H. R. 2527
One Hundred Fourth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the fourth day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five
An Act
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to improve the electoral
process by permitting electronic filing and preservation of Federal Election Com-
mission reports, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 required 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, designation, 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 preserved 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 FEDERAL 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 respect to
any State that, as determined by the Commission, has a system
H. R. 2527—2
that permits electronic access to, and duplication 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 para-
graphs (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 Representa-
tives 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 ‘‘paragraphs (1) and (2)’’
and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and
(5) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated by paragraph (2)
of this subsection, by striking out ‘‘Clerk of the House of Rep-
resentatives 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 ‘‘Sec-
retary’’; and
(2) in the third sentence of subsection (c)(2), by striking
out ‘‘Clerk, the Secretary,’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘Sec-
retary’’.
(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’’.
H. R. 2527—3
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this section
shall apply with respect to reports, designations, and statements
required to be filed after December 31, 1995.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.