I
104TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3122
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for separate
limitations on contributions to qualifying and nonqualifying House of
Representatives candidates.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 20, 1996
Mr. BROWN of Ohio introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Oversight
A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to
provide for separate limitations on contributions to quali-
fying and nonqualifying House of Representatives can-
didates.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. LIMITATIONS APPLICABLE TO CONTRIBUTIONS
TO 
QUALIFYING 
AND 
NONQUALIFYING
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATES.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a) is amended by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
‘‘(i)(1) Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1)(A), sub-
section (a)(2)(A), or any other provision of this Act—
‘‘(A) no person shall make contributions to any
qualifying House of Representatives candidate with
respect to a general election and any primary elec-
tion relating to that general election which, in the
aggregate, exceed $1,000; and
‘‘(B) no multicandidate political committee shall
make contributions to any qualifying House of Rep-
resentatives candidate with respect to a general elec-
tion and any primary election relating to that gen-
eral election which, in the aggregate, exceed $5,000.
‘‘(2) Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1)(A), sub-
section (a)(2)(A), or any other provision of this Act—
‘‘(A) no person shall make contributions to any
candidate for the office of Representative in, or Del-
egate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress
(other than a qualifying House of Representatives
candidate) with respect to a general election and any
primary election relating to that general election
which, in the aggregate, exceed $500; and
‘‘(B) no multicandidate political committee shall
make contributions to any candidate for the office of
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commis-
sioner to, the Congress (other than a qualifying
House of Representatives candidate) with respect to
a general election and any primary election relating
to that general election which, in the aggregate, ex-
ceed $1,000.’’.
SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS ON MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL
COMMITTEE AND LARGE DONOR CONTRIBU-
TIONS THAT MAY BE ACCEPTED BY QUALIFY-
ING AND NONQUALIFYING HOUSE OF REP-
RESENTATIVES CANDIDATES.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by section 1, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections:
‘‘(j)(1) A qualifying House of Representatives can-
didate may not, with respect to an election cycle, accept
contributions from the sources specified in paragraph (2)
aggregating in excess of $200,000.
‘‘(2) The sources referred to in paragraph (1) are—
‘‘(A) multicandidate political committees; and
‘‘(B) persons other than multicandidate political
committees whose contributions total more than
$250.
‘‘(k)(1) A candidate for the office of Representative
in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress
(other than a qualifying House of Representatives can-
didate) may not, with respect to an election cycle, accept
contributions from the sources specified in paragraph (2)
aggregating in excess of $100,000.
‘‘(2) The sources referred to in paragraph (1) are—
‘‘(A) multicandidate political committees; and
‘‘(B) persons other than multicandidate political
committees whose contributions total more than
$250.’’.
SEC. 3. DEFINITION AMENDMENT.
Section 301 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431) is amended by striking out para-
graph (19) and inserting in lieu thereof the following new
paragraphs:
‘‘(19) The term ‘qualifying House of Representatives
candidate’ means a candidate for election to the office of
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner
to, the Congress, who, as determined by the Commission,
agrees to limit expenditures to $400,000 with respect to
an election cycle.
‘‘(20) The term ‘election cycle’ means—
‘‘(A) in the case of a candidate or the author-
ized committees of a candidate, the term beginning
on the day after the date of the most recent general
election for the specific office which such candidate
seeks and ending on the date of the next general
election for such office; and
‘‘(B) for all other persons, the term beginning
on the first day following the date of the last general
election and ending on the date of the next general
election.’’.
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