I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 732
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reform House
of Representatives campaign finance laws, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 30, 1995
Mr. GOSS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on House Oversight and, in addition, to the Committees on Government
Reform and Oversight and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to
reform House of Representatives campaign finance laws,
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. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION LIMI-
TATION ON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PERSONS
OTHER THAN LOCAL 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) A candidate for the office of Representative in,
or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress
may not, with respect to a reporting period for an election,
accept contributions—
‘‘(1) from persons other than individual resi-
dents of the congressional district involved in excess
of 50 percent of the total of contributions accepted;
or
‘‘(2) from persons other than individual resi-
dents of the State in which the congressional district
involved is located in excess of 10 percent of the
total of contributions accepted.’’.
SEC. 2. REDUCTION IN LIMITATION AMOUNT APPLICABLE
TO CONTRIBUTIONS BY A MULTICANDIDATE
POLITICAL COMMITTEE TO A HOUSE OF REP-
RESENTATIVES CANDIDATE.
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
in the case of an election for the office of Representative
in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Con-
gress, the limitation shall be $1,000’’.
SEC. 3. BAN ON SOFT MONEY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—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:
‘‘LIMITATIONS AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR
AMOUNTS PAID FOR MIXED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
‘‘SEC. 323. (a) Any payment by the national commit-
tee of a political party or a State committee of a political
party for a mixed political activity—
‘‘(1) shall be subject to limitation and reporting
under this Act as if such payment were an expendi-
ture; and
‘‘(2) may be paid only from an account that is
subject to the requirements of this Act.
‘‘(b) As used in this section, the term ‘mixed political
activity’ means, with respect to a payment by the national
committee of a political party or a State committee of a
political party, an activity, such as a voter registration
program, a get-out-the-vote drive, or general political ad-
vertising, that is both (1) for the purpose of influencing
an election for Federal office, and (2) for any purpose un-
related to influencing an election for Federal office.’’.
(b) REPEAL OF BUILDING FUND EXCEPTION TO THE
DEFINITION OF THE TERM ‘‘CONTRIBUTION’’.—Section
301(8)(B) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
(2 U.S.C. 431(8)(B)) is amended—
(1) by striking out clause (viii); and
(2) by redesignating clauses (ix) through (xiv)
as clauses (viii) through (xiii), respectively.
SEC. 4. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OFFICIAL MAIL AL-
LOWANCE FORMULA REDUCTION.
Section 311(e)(2)(B)(i) of the Legislative Branch Ap-
propriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e(e)(2)(B)(i)) is
amended by striking out ‘‘3’’ and inserting in lieu thereof
‘‘1.5’’.
SEC. 5. BAN ON UNSOLICITED MAIL AS FRANKED MAIL
WITHIN 60 DAYS BEFORE A MEMBER’S PRI-
MARY AND GENERAL ELECTION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3210(a)(6) of title 39,
United States Code, is amended—
(1) by striking out ‘‘mass mailing’’ and insert-
ing in lieu thereof ‘‘unsolicited mailing’’ each place
it occurs in subparagraphs (A) through (D); and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(G) As used in this paragraph, the term
‘unsolicited mailing’ means all mail other than
mail that is—
‘‘(i) in direct response to a commu-
nication from a person to whom the matter
is mailed;
‘‘(ii) from a Member of Congress to
other Members of Congress;
‘‘(iii) a news release to the commu-
nications media; or
‘‘(iv) in furtherance of the administra-
tive duties of the Member of Congress.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
subsection (a) shall apply with respect to sessions of Con-
gress beginning after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
SEC. 6. DISCLOSURE OF MEMBER’S FIRST CLASS MAILINGS
TO THE PUBLIC.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 311(a)(3) of the Legisla-
tive Branch Appropriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C.
59e(a)(3)) is amended by adding before the period at the
end the following: ‘‘, including (by separate category) the
costs relating to franked, first class mass mailings’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
subsection (a) shall apply with respect to sessions of Con-
gress beginning after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
SEC. 7. AMENDMENTS TO COMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1934.
Section 315 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47
U.S.C. 315) is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)(1)—
(A) by striking ‘‘forty-five’’ and inserting
‘‘30’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘sixty’’ and inserting ‘‘45’’;
and
(C) by striking ‘‘lowest unit charge of the
station for the same class and amount of time
for the same period’’ and insert ‘‘lowest charge
of the station for the same amount of time for
the same period’’;
(2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as
subsections (d) and (e), respectively;
(3) by inserting immediately after subsection
(b) the following new subsection:
‘‘(c)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a li-
censee shall not preempt the use, during any period speci-
fied in subsection (b)(1), of a broadcasting station by a
legally qualified candidate for public office who has pur-
chased and paid for such use pursuant to the provisions
of subsection (b)(1).
‘‘(2) If a program to be broadcast by a broadcasting
station is preempted because of circumstances beyond the
control of the broadcasting station, any candidate adver-
tising spot scheduled to be broadcast during that program
may also be preempted.’’; and
(4) in subsection (d) (as redesignated by para-
graph (2) of this section)—
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (1);
(B) by striking the period at the end of
paragraph (2) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(C) by adding at the end thereof the fol-
lowing new paragraph:
‘‘(3) a station’s lowest charge for purposes of
paragraph (1)—
‘‘(A) with respect to a primary or primary
runoff election, is determined for the interval
beginning 60 days before such election and end-
ing on the date of that election; and
‘‘(B) with respect to a general or special
election, is determined for the interval begin-
ning 90 days before such election and ending on
the date of that election.’’.
SEC. 8. PROHIBITION OF TRAVEL BY MEMBERS, OFFICERS,
AND EMPLOYEES OF THE HOUSE OF REP-
RESENTATIVES AT LOBBYIST EXPENSE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—A Member, officer, or employee
of the House of Representatives may not perform any
travel at the expense of a person who is required to reg-
ister under section 308 of the Federal Regulation of Lob-
bying Act (2 U.S.C. 267).
(b) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term
‘‘Member of the House of Representatives’’ means a Rep-
resentative in, or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner
to, the Congress.
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