PAC Elimination Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit any person, other than an individual or a candidate's or party's political committee, from making contributions, soliciting or receiving contributions, or making expenditures for the purpose of influencing an election for federal office.
Provides for additional limitations on contributions by multicandidate political action committees.
Requires at least 80% of candidate funds to come from in-state individuals.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4819 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4819
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit nonparty
multicandidate political committees from making contributions in
support of campaigns for election for Federal office, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 28, 2006
Mr. Leach introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit nonparty
multicandidate political committees from making contributions in
support of campaigns for election for Federal office, 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; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``PAC Elimination
Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Congress now faces a crisis of public confidence about
its ability to conduct the people's business.
(2) Members of Congress, their relatives, lobbyists,
insider-controlled nonprofit organizations, and interest groups
have been accused of acting surreptitiously and in concert to
enrich themselves at the expense of the public.
(3) A government of the people, by the people, and for the
people cannot be a government where influence is purchasable.
(4) Political action committees in particular represent a
narrow fraction of the public viewpoint and generally have few
ties, if any, to the State or district from which the member of
Congress is elected.
(5) The primary recipients of PAC contributions are
incumbents, particularly the most powerful members of Congress.
(6) The public objects to the establishment of a new
political class, a privileged group with perks, amenities, and
job security unavailable to average Americans. The public also
objects to tilting the electoral landscape to the advantage of
a few.
(7) If Congress fails to respond appropriately to limit the
costs of elections and the perks of power, it will become a
legislative body in which the small businessman, the farmer,
the day laborer, and the stay-at-home parent are only
secondarily represented.
(8) Campaign finance reform is the unfinished business of a
Congress in disrepute.
SEC. 2. BAN ON ACTIVITIES OF POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES IN FEDERAL
ELECTIONS.
(a) Ban on PACs.--
(1) 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:
``ban on activities of political action committees
``Sec. 325. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, no
person other than an individual or a political committee may make
contributions, solicit or receive contributions, or make expenditures
for the purpose of influencing an election for Federal office.''.
(2) Revision of Definition of Political Committee.--Section 301(4)
of such Act (2 U.S.C. 431(4)) is amended to read as follows:
``(4) The term `political committee' means--
``(A) the principal campaign committee of a candidate;
``(B) any national, State, or district committee of a
political party, including any subordinate committee thereof;
``(C) any local committee of a political party which--
``(i) receives contributions aggregating in excess
of $5,000 during a calendar year,
``(ii) makes payments exempted from the definition
of contribution or expenditure under paragraph (8) or
(9) aggregating in excess of $5,000 during a calendar
year, or
``(iii) makes contributions or expenditures
aggregating in excess of $1,000 during a calendar year;
and
``(D) any committee jointly established by a principal
campaign committee and any committee described in subparagraph
(B) or (C) for the purpose of conducting joint fundraising
activities.''.
(b) Rules Applicable When Ban not in Effect.--For purposes of the
Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, during any period after the
effective date of this Act in which the limitation on making
contributions under section 325 of that Act (as added by subsection
(a)) is not in effect--
(1) the amendments made by subsection (a) shall not be in
effect; and
(2) the limitation amount under section 315(a)(2)(A) of
such Act shall be $1,000.
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON CONTRIBUTIONS BY POLITICAL ACTION
COMMITTEES.
(a) Alternative Limitation on Aggregate Amount of Contributions
Made by Multicandidate Committee to Any Candidate.--
(1) In general.--Section 315(a)(2)(A) of the Federal
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(2)(A)) is
amended by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting the
following: ``, or an amount equal to 10 percent of the
aggregate amount of contributions received by the candidate and
the committees from all sources, whichever is lesser;''.
(2) Return of excess contributions by candidates.--Section
315(f) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 441a(f)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``(f)'' and inserting ``(f)(1)'';
and
(B) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(2) A candidate (or the authorized committees of a candidate) who
receives a contribution from a multicandidate political committee in
excess of the amount allowed under subsection (a)(2)(A) shall return
the amount of such excess contribution to the contributor.''.
(b) Limitation on Aggregate Amount of Contributions Made by
Multicandidate Committee to All Candidates.--Section 315(a) of such Act
(2 U.S.C. 441a(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(9) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, during each
two-year period beginning on January 1 of an odd-numbered year, the
total amount of contributions of a nonparty multicandidate political
committee to all candidates for Federal office and their authorized
political committees shall not exceed $500,000.''.
SEC. 4. REQUIRING NOT LESS THAN 80 PERCENT OF CANDIDATE FUNDS TO COME
FROM IN-STATE INDIVIDUALS.
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:
``(k) Percentage of Candidate Contributions Required to Come From
in-State Individuals.--With respect to each reporting period for an
election, not less than 80 percent of the total of contributions
accepted by a candidate shall be from individuals--
``(1) who are residents of the State involved or the State
in which the Congressional district involved is located, in the
case of a candidate for the office of Senator or Representative
in the Congress; or
``(2) who are residents of the jurisdiction the candidate
seeks to represent, in the case of a candidate for the office
of Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress.''.
SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to
elections occurring after December 2006.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
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