I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 749 
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to permit candidates 
for election for Federal office to designate an individual who will be 
authorized to disburse funds of the authorized campaign committees 
of the candidate in the event of the death of the candidate. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 28, 2009 
Mr. JONES (for himself and Mr. EHLERS) 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 
permit candidates for election for Federal office to des-
ignate an individual who will be authorized to disburse 
funds of the authorized campaign committees of the can-
didate in the event of the death of the candidate. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF INDIVIDUAL AUTHORIZED TO 
MAKE 
CAMPAIGN 
COMMITTEE 
DISBURSE-
MENTS IN EVENT OF DEATH OF CANDIDATE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 302 of the Federal Elec-
tion Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 432) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(j)(1) Each candidate may, with respect to each au-
thorized committee of the candidate, designate an indi-
vidual who shall be responsible for disbursing funds in the 
accounts of the committee in the event of the death of 
the candidate, and may also designate another individual 
to carry out the responsibilities of the designated indi-
vidual under this subsection in the event of the death or 
incapacity of the designated individual or the unwilling-
ness of the designated individual to carry out the respon-
sibilities. 
‘‘(2) In order to designate an individual under this 
subsection, the candidate shall file with the Commission 
a signed written statement (in a standardized form devel-
oped by the Commission) that contains the name and ad-
dress of the individual and the name of the authorized 
committee for which the designation shall apply, and that 
may contain the candidate’s instructions regarding the 
disbursement of the funds involved by the individual. At 
any time after filing the statement, the candidate may re-
voke the designation of an individual by filing with the 
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Commission a signed written statement of revocation (in 
a standardized form developed by the Commission). 
‘‘(3) Upon the death of a candidate who has des-
ignated an individual for purposes of paragraph (1), funds 
in the accounts of each authorized committee of the can-
didate may be disbursed only under the direction and in 
accordance with the instructions of such individual, sub-
ject to the terms and conditions applicable to the disburse-
ment of such funds under this Act or any other applicable 
Federal or State law (other than any provision of State 
law which authorizes any person other than such indi-
vidual to direct the disbursement of such funds). 
‘‘(4) Nothing in paragraph (3) may be construed to 
grant any authority to an individual who is designated 
pursuant to this subsection other than the authority to 
direct the disbursement of funds as provided in such para-
graph, or may be construed to affect the responsibility of 
the treasurer of an authorized committee for which funds 
are disbursed in accordance with such paragraph to file 
reports of the disbursements of such funds under section 
304(a).’’. 
(b) INCLUSION OF DESIGNATION IN STATEMENT OF 
ORGANIZATION OF COMMITTEE.—Section 303(b) of the 
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 433(b)) 
is amended— 
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(1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(7) in the case of an authorized committee of 
a candidate who has designated an individual under 
section 302(j) (including a second individual des-
ignated to carry out the responsibilities of that indi-
vidual under such section in the event of that indi-
vidual’s death or incapacity or unwillingness to carry 
out the responsibilities) to disburse funds from the 
accounts of the committee in the event of the death 
of the candidate, a copy of the statement filed by the 
candidate with the Commission under such section 
(as well as a copy of any subsequent statement of 
revocation filed by the candidate with the Commis-
sion under such section).’’. 
SEC. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendments made by this Act shall apply with 
respect to authorized campaign committees which are des-
ignated under section 302(e)(1) of the Federal Election 
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Campaign Act of 1971 before, on, or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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