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The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA, Pub.L. 92-225, 86 Stat. 3, enacted 1972-02-07, 2 U.S.C. ยง 431 et seq.) is a United States federal law which increased disclosure of contributions for federal campaigns, and amended in 1974 to place legal limits on the campaign contributions. The amendment also created the Federal Election Commission (FEC). This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
The United States Statutes at Large, commonly referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the official source for the laws and resolutions passed by Congress. ...
Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Title 2 of the United States Code outlines the role of Congress in the United States Code. ...
The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal Law of the United States. ...
Campaign finance in the United States is the financing of electoral campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels. ...
The Federal Election Commission (or FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. ...
It was amended again in 1976, in response to the provisions ruled unconstitutional by Buckley v. Valeo and again in 1979 to allow parties to spend unlimited amounts of hard money on activities like increasing voter turnout and registration. In 1979, the Commission ruled that political parties could spend unregulated or "soft" money for non-federal administrative and party building activities. Later, this money was used for candidate related issue ads, which led to a substantial increase in soft money contributions and expenditures in elections. This in turn created political pressures leading to passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act ("BCRA"), banning soft money expenditure by parties. Some of the legal limits on giving of "hard money" were also changed in by BCRA. Holding --- Court membership Case opinions Laws applied --- Buckley v. ...
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ...
Major provisions
The major provisions of the 1971 Act and the 1974 amendment. Note that some provisions, including legal limits of contributions, have been modified by subsequent Acts. - Requirement for candidates to disclose sources of campaign contributions and campaign expenditure.
- Federal Election Commission created.
- Public funding available for Presidential primaries and general elections. Legal limits on campaign expenditure for those that accept public funding.
- Legal limits on campaign contributions by individuals and organizations (See table).
- Prohibition of campaign contributions directly from:
- Corporations, Labor Organizations and National Banks
- Government Contractors
- Foreign Nationals
- Cash Contributions over $100
- Contributions in the Name of Another
Contribution Limits The FECA placed limits on contributions by individuals and groups to candidates, party committees and PACs. The chart below shows how the original limits applied to the various participants in federal elections.[1] It should be noted that many of these limits were later changed as part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ...
| To each candidate or candidate committee per election cycle | To national party committee per calendar year | To any other political committee per calendar year | Total per calendar year | | Individual may give | $1,000 | $20,000 | $5,000 | $25,000 | | Multi candidate committee | $5,000 | $15,000 | $5,000 | No limit | | Other political Committee may give: | $1,000 | $20,000 | $5,000 | No limit |
History As early as 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt asserted the need for campaign finance reform and called for legislation to ban corporate contributions for political purposes. In response, in 1907 the United States Congress enacted the Tillman Act, named for Senator Benjamin Tillman, banning corporate contributions. Several other statutes followed between 1907 and 1966 which, taken together, sought to: Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ...
Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political...
Benjamin Tillman Benjamin Ryan Tillman (August 11, 1847 - July 3, 1918) was an American politician who served as governor of South Carolina from 1890 to 1894 and as a United States Senator from 1895 until his death. ...
- Limit the disproportionate influence of wealthy individuals and special interest groups on the outcome of federal elections;
- Regulate spending in campaigns for federal office; and
- Deter abuses by mandating public disclosure of campaign finances.
In 1971, Congress consolidated its earlier reform efforts in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), instituting more stringent disclosure requirements for federal candidates, political parties and Political action committees (PACs). Still, without a central administrative authority, the campaign finance laws were difficult to enforce. A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ...
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the groups special interests. ...
Public funding of federal elections, originally proposed by President Roosevelt in 1907, began to take shape as part of the 1971 law, as Congress established the income tax checkoff to provide for the financing of Presidential general election campaigns and national party conventions. Amendments to the Internal Revenue Code in 1974 established the matching fund program for Presidential primary campaigns. The Presidential election campaign fund checkoff appears on US income tax return forms as Do you want $3 of your federal tax to go to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund? Originally $1 and implemented in the 1970s as an attempt as the public funding of elections, this money provides for...
Following reports of serious financial abuses in the 1972 Presidential campaign, Congress amended the FECA in 1974 to set limits on contributions by individuals, political parties and PACs. The 1974 amendments also established an independent agency, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to enforce the law, facilitate disclosure and administer the public funding program. The FEC opened its doors in 1975 and administered the first publicly funded Presidential election in 1976. The Federal Election Commission (or FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. ...
The Supreme Court struck down or narrowed several provisions of the 1974 amendments to the Act, including limits on spending and limits on the amount of money a candidate could donate to his or her own campaign in Buckley v. Valeo (1976). The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...
Holding --- Court membership Case opinions Laws applied --- Buckley v. ...
Congress made further amendments to the FECA in 1976 following those decisions; major amendments were also made in 1979 to streamline the disclosure process and expand the role of political parties.
Public perception of the corruption of the political process because of soft money lead to the next set of major amendments, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA). Among other things, the BCRA banned national parties from raising or spending soft money, restricted broadcast issue ads that mentioned candidates within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election, increased the contribution limits, and indexed certain limits for inflation. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ...
See also Campaign finance in the United States is the financing of electoral campaigns at the federal, state, and local levels. ...
Political campaign Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box: Campaign finance refers to the means by which money is raised for election campaigns. ...
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ...
The Federal Election Commission (or FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. ...
Holding --- Court membership Case opinions Laws applied --- Buckley v. ...
Holding Money is property, not speech. ...
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