H.R. 7304 — OMAR Act

This section amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit authorized committees of candidates for federal office or political committees established, financed, maintained, or controlled by such candidates or federal officeholders (other than party committees) from directly or indirectly compensating spouses for services provided to the committee. It further requires those committees to disclose in reports under FECA §304 (52 USC 30101) any payments, including direct or indirect compensation, made to the spouse or an immediate family member—defined as son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother, father, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, or grandchild—of the candidate or officeholder. (As a conforming change, it makes otherwise authorized campaign expenditures in current law subject to these new restrictions.)

This section amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) enforcement provisions as follows: (1) adds a new subsection (e) to section 309 (52 U.S.C. 30109) requiring that, for a violation of new section 313(c) (added by section 2(a)) committed by a committee described therein, if the candidate or individual involved knew of the violation, any civil penalty be imposed on the candidate or individual rather than the committee; and (2) adds a new paragraph (3) to section 313(c) (52 U.S.C. 30114(c)) prohibiting such a committee from reimbursing the candidate or individual for any penalty required to be paid under section 309(e). (Thus, candidates or officeholders with knowledge of certain committee violations face personal financial liability that committees may not cover.)