I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 569
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reduce the amount
that a nonparty multicandidate political committee may contribute to
a candidate in a congressional election, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 4, 1997
Mrs. FOWLER 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
reduce the amount that a nonparty multicandidate politi-
cal committee may contribute to a candidate in a con-
gressional election, 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. REDUCTION IN AMOUNT THAT A NONPARTY
MULTICANDIDATE 
POLITICAL 
COMMITTEE
MAY CONTRIBUTE TO A CANDIDATE IN A
CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION.
Section 315(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Election Cam-
paign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) is amended
by inserting after ‘‘$5,000’’ the following: ‘‘, except that,
with respect to an election for the office of Senator or Rep-
resentative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to,
the Congress, the limitation applicable to a nonparty
multicandidate political committee under this subpara-
graph shall be $1,000’’.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION LIMITATION ON CON-
TRIBUTIONS FROM PERSONS OTHER THAN
IN-STATE INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTS.
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) A candidate for the office of Senator or Rep-
resentative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to,
the Congress may not, with respect to a reporting period
for an election, accept contributions from persons other
than in-State individual residents that, in total, are equal
to or greater than the total of contributions accepted from
in-State individual residents.
‘‘(2) The exceptions relating to the name and address
of a person making a contribution of $50 or less and the
date of such contribution, as contained in subsection
(b)(1), subsection (b)(2)(A), and subsection (c)(2) of sec-
tion 302, shall not apply to contributions with respect to
elections for the office of Senator or Representative in,
or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
‘‘(3) As used in this subsection, the term ‘in-State
individual resident’ means an individual who resides in the
State in which the election involved is held.’’.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF CASH CONTRIBUTIONS IN FED-
ERAL ELECTIONS.
Section 321 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441g), is amended by striking out
‘‘which, in the aggregate, exceed $100,’’.
SEC. 4. PROHIBITION OF INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES
WITHIN 7 DAYS BEFORE A CONGRESSIONAL
ELECTION.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by section 2, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(j) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
during the period beginning 7 days before the date of an
election for the office of Senator or Representative in, or
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress, and
ending on the date of the election, no person may make
any independent expenditure with respect to the election.’’.
SEC. 
5. 
PROHIBITION 
ON 
CONTRIBUTIONS 
BETWEEN
MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL COMMITTEES.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by sections 2 and
4, is further amended by adding at the end the following
new subsection:
‘‘(k) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
a multicandidate political committee may not make a con-
tribution to another multicandidate political committee.’’.
SEC. 6. MULTICANDIDATE POLITICAL COMMITTEE NAME
REQUIREMENT.
Section 303 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 433) is amended by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
‘‘(e) Any multicandidate political committee that is
affiliated with another organization shall include the entire
name of the organization in the name of the multican-
didate political committee.’’.
SEC. 7. PROHIBITION OF BUNDLING.
Section 315(a)(8) of the Federal Election Campaign
Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(8)) is amended to read
as follows:
‘‘(8) No person may make a contribution through an
intermediary or conduit, except that a person may facili-
tate a contribution by providing—
‘‘(A) advice to another person as to how the
other person may make a contribution; and
‘‘(B) addressed mailing material or similar
items to another person for use by the other person
in making a contribution.’’.
SEC. 8. REQUIREMENT FOR DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYIST
STATUS BY LOBBYISTS WHO MAKE CON-
TRIBUTIONS.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by sections 2, 4,
and 5, is further amended by adding at the end the follow-
ing new subsection:
‘‘(l) Any person who is a lobbyist and who makes a
contribution shall include with the contribution a state-
ment in writing that discloses the status of the person as
a lobbyist.’’.
SEC. 9. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR LOBBYISTS.
Section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434) is amended by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
‘‘(d)(1) Not later than 20 days after the end of the
month in which a lobbyist makes a contribution, the lobby-
ist, in such form and manner as the Commission shall pre-
scribe by regulation, shall report the contribution to the
Commission.’’.
SEC. 10. REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR OUT-OF-STATE
CONTRIBUTIONS IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES ELECTIONS.
Section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434), as amended by section 9, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(e) Any report of contributions with respect to an
election for the office of Representative in, or Delegate or
Resident Commissioner to, the Congress, shall segregate
and itemize all out-of-State contributions.’’.
SEC. 11. BAN ON SOFT MONEY.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by sections 2, 4,
5, and 8, is further amended by adding at the end the
following new subsection:
‘‘(m)(1) It shall be unlawful for the purpose of influ-
encing any election to Federal office—
‘‘(A) to solicit or receive any soft money; or
‘‘(B) to make any payments from soft money.
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the term ‘soft
money’ means any amount—
‘‘(A) solicited or received from a source which
is prohibited under section 316(a);
‘‘(B) contributed, solicited, or received in excess
of the contribution limits under section 315; or
‘‘(C) not subject to the recordkeeping, report-
ing, or disclosure requirements under section 304 or
any other provision of this Act.’’.
SEC. 12. EFFECTIVE DATE.
Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the amend-
ments made by this Act shall apply with respect to elec-
tions beginning with the general election on November 5,
1998.
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