[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2605 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2605
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for a
limitation on the time for the use of contributions or donations by
candidates for election for Federal office, to prohibit candidates from
using campaign funds to make contributions to charitable organizations
which are owned or controlled by the candidate or immediate family
members of the candidate, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 15, 2021
Mr. Takano (for himself and Mr. Case) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on House Administration
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A BILL
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to provide for a
limitation on the time for the use of contributions or donations by
candidates for election for Federal office, to prohibit candidates from
using campaign funds to make contributions to charitable organizations
which are owned or controlled by the candidate or 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 ``Let It Go Act''.
SEC. 2. TIMEFRAME FOR AND PRIORITIZATION OF DISPOSAL OF CONTRIBUTIONS
OR DONATIONS BY CANDIDATES.
(a) In General.--Section 313 of the Federal Election Campaign Act
of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30114) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new
subsection:
``(c) Disposal.--
``(1) Timeframe.--Contributions or donations described in
subsection (a) may only be used--
``(A) in the case of an individual who is not a
candidate with respect to an election for any Federal
office for a 6-year period beginning on the day after
the date of the most recent such election in which the
individual was a candidate for any such office, during
such 6-year period; or
``(B) in the case of an individual who becomes a
registered lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act
of 1995, before the date on which such individual
becomes such a registered lobbyist.
``(2) Means of disposal; prioritization.--Beginning on the
date the 6-year period described in subparagraph (A) of
paragraph (1) ends (or, in the case of an individual described
in subparagraph (B) of such paragraph, the date on which the
individual becomes a registered lobbyist under the Lobbying
Disclosure Act of 1995), contributions or donations that remain
available to an individual described in such paragraph shall be
disposed of, not later than 30 days after such date, as
follows:
``(A) First, to pay any debts or obligations owed
in connection with the campaign for election for
Federal office of the individual.
``(B) Second, to the extent such contribution or
donations remain available after the application of
subparagraph (A), through any of the following means of
disposal (or a combination thereof), in any order the
individual considers appropriate:
``(i) Returning such contributions or
donations to the individuals, entities, or
both, who made such contributions or donations.
``(ii) Making contributions to an
organization described in section 170(c) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
``(iii) Making transfers to a national,
State, or local committee of a political
party.''.
(b) 1-Year Transition Period for Certain Individuals.--
(1) In general.--In the case of an individual described in
paragraph (2), any contributions or donations under section
313(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C.
30114(a)) remaining available to the individual as of the date
of the enactment of this Act shall be disposed of--
(A) not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act; and
(B) in accordance with the prioritization specified
in subparagraphs (A) through (B) of subsection (c)(2)
of section 313 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of
1971 (52 U.S.C. 30114), as amended by subsection (a).
(2) Individuals described.--An individual described in this
paragraph is an individual who, as of the date of the enactment
of this Act--
(A)(i) is not a candidate with respect to an
election for any Federal office for a period of not
less than 6 years beginning on the day after the date
of the most recent such election in which the
individual was a candidate for any such office; or
(ii) is an individual who becomes a registered
lobbyist under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995; and
(B) would be in violation of subsection (c) of
section 313 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of
1971 (52 U.S.C. 30114), as amended by subsection (a).
SEC. 3. PROHIBITING DONATION OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS TO CHARITABLE
ORGANIZATIONS OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY CANDIDATE OR
IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS.
(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) Prohibiting contributions to charitable organizations
owned or controlled by candidate or immediate family members.--
A contribution or donation described in subsection (a) may not
be used for a contribution to an organization described in
section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 if the
candidate or an immediate family member of the candidate (as
defined in subsection (c)(3)(B)) is an employee of the
organization or a member of the organization's board of
directors, or (in the case of an organization which is a
corporation) the candidate and immediate family members of the
candidate in the aggregate own a majority of the corporation's
voting shares.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 313 of such Act (52 U.S.C.
30114) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ``for contributions''
and inserting ``except as provided in subsection (b)(3), for
contributions''; and
(2) in subsection (c)(2)(B)(ii), as amended by section 2,
by striking ``Making contributions'' and inserting ``Except as
provided in subsection (b)(3), making contributions''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply with respect to contributions made on or after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
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