A bill to require accountability in campaign advertising, and for other purposes.

Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require a licensee who permits a person to use a broadcasting station to broadcast material that endorses or opposes a legally qualified candidate for any Federal office to provide to the opponent of the endorsed candidate, or to the candidate opposed, the same amount of time on such station, during the same period of the day, without charge.

Makes a candidate ineligible for the lowest broadcast charges required under the Act for the part of any 45-day period preceding a primary or primary runoff election or any 60-day period preceding a general or special election that remains after any reference to another candidate not made in person.

[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1723 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1723

   To require accountability in campaign advertising, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 2, 1996

 Mr. Bingaman (for himself, Mr. Pell, and Mr. Campbell) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require accountability in campaign advertising, 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. BROADCAST MEDIA RATES FOR LEGALLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES.

    Section 315 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 315) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``(a) If any licensee'' and 
                inserting ``(a)(1) If any licensee'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (4) as 
                subparagraphs (A) through (D), respectively; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
    ``(2) If any licensee shall permit any person to use a broadcasting 
station to broadcast material that endorses a legally qualified 
candidate for any Federal office or opposes a legally qualified 
candidate for that office, such licensee shall, within a reasonable 
period of time, provide at no charge to any legally qualified candidate 
opposing the candidate endorsed (or to an authorized committee of such 
candidate), or any legally qualified candidate who was so opposed (or 
to an authorized committee of such candidate), the same amount of time 
on such broadcasting station, during the same period of the day.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``(b) The charges'' and inserting 
                ``(b)(1) The charges'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
                subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;
                    (C) in subparagraph (A), as redesignated, by 
                inserting ``subject to paragraph (2),'' before ``during 
                the forty-five days''; and
                    (D) by inserting at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
    ``(2)(A) To be eligible to receive the broadcast media rates under 
paragraph (1)(A), if a legally qualified candidate (or the authorized 
committee of any such candidate), using the rights and conditions of 
access under this Act, refers, directly or indirectly, to another 
legally qualified candidate for that office, such reference shall be 
made in person by such legally qualified candidate.
    ``(B) If a legally qualified candidate (or the authorized committee 
of any such candidate), using the rights and conditions of access under 
this Act, refers, directly or indirectly, to another legally qualified 
candidate for that office, and such reference is not made in person by 
such legally qualified candidate, such candidate shall be ineligible 
for the media rates under paragraph (1)(A) for the remainder of the 45-
day period (for a primary or primary runoff election) or the 60-day 
period (for a general or special election) described in paragraph 
(1)(A).''; and
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and 
                inserting a semicolon; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraphs:
            ``(3) the term `person' includes an individual, 
        partnership, committee, association, corporation, or other 
        organization or group of persons, but such term does not 
        include a legally qualified candidate for any Federal elective 
        office of an authorized committee of any such candidate; and
            ``(4) the term `authorized committee' means, with respect 
        to any candidate for nomination for election, or election, to 
        any Federal elective office, any committee, club, association, 
        or other group of persons that receives contributions or makes 
        expenditure during a calendar year in an aggregate amount 
        exceeding $1,000 and that is authorized by such candidate to 
        accept contributions or make expenditures on behalf of such 
        candidate to further the nomination or election of such 
        candidate.''.
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