I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2056 
To reform the financing of House elections, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 22, 2009 
Mr. TIERNEY (for himself and Mr. PLATTS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in 
addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, 
and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reform the financing of House elections, 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. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Clean Money, Clean Elections Act of 2009’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—CLEAN ELECTION FINANCING OF HOUSE ELECTION 
CAMPAIGNS 
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Subtitle A—Clean Election Financing Program 
Sec. 101. Findings and declarations. 
Sec. 102. Eligibility requirements and benefits of clean elections financing of 
House election campaigns. 
‘‘TITLE V—CLEAN ELECTIONS FINANCING OF HOUSE ELECTION 
CAMPAIGNS 
‘‘Sec. 501. Definitions. 
‘‘Sec. 502. House Clean Elections Fund. 
‘‘Sec. 503. Eligibility for allocations from the Fund. 
‘‘Sec. 504. Seed money contribution requirement. 
‘‘Sec. 505. Qualifying contribution requirement. 
‘‘Sec. 506. Contribution and expenditure requirements. 
‘‘Sec. 507. Certification by Commission. 
‘‘Sec. 508. Benefits for participating candidates. 
‘‘Sec. 509. Allocations from the Fund. 
‘‘Sec. 510. Payment of fair fight funds. 
‘‘Sec. 511. Administration of the House clean elections system. 
‘‘Sec. 512. Violations and penalties. 
‘‘Sec. 513. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 103. Reporting requirements for nonparticipating candidates. 
Sec. 104. Modification of electioneering communication reporting requirements. 
Sec. 105. Limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees 
with participating candidates. 
Sec. 106. Treatment of coordinated expenditures as contributions. 
Sec. 107. Audits. 
Sec. 108. Tax credit for voluntary donations to House Clean Elections Fund. 
Subtitle B—Clean Elections Review Commission 
Sec. 111. Establishment of Commission. 
Sec. 112. Structure and membership of the Commission. 
Sec. 113. Powers of the Commission. 
Sec. 114. Administration. 
Sec. 115. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE II—VOTER INFORMATION 
Sec. 201. Free broadcast time. 
Sec. 202. Broadcast rates and preemption. 
Sec. 203. Limit on Congressional use of the franking privilege. 
TITLE III—RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FEDERAL ELECTION 
COMMISSION 
Sec. 301. Petition for certiorari. 
Sec. 302. Promoting expedited availability of FEC reports. 
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 401. Severability. 
Sec. 402. Review of constitutional issues. 
Sec. 403. Effective date. 
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TITLE I—CLEAN ELECTION FI-
NANCING OF HOUSE ELEC-
TION CAMPAIGNS 
Subtitle A—Clean Election 
Financing Program 
SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS. 
(a) UNDERMINING OF DEMOCRACY BY CAMPAIGN 
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PRIVATE SOURCES.—The House 
finds and declares that the current system of privately fi-
nanced campaigns for election to the United States House 
has the capacity, and is often perceived by the public, to 
undermine democracy in the United States by— 
(1) creating a conflict of interest, perceived or 
real, by encouraging Representatives to accept large 
campaign contributions from private interests that 
are directly affected by Federal legislation; 
(2) diminishing or giving the appearance of di-
minishing a Representative’s accountability to con-
stituents by compelling legislators to be accountable 
to the major contributors who finance their election 
campaigns; 
(3) violating the democratic principle of ‘‘one 
person, one vote’’ and diminishing the meaning of 
the right to vote by allowing monied interests to 
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have a disproportionate and unfair influence within 
the political process; 
(4) imposing large, unwarranted costs on tax-
payers through legislative and regulatory outcomes 
shaped by unequal access to lawmakers for cam-
paign contributors; 
(5) driving up the cost of election campaigns, 
making it difficult for qualified candidates without 
personal wealth or access to campaign contributions 
from monied individuals and interest groups to 
mount competitive House election campaigns; 
(6) disadvantaging challengers, because large 
campaign contributors tend to donate their money to 
incumbent Representatives, thus causing House elec-
tions to be less competitive; and 
(7) burdening incumbents with a preoccupation 
with fundraising and thus decreasing the time avail-
able to carry out their public responsibilities. 
(b) ENHANCEMENT OF DEMOCRACY BY PROVIDING 
ALLOCATIONS FROM
THE HOUSE CLEAN ELECTIONS 
FUND.—The House finds and declares that providing the 
option of the replacement of private campaign contribu-
tions with allocations from the House Clean Elections 
Fund for all primary, runoff, and general elections to the 
House would enhance American democracy by— 
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(1) eliminating the potentially inherent conflict 
of interest created by the private financing of the 
election campaigns of public officials, thus restoring 
public confidence in the integrity and fairness of the 
electoral and legislative processes; 
(2) increasing the public’s confidence in the ac-
countability of Representatives to the constituents 
who elect them; 
(3) helping to eliminate access to wealth as a 
determinant of a citizen’s influence within the polit-
ical process and to restore meaning to the principle 
of ‘‘one person, one vote’’; 
(4) reversing the escalating cost of elections 
and saving taxpayers billions of dollars that are (or 
that are perceived to be) currently allocated based 
upon legislative and regulatory agendas skewed by 
the influence of campaign contributions; 
(5) creating a more level playing field for in-
cumbents and challengers by creating genuine oppor-
tunities for all Americans to run for the House and 
by encouraging more competitive elections; and 
(6) freeing Representatives from the incessant 
preoccupation with raising money, and allowing 
them more time to carry out their public responsibil-
ities. 
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SEC. 102. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND BENEFITS OF 
CLEAN ELECTIONS FINANCING OF HOUSE 
ELECTION CAMPAIGNS. 
The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 
U.S.C. 431 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘TITLE V—CLEAN ELECTIONS FI-
NANCING OF HOUSE ELEC-
TION CAMPAIGNS 
‘‘SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this title: 
‘‘(1) ALLOCATION FROM THE FUND.—The term 
‘allocation from the Fund’ means an allocation of 
money from the House Clean Elections Fund to a 
participating candidate pursuant to sections 510 and 
511. 
‘‘(2) CLEAN ELECTIONS QUALIFYING PERIOD.— 
The term ‘clean elections qualifying period’ means 
the period beginning on the date that is 180 days 
before the date of the primary election and ending 
on the date that is 30 days before the date of the 
primary election or, in the case of a State that does 
not hold a primary election, the date prescribed by 
State law as the last day to qualify for a position 
on the general election ballot. In the event of a spe-
cial election, the clean money qualifying period shall 
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begin on the earlier date of either the date that is 
180 days before the date of the special election or 
on the date of announcement of such special election 
date if same as within 180 days of the date of the 
special election. It shall end on the date that is 30 
days before the date of the special election. 
‘‘(3) CLEAN
ELECTIONS
START
DATE.—The 
term ‘clean elections start date’ means, with respect 
to any candidate, the date that is 180 days before— 
‘‘(A) the date of the primary election; or 
‘‘(B) in the case of a State that does not 
hold a primary election, the date prescribed by 
State law as the last day to qualify for a posi-
tion on the general election ballot. 
‘‘(4) FUND.—The term ‘Fund’ means the 
House Clean Elections Fund established by section 
502. 
‘‘(5) GENERAL ELECTION PERIOD.—The term 
‘general election period’ means, with respect to a 
candidate, the period beginning on the day after the 
date of the primary or primary runoff election for 
the specific office that the candidate is seeking, 
whichever is later, and ending on the earlier of— 
‘‘(A) the date of the general election; or 
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‘‘(B) the date on which the candidate with-
draws from the campaign or otherwise ceases 
actively to seek election. 
‘‘(6) GENERAL RUNOFF ELECTION PERIOD.— 
The term ‘general runoff election period’ means, 
with respect to a candidate, the period beginning on 
the day following the date of the last general election 
for the specific office that the candidate is seeking 
and ending on the date of the runoff election for 
that office. 
‘‘(7) IMMEDIATE
FAMILY.—The term ‘imme-
diate family’ means, with respect to any candidate— 
‘‘(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). 
‘‘(8) INDEPENDENT
CANDIDATE.—The term 
‘independent candidate’ means a candidate for Rep-
resentative who is— 
‘‘(A) not affiliated with any political party; 
or 
‘‘(B) affiliated with a political party that— 
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‘‘(i) in the case of a candidate in a 
State that holds a primary election for 
Representative, does not hold a primary 
election for Representative; or 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a candidate in a 
State that does not hold primary election 
for Representative, does not have ballot 
status in such State. 
‘‘(9) MAJOR PARTY CANDIDATE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘major 
party candidate’ means a candidate for Rep-
resentative who is affiliated with a major polit-
ical party. 
‘‘(B) MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY.—The term 
‘major political party’ means, with respect to 
any State, a political party of which a candidate 
for the office of Representative, President, or 
Governor in the preceding 5 years, received, as 
a candidate of that party in such State, 25 per-
cent or more of the total number of popular 
votes cast for such office in such State. 
‘‘(10) MINOR
PARTY
CANDIDATE.—The term 
‘minor party candidate’ means a candidate for Rep-
resentative who is affiliated with a political party 
that— 
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‘‘(A) holds a primary for House nomina-
tions; and 
‘‘(B) is not a major political party. 
‘‘(11) NONPARTICIPATING
CANDIDATE.—The 
term ‘nonparticipating candidate’ means a candidate 
for Representative or Delegate or Resident Commis-
sioner to the Congress who is not a participating 
candidate. 
‘‘(12) PARTICIPATING CANDIDATE.—The term 
‘participating candidate’ means a candidate for Rep-
resentative who is certified under section 507 as 
being eligible to receive an allocation from the Fund. 
‘‘(13) PRIMARY ELECTION PERIOD.—The term 
‘primary election period’ means the period beginning 
on the date that is 90 days before the date of the 
primary election and ending on the date of the pri-
mary election. In the event of a special primary elec-
tion, if applicable, such term means the period be-
ginning on the date that is the longer of 90 days be-
fore the date of such special primary election, or the 
date of establishment by the appropriate election au-
thority of the special primary election date and end-
ing on the date of the special primary election. 
‘‘(14) PRIMARY ELECTION RUNOFF PERIOD.— 
The term ‘primary election runoff period’ means, 
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with respect to a candidate, the period beginning on 
the day following the date of the last primary elec-
tion for the specific office that the candidate is seek-
ing and ending on the date of the runoff election for 
that office. 
‘‘(15) QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTION.—The term 
‘qualifying contribution’ means, with respect to a 
candidate, a contribution that— 
‘‘(A) is in the amount of $5 exactly; 
‘‘(B) is made by an individual who— 
‘‘(i) is a resident of the State with re-
spect to which the candidate is seeking 
election; and 
‘‘(ii) is not prohibited from making a 
contribution under this Act; 
‘‘(C) is made during the clean elections 
qualifying period; and 
‘‘(D) meets the requirements of section 
505(c). 
‘‘(16) 
REPRESENTATIVE.—The 
term 
‘Rep-
resentative’ includes a Delegate or Resident Com-
missioner to the Congress. 
‘‘(17) SEED MONEY CONTRIBUTION.—The term 
‘seed money contribution’ means a contribution or 
contributions by any 1 individual— 
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‘‘(A) aggregating not more than $100; and 
‘‘(B) made to a candidate after the date of 
the most recent previous election for the office 
which the candidate is seeking and before the 
date the candidate has been certified as a par-
ticipating candidate under section 507(a). 
‘‘(18) STATE.—The term ‘State’ includes the 
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is-
lands, American Samoa, and Guam. 
‘‘SEC. 502. HOUSE CLEAN ELECTIONS FUND. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘House Clean Elec-
tions Fund’. 
‘‘(b) DEPOSITS.—The Commission shall deposit 
unspent seed money contributions, qualifying contribu-
tions, penalty amounts received under this title, and 
amounts appropriated for clean money financing in the 
House Clean Elections Fund. 
‘‘(c) INVESTMENT.—The Commission shall invest 
portions of the Fund in obligations of the United States 
in the same manner as provided under section 9602(b) 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
‘‘(d) USE OF FUND.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The sums in the House 
Clean Elections Fund shall be used to make alloca-
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tions to participating candidates in accordance with 
sections 510 and 511. 
‘‘(2) INSUFFICIENT AMOUNTS.—Under regula-
tions established by the Commission, rules similar to 
the rules of section 9006(c) of the Internal Revenue 
Code shall apply. 
‘‘SEC. 503. ELIGIBILITY FOR ALLOCATIONS FROM THE 
FUND. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A candidate for Representative 
is eligible to receive an allocation from the Fund for any 
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 under this title during the period 
beginning on the clean elections start date and end-
ing on the last day of the clean elections qualifying 
period. 
‘‘(2) The candidate has complied with the seed 
money contribution requirements of section 504. 
‘‘(3) The candidate meets the qualifying con-
tribution requirements of section 505. 
‘‘(4) Not later than the last day of the clean 
elections qualifying period, the candidate files with 
the Commission an affidavit signed by the candidate 
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and the treasurer of the candidate’s principal cam-
paign committee declaring that the candidate— 
‘‘(A) has complied and, if certified, will 
comply with the contribution and expenditure 
requirements of section 506; 
‘‘(B) if certified, will not run as a non-
participating candidate during such year in any 
election for the office that such candidate is 
seeking; and 
‘‘(C) has either qualified or will take steps 
to qualify under State law to be on the ballot. 
‘‘(b) GENERAL ELECTION.—Notwithstanding sub-
section (a), a candidate shall not be eligible to receive an 
allocation from the Fund for a general election or a gen-
eral run off election unless the candidate’s party nomi-
nated the candidate to be placed on the ballot for the gen-
eral election or the candidate qualified to be placed on the 
ballot as an independent candidate, and the candidate is 
qualified under State law to be on the ballot. 
‘‘SEC. 504. SEED MONEY CONTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT. 
‘‘A candidate for Representative meets the seed 
money contribution requirements of this section if the can-
didate meets the following requirements: 
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‘‘(1) SEPARATE ACCOUNTING.—The candidate 
maintains seed money contributions in a separate 
account. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON AMOUNT.—The candidate 
deposits into the House Clean Elections Fund or re-
turns to donors an amount equal to the amount of 
any seed money contributions which, in the aggre-
gate, exceed the sum of $50,000. 
‘‘(3) USE
OF
SEED
MONEY.—The candidate 
makes expenditures from seed money contributions 
only for campaign-related costs. 
‘‘(4) RECORDS.—The candidate maintains a 
record of the name and street address of any con-
tributor of a seed money contribution and the 
amount of any such contribution. 
‘‘(5) REPORT.—Unless a seed money contribu-
tion or an expenditure made with a seed money con-
tribution has been reported previously under section 
304, the candidate files with the Commission a re-
port disclosing all seed money contributions and ex-
penditures not later than 48 hours after receiving 
notification of the determination with respect to the 
certification of the candidate under section 507. 
‘‘(6) TIME TO ACCEPT SEED MONEY CONTRIBU-
TIONS.—A clean elections candidate may accept seed 
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money contributions for an election from the day 
after the date of the previous general election for the 
office to which the candidate is seeking election 
through the earliest date on which the Commission 
makes funds available to the candidate for an elec-
tion period under paragraph (1) or (2) of section 
506(b). 
‘‘(7) DEPOSIT OF UNSPENT SEED MONEY CON-
TRIBUTIONS.—A clean elections candidate shall 
remit any unspent seed money to the Commission, 
for deposit in the House Clean Elections Fund, not 
later than the earliest date on which the Commission 
makes funds available to the candidate for an elec-
tion period. 
‘‘SEC. 505. QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT. 
‘‘(a) MAJOR PARTY CANDIDATES
AND CERTAIN 
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES.—The requirement of this 
section is met if, during the clean money qualifying period, 
a major party candidate (or an independent candidate who 
meets the minimum vote percentage required for a major 
party candidate under section 501(9)) receives 1,500 
qualifying contributions. 
‘‘(b) OTHER CANDIDATES.—The requirement of this 
section is met if, during the clean money qualifying period, 
a candidate who is not described in subsection (a) receives 
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a number of qualifying contributions that is at least 150 
percent of the number of qualifying contributions that a 
candidate described in subsection (a) in the same election 
is required to receive under subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) RECEIPT OF QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTION.—A 
qualifying contribution shall— 
‘‘(1) be accompanied by the contributor’s name 
and home address; 
‘‘(2) be accompanied by a signed statement that 
the contributor understands the purpose of the 
qualifying contribution; 
‘‘(3) be made by a personal check, debit card, 
credit card, or money order payable to the House 
Clean Elections Fund or by cash; and 
‘‘(4) be acknowledged by a receipt that is sent 
to the contributor with a copy kept by the candidate 
for the Commission and a copy kept by the can-
didate for the election authorities in the candidate’s 
State. 
‘‘(d) DEPOSIT OF QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTIONS IN 
HOUSE CLEAN ELECTIONS FUND.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than the date 
that is 1 day after the date on which the candidate 
is certified under section 507, a candidate shall 
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remit all qualifying contributions to the Commission 
for deposit in the House Clean Elections Fund. 
‘‘(2) 
CANDIDATES
THAT
ARE
NOT
CER-
TIFIED.—Not later than the last day of the clean 
money qualifying period, a candidate who has re-
ceived qualifying contributions and is not certified 
under section 507 shall remit all qualifying contribu-
tions to the Commission for deposit in the House 
Clean Elections Fund. 
‘‘(e) VERIFICATION
OF
QUALIFYING
CONTRIBU-
TIONS.—The Commission shall establish procedures for 
the auditing and verification of qualifying contributions to 
ensure that such contributions meet the requirements of 
this section. Such procedures may provide for verification 
through the means of a postcard or other method, as de-
termined by the Commission. 
‘‘SEC. 506. CONTRIBUTION AND EXPENDITURE REQUIRE-
MENTS. 
‘‘A candidate for Representative meets the require-
ments of this section if, during the election cycle of the 
candidate, the candidate— 
‘‘(1) except as provided in subsection (b), ac-
cepts no contributions other than— 
‘‘(A) seed money contributions; 
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‘‘(A) an allocation from the Fund to make 
or obligate to make expenditures with respect to 
such election, as provided in section 510; 
‘‘(B) fair fight funds, as provided in sec-
tion 511; and 
‘‘(2) media benefits under section 315 of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315). 
‘‘(b) RESTRICTION ON USES OF ALLOCATIONS FROM 
THE FUND.—Allocations from the Fund received by a par-
ticipating candidate under sections 510 and 511 may only 
be used for campaign-related costs. 
‘‘(c) REMITTING ALLOCATIONS FROM THE FUND.— 
Not later than the date that is 45 days after the date of 
the election, a participating candidate shall remit to the 
Commission for deposit in the House Clean Elections 
Fund any unspent amounts paid to such candidate under 
this title for such election. 
‘‘SEC. 509. ALLOCATIONS FROM THE FUND. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall make allo-
cations from the Fund under section 508(a)(1)(A) to a 
participating candidate— 
‘‘(1) in the case of amounts provided under 
subsection (c)(1), not later than 48 hours after the 
date on which such candidate is certified as a par-
ticipating candidate under section 507; 
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‘‘(2) in the case of a general election, not later 
than 48 hours after— 
‘‘(A) the date the certification of the re-
sults of the primary election or the primary 
runoff election; or 
‘‘(B) in any case in which there is no pri-
mary election, the date the candidate qualifies 
to be placed on the ballot; and 
‘‘(3) in the case of a primary runoff election or 
a general runoff election, not later than 48 hours 
after the certification of the results of the primary 
election or the general election, as the case may be. 
‘‘(b) METHOD OF PAYMENT.—The Commission shall 
distribute funds available to participating candidates 
under this section through the use of an electronic funds 
exchange or a debit card. 
‘‘(c) MONEY AMOUNTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the clean money amount paid to a clean 
money candidate with respect to an election shall be 
equal to the applicable percentage of 80 percent of 
the base amount for the election cycle involved, ex-
cept that in no event may the amount determined 
under this subsection for a clean money candidate 
for an election cycle be less than the amount deter-
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mined under this subsection for the candidate for 
the previous election cycle. 
‘‘(2) REDUCTION
FOR
UNCONTESTED
ELEC-
TIONS.—If a clean money candidate has no opposi-
tion in an election for which a payment is made 
under this section, the clean money amount paid 
shall be 40 percent of the amount otherwise deter-
mined under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.— 
‘‘(A) APPLICABLE PERCENTAGE.—In this 
subsection, the ‘applicable percentage’ is as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(i) 25 percent, in the case of a minor 
party or independent candidate in a pri-
mary election. 
‘‘(ii) 40 percent, in the case of a 
major party candidate in a primary elec-
tion. 
‘‘(iii) 60 percent, in the case of any 
candidate in a general election. 
‘‘(B) BASE AMOUNT.—In this subsection, 
the term ‘base amount’ means (with respect to 
an election cycle) the national average of all 
amounts expended by winning candidates dur-
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ing the 2 most recent general elections for Rep-
resentative preceding the election cycle involved. 
‘‘(4) ADJUSTMENT BY MEDIA MARKET.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission, in 
consultation with the Federal Communications 
Commission, shall establish an index reflecting 
the costs of the media markets in each State. 
‘‘(B) ADJUSTMENT.—At the beginning of 
each year, the Commission shall increase the 
amount under paragraph (1) (after application 
of paragraph (3)) based on the index estab-
lished under subparagraph (A). 
‘‘SEC. 510. PAYMENT OF FAIR FIGHT FUNDS. 
‘‘(a) DETERMINATION OF RIGHT TO PAYMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall, on 
a regular basis, make a determination on— 
‘‘(A) the amount of opposing funds with 
respect to each participating candidate, and 
‘‘(B) the applicable amount with respect to 
each participating candidate. 
‘‘(2) BASIS OF DETERMINATIONS.—The Com-
mission shall make determinations under paragraph 
(1) based on— 
‘‘(A) reports filed by the relevant opposing 
candidate under section 304(a) with respect to 
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amounts described in subsection (c)(1)(A)(i)(I); 
and 
‘‘(B) reports filed by political committees 
under section 304(a) and by other persons 
under section 304(c) with respect to— 
‘‘(i) opposing funds described in 
clauses (ii)(I) and (iii)(I) of subsection 
(c)(1)(A); and 
‘‘(ii) applicable amounts described in 
subparagraphs (B)(i) and (C)(i) of sub-
section (b)(2). 
‘‘(3) REQUESTS FOR DETERMINATION RELAT-
ING
TO
CERTAIN
ELECTIONEERING
COMMUNICA-
TIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A participating can-
didate may request to the Commission to make 
a determination under paragraph (1) with re-
spect to any relevant opposing candidate with 
respect to— 
‘‘(i) opposing funds described in 
clauses (ii)(II) and (iii)(II) of subsection 
(c)(1)(A); and 
‘‘(ii) applicable amounts described in 
subparagraphs (B)(ii) and (C)(ii) of sub-
section (b)(2). 
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‘‘(B) TIME
FOR
MAKING
DETERMINA-
TION.—In the case of any such request, the 
Commission shall make such determination and 
notify the participating candidate of such deter-
mination not later than— 
‘‘(i) 24 hours after receiving such re-
quest during the 3-week period ending on 
the date of the election, and 
‘‘(ii) 48 hours after receiving such re-
quest at any other time. 
‘‘(b) PAYMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission shall 
make available to the participating candidate fair 
fight funds in an amount equal to the amount of op-
posing funds that is in excess of the applicable 
amount— 
‘‘(A) immediately after making any deter-
mination under subsection (a) with respect to 
any participating candidate during the 3-week 
period ending on the date of the election, and 
‘‘(B) not later than 24 hours after making 
such determination at any other time. 
‘‘(2) APPLICABLE AMOUNT.—For purposes of 
this section, the applicable amount is an amount 
equal to the sum of— 
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‘‘(A) the sum of— 
‘‘(i) the amount of seed money con-
tribution received by the participating can-
didate; plus 
‘‘(ii)(I) in the case of a participating 
candidate who is a minor party candidate 
running in a general election or an inde-
pendent candidate, the allocation from the 
Fund which would have been provided to 
such candidate for such election if such 
candidate were a major party candidate; or 
‘‘(II) in the case of any other partici-
pating candidate, an amount equal to the 
allocation from the Fund to such candidate 
for such election under section 510(c); and 
‘‘(B) the amount of fair fight funds pre-
viously provided to the participating candidate 
under this subsection for the election. 
‘‘(3) LIMITS ON AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The 
aggregate of fair fight funds that a participating 
candidate receives under this subsection for any elec-
tion shall not exceed 200 percent of the allocation 
from the Fund that the participating candidate re-
ceives for such election under section 510(c). 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section— 
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‘‘(1) OPPOSING FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘opposing 
funds’ means, with respect to any participating 
candidate for any election, the sum of— 
‘‘(i)(I) the greater of the total con-
tributions received by the relevant oppos-
ing candidate or the total expenditures 
made by such relevant opposing candidate; 
or 
‘‘(II) in the case of a relevant oppos-
ing candidate who is a participating can-
didate, an amount equal to the sum of the 
amount of seed money contributions re-
ceived by the relevant opposing candidate, 
the value of any vouchers received by the 
relevant opposing candidate for the general 
election under section 315A of the Commu-
nications Act of 1934, and the allocation 
from the Fund under section 510(c) for 
the relevant opposing candidate for such 
election; 
‘‘(ii) the sum of— 
‘‘(I) the amount of independent 
expenditures made advocating the 
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that subparagraph (A)(i)(II)(aa) thereof shall be ap-
plied by substituting ‘30’ for ‘60’. 
‘‘SEC. 511. ADMINISTRATION OF THE HOUSE CLEAN ELEC-
TIONS SYSTEM. 
‘‘(a) REGULATIONS.—The Commission shall pre-
scribe regulations to carry out the purposes of this title, 
including regulations— 
‘‘(1) to establish procedures for— 
‘‘(A) verifying the amount of valid quali-
fying contributions with respect to a candidate; 
‘‘(B) effectively and efficiently monitoring 
and enforcing the limits on the use of personal 
funds by participating candidates; 
‘‘(C) the expedited payment of fair fight 
funds during the 3-week period ending on the 
date of the election; 
‘‘(D) monitoring the use of allocations 
from the Fund under this title through audits 
or other mechanisms; and 
‘‘(E) returning unspent disbursements and 
disposing of assets purchased with allocations 
from the Fund; 
‘‘(2) providing for the administration of the 
provisions of this title with respect to special elec-
tions; 
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‘‘(3) pertaining to the replacement of can-
didates; and 
‘‘(4) for attributing expenditures to specific 
elections for the purposes of calculating opposing 
funds. 
‘‘(b) OPERATION OF COMMISSION.—The Commission 
shall maintain normal business hours during the weekend 
immediately before any general election for the purposes 
of administering the provisions of this title, including the 
distribution of fair fight funds under section 511. 
‘‘(c) REPORTS.—Not later than April 1, 2011, and 
every 2 years thereafter, the Commission shall submit to 
the Committee on House Administration of the House of 
Representatives a report documenting, evaluating, and 
making recommendations relating to the administrative 
implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this 
title. 
‘‘SEC. 512. VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES. 
‘‘(a) CIVIL PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF CONTRIBU-
TION
AND EXPENDITURE REQUIREMENTS.—If a can-
didate who has been certified as a participating candidate 
under section 507(a) accepts a contribution or makes an 
expenditure that is prohibited under section 506, the Com-
mission shall assess a civil penalty against the candidate 
in an amount that is not more than 10 times the amount 
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of the contribution or expenditure. Any amounts collected 
under this subsection shall be deposited into the House 
Clean Elections Fund. 
‘‘(b) REPAYMENT FOR IMPROPER USE OF CLEAN 
ELECTIONS FUND.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Commission deter-
mines that any benefit made available to a partici-
pating candidate under this title was not used as 
provided for in this title or that a participating can-
didate has violated any of the dates for remission of 
funds contained in this title, the Commission shall 
so notify the candidate and the candidate shall pay 
to the House Clean Elections Fund an amount equal 
to— 
‘‘(A) the amount of benefits so used or not 
remitted, as appropriate, and 
‘‘(B) interest on any such amounts (at a 
rate determined by the Commission). 
‘‘(2) OTHER
ACTION
NOT
PRECLUDED.—Any 
action by the Commission in accordance with this 
subsection shall not preclude enforcement pro-
ceedings by the Commission in accordance with sec-
tion 309(a), including a referral by the Commission 
to the Attorney General in the case of an apparent 
knowing and willful violation of this title. 
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‘‘SEC. 513. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
House Clean Elections Fund such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this title.’’. 
SEC. 103. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR NONPARTICI-
PATING CANDIDATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 304 of the Federal Elec-
tion Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) NONPARTICIPATING CANDIDATES.— 
‘‘(1) INITIAL REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each nonparticipating 
candidate who is opposed to a participating 
candidate and who receives contributions or 
makes expenditures aggregating more than the 
threshold amount shall, within 48 hours of the 
date such aggregate contributions or expendi-
tures exceed the threshold amount, file with the 
Commission a report stating the total amount 
of contributions received and expenditures made 
or obligated by such candidate. 
‘‘(B) THRESHOLD AMOUNT.—For purposes 
of this paragraph, the term ‘threshold amount’ 
means 75 percent of the allocation from the 
Fund that a participating candidate would be 
entitled to receive in such election under section 
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510 if the participating candidate were a major 
party candidate. 
‘‘(2) PERIODIC REPORTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any re-
ports required under subsection (a), each non-
participating candidate who is required to make 
a report under paragraph (1) shall make the 
following reports: 
‘‘(i) A report which shall be filed not 
later than 5 p.m. on the forty-second day 
before the date on which the election in-
volving such candidate is held and which 
shall be complete through the forty-fourth 
day before such date. 
‘‘(ii) A report which shall be filed not 
later than 5 p.m. on the twenty-first day 
before the date on which the election in-
volving such candidate is held and which 
shall be complete through the twenty-third 
day before such date. 
‘‘(iii) A report which shall be filed not 
later than 5 p.m. on the twelfth day before 
the date on which the election involving 
such candidate is held and which shall be 
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complete through the fourteenth day before 
such date. 
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL
REPORTING
WITHIN
WEEKS OF ELECTION.—Each nonparticipating 
candidate who is required to make a report 
under paragraph (1) and who receives contribu-
tions or makes expenditures aggregating more 
than $1,000 at any time after the fourteenth 
day before the date of the election involving 
such candidate shall make a report to the Com-
mission not later than 24 hours after such con-
tributions are received or such expenditures are 
made. 
‘‘(C) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each report 
required under this paragraph shall state the 
total amount of contributions received and ex-
penditures made or obligated to be made during 
the period covered by the report. 
‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section and section 309(a)(13), the terms ‘non-
participating candidate’, ‘participating candidate’, 
and ‘allocation from the Fund’ have the respective 
meanings given to such terms under section 501.’’. 
(b) INCREASED PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO FILE.— 
Section 309(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
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1971 (2 U.S.C. 437(g)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(13) INCREASED CIVIL PENALTIES WITH RE-
SPECT TO REPORTING BY NONPARTICIPATING CAN-
DIDATES.—For purposes of paragraphs (5) and (6), 
any civil penalty with respect to a violation of sec-
tion 304(i) shall not exceed the greater of— 
‘‘(A) the amount otherwise applicable with-
out regard to this paragraph; or 
‘‘(B) for each day of the violation, 3 times 
the amount of the fair fight funds under section 
511 that otherwise would have been allocated to 
the participating candidate but for such viola-
tion.’’. 
SEC. 104. MODIFICATION OF ELECTIONEERING COMMU-
NICATION REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 
Paragraph (2) of section 304(f) of the Federal Elec-
tion Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(f)(2)) is amend-
ed by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and (F) as sub-
paragraphs (F) and (G), respectively, and by inserting 
after subparagraph (D) the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(E) in the case of a communication refer-
ring to any candidate in an election involving a 
participating candidate (as defined under sec-
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tion 501(9)), a transcript of the electioneering 
communication.’’. 
SEC. 105. LIMITATION ON COORDINATED EXPENDITURES 
BY POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES WITH 
PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 315(d)(3) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(d)) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and 
(B) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting before subparagraph (B), as re-
designated by paragraph (1), the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(A) in the case of a candidate for election 
to the office of Representative who is a partici-
pating candidate (as defined in section 501), 
the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) 10 percent of the allocation from 
the House Clean Elections Fund that the 
participating candidate is eligible to receive 
for the general election under section 
510(c)(3); or 
‘‘(ii) the amount which would (but for 
this subparagraph) apply with respect to 
such candidate under subparagraph (B);’’. 
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(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subparagraph (B) 
of section 315(d)(3) of such Act, as redesignated by sub-
section (a), is amended by inserting ‘‘who is not a partici-
pating candidate (as so defined)’’ after ‘‘office of Rep-
resentative’’. 
SEC. 106. TREATMENT OF COORDINATED EXPENDITURES 
AS CONTRIBUTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 301(8) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(8)) is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of clause 
(i); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
clause (ii) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iii) a payment made for a commu-
nication or anything of value that is for 
the purpose of influencing an election for 
Federal office and that is made in coordi-
nation with a candidate (as defined in sub-
paragraph (C)).’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(C) For the purposes of subparagraph 
(A)(iii), the term ‘payment made in coordina-
tion with a candidate’ includes— 
‘‘(i) a payment made by a person in 
cooperation, consultation, or concert with, 
at the request or suggestion of, or pursu-
ant to any general or particular under-
standing with a candidate, the candidate’s 
authorized committee, or an agent acting 
on behalf of a candidate or authorized 
committee; 
‘‘(ii) a payment made by a person for 
the dissemination, distribution, or republi-
cation, in whole or in part, of any broad-
cast or any written, graphic, or other form 
of campaign material prepared by a can-
didate, a candidate’s authorized committee, 
or an agent of a candidate or authorized 
committee (not including a communication 
described in paragraph (9)(B)(i) or a com-
munication that expressly advocates the 
candidate’s defeat); 
‘‘(iii) a payment made based on infor-
mation about a candidate’s plans, projects, 
or needs provided to the person making the 
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payment by the candidate or the can-
didate’s agent who provides the informa-
tion with a view toward having the pay-
ment made; 
‘‘(iv) a payment made by a person if, 
in the same election cycle in which the pay-
ment is made, the person making the pay-
ment is serving or has served as a member, 
employee, fundraiser, or agent of the can-
didate’s authorized committee in an execu-
tive or policymaking position; 
‘‘(v) a payment made by a person if 
the person making the payment has served 
in any formal policy or advisory position 
with the candidate’s campaign or has par-
ticipated in strategic or policymaking dis-
cussions with the candidate’s campaign re-
lating to the candidate’s pursuit of nomi-
nation for election, or election, to Federal 
office, in the same election cycle as the 
election cycle in which the payment is 
made; and 
‘‘(vi) a payment made by a person if 
the person making the payment retains the 
professional services of an individual or 
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person who has provided or is providing 
campaign-related services in the same elec-
tion cycle to a candidate in connection with 
the candidate’s pursuit of nomination for 
election, or election, to Federal office, in-
cluding services relating to the candidate’s 
decision to seek Federal office, and the 
payment is for services of which the pur-
pose is to influence that candidate’s elec-
tion. 
‘‘(D) 
For 
purposes 
of 
subparagraph 
(C)(vi), the term ‘professional services’ includes 
services in support of a candidate’s pursuit of 
nomination for election, or election, to Federal 
office such as polling, media advice, direct mail, 
fundraising, or campaign research.’’. 
(b) EXCEPTION FOR CLEAN MONEY CANDIDATES.— 
Section 315(a)(7) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(7)) is 
amended by striking paragraph (B) and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(B)(i) except as provided in clause (ii), a pay-
ment made in coordination with a candidate (as de-
scribed in section 301(8)(A)(iii)) shall be considered 
to be a contribution to the candidate, and, for the 
purposes of any provision of this Act that imposes 
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a limitation on the making of expenditures by a can-
didate, shall be treated as an expenditure by the 
candidate for purposes of this paragraph, and 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a clean money candidate (as 
defined in section 501), a payment made in coordi-
nation with a candidate by a committee of a political 
party shall not be treated as a contribution to the 
candidate for purposes of section 503(b)(1) or an ex-
penditure made by the candidate for purposes of sec-
tion 503(b)(2);’’. 
SEC. 107. AUDITS. 
Section 311(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 438(b)) is amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘The Commis-
sion’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) 
AUDITS
OF
PARTICIPATING
CAN-
DIDATES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para-
graph (1), after every primary, general, and 
runoff election, the Commission shall conduct 
random audits and investigations of not less 
than 30 percent of the authorized committees of 
candidates who are participating candidates (as 
defined in section 501). 
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‘‘(B) SELECTION OF SUBJECTS.—The sub-
jects of audits and investigations under this 
paragraph shall be selected on the basis of im-
partial criteria established by a vote of at least 
4 members of the Commission.’’. 
SEC. 108. TAX CREDIT FOR VOLUNTARY DONATIONS TO 
HOUSE CLEAN ELECTIONS FUND. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart B of part IV of sub-
chapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section: 
‘‘SEC. 30E. CREDIT FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO HOUSE CLEAN 
ELECTIONS FUND. 
‘‘(a) CREDIT ALLOWED.—There shall be allowed as 
a credit against the tax imposed by this chapter for the 
taxable year an amount equal to the lesser of— 
‘‘(1) the amount contributed to the House 
Clean Elections Fund by the taxpayer during such 
taxable year, or 
‘‘(2) $500. 
‘‘(b) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) NO CREDIT FOR QUALIFYING CONTRIBU-
TIONS.—No credit shall be allowed under subsection 
(a) for any contribution which is a qualifying con-
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tribution (as defined under section 501(11) of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971). 
‘‘(2) NO
CREDIT
FOR
DESIGNATIONS
UNDER 
SECTION 6097.—No credit shall be allowed with re-
spect to any amount designated under section 6097. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATION
WITH
OTHER
CREDITS.— 
The credit allowed by subsection (a) for any taxable 
year shall not exceed the excess (if any) of— 
‘‘(A) the regular tax liability (as defined in 
section 26(b)) reduced by the sum of the credits 
allowable under subpart A and sections 27, 30, 
30B, 30C, and 30D, over 
‘‘(B) the tentative minimum tax for the 
taxable year. 
‘‘(c) HOUSE CLEAN ELECTIONS FUND.—For pur-
poses of this section, the term ‘House Clean Elections 
Fund’ means the fund established under section 502 of 
the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971. 
‘‘(d) DENIAL OF DOUBLE BENEFIT.—No deduction 
shall be allowed under this chapter for any amount for 
which a credit is allowed under subsection (a).’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of section 
for subpart B of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by in-
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serting after the item relating to section 30D the following 
new item: 
‘‘Sec. 30E. Credit for contributions to House Clean Elections Fund.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 
December 31, 2009. 
Subtitle B—Clean Elections Review 
Commission 
SEC. 111. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a com-
mission to be known as the ‘‘Clean Elections Review Com-
mission’’ (hereafter in this subtitle referred to as the 
‘‘Commission’’). 
(b) DUTIES.— 
(1) REVIEW
OF
CLEAN
ELECTIONS
FINANC-
ING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—After each general elec-
tion for Federal office, the Commission shall 
conduct a comprehensive review of the House 
clean elections financing program under title V 
of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, 
including— 
(i) the number and value of qualifying 
contributions a candidate is required to ob-
tain under section 505 of such Act to qual-
ify for allocations from the Fund; 
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(ii) the amount of allocations from the 
House Clean Elections Fund that can-
didates may receive under sections 510 
and 511 of such Act; 
(iii) the overall satisfaction of partici-
pating candidates with the program; and 
(iv) such other matters relating to fi-
nancing of House campaigns as the Com-
mission determines are appropriate. 
(B) CRITERIA
FOR
REVIEW.—In con-
ducting the review under subparagraph (A), the 
Commission shall consider the following: 
(i) REVIEW
OF
QUALIFYING
CON-
TRIBUTION
REQUIREMENTS.—The Com-
mission shall consider whether the number 
and value of qualifying contributions re-
quired strikes a balance between the im-
portance of voter choice and fiscal respon-
sibility, taking into consideration the num-
ber of primary and general election partici-
pating candidates, the electoral perform-
ance of those candidates, program cost, 
and any other information the Commission 
determines is appropriate. 
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(ii) REVIEW
OF
PROGRAM
ALLOCA-
TIONS.—The Commission shall consider 
whether allocations from the House Clean 
Elections Fund under sections 509 and 
510 of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1974 are sufficient for voters in each 
State to learn about the candidates to cast 
an informed vote, taking into account the 
historic amount of spending by winning 
candidates, media costs, primary election 
dates, and any other information the Com-
mission determines is appropriate. 
(2) REPORT, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND
PRO-
POSED LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE.— 
(A) REPORT.—Not later than March 30 
following any general election for Federal office, 
the Commission shall submit a report to Con-
gress on the review conducted under paragraph 
(1). Such report shall contain a detailed state-
ment of the findings, conclusions, and rec-
ommendations of the Commission based on 
such review, and shall contain any proposed leg-
islative language (as required under subpara-
graph (C)) of the Commission. 
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(B) FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND
REC-
OMMENDATIONS.—A finding, conclusion, or rec-
ommendation of the Commission shall be in-
cluded in the report under subparagraph (A) 
only if not less than 3 members of the Commis-
sion voted for such finding, conclusion, or rec-
ommendation. 
(C) LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The report under 
subparagraph (A) shall include legislative 
language with respect to any recommenda-
tion involving— 
(I) an increase in the number or 
value of qualifying contributions; or 
(II) an increase in the amount of 
allocations from the House Clean 
Elections Fund. 
(ii) FORM.—The legislative language 
shall be in the form of a proposed bill for 
introduction in Congress and shall not in-
clude any recommendation not related to 
matter described subclause (I) or (II) of 
clause (i). 
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SEC. 112. STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMIS-
SION. 
(a) APPOINTMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Commission shall be 
composed of 5 members, of whom— 
(A) 1 shall be appointed by the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives; 
(B) 1 shall be appointed by the minority 
leader of the House; and 
(C) 3 shall be appointed jointly by the 
members appointed under subparagraphs (A) 
and (B). 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The members shall be 
individuals who are nonpartisan and, by reason 
of their education, experience, and attainments, 
exceptionally qualified to perform the duties of 
members of the Commission. 
(B) PROHIBITION.—No member of the 
Commission may be— 
(i) a member of Congress; 
(ii) an employee of the Federal Gov-
ernment; 
(iii) a registered lobbyist; or 
(iv) an officer or employee of a polit-
ical party or political campaign. 
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(3) DATE.—Members of the Commission shall 
be appointed not later than 60 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act. 
(4) TERMS.—A member of the Commission 
shall be appointed for a term of 5 years. 
(b) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Commission shall 
be filled not later than 30 calendar days after the date 
on which the Commission is given notice of the vacancy, 
in the same manner as the original appointment. The indi-
vidual appointed to fill the vacancy shall serve only for 
the unexpired portion of the term for which the individ-
ual’s predecessor was appointed. 
(c) CHAIRPERSON.—The Commission shall designate 
a Chairperson from among the members of the Commis-
sion. 
SEC. 113. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION. 
(a) MEETINGS AND HEARINGS.— 
(1) MEETINGS.—The Commission may hold 
such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, 
take such testimony, and receive such evidence as 
the Commission considers advisable to carry out the 
purposes of this Act. 
(2) QUORUM.—Four members of the Commis-
sion shall constitute a quorum for purposes of vot-
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ing, but a quorum is not required for members to 
meet and hold hearings. 
(b) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The 
Commission may secure directly from any Federal depart-
ment or agency such information as the Commission con-
siders necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
Upon request of the Chairperson of the Commission, the 
head of such department or agency shall furnish such in-
formation to the Commission. 
(c) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may use 
the United States mails in the same manner and under 
the same conditions as other departments and agencies of 
the Federal Government. 
(d) GIFTS.—The Commission may accept, use, and 
dispose of gifts or donations of services or property. 
SEC. 114. ADMINISTRATION. 
(a) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Each member, other 
than the Chairperson, shall be paid at a rate 
equal to the daily equivalent of the minimum 
annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV 
of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 
of title 5, United States Code, for each day (in-
cluding travel time) during which such member 
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is engaged in the performance of the duties of 
the Commission. 
(B) 
CHAIRPERSON.—The 
Chairperson 
shall be paid at a rate equal to the daily equiva-
lent of the minimum annual rate of basic pay 
prescribed for level III of the Executive Sched-
ule under section 5314 of title 5, United States 
Code, for each day (including travel time) dur-
ing which such member is engaged in the per-
formance of the duties of the Commission. 
(2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Members shall receive 
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsist-
ence, in accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of 
title 5, United States Code, while away from their 
homes or regular places of business in performance 
of services for the Commission. 
(b) PERSONNEL.— 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The Commission shall have a 
staff headed by an Executive Director. The Execu-
tive Director shall be paid at a rate equivalent to a 
rate established for the Senior Executive Service 
under section 5382 of title 5, United States Code. 
(2) STAFF APPOINTMENT.—With the approval 
of the Chairperson, the Executive Director may ap-
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point such personnel as the Executive Director and 
the Commission determines to be appropriate. 
(3) ACTUARIAL EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.— 
With the approval of the Chairperson, the Executive 
Director may procure temporary and intermittent 
services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 
States Code. 
(4) DETAIL
OF
GOVERNMENT
EMPLOYEES.— 
Upon the request of the Chairperson, the head of 
any Federal agency may detail, without reimburse-
ment, any of the personnel of such agency to the 
Commission to assist in carrying out the duties of 
the Commission. Any such detail shall not interrupt 
or otherwise affect the civil service status or privi-
leges of the Federal employee. 
(5) 
OTHER
RESOURCES.—The 
Commission 
shall have reasonable access to materials, resources, 
statistical data, and other information from the Li-
brary of Congress and other agencies and elected 
representatives of the executive and legislative 
branches of the Federal Government. The Chair-
person of the Commission shall make requests for 
such access in writing when necessary. 
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SEC. 115. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this subtitle. 
TITLE II—VOTER INFORMATION 
SEC. 201. FREE BROADCAST TIME. 
Section 315 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
U.S.C. 315) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), in the third sentence, by 
striking ‘‘within the meaning of this subsection’’ and 
inserting ‘‘within the meaning of this subsection or 
subsection (c)’’; 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) FREE BROADCAST TIME.— 
‘‘(1) AMOUNT OF TIME.—A clean money can-
didate shall be entitled to receive— 
‘‘(A) 30 minutes of free broadcast time 
during each of the primary election period and 
the primary runoff election period; and 
‘‘(B) 75 minutes of free broadcast time 
during the general election period and general 
runoff election period. 
‘‘(2) TIME DURING WHICH THE BROADCAST IS 
SHOWN.—The broadcast time under paragraph (1) 
shall be— 
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‘‘(A) with respect to a television broadcast, 
the time between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on 
any day that falls on Monday through Friday; 
‘‘(B) with respect to a radio broadcast, the 
time between 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. or be-
tween 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on any day that 
falls on Monday through Friday; or 
‘‘(C) with respect to any broadcast, such 
other time to which the candidate and broad-
caster may agree. 
‘‘(3) MAXIMUM REQUIRED OF ANY STATION.— 
The amount of free broadcast time that any 1 sta-
tion is required to make available to any 1 clean 
money candidate during each of the primary election 
period, primary runoff election period, and general 
election period shall not exceed 15 minutes.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (1); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
paragraph (2) and inserting a semicolon, and 
by redesignating that paragraph as paragraph 
(4); 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following: 
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‘‘(2) the term ‘clean money candidate’ has the 
meaning given in section 501 of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971; 
‘‘(3) the terms ‘general election period’ and 
‘general runoff election period’ have the meaning 
given in section 501 of the Federal Election Cam-
paign Act of 1971;’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) the term ‘primary election period’ has the 
meaning given in section 501 of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971; 
‘‘(6) the term ‘private money candidate’ has the 
meaning given in section 501 of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971; and 
‘‘(7) the term ‘primary runoff election period’ 
has the meaning given in section 501 of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971.’’. 
SEC. 202. BROADCAST RATES AND PREEMPTION. 
(a) BROADCAST RATES.—Section 315(b) of the Com-
munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘paragraph 
(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) CLEAN MONEY CANDIDATES.—In the case 
of a clean money candidate, the charges for the use 
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of a television broadcasting station shall not exceed 
50 percent of the lowest charge described in para-
graph (1)(A) during— 
‘‘(A) the 30 days preceding the date of a 
primary or primary runoff election in which the 
candidate is opposed; and 
‘‘(B) the 60 days preceding the date of a 
general or special election in which the can-
didate is opposed. 
‘‘(4) OTHER HOUSE CANDIDATES.—In the case 
of a candidate for election for Member of or Dele-
gate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress who 
is not a clean money candidate, paragraph (1)(A) 
shall not apply. 
‘‘(5) RATE CARDS.—A licensee shall provide to 
a candidate for Member of or Delegate or Resident 
Commissioner to the Congress a rate card that dis-
closes— 
‘‘(A) the rate charged under this sub-
section; and 
‘‘(B) the method that the licensee uses to 
determine the rate charged under this sub-
section.’’. 
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(b) PREEMPTION.—Section 315 of such Act (47 
U.S.C. 315), as amended by section 201, is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) PREEMPTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), a licensee shall not preempt the use of a 
broadcasting station by a legally qualified candidate 
for Member of or Delegate or Resident Commis-
sioner to the Congress who has purchased and paid 
for such use. 
‘‘(2) CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND CONTROL OF LI-
CENSEE.—If a program to be broadcast by a broad-
casting station is preempted because of cir-
cumstances beyond the control of the broadcasting 
station, any candidate advertising spot scheduled to 
be broadcast during that program may also be pre-
empted.’’. 
(c) REVOCATION OF LICENSE FOR FAILURE TO PER-
MIT ACCESS.—Section 312(a)(7) of such Act (47 U.S.C. 
312(a)(7)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or repeated’’; 
(2) by inserting ‘‘or cable system’’ after ‘‘broad-
casting station’’; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘his candidacy’’ and inserting 
‘‘the candidacy of the candidate, under the same 
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terms, conditions, and business practices as apply to 
the most favored advertiser of the licensee’’. 
SEC. 203. LIMIT ON CONGRESSIONAL USE OF THE FRANK-
ING PRIVILEGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3210(a)(6) of title 39, 
United States Code, is amended by striking subparagraph 
(A) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), a Member 
of Congress or a Congressional Committee or Sub-
committee of which such Member is Chairman or Ranking 
Member shall not mail any mass mailing as franked mail 
during the period which begins 90 days before date of the 
primary election and ends on the date of the general elec-
tion with respect to any Federal office which such Member 
holds, unless the Member has made a public announce-
ment that the Member will not be a candidate for reelec-
tion to any Federal office in that year. 
‘‘(ii) A Member of Congress or a Congressional Com-
mittee or Subcommittee of which such Member is Chair-
man or Ranking Member may mail a mass mailing as 
franked mail if— 
‘‘(I) the purpose of the mailing is to commu-
nicate information about a public meeting; and 
‘‘(II) the content of the mailed matter includes 
only the name of the Member, Committee, or Sub-
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