FIRE Act
Bill: H.R.8031 | Sponsor: Rep. Fallon, Pat (R-TX)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Family Integrity to Reform Elections Act or the FIRE Act
This bill prohibits the use of campaign funds to compensate the immediate family member of a candidate or an individual holding federal office. It also requires disclosure of payments made to immediate family members.
Specifically, the bill prohibits an authorized committee of a candidate or any other political committee that is established, maintained, or controlled by a candidate or an individual holding federal office from directly or indirectly compensating the immediate family member of the candidate or individual for services provided to or on behalf of the committee. The prohibition does not apply to a political committee of a political party.
Next, the bill requires a political committee to report on disbursements to an immediate family member of the candidate or the individual holding federal office.
Finally, the bill requires any penalty for a violation of the bill to be imposed on the candidate or the individual holding federal office if the candidate or individual involved knew of the violation. Further, it prohibits the committee involved from reimbursing the candidate or individual for the penalty.

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit certain 
 political committees from compensating an immediate family member of 
 the candidate for services provided to or on behalf of the committee, 
  to require such committees to report on payments made to immediate 
        family members of the candidate, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Family Integrity to Reform Elections 
Act'' or the ``FIRE Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING USE OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS TO COMPENSATE IMMEDIATE 
              FAMILY MEMBERS OF CANDIDATES; DISCLOSURE OF PAYMENTS MADE 
              TO IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS.

    (a) Prohibition; Disclosure.--Section 313 of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30114) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Prohibiting Compensation of Immediate Family Members; 
Disclosure of Payments to Immediate Family Members.--
            ``(1) Prohibiting compensation of immediate family 
        members.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no 
        authorized committee of a candidate or any other political 
        committee established, maintained, or controlled by a candidate 
        or an individual holding Federal office (other than a political 
        committee of a political party) shall directly or indirectly 
        compensate an immediate family member of the candidate or 
        individual (as the case may be) for services provided to or on 
        behalf of the committee.
            ``(2) Disclosure of payments to immediate family members.--
        In addition to any other information included in a report 
        submitted under section 304 by a committee described in 
        paragraph (1), the committee shall include in the report a 
        separate statement of any payments, including direct or 
        indirect compensation, made to any immediate family member of 
        the candidate or individual involved during the period covered 
        by the report.
            ``(3) Immediate family member defined.--In this subsection, 
        the term `immediate family member' means, with respect to a 
        candidate or individual, any of the following:
                    ``(A) Spouse, and parents thereof.
                    ``(B) Sons and daughters, and spouses thereof.
                    ``(C) Parents, and spouses thereof.
                    ``(D) Brothers and sisters, and spouses thereof.
                    ``(E) Grandparents and grandchildren, and spouses 
                thereof.
                    ``(F) Domestic partner and parents thereof, 
                including domestic partners of any individual in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (E).''.
    (b) Enforcement.--Section 309(d)(1) of the Federal Election 
Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30109(d)(1)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subparagraph:
    ``(E) Any person who knowingly and willfully commits a violation of 
section 313(d) shall be fined not more than the greater of 200 percent 
of the amount of the compensation paid in violation of such section or 
$100,000 for each violation of such section, imprisoned for not more 
than 2 years, or both.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 313(a)(1) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 
30114(a)(1)) is amended by striking ``for otherwise'' and inserting 
``subject to subsection (d), for otherwise''.

SEC. 3. IMPOSITION OF PENALTY AGAINST CANDIDATE OR OFFICEHOLDER.

    (a) In General.--Section 309 of the Federal Election Campaign Act 
of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30109) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection:
    ``(e) In the case of a violation of section 313(d) committed by a 
committee described in such section, if the candidate or individual 
involved knew of the violation, any penalty imposed under this section 
shall be imposed on the candidate or individual and not on the 
committee.''.
    (b) Prohibiting Reimbursement by Committee.--Section 313(d) of such 
Act (52 U.S.C. 30114(d)), as added by section 2(a), is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(3) Prohibiting reimbursement by committee of penalty 
        paid by candidate for violations.--A committee described in 
        paragraph (1) may not make any payment to reimburse the 
        candidate or individual involved for any penalty imposed for a 
        violation of this subsection which is required to be paid by 
        the candidate or individual under section 309(e).''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to 
compensation and payments made on or after the date of enactment of 
this Act.
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