I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2461
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for public
funding for House of Representatives elections, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 11, 2001
Mr. ANDREWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration
A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to
provide for public funding for House of Representatives
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.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Campaign Fi-
nancing Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. PUBLIC FUNDING FOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES ELECTIONS.
The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 is
amended by adding at the end the following new title:
‘‘TITLE V—PUBLIC FUNDING FOR
HOUSE 
OF 
REPRESENTA-
TIVES ELECTIONS
‘‘SEC. 501. QUALIFICATIONS FOR PUBLIC FUNDING.
‘‘A House of Representatives candidate qualifies for
public funding if, as determined by the Commission—
‘‘(1) at least 6 weeks before the general elec-
tion, the candidate obtains the signatures of 3 per-
cent of the registered voters in the congressional dis-
trict involved; or
‘‘(2) the candidate is the candidate of a political
party, the candidate of which, in the preceding gen-
eral election, received more than 25 percent of the
vote.
‘‘SEC. 502. LIMITATIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS TO QUALI-
FYING HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CAN-
DIDATES.
‘‘(a) INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS REQUIREMENT.—
A qualifying House of Representatives candidate may not
accept contributions other than contributions from individ-
uals that total not more than $100 per individual per elec-
tion cycle.
‘‘(b) IN-STATE
CONTRIBUTION
REQUIREMENT.—
With respect to each reporting period for an election, at
least 80 percent of the total sum of contributions accepted
by a qualifying House of Representatives candidate shall
be from the State in which the congressional district in-
volved is located.
‘‘SEC. 503. USE OF PUBLIC FUNDING.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A qualifying House of Rep-
resentatives candidate may use public funds only for—
‘‘(1) buying time on radio, cable, or television
broadcast stations;
‘‘(2) buying rental space on billboards or other
outdoor signs;
‘‘(3) buying advertising space in magazines,
newspapers, 
periodicals, 
and 
other 
advertising
media, including theaters, the Internet, and the
worldwide web;
‘‘(4) payment of the cost of producing adver-
tisements for media referred to in paragraphs (1),
(2), and (3);
‘‘(5) procurement of computerized campaign
software, voter lists, and other voter contact tools;
‘‘(6) payment of the cost of printing and mail-
ing campaign literature;
‘‘(7) payment of the cost of telephone expenses;
‘‘(8) payment of legal and accounting costs as-
sociated with campaigning;
‘‘(9) payment of campaign employees’ salaries;
‘‘(10) payment of the cost of campaign office
equipment and supplies; and
‘‘(11) payment of incidental expenses of the
candidate, such as travel and food.
‘‘(b) SPECIFIC EXCLUSION.—A qualifying House of
Representatives candidate may not use public funds under
this title to pay the candidate a salary or personal mort-
gages.
‘‘(c) CALCULATION OF PUBLIC DISBURSEMENT.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A qualifying House of Rep-
resentatives candidate shall receive public funds
closely approximating the cost of procuring 21⁄2
hours of television commercial time on local tele-
vision stations in the district’s media markets.
‘‘(2) CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING AMOUNT.—
An exact amount of the funds provided to a can-
didate under this section shall be determined by the
Commission, using—
‘‘(A) the average cost of a media point per
media market, as defined by Arbitron Area of
Dominant Influence, for the 4th quarter of the
preceding calendar year; and
‘‘(B) a multiplier of 5,000 media points.
‘‘(3) USE
OF
FUNDS.—The funds provided
under this section may be used for any purpose
specified in subsection (a).
‘‘(d) DISBURSEMENTS.—The Commission shall make
disbursements of public funds under this title upon sub-
mission of evidence that an eligible expense has been in-
curred. No disbursement may be made with respect to an
expense incurred more than 4 months before the election
involved.
‘‘SEC. 504. MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF PUBLIC FUNDING.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The maximum amount of public
funding that a qualifying House of Representatives can-
didate may receive is $750,000.
‘‘(b) INDEXING.—The amount under subsection (a)
shall be increased as of the beginning of each even-num-
bered calendar year, based on the increase in the price
index determined under section 315(c), except that the
base period shall be calendar year 2001.
‘‘SEC. 505. TELEVISION DEBATE REQUIREMENT.
‘‘A qualifying House of Representatives candidate
shall be required to participate in at least 2 televised de-
bates, organized by a bipartisan or nonpartisan group, in
the congressional district media market.
‘‘SEC. 506. REQUIREMENT FOR ACCEPTANCE OF ADVER-
TISING BY RADIO AND TELEVISION STA-
TIONS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each radio station and each tele-
vision station shall be—
‘‘(1) required to accept orders for advertise-
ments to be paid for under this title until such ad-
vertising constitutes 40 percent of the station’s total
advertising time; and
‘‘(2) subject to random periodic examination of
advertising charges paid under this title to ensure
that such charges are correct.
‘‘(b) CONDITION OF LICENSE.—The continuation of
an existing license, the renewal of an expiring license, and
the issuance of a new license under section 307 of the
Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 307) shall be
conditioned on the agreement by the licensee to abide by
the provisions of subsection (a)(1).
‘‘SEC. 507. DEFINITIONS.
‘‘As used in this title—
‘‘(1) the term ‘House of Representatives can-
didate’ means a candidate for the office of Rep-
resentative in, or Delegate or Resident Commis-
sioner to, the Congress;
‘‘(2) the term ‘qualifying House of Representa-
tives candidate’ means a House of Representatives
candidate who qualifies for public funding under this
title; and
‘‘(3) the term ‘congressional district media mar-
ket’ means, with respect to a congressional district,
the media market of that district, as determined
from the licensing records of the Federal Commu-
nications Commission.’’.
SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON SOFT MONEY OF POLITICAL
PARTIES AND CANDIDATES.
Title III of the Federal Election Campaign Act of
1971 (2 U.S.C. 431 et seq.) is amended by adding at the
end the following new section:
‘‘RESTRICTIONS ON SOFT MONEY OF POLITICAL PARTIES
AND CANDIDATES
‘‘SEC. 323. (a) NATIONAL PARTIES.—A national
committee of a political party, including the national con-
gressional campaign committees of a political party, and
any officers or agents of such party committees, shall not
solicit or receive any contributions, donations, or transfers
of funds, or spend any funds, not subject to the limita-
tions, prohibitions, and reporting requirements of this Act.
This provision shall apply to any entity that is established,
financed, maintained or controlled by a national com-
mittee of a political party, including the national congres-
sional campaign committees of a political party, and any
officer or agents of such party committees, other than an
entity that is regulated by subsection (b).
‘‘(b) STATE AND LOCAL PARTIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any amount expended or
disbursed by a State, district, or local committee of
a political party, during a calendar year in which a
Federal election is held, for any activity which might
affect the outcome of a Federal election, including
but not limited to any voter registration and get-out-
the-vote activity, any generic campaign activity, and
any communication that identifies a Federal can-
didate (regardless of whether a State or local can-
didate is also mentioned or identified) shall be made
from funds subject to the limitations, prohibitions
and reporting requirements of this Act.
‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) shall not
apply to expenditures or disbursements made by a
State, district, or local committee of a political party
for—
‘‘(A) a contribution to a candidate other
than for Federal office, so long as the contribu-
tion is not designated or otherwise earmarked
to pay for activities described in paragraph (1);
‘‘(B) the costs of a State, district, or local
political convention;
‘‘(C) the non-Federal share of a State, dis-
trict, or local party committee’s administrative
and overhead expenses (but not including the
compensation in any month of any individual
who spends more than 20 percent of his or her
time on activity during such month which may
affect the outcome of a Federal election), deter-
mined by applying the ratio of the non-Federal
disbursements to the total Federal expenditures
and non-Federal disbursements made by the
committee during the previous presidential elec-
tion year to the committee’s administrative and
overhead expenses in the election year in ques-
tion;
‘‘(D) the costs of grassroots campaign ma-
terials (including buttons, bumper stickers, and
yard signs) which solely name or depict a State
or local candidate; and
‘‘(E) the cost of any campaign activity con-
ducted solely on behalf of a clearly identified
State or local candidate, so long as the activity
does not identify a Federal candidate.
‘‘(3) APPLICABILITY.—This subsection shall
apply to any entity that is established, financed,
maintained, or controlled by a State, district or local
committee of a political party or any agent or officer
of such party committee in the same manner as it
applies to that committee.
‘‘(c) FUNDRAISING COSTS.—Any amount spent by a
national, State, district or local committee or entity of a
political party to raise funds that are used, in whole or
in part, to pay the costs of any activity covered by sub-
section (b)(1) shall be made from funds subject to the lim-
itations, prohibitions, and reporting requirements of this
Act.
‘‘(d) SOLICITATION BY PARTIES FOR NONPROFITS.—
No national, State, district, or local committee of a polit-
ical party may solicit any funds for or make any donations
to any organization that is exempt from Federal taxation
under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986.
‘‘(e) SOLICITATION AND RECEIPT OF FUNDS BY CAN-
DIDATES AND OFFICEHOLDERS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—No candidate for Federal
office, individual holding Federal office, or any agent
of such candidate or officeholder, may solicit or re-
ceive any funds in connection with any Federal elec-
tion unless such funds are subject to the limitations,
prohibitions and reporting requirements of this Act.
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION FOR ACTIVITIES PERMITTED
UNDER STATE LAW.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply
to the solicitation or receipt of funds by an indi-
vidual who is a candidate for a non-Federal office if
such activity is permitted under State law for such
individual’s non-Federal campaign committee.’’.
SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) REPORTING RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS BY
POLITICAL PARTIES AND OTHER COMMITTEES.—Section
304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2
U.S.C. 434), as amended by section 502(a) of the Depart-
ment of Transportation and Related Agencies Act, 2001
(as enacted into law by reference under section 101(a) of
Public Law 106–346), is amended by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
‘‘(e) RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS OF POLITICAL
PARTIES AND OTHER COMMITTEES.—(1) The national
committee of a political party, any congressional campaign
committee of a political party, and any subordinate com-
mittee of either, shall report all receipts and disburse-
ments during the reporting period, whether or not in con-
nection with an election for Federal office.
‘‘(2) A political committee to which section 323 ap-
plies (other than a committee described in paragraph (1))
shall report all receipts and disbursements.
‘‘(3) Any political committee to which paragraph (1)
or (2) does not apply shall report any receipts or disburse-
ments that are used in connection with a Federal election.
‘‘(4) If a political committee has receipts or disburse-
ments to which this subsection applies from any person
aggregating in excess of $200 for any calendar year, the
political committee shall separately itemize its reporting
for such person in the same manner as required in sub-
section (b)(3)(A), (5), or (6).
‘‘(5) Reports required to be filed under this sub-
section shall be filed for the same time periods required
for political committees under subsection (a).’’.
(b) REPORT OF EXEMPT CONTRIBUTIONS.—Section
301(8) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 431(8)) is amended by in-
serting at the end the following:
‘‘(C) The exclusion provided in subpara-
graph (B)(viii) shall not apply for purposes of
any requirement to report contributions under
this Act, and all such contributions aggregating
in excess of $50 shall be reported.’’.
(c) REPORTS BY STATE COMMITTEES.—Section 304
of the such Act (2 U.S.C. 434), as amended by subsection
(a), is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
‘‘(f) FILING OF STATE REPORTS.—In lieu of any re-
port required to be filed by this Act, the Commission may
allow a State committee of a political party to file with
the Commission a report required to be filed under State
law if the Commission determines such reports contain
substantially the same information.’’.
(d) OTHER REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) 
AUTHORIZED
COMMITTEES.—Section
304(b)(4) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 434(b)(4)) is
amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (H);
(B) by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (I); and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
‘‘(J) in the case of an authorized com-
mittee, disbursements for the primary election,
the general election, and any other election in
which the candidate participates;’’.
(2) 
NAMES
AND
ADDRESSES.—Section
304(b)(5)(A) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 434(b)(5)(A)) is
amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘within the calendar year’’;
and