Senate Campaign Contribution Reduction Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
Senate Campaign Contribution Reduction Act of 1979 - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to add a new Title V: Public Funding of Senate General Election Campaigns. Entitles candidates for the United States Senate, meeting certain criteria and agreeing to comply with certain recordkeeping requirements, to campaign payments in accordance with the terms of this Act. Sets forth the formula for determination of a contribution threshold with respect to any general election. Sets forth formulas for the determination of the amount of money to which eligible candidates are entitled if the Federal Election Commission determines that one or more candidates in a general election has accepted contributions in excess of the contribution threshold. Requires each candidate to meet specified reporting requirements to the Federal Election Commission concerning contributions received in excess of the contribution threshold. Authorizes the Commission to determine whether any candidate has accepted contributions in excess of the contribution threshold, and the amount of such excess. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to maintain a separate Senate Campaign Account in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and to deposit in such account amounts available in the Fund after a determination that adequate sums are available for payments under the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act. Sets forth guidelines for reducing payments under this Act if available funds are inadequate. Requires the Commission to conduct a thorough examination and audit of the campaign contributions and expenditures of all candidates who received payments after each Federal election. Requires repayment of funds paid in excess of entitlement or used for other than campaign purposes. Requires the Commission to submit annual reports to Congress setting forth: (1) the contributions received and the expenditures incurred by each candidate; (2) the amounts certified for payment to that candidate; and (3) the amount of payments, if any, required from that candidate, and the reasons for each payment required. Requires the Commission to submit a special report to Congress each year immediately following a year in which any Federal election is held concerning the amount of payments and amount of money remaining in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. Provides for judicial review of any certification, determination, or other action by the Commission.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on June 13, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 13, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
RICHARD STONE (D-FL) introduced it on June 13, 1979. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 13, 1979, 17256 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17256 days ago, on June 13, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers