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Amends subsection (a)(1)(C) to change the phrase 'to any other political committee' to 'to an independent expenditure committee or any other political committee', thereby making the contribution limit in that provision apply to independent expenditure committees as well as other political committees.
Adds a new paragraph (27) to define the term 'independent expenditure committee' for the Act, including criteria based on making independent expenditures or contributions to other such committees aggregating $5,000 or more during a calendar year, and treating certain separate accounts as independent expenditure committees.
Sets contribution caps for super PACs and similar political committees by applying the same dollar limits that already apply to other political committees. It creates a new category called “independent expenditure committees” and limits how much any person or entity can give to them. The bill responds to concerns that unlimited super PAC donations concentrate power among a few large donors and raise the risk or appearance of corruption. The new limits would start in the first calendar year that begins after enactment and would continue each year thereafter.
Contribution limits to political action committees (PACs), including those that make independent expenditures, help secure elections by limiting both the risk of corruption and the risk that significant contributions will create the appearance of corruption.
Since contribution limits on super PACs were lifted in 2010, the number, influence, and wealth of super PACs have exploded, and obtaining millions or billions of dollars in contributions to super PACs is now critical to the success of Federal candidates’ campaigns.
As the influence of super PACs grows, the likelihood increases that they will serve as a conduit for corrupt agreements between contributor and candidate, because communications are not subject to coordination limitations.
Between 2008 and 2020, independent expenditures increased more than 700 percent, and in 2024 more than $4.48 billion in independent expenditures were spent on United States elections; the money largely came from contributions to 2,459 registered super PACs.
In 2012 (the first modern Federal elections without contribution limits to super PACs), the top 1 percent of individual super PAC contributors gave 76.76 percent of all individual super PAC contributions, rising to 96.94 percent in 2024; recent elections have been influenced by individual contributors who gave more than $100 million to super PACs.
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Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced March 26, 2025 by Summer Lee · Last progress March 26, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced in House