#aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  ,h4   
,r4 #afbc  ,,an ,,act  ,to amend the    
,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of    
#aiga to provide for the treatment of   
payments for child care and other       
personal use services as an authorized  
campaign expenditure1 and for other     
purposes4  #a4 ,short title2 findings2  
purpose  7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may
 be cited as the ,help ,america ,run    
,act4  7b7 ,findings ,congress finds the
 following3  7#a7 ,everyday ,americans  
experience barriers to entry before they
 can consider running for office to     
serve their communities4  7#b7 ,current 
law states that campaign funds cannot be
 spent on everyday expenses that would  
exist whether or not a candidate were   
running for office1 like rent and food4 
,while the law seems neutral1 its actual
 effect is to privilege the             
independently wealthy who want to run1  
because given the demands of running for
 office1 candidates who must work to pay
 for childcare or to afford health      

insurance are effectively being left out
 of the process1 even if they have      
sufficient support to mount a viable    
campaign4  7#c7 ,thus current practice  
favors those prospective candidates who 
do not need to rely on a regular        
paycheck to make ends meet4 ,the        
consequence is that everyday ,americans 
who have firsthand knowledge of the     
importance of stable childcare1 a safety
 net1 or great public schools are less  
likely to get a seat at the table4 ,this
 governance by the few is antithetical  
to the democratic experiment1 but most  
importantly1 when lawmakers do not share
 the concerns of everyday ,americans1   
their policies reflect that4  7#d7      
,these circumstances have contributed to
 a ,congress that does not always       
reflect everyday ,americans4 ,the ,new  
,york ,times reported in #bjai that     
fewer than #e percent of representatives
 cite blue-collar or service jobs in    
their biographies4 ,a #bjae survey by   
the ,center for ,responsive ,politics   

showed that the median net worth of     
lawmakers was just over #a million in   
#bjac1 or #ah times the wealth of the   
typical ,american household4  7#e7      
,these circumstances have also          
contributed to a governing body that    
does not reflect the nation it serves4  
,for instance1 women are #ea of the     
,american population4 ,yet even with a  
record number of women serving in the   
,one ,hundred ,sixteenth ,congress1 the 
,pew ,research ,center notes that more  
than three out of four ,members of this 
,congress are male4 ,the ,center for    
,american ,women ,and ,politics found   
that one third of women legislators     
surveyed had been actively discouraged  
from running for office1 often by       
political professionals4 ,this type of  
discouragement1 combined with the       
prohibitions on using campaign funds for
 domestic needs like childcare1 burdens 
that still fall disproportionately on   
,american women1 particularly           
disadvantages working mothers4 ,these   

barriers may explain why only #aj women 
in history have given birth while       
serving in ,congress1 in spite of the   
prevalence of working parents in other  
professions4 ,yet working mothers and   
fathers are best positioned to create   
policy that reflects the lived          
experience of most ,americans4  7#f7    
,working mothers1 those caring for their
 elderly parents1 and young             
professionals who rely on their jobs for
 health insurance should have the       
freedom to run to serve the people of   
the ,united ,states4 ,their networks and
 net worth are simply not the best      
indicators of their strength as         
prospective public servants4 ,in fact1  
helping ordinary ,americans to run may  
create better policy for all ,americans4
  7c7 ,purpose ,it is the purpose of    
this ,act to ensure that all ,americans 
who are otherwise qualified to serve    
this ,nation are able to run for office1
 regardless of their economic status4   
,by expanding permissible uses of       

campaign funds and providing modest     
assurance that testing a run for office 
will not cost one's livelihood1 the     
,help ,america ,run ,act will facilitate
 the candidacy of representatives who   
more accurately reflect the experiences1
 challenges1 and ideals of everyday     
,americans4  #b4 ,treatment of payments 
for child care and other personal use   
services as authorized campaign         
expenditure  7a7 ,personal use services 
as authorized campaign expenditure      
,section #cac of the ,federal ,election 
,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4  
#cjaad7 is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection3  7d7      
,treatment of payments for child care   
and other personal use services as      
authorized campaign expenditure  7#a7   
,authorized expenditures ,for purposes  
of subsection 7a71 the payment by an    
authorized committee of a candidate for 
any of the personal use services        
described in paragraph 7#c7 shall be    
treated as an authorized expenditure if 

the services are necessary to enable the
 participation of the candidate in      
campaign-connected activities4  7#b7    
,limitations  7,a7 ,limit on total      
amount of payments ,the total amount of 
payments made by an authorized committee
 of a candidate for personal use        
services described in paragraph 7#c7 may
 not exceed the limit which is          
applicable under any law1 rule1 or      
regulation on the amount of payments    
which may be made by the committee for  
the salary of the candidate 7without    
regard to whether or not the committee  
makes payments to the candidate for that
 purpose74  7,b7 ,corresponding         
reduction in amount of salary paid to   
candidate ,to the extent that an        
authorized committee of a candidate     
makes payments for the salary of the    
candidate1 any limit on the amount of   
such payments which is applicable under 
any law1 rule1 or regulation shall be   
reduced by the amount of any payments   
made to or on behalf of the candidate   

for personal use services described in  
paragraph 7#c71 other than personal use 
services described in subparagraph 7,d7 
of such paragraph4  7,c7 ,exclusion of  
candidates who are officeholders        
,paragraph 7#a7 does not apply with     
respect to an authorized committee of a 
candidate who is a holder of ,federal   
office4  7#c7 ,personal use services    
described ,the personal use services    
described in this paragraph are as      
follows3 7,a7 ,child care services4     
7,b7 ,elder care services4  7,c7        
,services similar to the services       
described in subparagraph 7,a7 or       
subparagraph 7,b7 which are provided on 
behalf of any dependent who is a        
qualifying relative under section #aeb  
of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of      
#aihf4  7,d7 ,health insurance premiums4
  4  7b7 ,effective date ,the amendments
 made by this section shall take effect 
on the date of the enactment of this    
,act4  ,passed the ,house of            
,representatives ,october #bi1          

#bjai4;,clerk4