I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2199
To reform the financing of Federal elections.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 17, 1997
Mr. TIERNEY (for himself, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. MILLER of California, Mr.
NADLER, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. GEJDENSON, Ms.
MCKINNEY, Mr. WEYGAND, Mr. KIND, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. DELAHUNT,
Mr. FORD, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr.
MCDERMOTT, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. OLVER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr.
BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms.
ESHOO, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, and Ms. DELAURO) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House
Oversight, and in addition to the Committees on Commerce, and Govern-
ment Reform and Oversight, for a period to be subsequently determined
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To reform the financing of Federal elections.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Clean Money, Clean Elections Act’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
TITLE I—CLEAN MONEY FINANCING OF HOUSE ELECTION
CAMPAIGNS
Sec. 101. Findings and declarations.
Sec. 102. Eligibility requirements and benefits of clean money financing of
House election campaigns.
‘‘TITLE V—CLEAN MONEY FINANCING OF HOUSE ELECTION
CAMPAIGNS
‘‘Sec. 501. Definitions.
‘‘Sec. 502. Eligibility for clean money.
‘‘Sec. 503. Requirements applicable to clean money candidates.
‘‘Sec. 504. Seed money.
‘‘Sec. 505. Certification by Commission.
‘‘Sec. 506. Benefits for clean money candidates.
‘‘Sec. 507. Administration of clean money.
‘‘Sec. 508. Expenditures made from funds other than clean money.
‘‘Sec. 509. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 103. Reporting requirements for expenditures of private money candidates.
Sec. 104. Transition rule for current election cycle.
TITLE II—INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES; COORDINATED
POLITICAL PARTY EXPENDITURES
Sec. 201. Reporting requirements for independent expenditures.
Sec. 202. Definition of independent expenditure.
Sec. 203. Limit on expenditures by political party committees.
Sec. 204. Party independent expenditures and other coordinated expenditures.
TITLE III—VOTER INFORMATION
Sec. 301. Free broadcast time.
Sec. 302. Broadcast rates and preemption.
Sec. 303. Campaign advertising.
Sec. 304. Limit on Congressional use of the franking privilege.
TITLE IV—SOFT MONEY OF POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES
Sec. 401. Soft money of political party committees.
Sec. 402. State party grassroots funds.
Sec. 403. Reporting requirements.
TITLE V—RESTRUCTURING AND STRENGTHENING OF THE
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
Sec. 501. Appointment and terms of Commissioners.
Sec. 502. Audits.
Sec. 503. Authority to seek injunction.
Sec. 504. Standard for investigation.
Sec. 505. Petition for certiorari.
Sec. 506. Expedited procedures.
Sec. 507. Filing of reports using computers and facsimile machines.
Sec. 508. Power to issue subpoena without signature of chairperson.
TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 601. Severability.
Sec. 602. Review of constitutional issues.
Sec. 603. Effective date.
TITLE I—CLEAN MONEY FINANC-
ING 
OF 
HOUSE 
ELECTION
CAMPAIGNS
SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.
(a) UNDERMINING OF DEMOCRACY BY CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PRIVATE SOURCES.—The Con-
gress finds and declares that the current system of pri-
vately financed campaigns for election to the House of
Representatives has the capacity, and is often perceived
by the public, to undermine democracy in the United
States by—
(1) violating the democratic principle of ‘‘one
person, one vote’’ and diminishing the meaning of
the right to vote by allowing monied interests to
have a disproportionate and unfair influence within
the political process;
(2) diminishing or giving the appearance of di-
minishing a Member of the House of Representa-
tives’ accountability to constituents by compelling
legislators to be accountable to the major contribu-
tors who finance their election campaigns;
(3) creating a conflict of interest, perceived or
real, by encouraging Members to take money from