Fair Elections Now Act

A bill to reform the financing of Senate elections, and for other purposes.

5/3/2007--Introduced.
Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to:
(1) eligibility and qualifying contribution requirements, seed money limits, and benefits of fair elections financing of Senate election campaigns;
more...>(2) establishment of a Senate Fair Elections Fund;
(3) eligibility for Fund allocations as well as such allocations;
(4) a seed money contribution requirement;
(5) contribution and expenditure requirements;
(6) certification of whether or not a federal election candidate is a participating candidate;
(7) benefits for participating candidates;
(8) payment of fair fight funds;
(9) administration of the Senate Fair Elections System;
(10) reporting requirements for nonparticipating candidates;
(11) modification of electioneering communication reporting requirements; and
(12) the limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 with respect to the deposit of proceeds from recovered spectrum auctions
Establishes the Fair Elections Review Commission. Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to:
(1) entitle participating candidates to receive specified reduced broadcast rates in certain circumstances; and
(2) provide for political advertisement vouchers for them. Directs the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to charge non-public broadcast stations a spectrum use fee, which shall be deposited into the Senate Fair Elections Fund. Amends federal postal law to prohibit franked mass mailings by Members of Congress (except public meeting notices) during the 90 days before primary and general election periods, unless they are not candidates for re-election to any other federal office. Amends FECA to:
(1) empower the FEC to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a proceeding on certiorari;
(2) revise requirements for filing with the FEC by Senate candidates; and
(3) reduce from 48 to 24 hours the deadline for electronic filing with the FEC of reports by each political committee of contributions received within 90 days before an election.

Sponsor

• Sen. Richard Durbin [D, IL]
• and 9 Co-Sponsors
  • Sen. Barbara Boxer [D, CA]
  • Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D, MD]
  • Sen. Thomas Carper [D, DE]
  • Sen. Russell Feingold [D, WI]
  • Sen. Thomas Harkin [D, IA]
  • Sen. Edward Kennedy [D, MA]
  • Sen. Claire McCaskill [D, MO]
  • Sen. Barack Obama [D, IL]
  • Sen. Arlen Specter [R, PA]
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Users Tracking [53]

Users who are tracking this bill are also tracking:

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• S.Res.302 [29]
• H.Res.63 [28]
• S.1959 [26]
• H.R.676 [26]
• H.R.1955 [24]

Committees

• Senate Rules and Administration

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to S.1285

Number	Status	Purpose

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Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by Senate		Voted on by House		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
May 03, 2007

Related Bills:

• H.R.1614
• S.936

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• Elections
• Administrative procedure
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• Budgets
• Campaign funds
• Congress
• Congressional elections
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• Executive departments
• Executive reorganization
• Expedited congressional procedure
• Federal Election Commission
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• Fines (Penalties)
• Franking privilege
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• Government trust funds
• Governmental investigations
• House rules and procedure
• Judicial review
• Law
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• Primaries
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• Senate
• Senate rules and procedure
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Blog Coverage

April 17, 2008 Fair Elections Now

Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced the Fair Elections Now Act (S. 1285), legislation that would bring full public financing of elections to the Senate. According to the website, Fair Elections Now, this legislation ...

Source: Chris Lugo
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April 11, 2008 Sign our petition! | Fair Elections Now!

I support the Fair Elections Now Act (S.1285), the bipartisan bill introduced in the US Senate that would create a voluntary system of publicly funded elections. Elections should empower voters and volunteers instead of campaign donors ...

Source: Care2 News Network - Newly Submitted
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April 09, 2008 Got Pork?

Publicly funded elections, as set forth in the Durbin-Specter Fair Elections Now Act (S. 1285), are the best way to achieve sensible spending priorities in the Congress. Friday's Washington Post featured a letter to the editor from Sean ...

Source: Common Cause Blog
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