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H.R. 1404: Fair Elections Now Act

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H.R. 1404: Fair Elections Now Act

112th Congress · introduced 2011-04-06 · Congress · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2011-04-06 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Fair Elections Now Act

Plain summary

Fair Elections Now Act - Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) with respect to: (1) candidate benefits of fair elections financing of House of Representatives election campaigns; (2) allocations to candidates from the Fair Elections Fund established by this Act; (3) 500% matching payments to candidates for certain small dollar contributions; (4) Fund allocation eligibility requirements; (5) certification of a federal election candidate as a participating candidate; (6) contribution, expenditure, and fundraising requirements; (7) a public debate requirement; (8) remission to the Fair Elections Fund of unspent funds after an election; (9) establishment of the Fair Elections Fund and of a Fair Elections Oversight Board; (10) civil penalties for violation of contribution and expenditure requirements; and (11) transfer of a portion of collected civil money penalties into the Fair Elections Fund. Prohibits: (1) use of contributions by a participating candidate for any purposes other than an election campaign, and (2) establishment of joint fundraising committees with any political committee other than a candidate's authorized committee. Prescribes a limitation on coordinated expenditures by political party committees with participating candidates. Amends FECA to empower the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to appeal a civil action. Requires all designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under FECA to be filed: (1) directly with the FEC, and (2) in electronic form accessible by computers. Reduces from 48 hours to 24 hours after their receipt the deadline for the FEC to make designations, statements, reports, or notifications available to the public in the FEC office and on the Internet.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Fair Elections Now Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] · 102 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), James A. Himes (D-CT) and 42 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] reported raising $3.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-hr1404 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112