Stop Super PAC-Candidate Coordination Act

Key Points

• The bill treats any spending done in coordination with a candidate as a direct campaign contribution. Since Super PACs cannot give money directly to candidates, this would effectively ban them from working together on ads, strategy, or messaging.
• The bill creates a broad definition of "coordinated spender" that covers any group founded by a candidate, run by their family members, managed by former campaign staff, or sharing professional consultants with the campaign. These groups would be treated as making illegal contributions if they spend money supporting that candidate.
• Federal candidates and officeholders would be banned from raising money for Super PACs or any political group that accepts unlimited donations. This would end the common practice of candidates headlining fundraising events for outside spending groups.
• Violators face fines of 300% of the amount they spent illegally, and directors, managers, or officers of the violating organization can be held personally liable if the group does not pay within one year.
• The new rules cover public communications that mention a candidate within 120 days of a general election or 60 days of a primary, including ads that support or attack a candidate even without explicit calls to vote for or against anyone.
• The bill eliminates the use of "firewalls" as a legal defense. Organizations cannot avoid coordination rules simply by claiming they set up internal walls between staff working on campaigns and staff running the Super PAC.