Public Financing of Senate Elections Act

(Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #331 (88-1))

Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments - =Title I: Amendments to Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971= - States that a candidate need not designate a principal campaign committee if he certifies to the Federal Election Commission that no committee may receive contributions or make expenditures on his behalf. Reduces the number of reports that a committee must file with the Commission.

Raises the level above which detailed information with respect to contributions and expenditures would have to be reported from $100 to $200 for candidates and committees, and from $100 to $250 for other persons.

Extends to State and national party committees the postage rates applicable to nonprofit organizations.

Requires the Commission to determine the subjects of its audits in a random manner.

Shortens the congressional review period of Commission regulations from 30 to 20 days.

Revises the length of time that reports must be retained by State officials.

Permits excess campaign funds to be transferred without limit to a political party committee.

Permits, up to a certain amount, a State committee to make expenditures in connection with a general election campaign of a Presidential candidate of that party.

Permits a separate, segregated fund established by a membership organization without capital stock to solicit members of such organization. Gives corporations the right of approving solicitation by a trade association of its unincorporated division where the division is itself a member of the trade association.

Requires that a candidate declare the amount of money which he will expend on his campaign, but assesses no penalty for violation of such declaration.

Repeals the provision of law which reduces from five years to three years the statute of limitations on campaign law violations.

=Title II: Amendments to Internal Revenue Code of 1954= - Provides a grant of $500,000 from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund to Presidential candidates in the General election to defray the expenses of complying with this Act or the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.

Requires that all repayments of excess public funds from eligible candidates in the Presidential general election be redeposited in the Presidential election campaign fund.

=Title III: Miscellaneous= - Revises the restrictions on receipt of Senate campaign contributions in a Federal building to provide that it shall not apply to two designated assistants of a Senator.

Directs the Internal Revenue Service to submit any regulation concerning political committees to the Congress for approval or rejection.

Directs the Commission to study the future development of voluntary engineering and procedural performance standards for voting systems in the U.S.

Authorizes the appropriation of $250,000 to the Commission in fiscal year 1978 for reimbursing State offices for expenses incurred in carrying out specified duties.

Amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to add as a prerequisite for requiring ballots in a particular precinct to be printed in a minority language, that the dominant language of such minority language group be other than English.