISSION
TO
REVISE 
PROCEDURES.—The Commission, by a vote of not 
fewer than four of its members, may revise the pro-
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577 
cedures established by the Division Director under 
this subsection. 
‘‘SEC. 513. CERTIFICATION. 
‘‘(a) DEADLINE AND NOTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 business 
days after a candidate files an affidavit under sec-
tion 511(a)(4), the Division Director shall— 
‘‘(A) determine whether or not the can-
didate meets the requirements for certification 
as a participating candidate; 
‘‘(B) if the Division Director determines 
that the candidate meets such requirements, 
certify the candidate as a participating can-
didate; and 
‘‘(C) notify the candidate of the Division 
Director’s determination. 
‘‘(2) DEEMED CERTIFICATION FOR ALL ELEC-
TIONS IN ELECTION CYCLE.—If the Division Direc-
tor certifies a candidate as a participating candidate 
with respect to the first election of the election cycle 
involved, the Division Director shall be deemed to 
have certified the candidate as a participating can-
didate with respect to all subsequent elections of the 
election cycle. 
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578 
‘‘(3) AUTHORITY OF COMMISSION TO REVERSE 
DETERMINATION
BY
DIVISION
DIRECTOR.—During 
the 10-day period which begins on the date the Divi-
sion Director makes a determination under this sub-
section, the Commission, by a vote of not fewer than 
four of its members, may review and reverse the de-
termination. If the Commission reverses the deter-
mination, the Commission shall promptly notify the 
candidate involved. 
‘‘(b) REVOCATION OF CERTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Division Director shall 
revoke a certification under subsection (a) if— 
‘‘(A) a candidate fails to qualify to appear 
on the ballot at any time after the date of cer-
tification (other than a candidate certified as a 
participating candidate with respect to a pri-
mary election who fails to qualify to appear on 
the ballot for a subsequent election in that elec-
tion cycle); 
‘‘(B) a candidate ceases to be a candidate 
for the office involved, as determined on the 
basis of an official announcement by an author-
ized committee of the candidate or on the basis 
of a reasonable determination by the Commis-
sion; or 
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579 
‘‘(C) a candidate otherwise fails to comply 
with the requirements of this title, including 
any regulatory requirements prescribed by the 
Commission. 
‘‘(2) EXISTENCE OF CRIMINAL SANCTION.—The 
Division Director shall revoke a certification under 
subsection (a) if a penalty is assessed against the 
candidate under section 309(d) with respect to the 
election. 
‘‘(3) EFFECT
OF
REVOCATION.—If a can-
didate’s certification is revoked under this sub-
section— 
‘‘(A) the candidate may not receive pay-
ments under this title during the remainder of 
the election cycle involved; and 
‘‘(B) in the case of a candidate whose cer-
tification is revoked pursuant to subparagraph 
(A) or subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(i) the candidate shall repay to the 
Commission an amount equal to the pay-
ments received under this title with respect 
to the election cycle involved plus interest 
(at a rate determined by the Commission 
on the basis of an appropriate annual per-
centage rate for the month involved) on 
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580 
any such amount received, which shall be 
used by the Commission to supplement the 
allocation made to the Commission with re-
spect to the State in which the candidate 
seeks office, as described in section 541(a); 
and 
‘‘(ii) the candidate may not be cer-
tified as a participating candidate under 
this title with respect to the next election 
cycle. 
‘‘(4) PROHIBITING PARTICIPATION IN FUTURE 
ELECTIONS FOR CANDIDATES WITH MULTIPLE REV-
OCATIONS.—If the Division Director revokes the cer-
tification of an individual as a participating can-
didate under this title pursuant to subparagraph (A) 
or subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) a total of 3 
times, the individual may not be certified as a par-
ticipating candidate under this title with respect to 
any subsequent election. 
‘‘(5) AUTHORITY OF COMMISSION TO REVERSE 
REVOCATION BY DIVISION DIRECTOR.—During the 
10-day period which begins on the date the Division 
Director makes a determination under this sub-
section, the Commission, by a vote of not fewer than 
four of its members, may review and reverse the de-
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581 
termination. If the Commission reverses the deter-
mination, the Commission shall promptly notify the 
candidate involved. 
‘‘(c) VOLUNTARY
WITHDRAWAL
FROM
PARTICI-
PATING DURING QUALIFYING PERIOD.—At any time dur-
ing the Small Dollar Democracy qualifying period de-
scribed in section 511(c), a candidate may withdraw from 
participation in the program under this title by submitting 
to the Commission a statement of withdrawal (without re-
gard to whether or not the Commission has certified the 
candidate as a participating candidate under this title as 
of the time the candidate submits such statement), so long 
as the candidate has not submitted a request for payment 
under section 502. 
‘‘(d) PARTICIPATING CANDIDATE DEFINED.—In this 
title, a ‘participating candidate’ means a candidate for the 
office of Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Com-
missioner to, the Congress who is certified under this sec-
tion as eligible to receive benefits under this title. 
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582 
‘‘Subtitle C—Requirements for Can-
didates 
Certified 
as 
Partici-
pating Candidates 
‘‘SEC. 521. CONTRIBUTION AND EXPENDITURE REQUIRE-
MENTS. 
‘‘(a) PERMITTED SOURCES OF CONTRIBUTIONS AND 
EXPENDITURES.—Except as provided in subsection (c), a 
participating candidate with respect to an election shall, 
with respect to all elections occurring during the election 
cycle for the office involved, accept no contributions from 
any source and make no expenditures from any amounts, 
other than the following: 
‘‘(1) Qualified small dollar contributions. 
‘‘(2) Payments under this title. 
‘‘(3) Contributions from political committees es-
tablished and maintained by a national or State po-
litical party, subject to the applicable limitations of 
section 315. 
‘‘(4) Subject to subsection (b), personal funds 
of the candidate or of any immediate family member 
of the candidate (other than funds received through 
qualified small dollar contributions). 
‘‘(5) Contributions from individuals who are 
otherwise permitted to make contributions under 
this Act, subject to the applicable limitations of sec-
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583 
tion 315, except that the aggregate amount of con-
tributions a participating candidate may accept from 
any individual with respect to any election during 
the election cycle may not exceed $1,000. 
‘‘(6) Contributions from multicandidate political 
committees, subject to the applicable limitations of 
section 315. 
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULES FOR PERSONAL FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) LIMIT ON AMOUNT.—A candidate who is 
certified as a participating candidate may use per-
sonal funds (including personal funds of any imme-
diate family member of the candidate) so long as— 
‘‘(A) the aggregate amount used with re-
spect to the election cycle (including any period 
of the cycle occurring prior to the candidate’s 
certification as a participating candidate) does 
not exceed $50,000; and 
‘‘(B) the funds are used only for making 
direct payments for the receipt of goods and 
services which constitute authorized expendi-
tures in connection with the election cycle in-
volved. 
‘‘(2) IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER DEFINED.— 
In this subsection, the term ‘immediate family mem-
ber’ means, with respect to a candidate— 
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584 
‘‘(A) the candidate’s spouse; 
‘‘(B) a child, stepchild, parent, grand-
parent, brother, half-brother, sister, or half-sis-
ter of the candidate or the candidate’s spouse; 
and 
‘‘(C) the spouse of any person described in 
subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(c) EXCEPTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) EXCEPTION
FOR
CONTRIBUTIONS
RE-
CEIVED PRIOR TO FILING OF STATEMENT OF IN-
TENT.—A candidate who has accepted contributions 
that are not described in subsection (a) is not in vio-
lation of subsection (a), but only if all such contribu-
tions are— 
‘‘(A) returned to the contributor; 
‘‘(B) submitted to the Commission, to be 
used to supplement the allocation made to the 
Commission with respect to the State in which 
the candidate seeks office, as described in sec-
tion 541(a); or 
‘‘(C) spent in accordance with paragraph 
(2). 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION
FOR
EXPENDITURES
MADE 
PRIOR TO FILING OF STATEMENT OF INTENT.—If a 
candidate has made expenditures prior to the date 
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585 
the candidate files a statement of intent under sec-
tion 511(a)(1) that the candidate is prohibited from 
making under subsection (a) or subsection (b), the 
candidate is not in violation of such subsection if the 
aggregate amount of the prohibited expenditures is 
less than the amount referred to in section 
512(a)(2) (relating to the total dollar amount of 
qualified small dollar contributions which the can-
didate is required to obtain) which is applicable to 
the candidate. 
‘‘(3) EXCEPTION
FOR
CAMPAIGN
SURPLUSES 
FROM
A
PREVIOUS
ELECTION.—Notwithstanding 
paragraph (1), unexpended contributions received by 
the candidate or an authorized committee of the 
candidate with respect to a previous election may be 
retained, but only if the candidate places the funds 
in escrow and refrains from raising additional funds 
for or spending funds from that account during the 
election cycle in which a candidate is a participating 
candidate. 
‘‘(4) EXCEPTION
FOR
CONTRIBUTIONS
RE-
CEIVED
BEFORE
THE
EFFECTIVE
DATE
OF
THIS 
TITLE.—Contributions received and expenditures 
made by the candidate or an authorized committee 
of the candidate prior to the effective date of this 
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586 
title shall not constitute a violation of subsection (a) 
or (b). Unexpended contributions shall be treated 
the same as campaign surpluses under paragraph 
(3), and expenditures made shall count against the 
limit in paragraph (2). 
‘‘(d) SPECIAL RULE FOR COORDINATED PARTY EX-
PENDITURES.—For purposes of this section, a payment 
made by a political party in coordination with a partici-
pating candidate shall not be treated as a contribution to 
or as an expenditure made by the participating candidate. 
‘‘(e) PROHIBITION ON JOINT FUNDRAISING COMMIT-
TEES.— 
‘‘(1) PROHIBITION.—An authorized committee 
of a candidate who is certified as a participating 
candidate under this title with respect to an election 
may not establish a joint fundraising committee with 
a political committee other than another authorized 
committee of the candidate. 
‘‘(2) STATUS OF EXISTING COMMITTEES FOR 
PRIOR
ELECTIONS.—If a candidate established a 
joint fundraising committee described in paragraph 
(1) with respect to a prior election for which the 
candidate was not certified as a participating can-
didate under this title and the candidate does not 
terminate the committee, the candidate shall not be 
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588 
‘‘SEC. 522. ADMINISTRATION OF CAMPAIGN. 
‘‘(a) SEPARATE ACCOUNTING
FOR VARIOUS PER-
MITTED CONTRIBUTIONS.—Each authorized committee of 
a candidate certified as a participating candidate under 
this title— 
‘‘(1) shall provide for separate accounting of 
each type of contribution described in section 521(a) 
which is received by the committee; and 
‘‘(2) shall provide for separate accounting for 
the payments received under this title. 
‘‘(b) ENHANCED DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION ON 
DONORS.— 
‘‘(1) MANDATORY IDENTIFICATION OF INDIVID-
UALS
MAKING
QUALIFIED
SMALL
DOLLAR
CON-
TRIBUTIONS.—Each authorized committee of a par-
ticipating candidate under this title shall, in accord-
ance with section 304(b)(3)(A), include in the re-
ports the committee submits under section 304 the 
identification of each person who makes a qualified 
small dollar contribution to the committee. 
‘‘(2) 
MANDATORY
DISCLOSURE
THROUGH 
INTERNET.—Each authorized committee of a partici-
pating candidate under this title shall ensure that all 
information reported to the Commission under this 
Act with respect to contributions and expenditures 
of the committee is available to the public on the 
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589 
internet (whether through a site established for pur-
poses of this subsection, a hyperlink on another pub-
lic site of the committee, or a hyperlink on a report 
filed electronically with the Commission) in a search-
able, sortable, and downloadable manner. 
‘‘SEC. 523. PREVENTING UNNECESSARY SPENDING OF 
MATCHING FUNDS. 
‘‘(a) MANDATORY SPENDING
OF AVAILABLE PRI-
VATE FUNDS.—An authorized committee of a candidate 
certified as a participating candidate under this title may 
not make any expenditure of any payments received under 
this title in any amount unless the committee has made 
an expenditure in an equivalent amount of funds received 
by the committee which are described in paragraphs (1), 
(3), (4), (5), and (6) of section 521(a). 
‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—Subsection (a) applies to an au-
thorized committee only to the extent that the funds re-
ferred to in such subsection are available to the committee 
at the time the committee makes an expenditure of a pay-
ment received under this title. 
‘‘SEC. 524. REMITTING UNSPENT FUNDS AFTER ELECTION. 
‘‘(a) REMITTANCE REQUIRED.—Not later than the 
date that is 180 days after the last election for which a 
candidate certified as a participating candidate qualifies 
to be on the ballot during the election cycle involved, such 
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590 
participating candidate shall remit to the Commission an 
amount equal to the balance of the payments received 
under this title by the authorized committees of the can-
didate which remain unexpended as of such date, which 
shall be used to supplement the allocation made to the 
Commission with respect to the State in which the can-
didate seeks office, as described in section 541(a). 
‘‘(b) PERMITTING CANDIDATES PARTICIPATING IN 
NEXT
ELECTION
CYCLE
TO
RETAIN
PORTION
OF 
UNSPENT FUNDS.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), a 
participating candidate may withhold not more than 
$100,000 from the amount required to be remitted under 
subsection (a) if the candidate files a signed affidavit with 
the Commission that the candidate will seek certification 
as a participating candidate with respect to the next elec-
tion cycle, except that the candidate may not use any por-
tion of the amount withheld until the candidate is certified 
as a participating candidate with respect to that next elec-
tion cycle. If the candidate fails to seek certification as 
a participating candidate prior to the last day of the Small 
Dollar Democracy qualifying period for the next election 
cycle (as described in section 511), or if the Commission 
notifies the candidate of the Commission’s determination 
does not meet the requirements for certification as a par-
ticipating candidate with respect to such cycle, the can-
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591 
didate shall immediately remit to the Commission the 
amount withheld. 
‘‘Subtitle D—Enhanced Match 
Support 
‘‘SEC. 531. ENHANCED SUPPORT FOR GENERAL ELECTION. 
‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY
OF ENHANCED SUPPORT.—In 
addition to the payments made under subtitle A, the Divi-
sion Director shall make an additional payment to an eligi-
ble candidate under this subtitle. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A candidate shall use the ad-
ditional payment under this subtitle only for authorized 
expenditures in connection with the election involved. 
‘‘SEC. 532. ELIGIBILITY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A candidate is eligible to receive 
an additional payment under this subtitle if the candidate 
meets each of the following requirements: 
‘‘(1) The candidate is on the ballot for the gen-
eral election for the office the candidate seeks. 
‘‘(2) The candidate is certified as a partici-
pating candidate under this title with respect to the 
election. 
‘‘(3) During the enhanced support qualifying 
period, the candidate receives qualified small dollar 
contributions in a total amount of not less than 
$50,000. 
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‘‘(4) During the enhanced support qualifying 
period, the candidate submits to the Division Direc-
tor a request for the payment which includes— 
‘‘(A) a statement of the number and 
amount of qualified small dollar contributions 
received by the candidate during the enhanced 
support qualifying period; 
‘‘(B) a statement of the amount of the 
payment the candidate anticipates receiving 
with respect to the request; and 
‘‘(C) such other information and assur-
ances as the Division Director may require. 
‘‘(5) After submitting a request for the addi-
tional payment under paragraph (4), the candidate 
does not submit any other application for an addi-
tional payment under this subtitle. 
‘‘(b) ENHANCED SUPPORT QUALIFYING PERIOD DE-
SCRIBED.—In this subtitle, the term ‘enhanced support 
qualifying period’ means, with respect to a general elec-
tion, the period which begins 60 days before the date of 
the election and ends 14 days before the date of the elec-
tion. 
‘‘SEC. 533. AMOUNT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), the 
amount of the additional payment made to an eligible can-
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didate under this subtitle shall be an amount equal to 50 
percent of— 
‘‘(1) the amount of the payment made to the 
candidate under section 501(b) with respect to the 
qualified small dollar contributions which are re-
ceived by the candidate during the enhanced support 
qualifying period (as included in the request sub-
mitted by the candidate under section 532(a)(4)); or 
‘‘(2) in the case of a candidate who is not eligi-
ble to receive a payment under section 501(b) with 
respect to such qualified small dollar contributions 
because the candidate has reached the limit on the 
aggregate amount of payments under subtitle A for 
the election cycle under section 501(c), the amount 
of the payment which would have been made to the 
candidate under section 501(b) with respect to such 
qualified small dollar contributions if the candidate 
had not reached such limit. 
‘‘(b) LIMIT.—The amount of the additional payment 
determined under subsection (a) with respect to a can-
didate may not exceed $500,000. 
‘‘(c) NO
EFFECT
ON
AGGREGATE
LIMIT.—The 
amount of the additional payment made to a candidate 
under this subtitle shall not be included in determining 
the aggregate amount of payments made to a participating 
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