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H.R. 8738

U.S. House•In Senate Committee

Summary

H.R. 8738, the FEC Administrative Improvements Act, was introduced in the House on May 12, 2026 by Rep. Joseph Morelle (D) with 3 co-sponsors. It was referred to Rules And Administration, and last saw action on Jul 14, 2026: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.

Record

Text

H.R. 8738 has 3 co-sponsors.

hb8738/engrossed-in-house.txt
119 HR 8738 EH: FEC Administrative Improvements Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 I
 119th CONGRESS  2d Session
 H. R. 8738
 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 AN ACT
To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require electronic report filing for persons making certain electioneering communications and to permit political committees to make disbursements other than by check.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   FEC Administrative Improvements Act  .
2.
Requiring electronic filing
Section 304(a)(11)(A)(i) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 ( 52 U.S.C. 30104(a)(11)(A)(i) ) is amended by inserting  or makes electioneering communications  after  expenditures .
3.
Permitting political committees to make disbursements by methods other than check
Section 302(h)(1) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 ( 52 U.S.C. 30102(h)(1) ) is amended by striking  except by check drawn on such accounts in accordance with this section  and inserting  except from such accounts .
     Passed the House of Representatives July 13, 2026.  Kevin F. McCumber,  Clerk.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2026-05-12
  2. Passed House2026-07-13
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Introduced in House May 12, 2026

hb8738/introduced-in-house.md

Shown Here:
Introduced in House (05/12/2026)

FEC Administrative Improvements Act

This bill expands electronic filing requirements and allows political committees to make disbursements by methods other than check.

First, current law requires the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to make electronic filing mandatory for political committees and others required to file with the FEC who, in a calendar year, have, or have reason to expect to have, total contributions or expenditures exceeding a threshold amount set by the FEC (which is currently $50,000). Many independent expenditure reports are also subject to mandatory electronic filing. However, the current mandatory electronic filing provision does not apply to certain reports. This bill expands the types of reports that are required to be filed electronically to include electioneering communications (subject to the threshold amount).

Second, current law requires political committees to maintain at least one campaign depository account and make all disbursements (other than petty cash disbursements) by check drawn on such accounts. This bill removes the requirement that disbursements must be made by check drawn on campaign depository accounts. Therefore, the bill allows political committees to make disbursements in other forms (e.g., credit or debit cards).

Sponsors

Rep. Joseph Morelle (D) sponsors H.R. 8738, and 3 members have co-sponsored it, all of them from the day it was introduced.

Committees

H.R. 8738 went before 2 committees: Rules and Administration and Committee on House Administration.

Rules and Administration
Rules and Administration
Referred To · Jul 14, 2026 · 87 Bills
Committee on House Administration
Committee on House Administration
Markup By · May 14, 2026 · 196 Bills

Actions

H.R. 8738 has taken 11 actions since May 12, 2026, the latest on Jul 14, 2026.

ChamberAction
Jul 14, 2026
Senate
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.Rules and Administration Committee
Jul 13, 202617:17
House
Mr. Steil moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Jul 13, 202617:17
House
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4401-4402)
Jul 13, 202617:17
House
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 8738.
Jul 13, 202617:23
House
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4401-4402)

Votes

H.R. 8738 has not gone to a roll call.

Titles

H.R. 8738 goes by 6 titles, 3 of them short titles.

  • FEC Administrative Improvements Act — Display Title
  • To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require electronic report filing for persons making certain electioneering communications and to permit political committees to make disbursements other than by check. — Official Title as Introduced
  • FEC Administrative Improvements Act — Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
  • FEC Administrative Improvements Act — Short Title(s) as Passed House
  • To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require electronic report filing for persons making certain electioneering communications and to permit political committees to make disbursements other than by check. — Official Titles from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
  • FEC Administrative Improvements Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced

Cost estimate

The Congressional Budget Office has filed 1 estimate for H.R. 8738, the latest on Jul 8, 2026.

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 8738 under Government Operations and Politics, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 5 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 8738’s is Government Operations and Politics.

hr8738/policy-areas.txt
Government Operations and PoliticsAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 8738 carries 5 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Computers and information technology to State and local government operations.

hr8738/subjects.txt
Computers and information technologyElections, voting, political campaign regulationGovernment information and archivesPolitical advertisingState and local government operations

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 8738, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. MORELLE:H.R. 8738.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:This bill is enacted pursuant to the power granted toCongress under Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 and Article I,Section 8, Clause 18 of the United States Constitution.[Page H3393]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com