I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7022 
To reform the financing of House elections, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 23, 2008 
Mr. LARSON of Connecticut (for himself and Mr. JONES of North Carolina) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and 
Commerce, Oversight and Government Reform, and Rules, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions 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 
‘‘Fair Elections Now Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings and declarations. 
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TITLE I—FAIR ELECTIONS FINANCING OF HOUSE ELECTION 
CAMPAIGNS 
Subtitle A—Fair Elections Financing Program 
Sec. 101. Eligibility requirements and benefits of fair elections financing of 
house election campaigns. 
‘‘TITLE V—FAIR ELECTIONS FINANCING OF HOUSE ELECTION 
CAMPAIGNS 
‘‘Sec. 501. Definitions. 
‘‘Sec. 502. House Fair 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. Debate requirement. 
‘‘Sec. 508. Certification by Commission. 
‘‘Sec. 509. Benefits for participating candidates. 
‘‘Sec. 510. Allocations from the Fund. 
‘‘Sec. 511. Payment of fair fight funds. 
‘‘Sec. 512. Administration of the House fair elections system. 
‘‘Sec. 513. Violations and penalties. 
Sec. 102. Reporting requirements for nonparticipating candidates. 
Sec. 103. Modification of electioneering communication reporting requirements. 
Sec. 104. Limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees 
with participating candidates. 
Sec. 105. Audits. 
Subtitle B—House Fair Elections Fund Revenues 
Sec. 111. Deposit of proceeds from recovered spectrum auctions. 
Subtitle C—Fair Elections Review Commission 
Sec. 121. Establishment of Commission. 
Sec. 122. Structure and membership of the Commission. 
Sec. 123. Powers of the Commission. 
Sec. 124. Administration. 
Sec. 125. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 126. Expedited consideration of Commission recommendations. 
TITLE II—VOTER INFORMATION 
Sec. 201. Broadcasts relating to candidates. 
Sec. 202. Political advertisement vouchers for participating candidates. 
Sec. 203. FCC to prescribe standardized form for reporting candidate campaign 
ads. 
Sec. 204. Limit on congressional use of the franking privilege. 
TITLE III—RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FEDERAL ELECTION 
COMMISSION 
Sec. 301. Petition for certiorari. 
Sec. 302. Filing by all candidates with Commission. 
Sec. 303. Electronic filing of FEC reports. 
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TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 401. Review of constitutional issues. 
Sec. 402. Effective date. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS. 
(a) UNDERMINING OF DEMOCRACY BY CAMPAIGN 
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PRIVATE SOURCES.—Congress 
finds and declares that the current system of privately fi-
nanced campaigns for election to the House of Represent-
atives has the capacity, and is often perceived by the pub-
lic, to undermine democracy in the United States by— 
(1) creating a conflict of interest, perceived or 
real, by encouraging House Members 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 House Member’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 
have a disproportionate and unfair influence within 
the political process; 
(4) imposing large, unwarranted costs on tax-
payers through legislative and regulatory outcomes 
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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 House Members, thus causing House 
elections 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
FAIR
ELECTIONS 
FUND.—Congress finds and declares that providing the 
option of the replacement of private campaign contribu-
tions with allocations from the House Fair Elections Fund 
for all primary, runoff, and general elections to the House 
would enhance American democracy by— 
(1) eliminating the potentially inherent conflict 
of interest created by the private financing of the 
election campaigns of public officials, thus restoring 
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public confidence in the integrity and fairness of the 
electoral and legislative processes; 
(2) increasing the public’s confidence in the ac-
countability of House Members 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 House Members from the incessant 
preoccupation with raising money, and allowing 
them more time to carry out their public responsibil-
ities. 
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TITLE I—FAIR ELECTIONS FI-
NANCING OF HOUSE ELEC-
TION CAMPAIGNS 
Subtitle A—Fair Elections 
Financing Program 
SEC. 101. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND BENEFITS OF 
FAIR 
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—FAIR ELECTIONS FI-
NANCING OF HOUSE ELEC-
TION CAMPAIGNS 
‘‘SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this title, the following definitions apply: 
‘‘(1) ALLOCATION FROM THE FUND.—The term 
‘allocation from the Fund’ means an allocation of 
money from the House Fair Elections Fund to a 
participating candidate pursuant to sections 510 and 
511. 
‘‘(2) CANDIDATE FOR THE HOUSE.—The term, 
‘candidate for the House’ means a candidate for 
election for the office of Representative in, or Dele-
gate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress. 
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‘‘(3) FAIR ELECTIONS QUALIFYING PERIOD.— 
The term ‘fair elections qualifying period’ means, 
with respect to any candidate for The House of Rep-
resentatives, the period— 
‘‘(A) beginning on the date on which the 
candidate files a statement of intent under sec-
tion 503(a)(1); and 
‘‘(B) ending on the date that is 60 days 
before— 
‘‘(i) the date of the primary election; 
or 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a State that does 
not hold a primary election, the date pre-
scribed by State law as the last day to 
qualify for a position on the general elec-
tion ballot. 
‘‘(4) FAIR ELECTIONS START DATE.—The term 
‘fair 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. 
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‘‘(5) FUND.—The term ‘Fund’ means the 
House Fair Elections Fund established by section 
502. 
‘‘(6) 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). 
‘‘(7) INDEPENDENT
CANDIDATE.—The term 
‘independent candidate’ means a candidate for the 
House who is— 
‘‘(A) not affiliated with any political party; 
or 
‘‘(B) affiliated with a political party that— 
‘‘(i) in the case of a candidate in a 
State that holds a primary election for the 
House, does not hold a primary election for 
the House; or 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a candidate in a 
State that does not hold primary election 
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for the House, does not have ballot status 
in such State. 
‘‘(8) MAJOR PARTY CANDIDATE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘major 
party candidate’ means a candidate for the 
House who is affiliated with a major political 
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, Senator, Presi-
dent, or Governor at any time in the preceding 
5 years, received, as a candidate of that party 
in such State, 25 percent or more of the total 
number of popular votes cast for such office in 
such State. 
‘‘(9) MINOR
PARTY
CANDIDATE.—The term 
‘minor party candidate’ means a candidate for the 
House who is affiliated with a political party that— 
‘‘(A) holds a primary for House nomina-
tions; and 
‘‘(B) is not a major political party. 
‘‘(10) NONPARTICIPATING
CANDIDATE.—The 
term ‘nonparticipating candidate’ means a candidate 
for the House who is not a participating candidate. 
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‘‘(11) PARTICIPATING CANDIDATE.—The term 
‘participating candidate’ means a candidate for the 
House who is certified under section 508 as being el-
igible to receive an allocation from the Fund. 
‘‘(12) 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 fair elections 
qualifying period; and 
‘‘(D) meets the requirements of section 
505(c). 
‘‘(13) SEED MONEY CONTRIBUTION.—The term 
‘seed money contribution’ means a contribution or 
contributions by any 1 individual— 
‘‘(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 
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date the candidate has been certified as a par-
ticipating candidate under section 508(a). 
‘‘(14) STATE.—The term ‘State’ includes the 
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is-
lands, American Samoa, and Guam. 
‘‘SEC. 502. HOUSE FAIR ELECTIONS FUND. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘House Fair Elections 
Fund’. 
‘‘(b) AMOUNTS HELD BY FUND.—The Fund shall 
consist of the following amounts: 
‘‘(1) PROCEEDS
FROM
RECOVERED
SPEC-
TRUM.—Proceeds deposited into the Fund under 
section 309(j)(8)(E)(ii)(II) of the Communications 
Act of 1934. 
‘‘(2) EXCESS SPECTRUM USER FEES.—Amounts 
deposited 
in 
the 
Fund 
under 
section 
315A(f)(2)(B)(ii) of the Communications Act of 
1934. 
‘‘(3) VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS.—Voluntary 
contributions to the fund. 
‘‘(4) QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTIONS, PENALTIES, 
AND OTHER DEPOSITS.—Amounts deposited into the 
Fund under— 
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‘‘(A) section 504(2) (relating to limitation 
on amount of seed money); 
‘‘(B) section 505(d) (relating to deposit of 
qualifying contributions); 
‘‘(C) section 506(c) (relating to exceptions 
to contribution requirements); 
‘‘(D) section 509(c) (relating to remittance 
of allocations from the Fund); 
‘‘(E) section 513 (relating to violations); 
and 
‘‘(F) any other section of this Act. 
‘‘(5) 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.—The sums in the House 
Fair Elections Fund shall be used to make alloca-
tions to participating candidates in accordance with 
sections 510 and 511. 
‘‘(2) INSUFFICIENT AMOUNTS.—Under regula-
tions established by the Commission, rules similar to 
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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 the House is eli-
gible to receive an allocation from the Fund for any elec-
tion 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 fair elections start date and ending 
on the last day of the fair elections qualifying pe-
riod. 
‘‘(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 fair elec-
tions qualifying period, the candidate files with the 
Commission an affidavit signed by the candidate and 
the treasurer of the candidate’s principal campaign 
committee declaring that the candidate— 
‘‘(A) has complied and, if certified, will 
comply with the contribution and expenditure 
requirements of section 506; 
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‘‘(B) if certified, will comply with the de-
bate requirements of section 507; 
‘‘(C) 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 
‘‘(D) 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 runoff election unless the candidate’s party nominated 
the candidate to be placed on the ballot for the general 
election or the candidate qualified to be placed on the bal-
lot 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 the House meets the seed money 
contribution requirements of this section if the candidate 
meets the following requirements: 
‘‘(1) SEPARATE ACCOUNTING.—The candidate 
maintains seed money contributions in a separate 
account. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON AMOUNT.—The candidate 
deposits into the House Fair Elections Fund or re-
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turns to donors an amount equal to the amount of 
any seed money contributions which, in the aggre-
gate, exceed the sum of— 
‘‘(A) in the case of an independent can-
didate, the amount which the candidate would 
be entitled to under section 510(c)(3); and 
‘‘(B) in the case of any other candidate, 
the amount which the candidate would be enti-
tled to under section 510(c)(1). 
‘‘(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 508. 
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‘‘SEC. 505. QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A candidate for the House meets 
the requirement of this section if, during the fair elections 
qualifying period, the candidate obtains at least 1,500 
qualifying contributions. 
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE FOR CERTAIN CANDIDATES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 
(a), in the case of a candidate described in para-
graph (2), the requirement of this section is met if, 
during the fair elections qualifying period, the can-
didate obtains a number of qualifying contributions 
equal to 150 percent of the number of qualifying 
contributions that such candidate would be required 
to obtain without regard to this subsection. 
‘‘(2) CANDIDATE DESCRIBED.—A candidate is 
described in this paragraph if— 
‘‘(A) the candidate is a minor party can-
didate or an independent candidate; and 
‘‘(B) in the most recent general election in-
volving the office of the House, President, or 
Governor in the State in which the candidate is 
seeking office, the candidate and all candidates 
of the same political party as such candidate re-
ceived less than 5 percent of the total number 
of votes cast for each such office. 
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‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS RELATING
TO RECEIPT
OF 
QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTION.—Each qualifying contribu-
tion— 
‘‘(1) may be made by means of a personal 
check, money order, debit card, or credit card; 
‘‘(2) shall be payable to the House Fair Elec-
tions Fund; 
‘‘(3) shall be accompanied by a signed state-
ment containing— 
‘‘(A) the contributor’s name and home ad-
dress; 
‘‘(B) an oath declaring that the contrib-
utor— 
‘‘(i) is a resident of the State in which 
the candidate with respect to whom the 
contribution is made is running for elec-
tion; 
‘‘(ii) understands that the purpose of 
the qualifying contribution is to show sup-
port for the candidate so that the can-
didate may qualify for public financing; 
‘‘(iii) is making the contribution in his 
or her own name and from his or her own 
funds; 
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‘‘(iv) has made the contribution will-
ingly; and 
‘‘(v) has not received any thing of 
value in return for the contribution; and 
‘‘(4) shall be acknowledged by a receipt that is 
sent to the contributor with a copy kept by the can-
didate for the Commission and a copy kept by the 
candidate for the election authorities in the State 
with respect to which the candidate is seeking elec-
tion. 
‘‘(d) DEPOSIT OF QUALIFYING CONTRIBUTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 21 days 
after obtaining a qualifying contribution, a candidate 
shall— 
‘‘(A) deposit such contribution into the 
House Fair Elections Fund, and 
‘‘(B) remit to the Commission a copy of 
the receipt for such contribution. 
‘‘(2) DEPOSIT OF CONTRIBUTIONS AFTER CER-
TIFICATION.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), all 
qualifying contributions obtained by a candidate 
shall be deposited into the House Fair Elections 
Fund and all copies of receipts for such contribu-
tions shall be remitted to the Commission not later 
than— 
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‘‘(A) in the case of a candidate who is de-
nied certification under section 508, 3 days 
after receiving a notice of denial of certification 
under section 508(a)(2); and 
‘‘(B) in any other case, not later than the 
last day of the fair elections qualifying period. 
‘‘(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) GENERAL RULE.—A candidate for the House 
meets the requirements of this section if, during the elec-
tion cycle of the candidate, the candidate— 
‘‘(1) except as provided in subsection (b), ac-
cepts no contributions other than— 
‘‘(A) seed money contributions; 
‘‘(B) qualifying contributions made payable 
to the House Fair Elections Fund; 
‘‘(C) allocations from the House Fair Elec-
tions Fund under sections 510 and 511; and 
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‘‘(1) the aggregate contributions from such per-
son for any for a calendar year do not exceed $100; 
and 
‘‘(2) no portion of such contributions is dis-
bursed in connection with the campaign of the par-
ticipating candidate. 
‘‘(c) EXCEPTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 
(a), a candidate shall not be treated as having failed 
to meet the requirements of this section if any con-
tributions accepted before the date the candidate 
files a statement of intent under section 503(a)(1) 
are not expended and are— 
‘‘(A) returned to the contributor; or 
‘‘(B) submitted to the Commission for de-
posit in the House Fair Elections Fund. 
‘‘(2) SPECIAL
RULE
FOR
SEED
MONEY
CON-
TRIBUTIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS FOR LEADERSHIP 
PACS.—For purposes of paragraph (1), a candidate 
shall not be required to return, donate, or submit 
any portion of the aggregate amount of contribu-
tions from any person which is $100 or less to the 
extent that such contribution— 
‘‘(A) otherwise qualifies as a seed money 
contribution; or 
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‘‘(B) otherwise meets the requirements of 
subsection (b). 
‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS BE-
FORE THE DATE OF ENACTMENT OF THIS TITLE.— 
Notwithstanding subsection (a), a candidate shall 
not be treated as having failed to meet the require-
ments of this section if any contributions accepted 
before the date of the enactment of this title are not 
expended and are— 
‘‘(A) returned to the contributor; 
‘‘(B) donated to an organization described 
in section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986; 
‘‘(C) donated to a political party; 
‘‘(D) used to retire campaign debt; or 
‘‘(E) submitted to the Federal Election 
Commission for deposit in the House Fair Elec-
tions Fund. 
‘‘SEC. 507. DEBATE REQUIREMENT. 
‘‘A candidate for the House meets the requirements 
of this section if the candidate participates in at least— 
‘‘(1) 1 public debate before the primary election 
with other participating candidates and other willing 
candidates from the same party and seeking the 
same nomination as such candidate; and 
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‘‘(2) 2 public debates before the general election 
with other participating candidates and other willing 
candidates seeking the same office as such can-
didate. 
‘‘SEC. 508. CERTIFICATION BY COMMISSION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 days after a 
candidate for the House files an affidavit under section 
503(a)(4), the Commission shall— 
‘‘(1) certify whether or not the candidate is a 
participating candidate; and 
‘‘(2) notify the candidate of the Commission’s 
determination. 
‘‘(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; or 
‘‘(B) a candidate otherwise fails to comply 
with the requirements of this title. 
‘‘(2) REPAYMENT
OF
BENEFITS.—If certifi-
cation is revoked under paragraph (1), the candidate 
shall repay— 
‘‘(A) to the House Fair Elections Fund an 
amount equal to the value of benefits received 
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under this title plus interest (at a rate deter-
mined by the Commission) on any such amount 
received; and 
‘‘(B) to the Federal Communications Com-
mission an amount equal to the amount of the 
dollar value of vouchers which were received 
from the Federal Communications Commission 
under section 315A of the Communications Act 
of 1934 and used by the candidate. 
‘‘SEC. 509. BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A participating candidate shall 
be entitled to— 
‘‘(1) for each election with respect to which a 
candidate is certified as a participating candidate— 
‘‘(A) an allocation from the Fund to make 
or obligate to make expenditures with respect to 
such election, as provided in section 510; and 
‘‘(B) fair fight funds, as provided in sec-
tion 511; and 
‘‘(2) for the general election, vouchers for 
broadcasts of political advertisements, as provided in 
section 315A of the Communications Act of 1934 
(47 U.S.C. 315A). 
‘‘(b) RESTRICTION ON USES OF ALLOCATIONS FROM 
THE FUND.—Allocations from the Fund received by a par-
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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 Fair Elections Fund 
any unspent amounts paid to such candidate under this 
title for such election. 
‘‘SEC. 510. ALLOCATIONS FROM THE FUND. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall make allo-
cations from the Fund under section 509(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 508; 
‘‘(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 
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‘‘(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) AMOUNTS.— 
‘‘(1) PRIMARY ELECTION ALLOCATION; INITIAL 
ALLOCATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraphs (B), the Commission shall make 
an allocation from the Fund for a primary elec-
tion to a participating candidate in an amount 
equal to 40 percent of the base amount with re-
spect to such participating candidate. 
‘‘(B) INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES.—In the 
case of a participating candidate who is an 
independent candidate, the Commission shall 
make an initial allocation from the Fund in an 
amount equal to 25 percent of the base amount 
with respect to such candidate. 
‘‘(C) 
REDUCTION
FOR
EXCESS
SEED 
MONEY.—An allocation from the Fund for any 
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candidate under this paragraph shall be re-
duced by an amount equal to the aggregate 
amount of seed money contributions received by 
the candidate in excess of $75,000. 
‘‘(2) PRIMARY
RUNOFF
ELECTION
ALLOCA-
TION.—The Commission shall make an allocation 
from the Fund for a primary runoff election to a 
participating candidate in an amount equal to 25 
percent of the amount the participating candidate 
was eligible to receive under this section for the pri-
mary election. 
‘‘(3) GENERAL ELECTION ALLOCATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the Commission shall make 
an allocation from the Fund for a general elec-
tion to a participating candidate in an amount 
equal to 60 percent of the base amount. 
‘‘(B) UNCONTESTED ELECTIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Commission 
shall make an allocation from the Fund to 
a participating candidate for a general 
election that is uncontested in an amount 
equal to 40 percent of the amount other-
wise provided. 
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‘‘(ii) 
UNCONTESTED
ELECTIONS.— 
For purposes of this subparagraph, an 
election is uncontested if not more than 1 
candidate has received contributions (in-
cluding payments from the House Fair 
Elections Fund) in an amount equal to or 
greater than the lesser of— 
‘‘(I) the amount in effect for a 
candidate in such election under para-
graph (1)(C); or 
‘‘(II) an amount equal to 50 per-
cent of the base amount with respect 
to such candidate. 
‘‘(C) 
REDUCTION
FOR
EXCESS
SEED 
MONEY.—The allocation from the Fund for the 
general election for any participating candidate 
in a State that does not hold a primary election 
shall be reduced by an amount equal to the ag-
gregate amount of seed money contributions re-
ceived by the candidate in excess of $75,000. 
‘‘(4) GENERAL
RUNOFF
ELECTION
ALLOCA-
TION.—The Commission shall make an allocation 
from the Fund for a general runoff election to a par-
ticipating candidate in an amount equal to 25 per-
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cent of the base amount with respect to such can-
didate. 
‘‘(d) BASE AMOUNT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided in this subsection, the base amount for any 
candidate is 80 percent of the national average 
spending for the cycle by winning candidates in the 
last two election cycles. 
‘‘(2) MINOR PARTY AND INDEPENDENT CAN-
DIDATES.— 
‘‘(A) REDUCED
AMOUNT
FOR
CERTAIN 
CANDIDATES.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a 
minor party candidate or independent can-
didate described in clause (ii), the amount 
provided is an amount equal to the product 
of— 
‘‘(I) a fraction the numerator of 
which is the highest percentage of the 
vote received by the candidate or a 
candidate of the same political party 
as such candidate in the election de-
scribed in clause (ii) and the denomi-
nator of which is 25 percent; and 
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‘‘(II) the amount that would (but 
for this paragraph) be the amount 
provided for the candidate under 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(ii) CANDIDATE DESCRIBED.—A can-
didate is described in this clause if, in the 
most recent general election involving the 
office of the House, Senate, President, or 
Governor in the State in which the can-
didate is seeking office— 
‘‘(I) such candidate, or any can-
didate of the same political party as 
such candidate, received 5 percent or 
more of the total number of votes cast 
for any such office; and 
‘‘(II) such candidate and all can-
didates of the same political party as 
such candidate received less than 25 
percent of the total number of votes 
cast for such office. 
‘‘(B) 
EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph 
(A) 
shall not apply to any candidate if such can-
didate receives a number of qualifying contribu-
tions which is greater than 150 percent of the 
number of qualifying contributions such can-
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didate is required to receive in order to meet 
the requirements of section 505(a). 
‘‘(3) INDEXING.—In each odd-numbered year 
after 2010— 
‘‘(A) each dollar amount under paragraph 
(1) shall be increased by the percent difference 
between the price index (as defined in section 
315(c)(2)(A)) for the 12 months preceding the 
beginning of such calendar year and the price 
index for calendar year 2008; 
‘‘(B) each dollar amount so increased shall 
remain in effect for the 2-year period beginning 
on the first day following the date of the last 
general election in the year preceding the year 
in which the amount is increased and ending on 
the date of the next general election; and 
‘‘(C) if any amount after adjustment under 
subparagraph (A) is not a multiple of $100, 
such amount shall be rounded to the nearest 
multiple of $100. 
‘‘(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. 
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‘‘(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. 511. 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 
amounts described in subsection (c)(1)(A)(i)(I); 
‘‘(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 
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‘‘(ii) applicable amounts described in 
subparagraphs (B)(i) and (C)(i) of sub-
section (b)(2); and 
‘‘(C) reports filed by nonparticipating can-
didates under section 304(j). 
‘‘(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). 
‘‘(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— 
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‘‘(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— 
‘‘(A) the sum of— 
‘‘(i) the amount of seed money con-
tribution received by the participating can-
didate; 
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tack or oppose such participating can-
didate. 
‘‘(2) RELEVANT
OPPOSING
CANDIDATE.—The 
term ‘relevant opposing candidate’ means, with re-
spect to any participating candidate, the opposing 
candidate of such participating candidate with re-
spect to whom the amount under paragraph (1) is 
the greatest. 
‘‘(3) ELECTIONEERING COMMUNICATION.—The 
term ‘electioneering communication’ has the mean-
ing given such term under section 304(f)(3),except 
that subparagraph (A)(i)(II)(aa) thereof shall be ap-
plied by substituting ‘30’ for ‘60’. 
‘‘SEC. 512. ADMINISTRATION OF THE HOUSE FAIR 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; 
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‘‘(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; 
‘‘(3) pertaining to the replacement of can-
didates; 
‘‘(4) regarding the conduct of debates in a man-
ner consistent with the best practices of States that 
provide public financing for elections; and 
‘‘(5) 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. 
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‘‘(c) REPORTS.—Not later than April 1, 2009, 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. 513. 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 508(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 3 times the amount 
of the contribution or expenditure. Any amounts collected 
under this subsection shall be deposited into the House 
Fair Elections Fund. 
‘‘(b) REPAYMENT
FOR IMPROPER USE
OF FAIR 
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 
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funds contained in this title, the Commission shall 
so notify the candidate and the candidate shall pay 
to the House Fair 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.’’. 
SEC. 102. 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), as amended 
by section 204 of the Honest Leadership and Open Gov-
ernment Act of 2007, is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(j) NONPARTICIPATING CANDIDATES.— 
‘‘(1) INITIAL REPORT.— 
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‘‘(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 
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 
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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 
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-
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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 
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(j) 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 
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511 that otherwise would have been allocated to 
the participating candidate but for such viola-
tion.’’. 
SEC. 103. MODIFICATION OF ELECTIONEERING COMMU-
NICATION REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 
Section 304(f)(2) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(f)(2)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(G) In the case of a communication refer-
ring to any candidate in an election involving a 
participating candidate under title V, a tran-
script of the electioneering communication.’’. 
SEC. 104. LIMITATION ON COORDINATED EXPENDITURES 
BY POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES WITH 
PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES. 
Section 315(d)(3) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(d)(3)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘in the case of’’ each place it 
appears in subparagraphs (A) and (B) and inserting 
‘‘except in the case of a candidate described in sub-
paragraph (C), in the case of’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (A); 
(3) by striking the period at the end of sub-
paragraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
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(4) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(C) in the case of a candidate who is a 
participating candidate under title V, the lesser 
of— 
‘‘(i) 10 percent of the allocation from 
the House Elections Fund that the partici-
pating 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);’’. 
SEC. 105. 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 
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than 30 percent of the authorized committees of 
candidates who are participating candidates 
under title V. 
‘‘(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.’’. 
Subtitle B—House Fair Elections 
Fund Revenues 
SEC. 111. DEPOSIT OF PROCEEDS FROM RECOVERED SPEC-
TRUM AUCTIONS. 
Section 309(j)(8)(E)(ii) of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 309(j)(8)(E)(ii)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘deposited in’’ and inserting the 
following: ‘‘deposited as follows: 
‘‘(I) 90 percent of such proceeds 
deposited in’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(II) 10 percent of such proceeds 
deposited in the House Fair Elections 
Fund established under section 502 of 
the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971.’’. 
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Subtitle C—Fair Elections Review 
Commission 
SEC. 121. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a com-
mission to be known as the ‘‘Fair Elections Review Com-
mission’’ (hereafter in this subtitle referred to as the 
‘‘Commission’’). 
(b) DUTIES.— 
(1) REVIEW OF FAIR ELECTIONS FINANCING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—After each general elec-
tion for Federal office, the Commission shall 
conduct a comprehensive review of the House 
fair elections financing program under title V of 
the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, in-
cluding— 
(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; 
(ii) the amount of allocations from the 
House Fair 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 
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(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. 
(ii) REVIEW
OF
PROGRAM
ALLOCA-
TIONS.—The Commission shall consider 
whether allocations from the House Elec-
tions Fund under sections 510 and 511 of 
the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971 are sufficient for voters in each State 
to learn about the candidates to cast an in-
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formed vote, taking into account the his-
toric amount of spending by winning can-
didates, 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 each regularly scheduled general elec-
tion for Federal office, the Commission shall 
submit a report to Congress on the review con-
ducted under paragraph (1). Such report shall 
contain a detailed statement of the findings, 
conclusions, and recommendations of the Com-
mission based on such review, and shall contain 
any proposed legislative language (as required 
under subparagraph (C)) of the Commission. 
(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.— 
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(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 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). 
SEC. 122. 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 Majority 
Leader of the House of Representatives; 
(B) 1 shall be appointed by the Minority 
Leader of the House of Representatives; and 
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(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. 
(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, 
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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. 123. 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-
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. 
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(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. 124. 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 
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-
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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-
point such personnel as the Executive Director and 
the Commission determines to be appropriate. 
(3) 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-
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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. 
SEC. 125. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this subtitle. 
SEC. 126. EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION OF COMMISSION 
RECOMMENDATIONS. 
(a) INTRODUCTION
AND COMMITTEE CONSIDER-
ATION IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 
(1) INTRODUCTION AND REFERRAL.—Any bill 
introduced in the House of Representatives which 
consists entirely of the proposed legislative language 
submitted 
by 
the 
Commission 
under 
section 
121(b)(2)(C) (hereafter in this section referred to as 
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a ‘‘Commission bill’’) shall be referred to the Com-
mittee on House Administration. 
(2) AUTOMATIC DISCHARGE AFTER 60 DAYS.— 
If the Committee on House Administration does not 
report a Commission bill without amendment during 
the 60-calendar day period which begins on the date 
of its introduction, the Committee shall be automati-
cally discharged from further consideration of the 
Commission bill and the Commission bill shall be 
placed on the appropriate calendar. 
(b) EXPEDITED PROCEDURE.— 
(1) FLOOR CONSIDERATION IN THE HOUSE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—If the House of Rep-
resentatives does not agree to a motion to pro-
ceed to the consideration of a Commission bill 
during the 60-day period which begins on the 
date the Committee on House Administration 
reports the bill or is discharged from further 
consideration of the bill, it shall be in order for 
any member of the House to move to proceed 
to the consideration of the bill. 
(B) MOTION TO PROCEED.—A motion to 
proceed to the consideration of a Commission 
bill is privileged in the House of Representa-
tives. The motion is not debatable and is not 
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subject to a motion to postpone consideration of 
the Commission bill or to proceed to the consid-
eration of other business. A motion to recon-
sider the vote by which the motion to proceed 
is agreed to or not agreed to shall not be in 
order. If the motion to proceed is agreed to, the 
House of Representatives shall immediately pro-
ceed to consideration of the Commission bill 
without intervening motion, order, action, or 
other business, and the Commission bill shall 
remain the unfinished business of the House of 
Representatives until disposed of. 
(C) AMENDMENTS, MOTIONS, AND
AP-
PEALS.—No amendment to the Commission bill 
shall be in order in the House of Representa-
tives, and debate on any debatable motion or 
appeal shall not exceed 5 hours to be divided 
equally between those favoring and those oppos-
ing the motion or appeal. 
(D) LIMITED
DEBATE.—Consideration in 
the House of Representatives of the Commis-
sion bill and on all debatable motions and ap-
peals in connection therewith, shall be limited 
to not more than 40 hours, which shall be 
equally divided between, and controlled by, the 
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Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of the 
House of Representatives or their designees. A 
motion further to limit debate on the Commis-
sion bill is in order and is not debatable. All 
time used for consideration of the Commission 
bill, including time used for quorum calls (ex-
cept quorum calls immediately preceding a 
vote), shall come from the 40 hours of consider-
ation. 
(E) VOTE ON PASSAGE.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The vote on pas-
sage in the House of Representatives of 
the Commission bill shall occur imme-
diately following the conclusion of the 40- 
hour period for consideration of the Com-
mission bill under subparagraph (D) and a 
request to establish the presence of a 
quorum. 
(ii) 
OTHER
MOTIONS
NOT
IN 
ORDER.—A motion in the House of Rep-
resentatives to postpone consideration of 
the Commission bill, a motion to proceed 
to the consideration of other business, or a 
motion to recommit the Commission bill is 
not in order. A motion in the House of 
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Representatives to reconsider the vote by 
which the Commission bill is agreed to or 
not agreed to is not in order. 
(2) FLOOR CONSIDERATION IN THE SENATE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—If a Commission bill is 
agreed to in the House, the Majority Leader of 
the Senate, or the Majority Leader’s designee 
shall move to proceed to the consideration of 
the Commission bill not later than 30 days 
after the date the Senate receives notice of such 
agreement. It shall also be in order for any 
member of the Senate to move to proceed to the 
consideration of the bill at any time after the 
conclusion of such 30-day period. 
(B) MOTION TO PROCEED.—A motion to 
proceed to the consideration of a Commission 
bill is privileged in the Senate. The motion is 
not debatable and is not subject to a motion to 
postpone consideration of the Commission bill 
or to proceed to the consideration of other busi-
ness. A motion to reconsider the vote by which 
the motion to proceed is agreed to or not 
agreed to shall not be in order. If the motion 
to proceed is agreed to, the Senate shall imme-
diately proceed to consideration of the Commis-
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sion bill without intervening motion, order, ac-
tion, or other business, and the Commission bill 
shall remain the unfinished business of the Sen-
ate until disposed of. 
(C) AMENDMENTS, MOTIONS, AND
AP-
PEALS.—No amendment shall be in order in the 
senate, and debate on any debatable motion or 
appeal shall not exceed 5 hours to be divided 
equally between those favoring and those oppos-
ing the motion or appeal. 
(D) LIMITED
DEBATE.—Consideration in 
the Senate of the Commission bill and on all de-
batable motions and appeals in connection 
therewith, shall be limited to not more than 40 
hours, which shall be equally divided between, 
and controlled by, the Majority Leader and the 
Minority Leader of the Senate or their des-
ignees. A motion further to limit debate on the 
Commission bill is in order and is not debat-
able. All time used for consideration of the 
Commission bill, including time used for 
quorum calls (except quorum calls immediately 
preceding a vote), shall come from the 40 hours 
of consideration. 
(E) VOTE ON PASSAGE.— 
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(i) IN GENERAL.—The vote on pas-
sage in the Senate of the Commission bill 
shall occur immediately following the con-
clusion of the 40-hour period for consider-
ation of the Commission bill under sub-
paragraph (D) and a request to establish 
the presence of a quorum. 
(ii) 
OTHER
MOTIONS
NOT
IN 
ORDER.—A motion in the Senate to post-
pone consideration of the Commission bill, 
a motion to proceed to the consideration of 
other business, or a motion to recommit 
the Commission bill is not in order. A mo-
tion in the Senate to reconsider the vote by 
which the Commission bill is agreed to or 
not agreed to is not in order. 
(c) RULES OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND 
SENATE.—This section is enacted by Congress— 
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of 
the House of Representatives and Senate, respec-
tively, and as such it is deemed a part of the rules 
of each House, respectively, but applicable only with 
respect to the procedure to be followed in that 
House in the case of a Commission bill, and it su-
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persedes other rules only to the extent that it is in-
consistent with such rules, and 
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional 
right of either House to change the rules (so far as 
relating to the procedure of that House) at any time, 
in the same manner, and to the same extent as in 
the case of any other rule of that House. 
TITLE II—VOTER INFORMATION 
SEC. 201. BROADCASTS RELATING TO CANDIDATES. 
(a) LOWEST UNIT CHARGE; NATIONAL COMMIT-
TEES.—Section 315(b) of the Communications Act of 
1934 (47 U.S.C. 315(b)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘to such office’’ in paragraph 
(1) and inserting ‘‘to such office, or by a national 
committee of a political party on behalf of such can-
didate in connection with such campaign,’’; and 
(2) by inserting ‘‘for pre-emptible use thereof’’ 
after ‘‘station’’ in subparagraph (A) of paragraph 
(1). 
(b) BROADCAST RATES.—Section 315(b) of the Com-
munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315(b)), as amended 
by subsection (a), 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: 
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‘‘(3) PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES.—In the case 
of a participating candidate (as defined under sec-
tion 501(10) of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971), the charges made for the use any broad-
casting station for a television broadcast shall not 
exceed 80 percent of the lowest charge described in 
paragraph (1)(A) during— 
‘‘(A) the 45 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) RATE CARDS.—A licensee shall provide to 
a candidate for House a rate card that discloses— 
‘‘(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.’’. 
(c) PREEMPTION; AUDITS.—Section 315 of such Act 
(47 U.S.C. 315) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as 
subsections (e) and (f), respectively and moving 
them to follow the existing subsection (e); 
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(2) by redesignating the existing subsection (e) 
as subsection (c); and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (c) (as redesig-
nated by paragraph (2)) the following: 
‘‘(d) PREEMPTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), and notwithstanding the requirements of 
subsection (b)(1)(A), a licensee shall not preempt 
the use of a broadcasting station by a legally quali-
fied candidate for House 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 station, any 
candidate or party advertising spot scheduled to be 
broadcast during that program shall be treated in 
the same fashion as a comparable commercial adver-
tising spot. 
‘‘(e) AUDITS.—During the 45-day period preceding 
a primary election and the 60-day period preceding a gen-
eral election, the Commission shall conduct such audits 
as it deems necessary to ensure that each broadcaster to 
which this section applies is allocating television broadcast 
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advertising time in accordance with this section and sec-
tion 312.’’. 
(d) REVOCATION OF LICENSE FOR FAILURE TO PER-
MIT ACCESS.—Section 312(a)(7) of the Communications 
Act of 1934 (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 
terms, conditions, and business practices as apply to 
the most favored advertiser of the licensee’’. 
(e) STYLISTIC AMENDMENTS.—Section 315 of such 
Act (47 U.S.C. 315) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘the’’ in subsection (f)(1), as re-
designated by subsection (b)(1), and inserting 
‘‘BROADCASTING STATION’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘the’’ in subsection (f)(2), as re-
designated by subsection (b)(1), and inserting ‘‘LI-
CENSEE; STATION LICENSEE.—’’; and 
(3) by inserting ‘‘REGULATIONS.—’’ in sub-
section (g), as redesignated by subsection (b)(1), be-
fore ‘‘The Commission’’. 
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SEC. 202. POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT VOUCHERS FOR 
PARTICIPATING CANDIDATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Communications 
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended by insert-
ing after section 315 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 315A POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT VOUCHER PRO-
GRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall establish 
and administer a voucher program for the purchase of 
airtime on broadcasting stations for political advertise-
ments in accordance with the provisions of this section. 
‘‘(b) CANDIDATES.—The Commission shall only dis-
burse vouchers under the program established under sub-
section (a) to individuals who meet the following require-
ments: 
‘‘(1) QUALIFICATION.—The individual is cer-
tified by the Federal Election Commission as a par-
ticipating candidate (as defined under section 
501(10) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971) with respect to a general election for Federal 
office under section 508 of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971. 
‘‘(2) AGREEMENT.—The individual has agreed 
in writing— 
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‘‘(A) to keep and furnish to the Federal 
Election Commission such records, books, and 
other information as it may require; and 
‘‘(B) to repay to the Federal Communica-
tions Commission, if the Federal Election Com-
mission revokes the certification of the indi-
vidual as a participating candidate (as so de-
fined), an amount equal to the dollar value of 
vouchers which were received from the Commis-
sion and used by the candidate. 
‘‘(c) AMOUNTS.—The Commission shall disburse 
vouchers to each candidate certified under subsection (b) 
in the amount of $100,000. 
‘‘(d) USE.— 
‘‘(1) EXCLUSIVE USE.—Vouchers disbursed by 
the Commission under this section may be used only 
for the purchase of broadcast airtime for political 
advertisements relating to a general election for the 
office of House of Representatives by the partici-
pating candidate to which the vouchers were dis-
bursed, except that— 
‘‘(A) a candidate may exchange vouchers 
with a political party under paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(B) a political party may use vouchers 
only to purchase broadcast airtime for political 
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advertisements for generic party advertising, to 
support candidates for State or local office in a 
general election, or to support participating 
candidates of the party in a general election for 
Federal office, but only if it discloses the value 
of the voucher used as an expenditure under 
section 315(d) of the Federal Election Cam-
paign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441(d)). 
‘‘(2) EXCHANGE WITH POLITICAL PARTY COM-
MITTEE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An individual who re-
ceives a voucher under this section may transfer 
the right to use all or a portion of the value of 
the voucher to a committee of the political 
party of which the individual is a candidate in 
exchange for money in an amount equal to the 
cash value of the voucher or portion exchanged. 
‘‘(B) CONTINUATION OF CANDIDATE OBLI-
GATIONS.—The transfer of a voucher, in whole 
or in part, to a political party committee under 
this paragraph does not release the candidate 
from any obligation under the agreement made 
under subsection (b)(2) or otherwise modify 
that agreement or its application to that can-
didate. 
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‘‘(C) PARTY COMMITTEE OBLIGATIONS.— 
Any political party committee to which a vouch-
er or portion thereof is transferred under sub-
paragraph (A)— 
‘‘(i) shall account fully, in accordance 
with such requirements as the Commission 
may establish, for the receipt of the vouch-
er; and 
‘‘(ii) may not use the transferred 
voucher or portion thereof for any purpose 
other than a purpose described in para-
graph (1)(B). 
‘‘(D) 
VOUCHER
AS
A
CONTRIBUTION 
UNDER
FECA.—If a candidate transfers a 
voucher or any portion thereof to a political 
party committee under subparagraph (A)— 
‘‘(i) the value of the voucher or por-
tion thereof transferred shall be treated as 
a contribution from the candidate to the 
committee, and from the committee to the 
candidate, for purposes of sections 302 
and 304 of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 432 and 434); 
‘‘(ii) the committee may, in exchange, 
provide to the candidate only funds subject 
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to the prohibitions, limitations, and report-
ing requirements of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431 et 
seq.); and 
‘‘(iii) the amount, if identified as a 
voucher exchange, shall not be considered 
a contribution for the purposes of sections 
315 or 506 of that Act. 
‘‘(e) VALUE; ACCEPTANCE; REDEMPTION.— 
‘‘(1) VOUCHER.—Each voucher disbursed by 
the Commission under this section shall have a value 
in dollars, redeemable upon presentation to the 
Commission, together with such documentation and 
other information as the Commission may require, 
for the purchase of broadcast airtime for political 
advertisements in accordance with this section. 
‘‘(2) ACCEPTANCE.—A broadcasting station 
shall accept vouchers in payment for the purchase of 
broadcast airtime for political advertisements in ac-
cordance with this section. 
‘‘(3) REDEMPTION.—The Commission shall re-
deem vouchers accepted by broadcasting stations 
under paragraph (2) upon presentation, subject to 
such documentation, verification, accounting, and 
application requirements as the Commission may im-
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pose to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the 
voucher redemption system. The Commission shall 
use amounts in the Political Advertising Voucher 
Account established under subsection (f) to redeem 
vouchers presented under this subsection. 
‘‘(4) EXPIRATION.— 
‘‘(A) CANDIDATES.—A voucher may only 
be used to pay for broadcast airtime for polit-
ical advertisements to be broadcast before mid-
night on the day before the date of the Federal 
election in connection with which it was issued 
and shall be null and void for any other use or 
purpose. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION
FOR
POLITICAL
PARTY 
COMMITTEES.—A voucher held by a political 
party committee may be used to pay for broad-
cast airtime for political advertisements to be 
broadcast before midnight on December 31st of 
the odd-numbered year following the year in 
which the voucher was issued by the Commis-
sion. 
‘‘(5) 
VOUCHER
AS
EXPENDITURE
UNDER 
FECA.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), for purposes of the Federal 
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Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431 
et seq.), the use of a voucher to purchase 
broadcast airtime constitutes an expenditure as 
defined in section 301(9)(A) of that Act (2 
U.S.C. 431(9)(A)). 
‘‘(B) PARTICIPATING
CANDIDATES.—The 
use of a voucher to purchase broadcast airtime 
by a participating candidate shall not constitute 
an expenditure for purposes of section 506 of 
such Act. 
‘‘(f) 
POLITICAL
ADVERTISING
VOUCHER
AC-
COUNT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall es-
tablish an account to be known as the Political Ad-
vertising Voucher Account, which shall be credited 
with commercial television and radio spectrum use 
fees assessed under this subsection, together with 
any amounts repaid or otherwise reimbursed under 
this section or section 508(b)(2)(B) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971. 
‘‘(2) SPECTRUM USE FEE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 
assess, and collect annually, from each broad-
cast station, a spectrum use fee in an amount 
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equal to 2 percent of each broadcasting sta-
tion’s gross advertising revenues for such year. 
‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Any amount as-
sessed and collected under this paragraph 
shall be used by the Commission as an off-
setting collection for the purposes of mak-
ing disbursements under this section, ex-
cept that— 
‘‘(I) the salaries and expenses ac-
count of the Commission shall be 
credited with such sums as are nec-
essary from those amounts for the 
costs of developing and implementing 
the program established by this sec-
tion; and 
‘‘(II) the Commission may reim-
burse the Federal Election Commis-
sion for any expenses incurred by the 
Commission under this section. 
‘‘(ii) DEPOSIT OF EXCESS FEES INTO 
HOUSE
FAIR
ELECTIONS
FUND.—If the 
amount assessed and collected under this 
paragraph for years in any election period 
exceeds the amount necessary for making 
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disbursements under this section for such 
election period, the Commission shall de-
posit such excess in the House Fair Elec-
tions Fund. 
‘‘(C) FEE
DOES
NOT
APPLY
TO
PUBLIC 
BROADCASTING
STATIONS.—Subparagraph (A) 
does not apply to a public telecommunications 
entity (as defined in section 397(12) of this 
Act). 
‘‘(3) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.—Except as 
otherwise provided in this subsection, section 9 of 
this Act applies to the assessment and collection of 
fees under this subsection to the same extent as if 
those fees were regulatory fees imposed under sec-
tion 9. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) 
BROADCASTING
STATION.—The 
term 
‘broadcasting station’ has the meaning given that 
term by section 315(f)(1) of this Act. 
‘‘(2) FEDERAL ELECTION.—The term ‘Federal 
election’ means any regularly scheduled, primary, 
runoff, or special election held to nominate or elect 
a candidate to Federal office. 
‘‘(3) FEDERAL OFFICE.—The term ‘Federal of-
fice’ has the meaning given that term by section 
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301(3) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 
1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(3)). 
‘‘(4) POLITICAL
PARTY.—The term ‘political 
party’ means a major party or a minor party as de-
fined in section 9002(3) or (4) of the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 9002(3) or (4)). 
‘‘(5) OTHER TERMS.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided in this section, any term used in this section 
that is defined in section 301 or 501 of the Federal 
Election Campaign of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431) has the 
meaning given that term by either such section of 
that Act. 
‘‘(h) REGULATIONS.—The Commission shall pre-
scribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out 
the provisions of this section. In developing the regula-
tions, the Commission shall consult with the Federal Elec-
tion Commission.’’. 
SEC. 203. FCC TO PRESCRIBE STANDARDIZED FORM FOR 
REPORTING CANDIDATE CAMPAIGN ADS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Within 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Com-
mission shall initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish 
a standardized form to be used by broadcasting stations, 
as defined in section 315(f)(1) of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315(f)(1)), to record and report the 
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purchase of advertising time by or on behalf of a candidate 
for nomination for election, or for election, to Federal elec-
tive office. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The form prescribed by the Com-
mission under subsection (a) shall require, broadcasting 
stations to report, at a minimum— 
(1) the station call letters and mailing address; 
(2) the name and telephone number of the sta-
tion’s sales manager (or individual with responsi-
bility for advertising sales); 
(3) the name of the candidate who purchased 
the advertising time, or on whose behalf the adver-
tising time was purchased, and the Federal elective 
office for which he or she is a candidate; 
(4) the name, mailing address, and telephone 
number of the person responsible for purchasing 
broadcast political advertising for the candidate; 
(5) notation as to whether the purchase agree-
ment for which the information is being reported is 
a draft or final version; and 
(6) the following information about the adver-
tisement: 
(A) The date and time of the broadcast. 
(B) The program in which the advertise-
ment was broadcast. 
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(C) The length of the broadcast airtime. 
(c) INTERNET ACCESS.—In its rulemaking under 
subsection (a), the Commission shall require any broad-
casting station required to file a report under this section 
that maintains an Internet Web site to make available a 
link to such reports on that website. 
SEC. 204. 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), Member of 
Congress or a committee or subcommittee of the House 
of Representatives or Senate of which such Member is 
chairman or ranking minority member shall not mail any 
mass mailing as franked mail during the period which be-
gins 90 days before date of the primary election and ends 
on the date of the general election with respect to any Fed-
eral office which such Member holds, unless the Member 
has made a public announcement that the Member will 
not be a candidate for reelection to such office in that 
year. 
‘‘(ii) A Member of Congress or a Congressional Com-
mittee or Subcommittee of which such Member is Chair-
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man or Ranking Member may mail a mass mailing as 
franked mail during the period described in clause (i) 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-
committee, as appropriate, and the date, time, and 
place of the public meeting.’’. 
(b) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—(1) 
Section 
3210(a)(6) of title 39, United States Code, is amended 
by striking subparagraph (C) and by redesignating sub-
paragraphs (D) through (F) as subparagraphs (C) 
through (E). 
(2) Section 3210(a)(6)(E) of title 39, United States 
Code, as redesignated by paragraph (1), is amended by 
striking ‘‘subparagraphs (A) and (C)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
paragraph (A)’’. 
TITLE 
III—RESPONSIBILITIES 
OF THE FEDERAL ELECTION 
COMMISSION 
SEC. 301. PETITION FOR CERTIORARI. 
Section 307(a)(6) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 437d(a)(6)) is amended by insert-
ing ‘‘(including a proceeding before the Supreme Court on 
certiorari)’’ after ‘‘appeal’’. 
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