First Amendment Protection Act
Latest action · Sep 12, 2023 Referred to the Subcommittee on Elections.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 6, 2023
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
First Amendment Protection Act
This bill makes various changes related to campaign finance.
Specifically, the bill repeals limits on coordinated party expenditures. It also provides statutory authority for the Supreme Court's holding in McCutcheon v. FEC, which invalidated limits on aggregate contributions by individuals.
Additionally, the bill
- raises contribution limits for state political party committees to match those contribution limits for national political party committees,
- allows two or more political committees to participate in joint fundraising activities in accordance with specified criteria,
- provides statutory authority for certain privacy protections of donors to tax-exempt organizations,
- prohibits federal funds from being used to make payments in support of a congressional election campaign, and
- revises certain registration and reporting requirements.
The bill prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission from finalizing, issuing, or implementing any rule, regulation, or order regarding the disclosure of political contributions, contributions to tax-exempt organizations, or dues paid to trade associations.
The bill also makes changes to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), including by (1) allowing the FEC to refuse to defend an action brought against the FEC pursuant to the unanimous vote of its members, and (2) increasing the annual rate of member pay.
Further, the bill (1) permanently extends the statutory authorization for the FEC's Administrative Fine Program, and (2) establishes a five-year statute of limitations for all proceedings to enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.
The FEC must, within 120 days, publish proposed regulations to carry out this bill.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 4
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Committee on House Administration | Referred Jul 6, 2023 |
| Elections Subcommittee | Referred Sep 12, 2023 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Jul 6, 2023 |
| House | Financial Services Committee | Referred Jul 6, 2023 |
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Jul 6, 2023 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 12, 2023Referred to the Subcommittee on Elections.
- Jul 6, 2023Introduced in House
- Jul 6, 2023Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, and Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 169, no. 116, July 6, 2023, page H3172.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| IF13270 | Coordinated Party Expenditures: Policy Background | Resource | Jul 16, 2026 |
| IN12198 | Federal Election Commission Administrative Fine Program | Insight | Nov 28, 2023 |
Related bills 4
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1105 | Don't Weaponize the IRS Act | Related bill | Mar 30, 2023 |
| HR 4471 | Speech Privacy Act of 2023 | Related bill | Jul 6, 2023 |
| HR 4563 | ACE Act | Related bill | Jan 3, 2025 |
| HR 7321 | Electronic Filing of Electioneering Communication Reports Act | Related bill | Jun 3, 2024 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To promote election integrity, voter confidence, and faith in elections by protecting political speech, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- First Amendment Protection Act
- Short Title(s) as Introduced for portions of this bill
- Don't Weaponize the IRS Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional elections
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Federal Election Commission (FEC)
- Federal officials
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government information and archives
- Government Operations and Politics
- Political parties and affiliation
- Right of privacy
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
- Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
- Tax-exempt organizations
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 6, 2023Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
