I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 20 
To reform the financing of congressional elections by broadening participation 
by small dollar donors, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 24, 2017 
Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. HOYER, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. 
CROWLEY, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. AGUILAR, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BERA, Mr. 
BEYER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CAPU-
ANO, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. 
CASTRO of Texas, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. 
CLARK of Massachusetts, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. 
COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COOPER, Mr. COURTNEY, 
Mr. CUMMINGS, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illi-
nois, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. DELANEY, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. 
DELBENE, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. DEUTCH, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. DOG-
GETT, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. 
ENGEL, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. ESTY, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. 
GABBARD, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GENE GREEN 
of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. HECK, 
Mr. HIMES, Ms. NORTON, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. 
JAYAPAL, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. 
KAPTUR, Mr. KEATING, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. 
KHANNA, Mr. KIHUEN, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. KILMER, Mr. KIND, Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. CLAY, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LARSEN of Wash-
ington, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. LEE, Mr. 
LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. LOEBSACK, Ms. 
LOFGREN, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. BEN RAY LUJA´N of New 
Mexico, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. LYNCH, 
Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY 
of New York, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. 
KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MENG, Ms. MOORE, Mr. 
MOULTON, Mrs. MURPHY of Florida, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, 
Mr. NOLAN, Mr. NORCROSS, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Mr. O’ROURKE, Mr. 
PALLONE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. PETERS, 
Ms. PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Mr. POLIS, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. RASKIN, Miss 
RICE of New York, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. 
RYAN of Ohio, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mr. SCOTT of Vir-
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ginia, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. 
SIRES, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. SOTO, Ms. 
SPEIER, Mr. SWALWELL of California, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. THOMPSON of 
California, Mr. TONKO, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. WALZ, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. WATSON 
COLEMAN, Mr. WELCH, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. 
FUDGE, Mr. JONES, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. MCNERNEY, and Ms. BASS) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and 
Commerce, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reform the financing of congressional elections by broad-
ening participation by small dollar donors, 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 
‘‘Government By the People Act of 2017’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—PARTICIPATION IN FUNDING OF ELECTIONS 
Subtitle A—My Voice Tax Credit 
Sec. 101. Refundable tax credit for congressional House campaign contribu-
tions. 
Subtitle B—My Voice Voucher Pilot Program 
Sec. 111. Establishment of pilot program. 
Sec. 112. Voucher program described. 
Sec. 113. Reports. 
Sec. 114. Election cycle defined. 
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TITLE II—SMALL DOLLAR FINANCING OF CONGRESSIONAL 
ELECTION CAMPAIGNS 
Sec. 201. Benefits and eligibility requirements for candidates. 
‘‘TITLE V—SMALL DOLLAR FINANCING OF CONGRESSIONAL 
ELECTION CAMPAIGNS 
‘‘Subtitle A—Benefits 
‘‘Sec. 501. Benefits for participating candidates. 
‘‘Sec. 502. Procedures for making payments. 
‘‘Sec. 503. Use of funds. 
‘‘Sec. 504. Qualified small dollar contributions described. 
‘‘Subtitle B—Eligibility and Certification 
‘‘Sec. 511. Eligibility. 
‘‘Sec. 512. Qualifying requirements. 
‘‘Sec. 513. Certification. 
‘‘Subtitle C—Requirements for Candidates Certified as Participating 
Candidates 
‘‘Sec. 521. Contribution and expenditure requirements. 
‘‘Sec. 522. Administration of campaign. 
‘‘Sec. 523. Preventing unnecessary spending of public funds. 
‘‘Sec. 524. Remitting unspent funds after election. 
‘‘Subtitle D—Enhanced Match Support 
‘‘Sec. 531. Enhanced support for general election. 
‘‘Sec. 532. Eligibility. 
‘‘Sec. 533. Amount. 
‘‘Sec. 534. Waiver of authority to retain portion of unspent funds after 
election. 
‘‘Subtitle E—Administrative Provisions 
‘‘Sec. 541. Freedom From Influence Fund. 
‘‘Sec. 542. Government by the People Oversight Commission. 
‘‘Sec. 543. Administration by Commission. 
‘‘Sec. 544. Violations and penalties. 
‘‘Sec. 545. Appeals process. 
‘‘Sec. 546. Indexing of amounts. 
‘‘Sec. 547. Election cycle defined. 
Sec. 202. Contributions and expenditures by multicandidate and political party 
political committees on behalf of participating candidates. 
Sec. 203. Prohibiting use of contributions by participating candidates for pur-
poses other than campaign for election. 
TITLE III—OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS 
Sec. 301. Expanding requirement to disclose bundlers who are registered lobby-
ists to all bundlers. 
Sec. 302. Petition for certiorari. 
Sec. 303. Filing by all candidates with Commission. 
Sec. 304. Electronic filing of FEC reports. 
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Sec. 305. Effective date. 
TITLE IV—EXPANDING CANDIDATE ACCESS TO ADVERTISING 
Sec. 401. Broadcasts by candidates. 
TITLE V—CONTRIBUTIONS TO FREEDOM FROM INFLUENCE 
FUND 
Sec. 501. Voluntary contributions to the Freedom From Influence Fund. 
TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 601. Severability. 
TITLE I—PARTICIPATION IN 
FUNDING OF ELECTIONS 
Subtitle A—My Voice Tax Credit 
SEC. 101. REFUNDABLE TAX CREDIT FOR CONGRESSIONAL 
HOUSE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart C of part IV of sub-
chapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 (relating to refundable credits) is amended by insert-
ing after section 36B the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 36C. CREDIT FOR CONGRESSIONAL HOUSE CAM-
PAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an individual, 
there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed 
by this subtitle an amount equal to 50 percent of the 
qualified My Voice Federal congressional House campaign 
contributions paid or incurred by the taxpayer during the 
taxable year. 
‘‘(b) LIMITATIONS.— 
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‘‘(1) DOLLAR
LIMITATION.—The amount of 
qualified My Voice Federal congressional House 
campaign contributions taken into account under 
subsection (a) for the taxable year shall not exceed 
$50 (twice such amount in the case of a joint re-
turn). 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON CONTRIBUTIONS TO FED-
ERAL
CONGRESSIONAL
HOUSE
CANDIDATES.—No 
credit shall be allowed under this section to any tax-
payer for any taxable year if such taxpayer made ag-
gregate contributions in excess of $300 during the 
taxable year to— 
‘‘(A) any single Federal congressional 
House candidate, or 
‘‘(B) any political committee established 
and maintained by a national political party. 
‘‘(3) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—No credit 
shall be allowed under this section to any taxpayer 
unless the taxpayer provides the Secretary with such 
information as the Secretary may require to verify 
the taxpayer’s eligibility for the credit and the 
amount of the credit for the taxpayer. 
‘‘(4) INELIGIBILITY OF INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING 
MY VOICE VOUCHERS.— 
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‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No credit shall be al-
lowed under this section with respect to any in-
dividual for any taxable year which occurs dur-
ing an election cycle in which such individual 
received a My Voice Voucher under subtitle B 
of title I of the Government By the People Act 
of 2017. In the case of a joint return with re-
spect to which this paragraph applies to one of 
the spouses, such return shall not be treated as 
a joint return for purposes of determining the 
dollar limitation under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(B) ELECTION CYCLE DEFINED.—In sub-
paragraph (A), the term ‘election cycle’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 114 of the 
Government By the People Act of 2017. 
‘‘(c) QUALIFIED MY VOICE FEDERAL CONGRES-
SIONAL HOUSE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.—For pur-
poses of this section, the term ‘My Voice Federal congres-
sional House campaign contribution’ means any contribu-
tion of cash by an individual to a Federal congressional 
House candidate or to a political committee established 
and maintained by a national political party if such con-
tribution is not prohibited under the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971. 
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‘‘(d) 
FEDERAL
CONGRESSIONAL
HOUSE
CAN-
DIDATE.—For purposes of this section— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘Federal congres-
sional House candidate’ means any candidate for 
election to the office of Representative in, or Dele-
gate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress. 
‘‘(2) TREATMENT
OF
AUTHORIZED
COMMIT-
TEES.—Any contribution made to an authorized 
committee of a Federal congressional House can-
didate shall be treated as made to such candidate. 
‘‘(e) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a taxable 
year beginning after 2017, the $50 amount under 
subsection (b)(1) shall be increased by an amount 
equal to— 
‘‘(A) such dollar amount, multiplied by 
‘‘(B) the cost-of-living adjustment deter-
mined under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar 
year in which the taxable year begins, deter-
mined by substituting ‘calendar year 2017’ for 
‘calendar year 1992’ in subparagraph (B) 
thereof. 
‘‘(2) ROUNDING.—If any amount as adjusted 
under subparagraph (A) is not a multiple of $5, 
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such amount shall be rounded to the nearest mul-
tiple of $5.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) Section 6211(b)(4)(A) of such Code is 
amended by inserting ‘‘36C,’’ after ‘‘36B,’’. 
(2) Section 1324(b)(2) of title 31, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘36C,’’ after 
‘‘36B,’’. 
(3) The table of sections for subpart C of part 
IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 36B the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 36C. Credit for congressional House campaign contributions.’’. 
(c) FORMS.—The Secretary of the Treasury, or his 
designee, shall ensure that the credit for contributions to 
Federal congressional House candidates allowed under 
section 36C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as 
added by this section, may be claimed on Forms 1040EZ 
and 1040A. 
(d) ADMINISTRATION.—At the request of the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, the Federal Election Commission 
shall provide the Secretary of the Treasury with such in-
formation and other assistance as the Secretary may rea-
sonably require to administer the credit allowed under sec-
tion 36C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as added 
by this section. 
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(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 
December 31, 2016. 
Subtitle B—My Voice Voucher Pilot 
Program 
SEC. 111. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Government by the Peo-
ple Oversight Commission established under section 542 
of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (as added 
by section 201) (hereafter in this subtitle referred to as 
the ‘‘Commission’’) shall establish a pilot program under 
which the Commission shall select 3 eligible States to oper-
ate a voucher pilot program which is described in section 
112. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY OF STATES.—A State is eligible to 
be selected to operate a voucher pilot program under this 
subtitle if the State submits to the Commission (at such 
time during the application period and in such form as 
the Commission may require) an application containing— 
(1) information and assurances that the State 
will operate a voucher program which contains the 
elements described in section 112(a); 
(2) information and assurances that the State 
will establish fraud prevention mechanisms described 
in section 112(b); 
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(3) information and assurances that the State 
will establish a commission to oversee and implement 
the program as described in section 112(c); 
(4) information and assurances that the State 
will submit reports as required under section 113; 
and 
(5) such other information and assurances as 
the Commission may require. 
(c) TIMING OF PROGRAM.— 
(1) ISSUANCE
OF
INITIAL
GUIDANCE.—Not 
later than 90 days after the appointment of a 
quorum of its members, the Commission shall issue 
initial guidance regarding the process by which 
States may apply to operate voucher pilot programs 
under this subtitle and initial guidance regarding the 
implementation of such programs. 
(2) SELECTION OF PARTICIPATING STATES.— 
The Commission shall select the 3 States which will 
operate voucher pilot programs under this subtitle 
not later than 90 days before the end of the applica-
tion period. 
(3) PERIOD
OF
OPERATION
OF
PROGRAM.— 
Each State selected to operate a voucher pilot pro-
gram under this subtitle shall operate such program 
during each of the 3 election cycles which begin after 
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the application period, and shall ensure that the pro-
gram is ready to be operated not later than the first 
January 1 of the first election cycle which begins 
after the application period. 
(4) TERMINATION.—Each voucher pilot pro-
gram under this subtitle shall terminate as of the 
first day after the third election cycle during which 
the State operated the program. 
(d) REIMBURSEMENT
OF COSTS.—Upon receiving 
the report submitted by a State under section 113 with 
respect to an election cycle, the Commission shall transmit 
a payment to the State in an amount equal to the reason-
able costs incurred by the State in operating the voucher 
pilot program under this subtitle during the cycle. 
(e) APPLICATION PERIOD DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘application period’’ means the first election 
cycle which begins after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 112. VOUCHER PROGRAM DESCRIBED. 
(a) GENERAL ELEMENTS OF PROGRAM.— 
(1) ELEMENTS DESCRIBED.—The elements of a 
voucher pilot program operated by a State under 
this subtitle are as follows: 
(A) The State shall provide each qualified 
individual upon the individual’s request with a 
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voucher worth $50 to be known as a ‘‘My Voice 
Voucher’’ 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 My Voice Voucher, the individual may sub-
mit the My Voice Voucher in either electronic 
or paper form to qualified candidates for elec-
tion for Federal office and allocate such portion 
of the value of the My Voice Voucher in incre-
ments of $5 as the individual may select to any 
such candidate. 
(C) If the candidate transmits the My 
Voice Voucher to the Commission, the Commis-
sion shall pay the candidate the portion of the 
value of the My Voice Voucher that the indi-
vidual allocated to the candidate, which shall be 
considered a contribution by the individual to 
the candidate for purposes of the Federal Elec-
tion 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— 
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(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 My Voice Voucher; 
(C) who is not prohibited under Federal 
law from making contributions to candidates 
for election for Federal office; and 
(D) who meets such other requirements as 
the State may impose, except that the State 
may not require the individual to be a reg-
istered voter in the State as a condition of 
being a qualified individual. 
(b) FRAUD PREVENTION MECHANISM.—In addition 
to the elements described in subsection (a), a State oper-
ating a voucher pilot program under this subtitle shall per-
mit an individual to revoke a My Voice Voucher not later 
than 2 days after submitting the My Voice Voucher to a 
candidate. 
(c) OVERSIGHT COMMISSION.—In addition to the ele-
ments described in subsection (a), a State operating a 
voucher pilot program under this subtitle shall establish 
a commission or designate an existing entity to oversee 
and implement the program in the State, except that no 
such commission or entity may be comprised of elected 
officials. 
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SEC. 113. REPORTS. 
(a) ELECTION CYCLE REPORTS.—Not later than 6 
months after each election cycle during which a State op-
erates a voucher pilot program under this subtitle, the 
State shall submit a report to the Commission analyzing 
the operation and effectiveness of the program during the 
cycle and including such other information as the Commis-
sion may require. 
(b) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after 
the termination of the voucher pilot programs under this 
subtitle, each State which operated such a program shall 
submit a final report to the Commission on the operation 
of the program during the previous election cycles, and 
shall include in each such report such recommendations 
as the State considers appropriate regarding the expan-
sion of the pilot program to all States and territories, 
along with such other recommendations and other infor-
mation as the Commission may require. 
SEC. 114. ELECTION CYCLE DEFINED. 
In this subtitle, the term ‘‘election cycle’’ means the 
period beginning on the day after the date of the most 
recent regularly scheduled general election for Federal of-
fice and ending on the date of the next regularly scheduled 
general election for Federal office. 
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TITLE 
II—SMALL 
DOLLAR 
FI-
NANCING 
OF 
CONGRES-
SIONAL 
ELECTION 
CAM-
PAIGNS 
SEC. 201. 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 
CONGRES-
SIONAL 
ELECTION 
CAM-
PAIGNS 
‘‘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.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a payment 
made under this title shall be equal to 600 percent 
of the amount of qualified small dollar contributions 
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received by the candidate since the most recent pay-
ment made to the candidate under this title during 
the election cycle, without regard to whether or not 
the candidate received any of the contributions be-
fore, during, or after the Small Dollar Democracy 
qualifying period applicable to the candidate under 
section 511(c). 
‘‘(2) INCREASE IN PAYMENT FOR CANDIDATES 
ACCEPTING GREATER RESTRICTIONS.—In the case of 
a candidate who exercises the option described in 
section 521(a)(2) to accept greater restrictions on 
the permissible sources of contributions and expendi-
tures, the amount of the payment under this sub-
section shall be the amount otherwise determined 
under paragraph (1) increased by 50 percent. 
‘‘(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 (or, in the case 
of a candidate who exercises the option described in sec-
tion 521(a)(2) to accept greater restrictions on the per-
missible sources of contributions and expenditures, 100 
percent) of the average of the 20 greatest amounts of dis-
bursements made by the authorized committees of any 
winning candidate for the office of Representative in, or 
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Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress dur-
ing the most recent election cycle, rounded to the nearest 
$100,000. 
‘‘SEC. 502. PROCEDURES FOR MAKING PAYMENTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall make a 
payment under section 501 to a candidate who is certified 
as a participating candidate upon receipt from the can-
didate of a request for a payment which includes— 
‘‘(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 Commission 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: 
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‘‘(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) Of the total number of individuals who 
have made qualified small dollar contributions to the 
candidate as of the date of the request (including in-
dividuals whose contributions were included in a pre-
vious request under subsection (a) and individuals 
who made such contributions during the Small Dol-
lar Democracy qualifying period described in section 
511(c)), at least 50 percent are residents of the 
State in which the candidate seeks election. 
‘‘(3) 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. 
‘‘(c) TIME OF PAYMENT.—The Commission shall en-
sure that payments under this section are made 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 candidate shall use payments made under this 
title, including payments provided with respect to a pre-
vious election cycle which are withheld from remittance to 
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the Commission in accordance with section 524(a)(2), only 
for making direct payments for the receipt of goods and 
services (including legal fees related to the election or a 
legal challenge to the results of the election) which con-
stitute authorized expenditures (as determined in accord-
ance with title III) in connection with the election cycle 
involved. 
‘‘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 $150. 
‘‘(2) The contribution is made by an individual, 
either directly or through an intermediary or conduit 
(as described in section 315(a)(8)), who is not other-
wise prohibited from making a contribution under 
this Act. 
‘‘(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 
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exceeds the amount described in paragraph (1)(B), 
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 MY VOICE TAX CREDITS AND 
MY VOICE VOUCHERS.—Any payment received by a can-
didate and the authorized committees of a candidate which 
is treated as a qualified My Voice Federal congressional 
House campaign contribution under section 36C of the In-
ternal Revenue Code of 1986 or which consists of a My 
Voice Voucher under subtitle B of title I of the Govern-
ment By the People Act of 2017 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 NON-QUALIFIED 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 
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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 
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-QUALI-
FIED CONTRIBUTIONS.—If, notwithstanding the pro-
hibition described in paragraph (1), an individual 
who makes a qualified small dollar contribution to a 
candidate or the authorized committees of a can-
didate with respect to an election makes a subse-
quent contribution to such candidate or the author-
ized committees of such candidate with respect to 
the election which is prohibited under paragraph (1) 
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because it is not a qualified small dollar contribu-
tion, the candidate may take one of the following ac-
tions: 
‘‘(A) Not later than 2 weeks after receiving 
the contribution, the candidate may return the 
subsequent contribution to the individual. 
‘‘(B) Unless the candidate has exercised 
the option described in section 521(a)(2) to ac-
cept greater restrictions on the permissible 
sources of contributions and expenditures, the 
candidate may retain the subsequent contribu-
tion, so long as not later than 2 weeks after re-
ceiving the subsequent contribution, the can-
didate remits to the Commission for deposit in 
the Freedom From Influence Fund under sec-
tion 541 an amount equal to any payments re-
ceived by the candidate under this title which 
are attributable to the qualified small dollar 
contribution made by the individual involved. 
‘‘(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-
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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. 
‘‘(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 unless the 
contributor notifies the committee not later 
than 48 hours after making the contribution 
that the contribution is not to be so treated. 
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‘‘(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). 
‘‘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 
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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, and specifies in the statement 
whether the candidate intends to exercise the option 
described in section 521(a)(2) to accept greater re-
strictions on the permissible sources of contributions 
and expenditures. 
‘‘(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— 
‘‘(A) has complied and, if certified, will 
comply with the contribution and expenditure 
requirements of section 521; 
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‘‘(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. 
‘‘(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. 
‘‘(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 FROM IN-STATE RESIDENTS.—A candidate 
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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 quali-
fying period described in section 511(c), each of the fol-
lowing occurs: 
‘‘(1) Not fewer than 1,000 individuals who are 
residents of the State in which the candidate seeks 
election make a qualified small dollar contribution to 
the candidate. 
‘‘(2) The candidate obtains a total dollar 
amount of qualified small dollar contributions from 
individuals who are residents of the State in which 
the candidate seeks election which is equal to or 
greater than $50,000. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS RELATING
TO RECEIPT
OF 
QUALIFIED
SMALL
DOLLAR
CONTRIBUTION.—Each 
qualified small dollar contribution— 
‘‘(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 Commission; 
‘‘(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— 
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‘‘(A) the contributor’s name and the con-
tributor’s address in the State in which the pri-
mary residence of the contributor is located; 
and 
‘‘(B) an oath declaring that the contrib-
utor— 
‘‘(i) understands that the purpose of 
the contribution is to show support for the 
candidate so that the candidate may qual-
ify for financing under this title; 
‘‘(ii) is making the contribution in his 
or her own name and from his or her own 
funds; 
‘‘(iii) has made the contribution will-
ingly; and 
‘‘(iv) has not received anything of 
value in return for the contribution; 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 and a copy (in paper or electronic form) kept 
by the candidate for the election authorities in the 
State with respect to which the candidate is seeking 
election. 
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‘‘(c) VERIFICATION OF QUALIFIED SMALL DOLLAR 
CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Commission shall establish proce-
dures for the auditing and verification of qualified small 
dollar contributions, including procedures for random au-
dits, to ensure that such contributions meet the require-
ments of this section. 
‘‘SEC. 513. CERTIFICATION. 
‘‘(a) DEADLINE AND NOTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 days after 
a candidate files an affidavit under section 
511(a)(3), the Commission shall— 
‘‘(A) determine whether or not the can-
didate meets the requirements for certification 
as a participating candidate; 
‘‘(B) if the Commission determines that 
the candidate meets such requirements, certify 
the candidate as a participating candidate; and 
‘‘(C) notify the candidate of the Commis-
sion’s determination. 
‘‘(2) DEEMED CERTIFICATION FOR ALL ELEC-
TIONS IN ELECTION CYCLE.—If the Commission cer-
tifies a candidate as a participating candidate with 
respect to the first election of the election cycle in-
volved, the Commissioner shall be deemed to have 
certified the candidate as a participating candidate 
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with respect to all subsequent elections of the elec-
tion cycle. 
‘‘(b) REVOCATION OF CERTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may re-
voke 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 
‘‘(C) a candidate otherwise fails to comply 
with the requirements of this title, including 
any regulatory requirements prescribed by the 
Commission. 
‘‘(2) EXISTENCE
OF
REPEATED
OR
SERIOUS 
VIOLATIONS.—The Commission shall revoke a cer-
tification under subsection (a) if a penalty is as-
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certified as a participating candidate under this title 
with respect to any subsequent election. 
‘‘(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. 
‘‘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.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub-
section (c), a participating candidate with respect to 
an election shall, with respect to all elections occur-
ring 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: 
‘‘(A) Qualified small dollar contributions. 
‘‘(B) Payments under this title. 
‘‘(C) Contributions from political commit-
tees established and maintained by a national 
or State political party, subject to the applica-
ble limitations of section 315. 
‘‘(D) 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). 
‘‘(E) Contributions from individuals who 
are otherwise permitted to make contributions 
under this Act, subject to the applicable limita-
tions of section 315, except that the aggregate 
amount of contributions a participating can-
didate may accept from any individual with re-
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spect to any election during the election cycle 
may not exceed $1,000. 
‘‘(F) Contributions from multicandidate 
political committees, subject to the applicable 
limitations of section 315. 
‘‘(2) OPTION TO ACCEPT STRICTER LIMITS.—A 
participating candidate with respect to an election 
may, at the time of submitting the first request for 
payment under section 502(a), exercise an option to 
accept no contributions from any source and make 
no expenditures from any amounts with respect to 
all elections occurring during the election cycle for 
the office involved, other than the following: 
‘‘(A) Qualified small dollar contributions. 
‘‘(B) Payments under this title. 
‘‘(C) 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). 
‘‘(D) Contributions from individuals who 
are otherwise permitted to make contributions 
under this Act, subject to the applicable limita-
tions of section 315, except that— 
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‘‘(i) the aggregate amount of con-
tributions the candidate may accept from 
any individual with respect to any election 
during the election cycle may not exceed 
$1,000; 
‘‘(ii) the aggregate amount of con-
tributions a candidate may accept from all 
individuals under this subparagraph with 
respect to the election cycle may not exceed 
$50,000; and 
‘‘(iii) the candidate may not accept 
any contributions under this subparagraph 
after the date on which the Commission 
notifies the candidate under section 513(a) 
that the candidate is certified as a partici-
pating candidate under this title. 
‘‘(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 
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certification as a participating candidate) does 
not exceed $10,000; 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’ 
means, with respect to a 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). 
‘‘(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 paragraph (1) of sub-
section (a) (or, in the case of a candidate who has 
exercised the option described in paragraph (2) of 
subsection (a), that are not described in paragraph 
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(2) of subsection (a)) is not in violation of sub-
section (a), but only if all such contributions are— 
‘‘(A) returned to the contributor; 
‘‘(B) submitted to the Commission for de-
posit in the Freedom From Influence Fund es-
tablished under section 541; 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 
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 
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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 
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 
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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 
considered to be in violation of paragraph (1) so 
long as that joint fundraising committee does not re-
ceive any contributions or make any disbursements 
during the election cycle for which the candidate is 
certified as a participating candidate under this title. 
‘‘(f) PROHIBITION ON LEADERSHIP PACS.— 
‘‘(1) PROHIBITION.—A candidate who is cer-
tified as a participating candidate under this title 
with respect to an election may not establish, fi-
nance, maintain, or control a leadership PAC. 
‘‘(2) 
STATUS
OF
EXISTING
LEADERSHIP 
PACS.—If a candidate established, financed, main-
tained, or controlled a leadership PAC prior to being 
certified as a participating candidate under this title 
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and the candidate does not terminate the leadership 
PAC, the candidate shall not be considered to be in 
violation of paragraph (1) so long as the leadership 
PAC does not receive any contributions or make any 
disbursements during the election cycle for which the 
candidate is certified as a participating candidate 
under this title. 
‘‘(3) LEADERSHIP PAC DEFINED.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘leadership PAC’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 304(i)(8)(B). 
‘‘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 paragraph (1) 
of section 521(a) (or described in paragraph (2) of 
section 521(a) in the case of a candidate who exer-
cises the option described in such paragraph) 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.— 
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‘‘(1) MANDATORY IDENTIFICATION OF INDIVID-
UALS
MAKING
QUALIFIED
SMALL
DOLLAR
CON-
TRIBUTIONS.—Each authorized committee of a par-
ticipating candidate under this title shall elect, in ac-
cordance with section 304(b)(3)(A), to include in the 
reports 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 
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 PUB-
LIC 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 
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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 subparagraphs 
(C), (D), (E), and (F) of paragraph (1) of section 521(a) 
(or described in subparagraph (C) and (D) of paragraph 
(2) of section 521(a) in the case of a candidate who exer-
cises the option described in such paragraph). 
‘‘(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.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—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 participating candidate shall remit to 
the Commission for deposit in the Freedom From 
Influence Fund established under section 541 an 
amount equal to the balance of the payments re-
ceived under this title by the authorized committees 
of the candidate which remain unexpended as of 
such date. 
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‘‘(2) PERMITTING CANDIDATES PARTICIPATING 
IN NEXT ELECTION CYCLE TO RETAIN PORTION OF 
UNSPENT FUNDS.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), 
a participating candidate may withhold not more 
than $100,000 (or, in the case of a candidate who 
exercises the option described in section 521(a)(2) to 
accept greater restrictions on the permissible sources 
of contributions and expenditures, not more than 
$200,000) from the amount required to be remitted 
under paragraph (1) 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 election cycle, except that 
the candidate may not use any portion of the 
amount withheld until the candidate is certified as 
a participating candidate with respect to that next 
election cycle. If the candidate fails to seek certifi-
cation 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 participating can-
didate with respect to such cycle, the candidate shall 
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immediately remit to the Commission the amount 
withheld. 
‘‘(b) EXCEPTION FOR EXPENSES INCURRED AS A RE-
SULT OF CONTESTED ELECTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A candidate may withhold 
from the amount required to be remitted under sub-
section (a) the amount of any authorized expendi-
tures which were incurred as the result of a legal 
challenge to the results of the election, except that 
any amount withheld pursuant to this paragraph 
shall be remitted to the Commission not later than 
120 days after the date of the election to which such 
subsection applies. 
‘‘(2) DOCUMENTATION
REQUIRED.—A can-
didate may withhold an amount of an expenditure 
pursuant to paragraph (1) only if the candidate sub-
mits documentation of the expenditure and the 
amount to the Commission not later than the dead-
line applicable to the candidate under subsection (a). 
‘‘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 Com-
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mission shall make an additional payment to an eligible 
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. 
‘‘(4) During the enhanced support qualifying 
period, the candidate submits to the Commission 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; 
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‘‘(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 Commission 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-
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 
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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 
candidate with respect to an election cycle under section 
501(c). 
‘‘SEC. 534. WAIVER OF AUTHORITY TO RETAIN PORTION OF 
UNSPENT FUNDS AFTER ELECTION. 
‘‘Notwithstanding section 524(a)(2), a candidate who 
receives an additional payment under this subtitle with re-
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spect to an election is not permitted to withhold any por-
tion from the amount of unspent funds the candidate is 
required to remit to the Commission under section 
524(a)(1). 
‘‘Subtitle E—Administrative 
Provisions 
‘‘SEC. 541. FREEDOM FROM INFLUENCE FUND. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘Freedom From Influ-
ence Fund’. 
‘‘(b) AMOUNTS HELD BY FUND.—The Fund shall 
consist of the following amounts: 
‘‘(1) APPROPRIATED AMOUNTS.—Amounts ap-
propriated to the Fund, including trust fund 
amounts appropriated pursuant to applicable provi-
sions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
‘‘(2) VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS.—Voluntary 
contributions to the Fund, including contributions 
made pursuant to section 6098 of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986. 
‘‘(3) OTHER
DEPOSITS.—Amounts deposited 
into the Fund under— 
‘‘(A) section 521(c)(1)(B) (relating to ex-
ceptions to contribution requirements); 
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‘‘(B) section 523 (relating to remittance of 
unused payments from the Fund); 
‘‘(C) section 544 (relating to violations); 
and 
‘‘(D) any other section of this Act. 
‘‘(4) INVESTMENT RETURNS.—Interest on, and 
the proceeds from, the sale or redemption of, any 
obligations held by the Fund under subsection (c). 
‘‘(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.—Amounts in the Fund shall 
be available without further appropriation or fiscal 
year limitation to make payments to participating 
candidates as provided in this title. 
‘‘(2) INSUFFICIENT AMOUNTS.—Under regula-
tions established by the Commission, rules similar to 
the rules of section 9006(c) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 shall apply. 
‘‘SEC. 542. GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE OVERSIGHT COM-
MISSION. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Federal Election Commission an entity to be known 
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as the ‘Government by the People Oversight Commission’ 
(in this title referred to as the ‘Oversight Commission’). 
‘‘(b) STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Oversight Commission 
shall be composed of 5 members appointed by the 
President with the advice and consent of the Senate, 
of whom— 
‘‘(A) 2 shall be appointed after consulta-
tion with the Majority Leader of the House of 
Representatives; 
‘‘(B) 2 shall be appointed after consulta-
tion with the Minority Leader of the House of 
Representatives; and 
‘‘(C) 1 shall be appointed upon the rec-
ommendation of the members appointed under 
subparagraphs (A) and (B). 
‘‘(2) QUALIFICATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The members shall be 
individuals who by reason of their education, 
experience, and attainments, are exceptionally 
qualified to perform the duties of members of 
the Oversight Commission. 
‘‘(B) PROHIBITION.—No individual may be 
appointed to the Oversight Commission who 
is— 
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‘‘(c) DUTIES AND POWERS.— 
‘‘(1) ADMINISTRATION.—The Oversight Com-
mission shall have such duties and powers as the 
Commission may prescribe, including the power to 
administer the provisions of this title. 
‘‘(2) REVIEW OF SMALL DOLLAR FINANCING.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—After each regularly 
scheduled general election for Federal office, 
the Oversight Commission shall conduct a com-
prehensive review of the Small Dollar financing 
program under this title, including— 
‘‘(i) the maximum and minimum dol-
lar amounts of qualified small dollar con-
tributions under section 504; 
‘‘(ii) the number and value of quali-
fied small dollar contributions a candidate 
is required to obtain under section 512(a) 
to be eligible for certification as a partici-
pating candidate; 
‘‘(iii) the maximum amount of pay-
ments a candidate may receive under this 
title; 
‘‘(iv) the overall satisfaction of partici-
pating candidates and the American public 
with the program; and 
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‘‘(v) such other matters relating to fi-
nancing of campaigns as the Oversight 
Commission determines are appropriate. 
‘‘(B) CRITERIA
FOR
REVIEW.—In con-
ducting the review under subparagraph (A), the 
Oversight Commission shall consider the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) QUALIFIED SMALL DOLLAR CON-
TRIBUTIONS.—The Oversight Commission 
shall consider whether the number and dol-
lar amounts of qualified small dollar con-
tributions required strikes an appropriate 
balance regarding the importance of voter 
involvement, the need to assure adequate 
incentives for participating, and fiscal re-
sponsibility, taking into consideration the 
number of primary and general election 
participating candidates, the electoral per-
formance of those candidates, program 
cost, and any other information the Over-
sight Commission determines is appro-
priate. 
‘‘(ii) REVIEW OF PAYMENT LEVELS.— 
The Oversight Commission shall consider 
whether the totality of the amount of 
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funds allowed to be raised by participating 
candidates (including through qualified 
small dollar contributions) and payments 
under this title 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 Over-
sight Commission determines is appro-
priate. 
‘‘(C) RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR
ADJUST-
MENT OF AMOUNTS.—Based on the review con-
ducted under subparagraph (A), the Oversight 
Commission may recommend to Congress ad-
justments of the following amounts: 
‘‘(i) The number and value of quali-
fied small dollar contributions a candidate 
is required to obtain under section 512(a) 
to be eligible for certification as a partici-
pating candidate. 
‘‘(ii) The maximum amount of pay-
ments may receive under this title. 
‘‘(d) MEETINGS AND HEARINGS.— 
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‘‘(1) MEETINGS.—The Oversight Commission 
may hold such hearings, sit and act at such times 
and places, take such testimony, and receive such 
evidence as the Oversight Commission considers ad-
visable to carry out the purposes of this Act. 
‘‘(2) QUORUM.—Three members of the Over-
sight Commission shall constitute a quorum for pur-
poses of voting, but a quorum is not required for 
members to meet and hold hearings. 
‘‘(e) REPORTS.—Not later than each June 1 which 
follows a regularly scheduled general election for Federal 
office for which payments were made under this title, the 
Oversight Commission shall submit to the Committee on 
House Administration of the House of Representatives a 
report— 
‘‘(1) containing an analysis of the review con-
ducted under subsection (c)(2), including a detailed 
statement of Commission’s findings, conclusions, 
and recommendations based on such review, includ-
ing any recommendations for adjustments of 
amounts described in subsection (c)(2)(C); and 
‘‘(2) documenting, evaluating, and making rec-
ommendations relating to the administrative imple-
mentation and enforcement of the provisions of this 
title. 
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‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATION.— 
‘‘(1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 
‘‘(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. 
‘‘(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. 
‘‘(2) PERSONNEL.— 
‘‘(A) DIRECTOR.—The Oversight Commis-
sion shall have a staff headed by an Executive 
Director. The Executive 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. 
‘‘(B) STAFF APPOINTMENT.—With the ap-
proval of the Chairperson, the Executive Direc-
tor may appoint such personnel as the Execu-
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tive Director and the Oversight Commission de-
termines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(C) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—With 
the approval of the Chairperson, the Executive 
Director may procure temporary and intermit-
tent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, 
United States Code. 
‘‘(D) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOY-
EES.—Upon the request of the Chairperson, the 
head of any Federal agency may detail, without 
reimbursement, any of the personnel of such 
agency to the Oversight Commission to assist in 
carrying out the duties of the Oversight Com-
mission. Any such detail shall not interrupt or 
otherwise affect the civil service status or privi-
leges of the Federal employee. 
‘‘(E) OTHER RESOURCES.—The Oversight 
Commission shall have reasonable access to ma-
terials, resources, statistical data, and other in-
formation from the Library of Congress and 
other agencies of the executive and legislative 
branches of the Federal Government. The 
Chairperson of the Oversight Commission shall 
make requests for such access in writing when 
necessary. 
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‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out the purposes of this subtitle. 
‘‘SEC. 543. ADMINISTRATION BY COMMISSION. 
‘‘The Commission shall prescribe regulations to carry 
out the purposes of this title, including regulations— 
‘‘(1) to establish procedures for— 
‘‘(A) verifying the amount of qualified 
small dollar contributions with respect to a can-
didate; 
‘‘(B) effectively and efficiently monitoring 
and enforcing the limits on the raising of quali-
fied small dollar contributions; 
‘‘(C) effectively and efficiently monitoring 
and enforcing the limits on the use of personal 
funds by participating candidates; and 
‘‘(D) monitoring the use of allocations 
from the Freedom From Influence Fund estab-
lished under section 541 and matching con-
tributions under this title through audits of not 
fewer than 1⁄10 (or, in the case of the first 3 
election cycles during which the program under 
this title is in effect, not fewer than 1⁄3) of all 
participating candidates or other mechanisms; 
and 
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‘‘(2) regarding the conduct of debates in a man-
ner consistent with the best practices of States that 
provide public financing for elections. 
‘‘SEC. 544. 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 
accepts a contribution or makes an expenditure that is 
prohibited under section 521, the Commission may assess 
a civil penalty against the candidate in an amount that 
is not more than 3 times the amount of the contribution 
or expenditure. Any amounts collected under this sub-
section shall be deposited into the Freedom From Influ-
ence Fund established under section 541. 
‘‘(b) REPAYMENT FOR IMPROPER USE OF FREEDOM 
FROM INFLUENCE FUND.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the Commission deter-
mines that any payment made to a participating 
candidate was not used as provided for in this title 
or that a participating candidate 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 Fund an amount 
equal to— 
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‘‘(A) the amount of payments 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. 
‘‘(c) PROHIBITING
CERTAIN
CANDIDATES
FROM 
QUALIFYING AS PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES.— 
‘‘(1) CANDIDATES WITH MULTIPLE CIVIL PEN-
ALTIES.—If the Commission assesses 3 or more civil 
penalties under subsection (a) against a candidate 
(with respect to either a single election or multiple 
elections), the Commission may refuse to certify the 
candidate as a participating candidate under this 
title with respect to any subsequent election, except 
that if each of the penalties were assessed as the re-
sult of a knowing and willful violation of any provi-
sion of this Act, the candidate is not eligible to be 
certified as a participating candidate under this title 
with respect to any subsequent election. 
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‘‘(2) CANDIDATES SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PEN-
ALTY.—A candidate is not eligible to be certified as 
a participating candidate under this title with re-
spect to an election if a penalty has been assessed 
against the candidate under section 309(d) with re-
spect to any previous election. 
‘‘SEC. 545. APPEALS PROCESS. 
‘‘(a) REVIEW OF ACTIONS.—Any action by the Com-
mission in carrying out this title shall be subject to review 
by the United States Court of Appeals for the District 
of Columbia upon petition filed in the Court not later than 
30 days after the Commission takes the action for which 
the review is sought. 
‘‘(b) PROCEDURES.—The provisions of chapter 7 of 
title 5, United States Code, apply to judicial review under 
this section. 
‘‘SEC. 546. INDEXING OF AMOUNTS. 
‘‘(a) INDEXING.—In any calendar year after 2017, 
section 315(c)(1)(B) shall apply to each amount described 
in subsection (b) in the same manner as such section ap-
plies to the limitations established under subsections 
(a)(1)(A), (a)(1)(B), (a)(3), and (h) of such section, ex-
cept that for purposes of applying such section to the 
amounts described in subsection (b), the ‘base period’ 
shall be 2017. 
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‘‘(b) AMOUNTS DESCRIBED.—The amounts described 
in this subsection are as follows: 
‘‘(1) The amount referred to in section 
502(b)(1) (relating to the minimum amount of quali-
fied small dollar contributions included in a request 
for payment). 
‘‘(2) The amounts referred to in section 
504(a)(1) (relating to the amount of a qualified 
small dollar contribution). 
‘‘(3) The amount referred to in section 
512(a)(2) (relating to the total dollar amount of 
qualified small dollar contributions). 
‘‘(4) The amount referred to in section 
521(a)(1)(E) (relating to the aggregate amount of 
contributions a participating candidate may accept 
from any individual with respect to an election). 
‘‘(5) The amount referred to in section 
521(a)(2)(D)(i) (relating to the aggregate amount of 
contributions that may be accepted from any indi-
vidual with respect to an election by a participating 
candidate who exercises the option described in such 
section to accept greater restrictions on the permis-
sible sources of contributions and expenditures). 
‘‘(6) The amount referred to in section 
521(a)(2)(D)(ii) (relating to the aggregate amount 
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of contributions that may be accepted from all indi-
viduals with respect to an election cycle by a partici-
pating candidate who exercises the option described 
in such section to accept greater restrictions on the 
permissible sources of contributions and expendi-
tures). 
‘‘(7) The amount referred to in section 
521(b)(1)(A) (relating to the amount of personal 
funds that may be used by a candidate who is cer-
tified as a participating candidate). 
‘‘(8) The amounts referred to in section 
524(a)(2) (relating to the amount of unspent funds 
a candidate may retain for use in the next election 
cycle). 
‘‘(9) The amount referred to in section 
532(a)(3) (relating to the total dollar amount of 
qualified small dollar contributions for a candidate 
seeking an additional payment under subtitle D). 
‘‘(10) The amount referred to in section 533(b) 
(relating to the limit on the amount of an additional 
payment made to a candidate under subtitle D). 
‘‘SEC. 547. ELECTION CYCLE DEFINED. 
‘‘In this title, the term ‘election cycle’ means, with 
respect to an election for an office, the period beginning 
on the day after the date of the most recent general elec-
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tion for that office (or, if the general election resulted in 
a runoff election, the date of the runoff election) and end-
ing on the date of the next general election for that office 
(or, if the general election resulted in a runoff election, 
the date of the runoff election).’’. 
SEC. 202. CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES BY MULTI-
CANDIDATE AND POLITICAL PARTY POLIT-
ICAL COMMITTEES ON BEHALF OF PARTICI-
PATING CANDIDATES. 
(a) AUTHORIZING CONTRIBUTIONS ONLY FROM SEP-
ARATE ACCOUNTS CONSISTING
OF QUALIFIED SMALL 
DOLLAR CONTRIBUTIONS.—Section 315(a) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30116(a)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(9) In the case of a multicandidate political com-
mittee or any political committee of a political party, the 
committee may make a contribution to a candidate who 
is a participating candidate under title V with respect to 
an election only if the contribution is paid from a separate, 
segregated account of the committee which consists solely 
of contributions which meet the following requirements: 
‘‘(A) Each such contribution is in an amount 
which meets the requirements for the amount of a 
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qualified small dollar contribution under section 
504(a)(1) with respect to the election involved. 
‘‘(B) Each such contribution is made by an in-
dividual who is not otherwise prohibited from mak-
ing a contribution under this Act. 
‘‘(C) The individual who makes the contribution 
does not make contributions to the committee during 
the year in an aggregate amount that exceeds the 
limit described in section 504(a)(1).’’. 
(b) PERMITTING UNLIMITED COORDINATED EX-
PENDITURES FROM SMALL DOLLAR SOURCES BY POLIT-
ICAL PARTIES.—Section 315(d) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 
30116(d)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘The national 
committee’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 
paragraph (5), the national committee’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(5) The limits described in paragraph (3) do not 
apply in the case of expenditures in connection with the 
general election campaign of a candidate for the office of 
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner 
to, the Congress who is a participating candidate under 
title V with respect to the election, but only if— 
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‘‘(A) the expenditures are paid from a separate, 
segregated account of the committee which is de-
scribed in subsection (a)(9); and 
‘‘(B) the expenditures are the sole source of 
funding provided by the committee to the can-
didate.’’. 
SEC. 203. PROHIBITING USE OF CONTRIBUTIONS BY PAR-
TICIPATING 
CANDIDATES 
FOR 
PURPOSES 
OTHER THAN CAMPAIGN FOR ELECTION. 
Section 313 of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30114) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(d) RESTRICTIONS ON PERMITTED USES OF FUNDS 
BY CANDIDATES RECEIVING SMALL DOLLAR FINANC-
ING.—Notwithstanding paragraph (2), (3), or (4) of sub-
section (a), if a candidate for election for the office of Rep-
resentative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, 
the Congress is certified as a participating candidate 
under title V with respect to the election, any contribution 
which the candidate is permitted to accept under such title 
may be used only for authorized expenditures in connec-
tion with the candidate’s campaign for such office.’’. 
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TITLE III—OTHER 
ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS 
SEC. 
301. 
EXPANDING 
REQUIREMENT 
TO 
DISCLOSE 
BUNDLERS WHO ARE REGISTERED LOBBY-
ISTS TO ALL BUNDLERS. 
(a) EXPANDING BUNDLER DISCLOSURE REQUIRE-
MENTS TO ALL BUNDLERS.—Section 304(i)(1) of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 
30104(i)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘reasonably known 
by the committee to be a person described in paragraph 
(7)’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 304(i) of 
such Act (52 U.S.C. 30104(i)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking ‘‘described 
in paragraph (7)’’; 
(2) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking ‘‘a person 
described in paragraph (7)’’ and inserting ‘‘any per-
son’’; 
(3) in paragraph (5)— 
(A) by striking subparagraph (B) and re-
designating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as sub-
paragraphs (B) and (C); 
(B) in subparagraph (B) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘described in paragraph 
(7)’’; and 
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(C) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘by persons described in 
paragraph (7)’’; 
(4) by striking paragraph (7) and redesignating 
paragraph (8) as paragraph (7); and 
(5) in paragraph (7)(A) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘a person described in paragraph (7),’’ and 
inserting ‘‘a person,’’. 
SEC. 302. PETITION FOR CERTIORARI. 
Section 307(a)(6) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30107(a)(6)) is amended by in-
serting ‘‘(including a proceeding before the Supreme 
Court on certiorari)’’ after ‘‘appeal’’. 
SEC. 303. FILING BY ALL CANDIDATES WITH COMMISSION. 
Section 302(g) of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30102(g)) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(g) FILING WITH THE COMMISSION.—All designa-
tions, statements, and reports required to be filed under 
this Act shall be filed with the Commission.’’. 
SEC. 304. ELECTRONIC FILING OF FEC REPORTS. 
Section 304(a)(11) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30104(a)(11)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘under 
this Act—’’ and all that follows and inserting 
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‘‘under this Act shall be required to maintain and 
file such designation, statement, or report in elec-
tronic form accessible by computers.’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘48 
hours’’ and all that follows through ‘‘filed electroni-
cally)’’ and inserting ‘‘24 hours’’; and 
(3) by striking subparagraph (D). 
SEC. 305. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by this title shall apply with 
respect to reports filed on or after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
TITLE 
IV—EXPANDING 
CAN-
DIDATE ACCESS TO ADVER-
TISING 
SEC. 401. BROADCASTS BY CANDIDATES. 
(a) LOWEST UNIT CHARGE.—Section 315(b)(1)(A) 
of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
315(b)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘for preemptible 
use thereof’’ after ‘‘station’’. 
(b) PREEMPTION; AUDITS.—Section 315 of the Com-
munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub-
section (g) and transferring such subsection, as re-
designated, to the end; 
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(2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (f) and transferring such subsection, as re-
designated, so that it appears after subsection (e); 
and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) PREEMPTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2) and notwithstanding the requirements of 
subsection (b)(1)(A), a licensee may not preempt the 
use of a broadcasting station by a legally qualified 
candidate that has purchased and paid for such use 
under circumstances entitling such candidate to re-
ceive the rate under such subsection 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 licensee, an 
advertisement that is scheduled to be broadcast dur-
ing such program and the broadcast of which con-
stitutes use of the broadcasting station described in 
paragraph (1) shall be treated in the same fashion 
as a comparable commercial advertisement. 
‘‘(d) AUDITS.—During the 45-day period preceding 
the date of a primary or primary runoff election and dur-
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ing the 60-day period preceding the date of a general elec-
tion or special election, the Commission shall conduct such 
audits as it considers necessary to ensure that the licensee 
of each broadcasting station is allocating use of the station 
in accordance with this section and in a manner that does 
not warrant revocation of the station license under section 
312(a)(7).’’. 
(c) REVOCATION
OF LICENSE
FOR FAILURE TO 
ALLOW ACCESS BY FEDERAL CANDIDATES.—Section 312 
of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 312) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(7)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘in accordance with sub-
section (h),’’ before ‘‘for willful’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘or repeated’’; 
(C) by inserting ‘‘or a cable system’’ after 
‘‘non-commercial educational broadcast sta-
tion,’’; and 
(D) by striking ‘‘his candidacy’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘the candidacy of the candidate, under the 
same terms, conditions, and business practices 
as apply to the most-favored advertiser of the 
broadcasting station or cable system’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(h) CONDITIONS FOR REVOCATION FOR FAILURE 
TO ALLOW ACCESS BY FEDERAL CANDIDATES.— 
‘‘(1) THREE-STRIKES RULE.—The Commission 
may revoke a station license or construction permit 
under subsection (a)(7) only if the Commission finds 
that the licensee or permittee has engaged in at least 
3 failures described in such subsection with respect 
to the broadcasting station or cable system to which 
the license or permit relates. 
‘‘(2) DURATION.—In the case of a person 
whose station license or construction permit with re-
spect to a broadcasting station or cable system has 
been revoked under subsection (a)(7)— 
‘‘(A) the Commission may not grant a sta-
tion license or construction permit to such per-
son with respect to such broadcasting station or 
cable system during the 5-year period following 
the revocation; and 
‘‘(B) if the Commission grants such a sta-
tion license or construction permit to such per-
son after such 5-year period, the number of 
failures described in subsection (a)(7) shall be 
calculated for purposes of paragraph (1) with-
out regard to any such failures that occurred 
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while a previous license or permit was in ef-
fect.’’. 
(d) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—Section 315 of the 
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315), as amend-
ed by subsection (b), is further amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘If any li-
censee’’ and inserting ‘‘EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR 
CANDIDATES FOR SAME OFFICE.—If any licensee’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)(1), by moving subpara-
graphs (A) and (B) 2 ems to the right; 
(3) in subsection (f), as redesignated, by strik-
ing ‘‘The Commission’’ and inserting ‘‘REGULA-
TIONS.—The Commission’’; and 
(4) in subsection (g), as redesignated, by strik-
ing ‘‘For purposes’’ and inserting ‘‘DEFINITIONS.— 
For purposes’’. 
TITLE 
V—CONTRIBUTIONS 
TO 
FREEDOM FROM INFLUENCE 
FUND 
SEC. 501. VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FREEDOM 
FROM INFLUENCE FUND. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter A of chapter 61 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at 
the end the following new part: 
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‘‘PART IX—CONTRIBUTIONS TO FREEDOM FROM 
INFLUENCE FUND 
‘‘Sec. 6098. Contributions to Freedom From Influence Fund. 
‘‘SEC. 6098. CONTRIBUTIONS TO FREEDOM FROM INFLU-
ENCE FUND. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Every individual, with respect to 
the taxpayer’s return for the taxable year of the tax im-
posed by chapter 1, may designate that a specified portion 
(not less than $1) of any overpayment of tax shall be con-
tributed to the Freedom From Influence Fund established 
under section 541 of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971. 
‘‘(b) MANNER AND TIME OF DESIGNATION.— 
‘‘(1) TIME
OF
DESIGNATION.—A designation 
under subsection (a) may be made with respect to 
any taxable year— 
‘‘(A) at the time of filing the return of the 
tax imposed by chapter 1 for such taxable year, 
or 
‘‘(B) at any other time (after such time of 
filing) specified in regulations prescribed by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(2) MANNER
OF
DESIGNATION.—Such des-
ignation shall be made in such manner as the Sec-
retary prescribes by regulations except that, if such 
designation is made at the time of filing the return 
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of the tax imposed by chapter 1 for such taxable 
year, such designation shall be made either on the 
first page of the return or on the page bearing the 
taxpayer’s signature. 
‘‘(c) OVERPAYMENTS TREATED AS REFUNDED.—For 
purposes of this title, any portion of an overpayment of 
tax designated under subsection (a) shall be treated as— 
‘‘(1) being refunded to the taxpayer as of the 
last date prescribed for filing the return of tax im-
posed by chapter 1 (determined without regard to 
extensions) or, if later, the date the return is filed, 
and 
‘‘(2) a contribution made by such taxpayer on 
such date to the United States. 
‘‘(d) ONLINE CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Secretary shall 
establish and maintain a Web site through which persons 
may make contributions to the Freedom From Influence 
Fund. Any such contribution shall not be treated as an 
overpayment of tax but shall be treated as a contribution 
made by such person to the United States.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of parts for 
subchapter A of chapter 61 of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following 
new item: 
‘‘PART IX. CONTRIBUTIONS TO FREEDOM FROM INFLUENCE FUND’’. 
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(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply with respect to tax returns re-
quired to be filed after December 31, 2016. 
TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS 
PROVISIONS 
SEC. 601. SEVERABILITY. 
If any provision of this Act or any amendment made 
by this Act, or the application of a provision of this Act 
or an amendment made by this Act to any person or cir-
cumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder 
of this Act, and the application of the provisions to any 
person or circumstance, shall not be affected by the hold-
ing. 
Æ 
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