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H.R. 359: To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions.

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H.R. 359: To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions.

112th Congress · introduced 2011-01-20 · Taxation · Latest: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the bill withdrawn by unanimous consent in Senate. (consideration: CR S1075)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2011-01-20 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: 3 recorded votes in our records. Latest: House roll call 23 (2011): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR359 (2011-01-26), Agreed to. See all
  4. Where it stands now: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the bill withdrawn by unanimous consent in Senate. (consideration: CR S1075) 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

To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions.

Plain summary

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate: (1) the taxpayer election to designate $3 of income tax liability for financing of presidential election campaigns; (2) the Presidential Election Campaign Fund; and (3) the Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer all amounts in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund after its termination to the general fund of the Treasury, to be used only for deficit reduction.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), 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

To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4] · 20 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Frank D. Lucas (R-OK), Robert E. Latta (R-OH), Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4] reported raising $4.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Recorded votes

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-hr359 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112