[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 894 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 894

  To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply certain 
requirements regarding the disclosure of identifying information within 
 communications made through the Internet, to apply certain disclosure 
  requirements to prerecorded telephone calls, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 7, 2007

Mr. Price of North Carolina (for himself and Mr. Castle) introduced the 
     following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to apply certain 
requirements regarding the disclosure of identifying information within 
 communications made through the Internet, to apply certain disclosure 
  requirements to prerecorded telephone calls, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible Campaign Communications 
Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR AUDIO AND VIDEO 
              COMMUNICATIONS TO AUDIO AND VIDEO PORTIONS OF 
              COMMUNICATIONS TRANSMITTED THROUGH INTERNET OR ELECTRONIC 
              MAIL.

    (a) Communications by Candidates or Authorized Persons.--Section 
318(d)(1) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 
441d(d)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Audio and video portions of communications 
                transmitted through internet or electronic mail.--In 
                the case of a communication described in paragraph (1) 
                or (2) of subsection (a) which is transmitted through 
                the Internet or through any form of electronic mail--
                            ``(i) any audio portion of the 
                        communication shall meet the requirements 
                        applicable under subparagraph (A) to 
                        communications transmitted through radio; and
                            ``(ii) any video portion of the 
                        communication shall meet the requirements 
                        applicable under subparagraph (B) to 
                        communications transmitted through 
                        television.''.
    (b) Communications by Others.--Section 318(d)(2) of such Act (2 
U.S.C. 44d(d)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``In 
the case of a communication described in paragraph (3) of subsection 
(a) which is transmitted through the Internet or through any form of 
electronic mail, any audio portion of the communication shall meet the 
requirements applicable under this paragraph to communications 
transmitted through radio and any video portion of the communication 
shall meet the requirements applicable under this paragraph to 
communications transmitted through television.''.

SEC. 3. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATIONS MADE 
              THROUGH PRERECORDED TELEPHONE CALLS.

    (a) Application of Requirements.--Section 318(a) of the Federal 
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441d(a)) is amended by 
inserting after ``mailing,'' each place it appears the following: 
``telephone call which consists in substantial part of a prerecorded 
audio message,''.
    (b) Treatment as Audio Communication.--
            (1) Communications by candidates or authorized persons.--
        Section 318(d)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 441d(d)(1)), as amended 
        by section 2(a), is further amended by adding at the end the 
        following new subparagraph:
                    ``(D) Prerecorded telephone calls.--Any 
                communication described in paragraph (1) or (2) of 
                subsection (a) which is a telephone call which consists 
                in substantial part of a prerecorded audio message 
                shall meet the requirements applicable under 
                subparagraph (A) to communications transmitted through 
                radio, except that the statement required under such 
                subparagraph shall be made at the beginning of the 
                telephone call.''.
            (2) Communications by others.--Section 318(d)(2) of such 
        Act (2 U.S.C. 441d(d)(2)), as amended by section 2(b), is 
        further amended by adding at the end the following: ``Any 
        communication described in paragraph (3) of subsection (a) 
        which is a telephone call which consists in substantial part of 
        a prerecorded audio message shall meet the requirements 
        applicable under this paragraph to communications transmitted 
        through radio, except that the statement required shall be made 
        at the beginning of the telephone call.''.

SEC. 4. NO EXPANSION OF PERSONS SUBJECT TO DISCLAIMER REQUIREMENTS ON 
              INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS.

    Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act may be 
construed to require any person who is not required under section 318 
of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (as provided under section 
110.11 of title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations) to include a 
disclaimer on communications made by the person through the Internet to 
include any disclaimer on any such communications.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to 
communications made on or after the expiration of the 90-day period 
which begins on the date of the enactment of this Act.
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