H.R. 1548 – Real Time Transparency Act of 2017

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 1:42 PM UTC

The Real Time Transparency Act of 2017 changes campaign‑finance rules so that any political committee must tell the Federal Election Commission (FEC) within two days when a single donor’s total contributions reach $1,000 or more in a calendar year. The rule also applies each time the donor’s total climbs another $1,000. The bill adds a similar filing requirement for Senate‑candidate reports.

Key Provisions

Political committees must submit a notification to the FEC within 48 hours after a contributor’s cumulative donations equal or exceed $1,000 in a year, including the donor’s name, amount, and date of each contribution.
If the same donor later gives additional money that brings the total up to another $1,000 threshold, the committee must send another notification within 48 hours for that new $1,000 block.
Transfers made by a joint fundraising committee to other authorized committees of the same candidate count as contributions for the purpose of the $1,000 reporting rule.
All required designations, statements, and reports for Senate candidates must be filed with the FEC, as clarified by an amendment to the filing provision of the Federal Election Campaign Act.
The new reporting requirements take effect for contributions received in 2017 and later, but do not apply to contributions received before the law was enacted in 2017.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Committee on House Administration

March 15, 2017

View full timeline

HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

March 15, 2017

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Committee on House Administration

March 15, 2017

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in HouseIssued March 15, 2017

I

115th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 1548

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 15, 2017

Mr. O'Rourke introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration

A BILL

To amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require all political committees to notify the Federal Election Commission within 48 hours of receiving cumulative contributions of $1,000 or more from any contributor during a calendar year, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Real Time Transparency Act of 2017.

2.

48-hour notification required for all political committees receiving cumulative contributions of $1,000 or more during a year from any contributor

(a)

Notification

Section 304(a)(6)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30104(a)(6)(A)) is amended to read as follows:

(A)

(i)

If a political committee receives an aggregate amount of contributions equal to or greater than $1,000 from any contributor during a calendar year, the committee shall submit a notification to the Commission containing the name of the committee (and, in the case of an authorized committee of a candidate, the name of the candidate and the office sought by the candidate), the identification of the contributor, and the date of receipt and amount of the contributions involved.

(ii)

If, at any time after a political committee is required to submit a notification under this subparagraph with respect to a contributor during a calendar year, the political committee receives additional contributions from that contributor during that year, the committee shall submit an additional notification under clause (i) with respect to such contributor each time the aggregate amount of the additional contributions received from the contributor during the year equals or exceeds $1,000 (excluding the amount of any contribution for which information is required to be included in a previous notification under this subparagraph).

(iii)

The political committee shall submit the notification required under this subparagraph with respect to a contributor—

(I)

in the case of a notification described in clause (i), not later 48 hours after the date on which the aggregate amount of contributions received from the contributor during the calendar year first equals or exceeds $1,000; or

(II)

in the case of an additional notification described in clause (ii), not later than 48 hours after the date on which the aggregate amount of contributions received from the contributor during the calendar year for which information was not already included in a notification under this subparagraph first equals or exceeds $1,000.

(iv)

For purposes of this subparagraph, any amount transferred by a joint fundraising committee which is established by an authorized committee of a candidate to any other authorized committee of that candidate shall be treated as a contribution by the joint fundraising committee to such authorized committee.

.

(b)

Effective Date

The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to contributions received by a political committee under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 during 2017 or any succeeding year, except that nothing in such amendment may be construed to require a political committee which does not receive contributions during the portion of 2017 which occurs after the date of the enactment of this Act to meet the requirements of section 304(a)(6)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended by subsection (a).

3.

Filing by Senate candidates with Federal Election Commission

(a)

Mandatory Filing with FEC

Section 302(g) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30102(g)) is amended to read as follows:

(g)

Filing With the Commission

All designations, statements, and reports required to be filed under this Act shall be filed with the Commission.

.

(b)

Effective Date

The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to materials filed on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.