Federal law currently lets political campaigns report small donations in a lump sum without listing every donor's name and address, as long as no single donor gives more than $200 in a year. This bill, called the Campaign Finance Transparency Act, would eliminate that $200 threshold, meaning every online or mailed contribution — no matter how small — would need to be itemized with the donor's identifying information. It would also require anyone donating online by credit or debit card to enter the card's security code and ZIP code, and require the name on the card to match the donor's name, aiming to stop people from contributing in someone else's name. Contributions made with gift cards would be banned outright, and treasurers who suspect a donation is fraudulent would have to report it to the Federal Election Commission, which would have 90 days after issuing new rules before the changes take effect.
Transparency & Accountability
- Contribution reporting threshold — Eliminated; all donations require itemized name and address
- Donor identity verification — Online card gifts require CVV, ZIP match, and ID for non-U.S. addresses
- Gift-card contribution ban — Political committees may no longer knowingly accept gift-card donations
- Straw-donor liability — Knowingly helping someone contribute in another person's name is newly prohibited
Civil Liberties
- Small-dollar donor privacy — Itemized public reporting now applies below the former $200 threshold
Congressional Summary
Campaign Finance Transparency ActThis bill addresses campaign finance in federal elections, including by expanding contribution and disclosure requirements.Specifically, the bill requires political committees, when accepting a credit or debit card contribution over the internet, to collect the credit or debit card's (1) verification value or verification code, and (2) ZIP Code of the billing address associated with the card. The bill generally requires an individual or entity making a contribution to have a U.S. mailing address; however, the bill provides an exception for U.S. citizens, nationals, or those lawfully admitted for permanent residence who provide the political committee with specified identifying information.The bill prohibits political committees from (1) accepting any credit or debit card contribution unless the name on the card used to make such contribution matches the name of the individual or entity donating the contribution, or (2) accepting a contribution made through the use of a gift certificate or store gift card.The bill removes a $200 threshold requirement for disclosing contributions, thereby requiring political committees to report identifying information about contributors, regardless of the amount contributed.The bill also prohibits knowingly directing, helping, or assisting any person in making a contribution in the name of another person. Any recipient of a contribution who suspects that the contribution was made by one person in the name of another person shall report it to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).The FEC must promulgate regulations to carry out this bill.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-05-11
- Date Added
- 2026-07-11
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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