I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2527
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to improve the electoral
process by permitting electronic filing and preservation of Federal Elec-
tion Commission reports, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 24, 1995
Mr. THOMAS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Oversight
A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to
improve the electoral process by permitting electronic
filing and preservation of Federal Election Commission
reports, 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. ELECTRONIC FILING AND PRESERVATION OF
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION REPORTS.
(a) SECTION 304 AMENDMENT.—Subsection (a) of
section 304 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
(2 U.S.C. 434(a)) is amended by adding at the end the
following new paragraph:
‘‘(11)(A) The Commission shall permit reports re-
quired by this Act to be filed and preserved by means of
computer disk or any other appropriate electronic format
or method, as determined by the Commission.
‘‘(B) In carrying out subparagraph (A) with respect
to filing of reports, the Commission shall provide for one
or more methods (other than requiring a signature on the
report being filed) for verifying reports filed by means of
computer disk or other electronic format or method. Any
verification under the preceding sentence shall be treated
for all purposes (including penalties for perjury) in the
same manner as a verification by signature.
‘‘(C) As used in this paragraph, the term ‘report’
means, with respect to the Commission, a report, designa-
tion, or statement required by this Act to be filed with
the Commission.’’.
(b) SECTION 302 AMENDMENT.—Subsection (d) of
section 302 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
(2 U.S.C. 432(d)) is amended by adding at the end the
following new sentence: ‘‘For any report filed in electronic
format under section 304(a)(11), the treasurer shall retain
a machine-readable copy of the report as the copy pre-
served under the preceding sentence.’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
subsection (a) and subsection (b) shall apply with respect
to reports for periods beginning after December 31, 1996.
SEC. 2. WAIVER OF DUPLICATE FILING REQUIREMENT FOR
STATES WITH ELECTRONIC ACCESS TO FED-
ERAL ELECTION COMMISSION REPORTS AND
STATEMENTS.
Section 312 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 439) is amended by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
‘‘(c) Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply with re-
spect to any State that, as determined by the Commission,
has a system that permits electronic access to, and dupli-
cation of, reports and statements that are filed with the
Commission.’’.
SEC. 3. FILING OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION
REPORTS WITH THE FEDERAL ELECTION
COMMISSION, 
RATHER 
THAN 
WITH 
THE
CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES.
(a) SECTION 302 AMENDMENTS.—Subsection (g) of
section 302 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
(2 U.S.C. 432(g)) is amended—
(1) by striking out paragraph (1);
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through
(5) as paragraphs (1) through (4), respectively;
(3) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated by
paragraph (2) of this subsection—
(A) by striking out ‘‘Clerk of the House of
Representatives and the’’; and
(B) by striking out ‘‘them’’ and inserting
in lieu thereof ‘‘the Secretary’’;
(4) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated by
paragraph (2) of this subsection, by striking out
‘‘and (2)’’; and
(5) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated by
paragraph (2) of this subsection, by striking out
‘‘Clerk of the House of Representatives and the’’.
(b) SECTION 304 AMENDMENTS.—Section 304 of the
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 434)
is amended—
(1) in the first sentence of subsection (a)(6), by
striking out ‘‘Clerk, the Secretary,’’ and inserting in
lieu thereof ‘‘Secretary’’; and
(2) in the third sentence of subsection (c)(2),
by striking out ‘‘Clerk, the Secretary,’’ and inserting
in lieu thereof ‘‘Secretary’’.
(c) SECTION 311 AMENDMENT.—Section 311(a)(4)
of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C.
438(a)(4)) is amended by striking out ‘‘Clerk, Secretary,’’
and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘Secretary’’.
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall apply with respect to reports, designa-
tions, and statements required to be filed after December
31, 1995.
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