I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1150
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to reform the financing
of campaigns for elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 21, 2001
Mr. HUTCHINSON (for himself, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. MORAN of Kansas,
Mr. HULSHOF, and Mr. PETRI) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to
the Committees on Education and the Workforce, and the Judiciary, 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 com-
mittee concerned
A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to
reform the financing of campaigns for elections for Fed-
eral office, 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 ‘‘Campaign Integrity
Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
TITLE I—SOFT MONEY AND EXPENDITURES OF POLITICAL
PARTIES AND CANDIDATES
Sec. 101. Ban on soft money of national political parties and candidates.
Sec. 102. Repeal of limitations on amount of coordinated expenditures by polit-
ical parties.
TITLE II—REVISION OF CONTRIBUTION LIMITS
Sec. 201. Increase in contribution limits.
Sec. 202. Indexing of contribution limits.
TITLE III—EXPANDING DISCLOSURE OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE
INFORMATION
Sec. 301. Disclosure of certain communications.
Sec. 302. Requiring monthly filing of reports.
Sec. 303. Software for filing of reports.
TITLE IV—STRENGTHENING ENFORCEMENT AND
ADMINISTRATION OF FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
Sec. 401. Standards for initiation of actions and written responses by Federal
Election Commission.
Sec. 402. Banning acceptance of cash contributions greater than $100.
Sec. 403. Deposit of certain contributions and donations to be returned to do-
nors in Treasury account.
Sec. 404. Abolition of ex officio membership of Clerk of House of Representa-
tives and Secretary of Senate on Commission.
Sec. 405. Broader prohibition against force and reprisals.
Sec. 406. Signature authority of members of Commission for subpoenas and
notification of intent to seek additional information.
Sec. 407. Making alternative procedures for imposition of penalties for report-
ing violations permanent.
TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 501. Codification of Beck decision.
Sec. 502. Prohibition of solicitation of political party soft money in Federal
buildings.
Sec. 503. Filing of Senate reports with the Federal Election Commission.
TITLE VI—EFFECTIVE DATE
Sec. 601. Effective date.
TITLE I—SOFT MONEY AND EX-
PENDITURES OF POLITICAL
PARTIES AND CANDIDATES
SEC. 101. BAN ON SOFT MONEY OF NATIONAL 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:
‘‘BAN ON USE OF SOFT MONEY BY NATIONAL 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, may not
solicit, receive, or direct any contributions, donations, or
transfers of funds, or spend any funds, which are not sub-
ject to the limitations, prohibitions, and reporting require-
ments of this Act. This subsection shall apply to any entity
that is established, financed, maintained, or controlled (di-
rectly or indirectly) by, or acting on behalf of, 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.
‘‘(b) CANDIDATES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—No candidate for Federal
office, individual holding Federal office, or any agent
of such candidate or officeholder may solicit, receive,
or direct—
‘‘(A) any funds in connection with any
Federal election unless such funds are subject
to the limitations, prohibitions and reporting re-
quirements of this Act;
‘‘(B) any funds that are to be expended in
connection with any election for other than a
Federal office unless such funds are not in ex-
cess of the amounts permitted with respect to
contributions to Federal candidates and polit-
ical committees under section 315(a)(1) and
(2), and are not from sources prohibited from
making contributions by this Act with respect
to elections for Federal office; or
‘‘(C) any funds on behalf of any person
which are not subject to the limitations, prohi-
bitions, and reporting requirements of this Act
if such funds are for the purpose of financing
any activity on behalf of a candidate for elec-
tion for Federal office or any communication
which refers to a clearly identified candidate for
election for Federal office.
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN ACTIVITIES.—
Paragraph (1) shall not apply to—
‘‘(A) the solicitation or receipt of funds by
an individual who is a candidate for a non-Fed-
eral office if such activity is permitted under
State law for such individual’s non-Federal
campaign committee; or
‘‘(B) the attendance by an individual who
holds Federal office or is a candidate for elec-
tion for Federal office at a fundraising event
for a State or local committee of a political
party of the State which the individual rep-
resents or seeks to represent as a Federal of-
ficeholder, if the event is held in such State.
‘‘(c) PROHIBITING TRANSFERS
OF NON-FEDERAL
FUNDS BETWEEN STATE PARTIES.—A State committee
of a political party may not transfer any funds to a State
committee of a political party of another State unless the
funds are subject to the limitations, prohibitions, and re-
porting requirements of this Act.
‘‘(d) 
APPLICABILITY
TO
FUNDS
FROM
ALL
SOURCES.—This section shall apply with respect to funds
of any individual, corporation, labor organization, or other
person.’’.
SEC. 102. REPEAL OF LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF CO-
ORDINATED EXPENDITURES BY POLITICAL
PARTIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 315(d) of the Federal
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(d)) is
amended by striking paragraphs (2) and (3).
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 315(d)(1)
of such Act (2 U.S.C. 441a(d)(1)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘(d)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘(d)’’;
and
(2) by striking ‘‘, subject to the limitations con-
tained in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection’’.
TITLE II—REVISION OF
CONTRIBUTION LIMITS
SEC. 201. INCREASE IN CONTRIBUTION LIMITS.
(a) LIMITS ON CONTRIBUTIONS BY INDIVIDUALS.—
Section 315(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of
1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)—
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking
‘‘$1,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$3,000’’, and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking
‘‘$20,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$60,000’’; and
(2) in paragraph (3)—
(A) by striking ‘‘$25,000’’ and inserting
‘‘$100,000’’, and
(B) by striking the second sentence.
(b) 
LIMITS
ON
CONTRIBUTIONS
BY
MULTI-
CANDIDATE COMMITTEES.—Section 315(a)(2) of such Act
(2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (A)—
(A) by striking ‘‘$5,000’’ and inserting
‘‘$7,500’’, and
(B) by inserting ‘‘except as provided in
subparagraph (D),’’ before ‘‘to any candidate’’;
(2) in subparagraph (B)—
(A) by striking ‘‘$15,000’’ and inserting
‘‘$45,000’’, and
(B) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end;
(3) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘$5,000.’’
and inserting ‘‘$7,500; or’’; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(D) in the case of a national committee of a
political party, to any candidate and his authorized
political committees with respect to any election for
Federal office which, in the aggregate, exceed
$15,000.’’.
SEC. 202. INDEXING OF CONTRIBUTION LIMITS.
Section 315(c) of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(c)) is amended by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(3)(A) The amount of each limitation established
under subsection (a) shall be adjusted as follows:
‘‘(i) For calendar year 2003, each such amount
shall be equal to the amount described in such sub-
section, increased (in a compounded manner) by the
percentage increase in the price index (as defined in
subsection (c)(2)) for each of the years 2001
through 2002.
‘‘(ii) For calendar year 2005 and each second
subsequent year, each such amount shall be equal to
the amount for the second previous year (as ad-
justed under this subparagraph), increased (in a
compounded manner) by the percentage increase in
the price index for each of the 2 previous years.
‘‘(B) In the case of any amount adjusted under this
subparagraph which is not a multiple of $100, the amount
shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of $100.’’.
TITLE III—EXPANDING DISCLO-
SURE OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE
INFORMATION
SEC. 301. DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN COMMUNICATIONS.
Section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434), as amended by section 502(a)
of the Department of Transportation and Related Agen-
cies 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:
‘‘(e) DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN COMMUNICATIONS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any person who expends
an aggregate amount of funds during a calendar
year in excess of $25,000 for communications de-
scribed in paragraph (2) relating to a single can-
didate for election for Federal office (or an aggre-
gate amount of funds during a calendar year in ex-
cess of $100,000 for all such communications relat-
ing to all such candidates) shall file a report with
the Commission describing the amount expended for
such communications, together with the person’s ad-
dress and phone number (or, if appropriate, the ad-
dress and phone number of the person’s principal of-
ficer).
‘‘(2) COMMUNICATIONS
DESCRIBED.—A com-
munication described in this paragraph is any com-
munication which is broadcast to the general public
through radio or television and which mentions or
includes (by name, representation, or likeness) any
candidate for election for Senator or for Representa-
tive in (or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to)
the Congress, other than any communication which
would be described in clause (i), (iii), or (v) of sec-
tion 301(9)(B) if the payment were an expenditure
under such section.
‘‘(3) DEADLINE FOR FILING.—A person shall
file a report required under paragraph (1) not later
than 7 days after the person first expends the appli-
cable amount of funds described in such paragraph,
except that in the case of a person who first expends
such an amount within 10 days of an election, the
report shall be filed not later than 24 hours after
the person first expends such amount.
‘‘(4) PENALTIES.—Whoever knowingly fails
to—
‘‘(A) remedy a defective filing within 60
days after notice of such a defect by the Com-
mission; or
‘‘(B) comply with any other provision of
this section,
shall, upon proof of such knowing violation by a pre-
ponderance of the evidence, be subject to a civil fine
of not more than $50,000 (notwithstanding any
other provision of this title), depending on the extent
and gravity of the violation.’’.
SEC. 302. REQUIRING MONTHLY FILING OF REPORTS.
(a) PRINCIPAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEES.—Section
304(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of
the response, unless during such period any member
of the Commission objects to issuing the response.
‘‘(c) EFFECT OF RESPONSE.—
‘‘(1) SAFE
HARBOR.—Notwithstanding any
other provisions of law, any person who relies upon
any provision or finding of a written response issued
under this section and who acts in good faith in ac-
cordance with the provisions and findings of such re-
sponse shall not, as a result of any such act, be sub-
ject to any sanction provided by this Act or by chap-
ter 95 or chapter 96 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986.
‘‘(2) NO RELIANCE BY OTHER PARTIES.—Any
written response issued by the Commission under
this section may only be relied upon by the person
involved in the specific transaction or activity with
respect to which such response is issued, and may
not be applied by the Commission with respect to
any other person or used by the Commission for en-
forcement or regulatory purposes.
‘‘(d) 
PUBLICATION
OF
REQUESTS
AND
RE-
SPONSES.—The Commission shall make public any re-
quest for a written response made, and the responses
issued, under this section. In carrying out this subsection,
the Commission may not make public the identity of any
person submitting a request for a written response unless
the person specifically authorizes to Commission to do so.
‘‘(e) COMPILATION
OF INDEX.—The Commission
shall compile, publish, and regularly update a complete
and detailed index of the responses issued under this sec-
tion through which responses may be found on the basis
of the subjects included in the responses.’’.
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section
307(a)(7) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 437d(a)(7)) is
amended by striking ‘‘of this Act’’ and inserting
‘‘and other written responses under section 308A’’.
(c) STANDARD FORM FOR COMPLAINTS; STRONGER
DISCLAIMER LANGUAGE.—
(1) STANDARD
FORM.—Section 309(a)(1) of
such Act (2 U.S.C. 437g(a)(1)) is amended by in-
serting after ‘‘shall be notarized,’’ the following:
‘‘shall be in a standard form prescribed by the Com-
mission, shall not include (but may refer to) extra-
neous materials,’’.
(2) 
DISCLAIMER
LANGUAGE.—Section
309(a)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 437g(a)(1)) is
amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘(a)(1)’’ and inserting
‘‘(a)(1)(A)’’; and