Campaign Spending Integrity Act
Bill: H.R.229 | Sponsor: Rep. Ruiz, Raul (D-CA)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Campaign Spending Integrity Act
This bill prohibits a candidate for election to federal office from using campaign funds to make payments to vendors owned or controlled by the candidate or by an immediate family member of the candidate.

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit a 
     candidate for election for Federal office from using amounts 
  contributed to the candidate's campaign to make payments to vendors 
 owned or controlled by the candidate or by an immediate family member 
                           of the candidate.

    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 ``Campaign Spending Integrity Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING USE OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS FOR PAYMENTS TO VENDORS OWNED 
              OR CONTROLLED BY CANDIDATE OR IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER.

    (a) Prohibition.--Section 313(b) of the Federal Election Campaign 
Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30114(b)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Treatment of payments to vendors owned or controlled 
        by candidate or immediate family member as conversion.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For purposes of paragraph (1), a 
                contribution to an authorized committee of a candidate 
                shall be considered to be converted to the personal use 
                of the candidate if the contribution is used to make a 
                payment to a vendor which is owned or controlled by the 
                candidate or by an immediate family member of the 
                candidate.
                    ``(B) Determination of ownership and control.--For 
                purposes of subparagraph (A), a vendor shall be 
                considered to be owned or controlled by a candidate or 
                by an immediate family member of the candidate if the 
                candidate or the immediate family member--
                            ``(i) is a member of the board of directors 
                        or similar governing body of the vendor;
                            ``(ii) directly or indirectly owns or 
                        controls more than 50 percent of the voting 
                        shares of the vendor; or
                            ``(iii) is the beneficiary of a trust which 
                        owns or controls more than 50 percent of the 
                        voting shares of the vendor and, under the 
                        terms of the trust, can direct distributions 
                        from the trust.
                    ``(C) Immediate family member defined.--In this 
                paragraph, the term `immediate family member' means, 
                with respect to a candidate, any of the following:
                            ``(i) Spouse, and parents thereof.
                            ``(ii) Sons and daughters, and spouses 
                        thereof.
                            ``(iii) Parents, and spouses thereof.
                            ``(iv) Brothers and sisters, and spouses 
                        thereof.
                            ``(v) Grandparents and grandchildren, and 
                        spouses thereof.
                            ``(vi) Domestic partner and parents 
                        thereof, including domestic partners of any 
                        individual in clauses (i) through (v).''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to payments made on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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