I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1978
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to lower the maximum
amount of contributions a multicandidate political committee may make
to a House of Representatives candidate, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 5, 1993
Mr. BLUTE introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the
Committees on House Administration, Rules, and Post Office and Civil
Service
A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to
lower 
the 
maximum 
amount 
of 
contributions 
a
multicandidate political committee may make to a House
of Representatives candidate, 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. REDUCTION IN LIMITATION AMOUNT APPLICA-
BLE 
TO 
CONTRIBUTIONS 
BY 
A
MULTICANDIDATE 
POLITICAL 
COMMITTEE
TO A HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CAN-
DIDATE.
Section 315(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Election Cam-
paign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) is amended
by inserting after ‘‘$5,000’’ the following: ‘‘, except that
in the case of an election for the office of Representative
in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Con-
gress, the limitation shall be $1,000.’’.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GENERAL 
ELECTION 
CONTRIBUTIONS 
IN
NONELECTION YEARS.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a) is amended by adding at the end
the following new subsection:
‘‘(i) A candidate for the office of Representative in,
or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress
may not solicit or accept any contribution in an odd-num-
bered year with respect to a general election for such office
or any primary election relating to the general election.’’.
SEC. 3. BAN ON SOFT MONEY.
(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:
‘‘LIMITATIONS AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR
AMOUNTS PAID FOR MIXED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
‘‘SEC. 323. (a) Any payment by the national commit-
tee of a political party or a State committee of a political
party for a mixed political activity—
‘‘(1) shall be subject to limitation and reporting
under this Act as if such payment were an expendi-
ture; and
‘‘(2) may be paid only from an account that is
subject to the requirements of this Act.
‘‘(b) As used in this section, the term ‘mixed political
activity’ means, with respect to a payment by the national
committee of a political party or a State committee of a
political party, an activity, such as a voter registration
program, a get-out-the-vote drive, or general political ad-
vertising, that is both (1) for the purpose of influencing
an election for Federal office, and (2) for any purpose un-
related to influencing an election for Federal office.’’.
(b) REPEAL OF BUILDING FUND EXCEPTION TO THE
DEFINITION OF THE TERM ‘‘CONTRIBUTION’’.—Section
301(8)(B) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
(2 U.S.C. 431(8)(B)) is amended—
(1) by striking out clause (viii); and
(2) by redesignating clauses (ix) through (xiv)
as clauses (viii) through (xiii), respectively.
SEC. 
4. 
VOLUNTARY 
EXPENDITURE 
LIMITATION 
FOR
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTIONS.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by section 2, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(j) In such form and manner as the Commission
may prescribe, each candidate for the office of Representa-
tive in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Con-
gress in a general election or a primary election for such
office shall be given the opportunity to comply with a vol-
untary expenditure limitation of $500,000 with respect to
the general election and any primary election relating to
the general election. In the case of a candidate who de-
clines to comply with the voluntary limitation, the limita-
tion under subsection (a)(1)(A) shall be $250.’’.
SEC. 5. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION LIMITA-
TION ON CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PERSONS
OTHER THAN IN-STATE RESIDENTS.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by sections 2 and
4, is further amended by adding at the end the following
new subsection:
‘‘(k)(1) A candidate for the office of Representative
in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress
may not, with respect to a reporting period for an election,
accept contributions from persons other than in-State resi-
dents totaling in excess of one-half of the total of contribu-
tions accepted with respect to the reporting period.
‘‘(2) As used in this subsection, the term ‘in-State
resident’ means an individual who resides in the State in
which the congressional district involved is located.’’.
SEC. 6. PROHIBITION OF FRANKED MASS MAILINGS BY
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES IN ELECTION YEARS.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, or any
rule or other authority, a Member of the House of Rep-
resentatives may not make any franked mass mailing in
an even-numbered year. As used in this section—
(1) the term ‘‘mass mailing’’ has the meaning
given that term in section 3210 of title 39, United
States Code; and
(2) the term ‘‘Member of the House of Rep-
resentatives’’ means a Representative in, or a Dele-
gate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.
SEC. 7. ELIMINATION OF CARRY-OVER OF CAMPAIGN
FUNDS BETWEEN HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES ELECTIONS.
Section 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a), as amended by sections 2, 4,
and 5, is further amended by adding at the end the follow-
ing new subsection:
‘‘(l) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
if after satisfying all financial obligations with respect to
a general election and any primary election relating to the
general election, a candidate for the office of Representa-
tive in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Con-
gress has a campaign account balance, the candidate shall
return the excess funds to contributors or, at the option
of the candidate, donate the excess funds to charity. No
excess funds may be carried forward or used for any other
purpose.’’.
Æ