I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3315
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to remove the limita-
tions on amounts that may be contributed to a Federal election cam-
paign, to require political parties to disclose transfers of certain non-
Federal funds, to promote the expedited availability of reports submitted
to the Federal Election Commission, to prohibit individuals not qualified
to register to vote in elections for Federal office from making campaign
contributions, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 3, 1998
Mr. SNOWBARGER 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
remove the limitations on amounts that may be contrib-
uted to a Federal election campaign, to require political
parties to disclose transfers of certain non-Federal funds,
to promote the expedited availability of reports submitted
to the Federal Election Commission, to prohibit individ-
uals not qualified to register to vote in elections for
Federal office from making campaign contributions, 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 ‘‘Fair Elections and
Political Accountability Act’’.
SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF LIMITATIONS ON FEDERAL ELECTION
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.
Section 315(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)) is amended by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(9) The limitations established under this subsection
shall not apply to contributions made during calendar
years beginning after 1998.’’.
SEC. 3. PROMOTING EXPEDITED AVAILABILITY OF FEC RE-
PORTS; LOWERING THRESHOLD FOR COLLEC-
TION AND DISCLOSURE OF IDENTIFICATION
OF CONTRIBUTORS.
(a) MANDATORY
ELECTRONIC
FILING.—Section
304(a)(11)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of
1971 (2 U.S.C. 434(a)(11)(A)) is amended by striking
‘‘permit reports required by’’ and inserting ‘‘require re-
ports under’’.
(b) REQUIRING REPORTS FOR CERTAIN CONTRIBU-
TIONS MADE TO ANY POLITICAL COMMITTEE WITHIN 60
DAYS OF ELECTION; REQUIRING REPORTS TO BE MADE
WITHIN 48 HOURS.—Section 304(a)(6) of such Act (2
U.S.C. 434(a)(6)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(6)(A) Each political committee shall notify the Sec-
retary or the Commission, and the Secretary of State, as
appropriate, in writing, of any contribution in an aggre-
gate amount equal to or greater than $100 which is re-
ceived by the committee during the period which begins
on the 60th day before an election and ends at the time
the polls close for such election. This notification shall be
made not later than midnight of the day on which the con-
tribution is deposited (but in no event later than 48 hours
after receipt) and shall include the name of the candidate
involved (as appropriate) and the office sought by the can-
didate, the identification of the contributor, and the date
of receipt and amount of the contribution.
‘‘(B) If a political committee returns a contribution
for which notification is made under subparagraph (A),
the committee shall notify the Secretary or the Commis-
sion, and the Secretary of State (as appropriate).
‘‘(C) The notifications required under this paragraph
shall be in addition to all other reporting requirements
under this Act.’’.
(c) INCREASING ELECTRONIC DISCLOSURE.—Section
304 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 434(a)) is amended by adding
at the end the following new subsection:
‘‘(d)(1) The Commission shall make the information
contained in the reports submitted under this section
available on the Internet and publicly available at the of-
fices of the Commission as soon as practicable (but in no
case later than 24 hours) after the information is received
by the Commission.
‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘Internet’ means the
international computer network of both Federal and non-
Federal interoperable packet-switched data networks.’’.
(d) LOWERING THRESHOLD FOR COLLECTION AND
DISCLOSURE OF IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRIBUTORS.—
(1) 
REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS.—Section
304(b)(3) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 434(b)(3)) is
amended—
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking
‘‘whose contribution or contributions have an
aggregate amount or value in excess of $200
within the calendar year, or in any lesser
amount if the reporting committee should so
elect,’’; and
(B) in subparagraphs (F) and (G), by
striking ‘‘in an aggregate amount or value in
excess of $200’’ each place it appears.
(2) INFORMATION
REQUIRED
TO
BE
FOR-
WARDED
TO
POLITICAL
COMMITTEES.—Section
302(b) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 432(b)) is amended—
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and if
the amount of the contribution is in excess of
$50’’ and inserting ‘‘together with’’; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘shall—
’’ and all that follows and inserting the follow-
ing: ‘‘shall forward to the treasurer such con-
tribution, the name and address of the person
making the contribution, and the date of receipt
of the contribution, no later than 10 days after
receiving the contribution.’’.
(3) INFORMATION REQUIRED TO BE KEPT BY
POLITICAL
COMMITTEES.—Section 302(c) of such
Act (2 U.S.C. 432(c)) is amended—
(A) by striking paragraph (2); and
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or con-
tributions aggregating more than $200’’.
(e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
this section shall apply with respect to reports for periods
beginning on or after January 1, 1999.
SEC. 4. PROHIBITING CONTRIBUTIONS BY FOREIGN NA-
TIONALS AND INDIVIDUALS NOT QUALIFIED
TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELEC-
TIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 319 of the Federal Elec-
tion Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441e) is amended
to read as follows:
‘‘CONTRIBUTIONS BY FOREIGN NATIONALS AND INDIVID-
UALS
NOT
QUALIFIED
TO
REGISTER
TO
VOTE
IN
FEDERAL ELECTIONS
‘‘SEC. 319. (a) FOREIGN NATIONALS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful for a
foreign national directly or through any other person
to make any contribution of money or other thing of
value, or to promise expressly or impliedly to make
any such contribution, in connection with an election
to any political office or in connection with any pri-
mary election, convention, or caucus held to select
candidates for any political office; or for any person
to solicit, accept, or receive any such contribution
from a foreign national.
‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—As used in this subsection,
the term ‘foreign national’ means a foreign prin-
cipal, as defined by section 1(b) of the Foreign
Agents Registration Act of 1938 (22 U.S.C. 611(b)).
‘‘(b) INDIVIDUALS NOT QUALIFIED TO REGISTER TO
VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS.—
‘‘(1) PROHIBITING
CONTRIBUTIONS.—It shall
be unlawful for any individual who is not qualified
to register to vote in an election for Federal office
directly or through any other person to make any
contribution of money or other thing of value, or to
promise expressly or impliedly to make any such
contribution, in connection with an election to any
political office or in connection with any primary
election, convention, or caucus held to select can-
didates for any political office.
‘‘(2) PROHIBITING SOLICITATION OR ACCEPT-
ANCE OF CONTRIBUTIONS.—It shall be unlawful for
any person to knowingly solicit, accept, or receive
any contribution of money or other thing of value
from an individual who is not qualified to register to
vote in an election for Federal office.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall apply with respect to elections occurring
after January 1999.
SEC. 5. FUNDING OF POLITICAL ACTIVITIES BY CORPORA-
TIONS AND LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
(a) PROHIBITING DONATION OF FUNDS TO POLITI-
CAL PARTIES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 316 of the Federal
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441b) is
amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
‘‘(c)(1) No national bank, corporation, or labor orga-
nization described in this section may make any payment
of any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of
money or anything of value to any political committee es-
tablished and maintained by a political party (including
a congressional campaign committee of a political party)
in support of the committee’s activities.
‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a contribution
or expenditure made by a separate segregated fund of a
corporation or labor organization described in subsection
(b)(2)(C).’’.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made
by paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to elec-
tions occurring after January 1999.
(b) PROHIBITING INVOLUNTARY ASSESSMENT
OF
EMPLOYEE FUNDS FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 316 of such Act (2
U.S.C. 441b), as amended by subsection (a), is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following
new subsection:
‘‘(d)(1) Except with the separate, prior, written, vol-
untary authorization of the individual involved, it shall be
unlawful—
‘‘(A) for any national bank or corporation de-
scribed in this section to collect from or assess its
stockholders any dues, initiation fee, or other pay-
ment, or collect from or assess its employees any
dues, initiation fee, or other payment as a condition
of employment, if any part of such dues, fee, or pay-
ment will be used for Federal campaign activity in
which the national bank or corporation is engaged;
and
‘‘(B) for any labor organization described in
this section to collect from or assess its members or
nonmembers any dues, initiation fee, or other pay-
ment if any part of such dues, fee, or payment will
be used for Federal campaign activity in which the
labor organization is engaged.
‘‘(2) An authorization described in paragraph (1)
shall remain in effect until revoked and may be revoked
at any time. Each entity collecting from or assessing
amounts from an individual with an authorization in effect
under such paragraph shall provide the individual with a
statement that the individual may at any time revoke the
authorization.
‘‘(3) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘Fed-
eral campaign activity’ means any activity carried out for
the purpose of influencing (in whole or in part) any elec-
tion for Federal office or educating individuals about can-
didates for election for Federal office, except that such
term does not include the making of any communication
provided by a corporation to its employees and their fami-
lies or by a labor organization to its members and their
families on any subject.’’.
(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made
by paragraph (1) shall apply to amounts collected or
assessed on or after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
SEC. 
6. 
PROHIBITING 
CONTRIBUTIONS 
DURING 
SIX
MONTHS FOLLOWING GENERAL ELECTION.
(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:
‘‘PROHIBITING CONTRIBUTIONS DURING SIX MONTHS
FOLLOWING GENERAL ELECTION
‘‘SEC. 323. (a) IN GENERAL.—No person may make
any contribution with respect to an election for Federal
office to any political committee of a candidate for election
for such office during the 180-day period which begins on
the date of the previous regularly scheduled general elec-
tion for such office, unless the election is a runoff or spe-
cial election.
‘‘(b) EXCEPTION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS IN CONNEC-
TION WITH EXPENSES OF PREVIOUS ELECTION.—Sub-
section (a) shall not apply with respect to a contribution
made solely in connection with the expenses of an election
held prior to the date on which the contribution is made.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall apply with respect to elections occurring
after January 1999.
SEC. 7. INCREASE IN AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA-
TIONS FOR FEDERAL ELECTION COMMIS-
SION.
Section 314 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 439c) is amended by adding at the end
the following new sentence: ‘‘There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Commission $60,000,000 for each of
the fiscal years 1999, 2000, and 2001, of which not less
than $28,350,000 shall be used during each such fiscal
year for enforcement activities.’’.
SEC. 8. ENHANCING ENFORCEMENT OF CAMPAIGN FI-
NANCE LAW.
(a) MANDATORY
IMPRISONMENT
FOR
CRIMINAL
CONDUCT.—Section 309(d)(1)(A) of the Federal Election
Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 437g(d)(1)(A)) is
amended—
(1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘shall be
fined, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or
both’’ and inserting ‘‘shall be imprisoned for not
fewer than 1 year and not more than 10 years’’; and
(2) by striking the second sentence.
(b) CONCURRENT AUTHORITY OF ATTORNEY GEN-
ERAL TO BRING CRIMINAL ACTIONS.—Section 309(d) of
such Act (2 U.S.C. 437g(d)) is amended by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(4) In addition to the authority to bring cases re-
ferred pursuant to subsection (a)(5), the Attorney General
may at any time bring a criminal action for a violation
of this Act or of chapter 95 or chapter 96 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986.’’.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall apply with respect to actions brought
with respect to elections occurring after January 1999.
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