Title 26 — Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73
§9008 Payments for Presidential Nominating Conventions
Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle H— Financing of Presidential Election Campaigns › Chapter 95— PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN FUND › § 9008
Summary
Public funding for presidential nominating conventions has ended. Under the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, political parties are no longer entitled to these payments, and all money left in the party accounts was moved to the "10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund" in the Treasury, which can be used only for pediatric research as Congress provides in appropriations. The old framework remains in the text but no longer pays out. It had the Treasury set aside money from taxpayer checkoff designations, with a major party's national committee entitled to up to $4,000,000 (adjusted like campaign spending limits) for its convention, and a minor party getting a share based on its share of the popular vote in the last presidential election. The money could be used only for convention expenses, not to cover any candidate's or delegate's costs, and spending was capped at the entitlement amount unless the Federal Election Commission approved more for extraordinary circumstances.
Full Legal Text
Title 26, §9008
Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretary shall maintain in the fund, in addition to any account which he maintains under section 9006(a), a separate account for the national committee of each major party and minor party. The Secretary shall deposit in each such account an amount equal to the amount which each such committee may receive under subsection (b). Such deposits shall be drawn from amounts designated by individuals under section 6096 and shall be made before any transfer is made to any account for any eligible candidate under section 9006(a).
(b)(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, the national committee of a major party shall be entitled to payments under paragraph (3), with respect to any presidential nominating convention, in amounts which, in the aggregate, shall not exceed $4,000,000.
(2)Subject to the provisions of this section, the national committee of a minor party shall be entitled to payments under paragraph (3), with respect to any presidential nominating convention, in amounts which, in the aggregate, shall not exceed an amount which bears the same ratio to the amount the national committee of a major party is entitled to receive under paragraph (1) as the number of popular votes received by the candidate for President of the minor party, as such candidate, in the preceding presidential election bears to the average number of popular votes received by the candidates for President of the United States of the major parties in the preceding presidential election.
(3)Upon receipt of certification from the Commission under subsection (g), the Secretary shall make payments from the appropriate account maintained under subsection (a) to the national committee of a major party or minor party which elects to receive its entitlement under this subsection. Such payments shall be available for use by such committee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c).
(4)Payments to the national committee of a major party or minor party under this subsection, from the account designated for such committee shall be limited to the amounts in such account at the time of payment.
(5)The entitlements established by this subsection shall be adjusted in the same manner as expenditure limitations established by section 315(b) and section 315(d) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 are adjusted pursuant to the provisions of section 315(c) of such Act.
(c)No part of any payment made under subsection (b) shall be used to defray the expenses of any candidate or delegate who is participating in any presidential nominating convention. Such payments shall be used only—
(1)to defray expenses incurred with respect to a presidential nominating convention (including the payment of deposits) by or on behalf of the national committee receiving such payments; or
(2)to repay loans the proceeds of which were used to defray such expenses, or otherwise to restore funds (other than contributions to defray such expenses received by such committee) used to defray such expenses.
(d)(1)Except as provided by paragraph (3), the national committee of a major party may not make expenditures with respect to a presidential nominating convention which, in the aggregate, exceed the amount of payments to which such committee is entitled under subsection (b)(1).
(2)Except as provided by paragraph (3), the national committee of a minor party may not make expenditures with respect to a presidential nominating convention which, in the aggregate, exceed the amount of the entitlement of the national committee of a major party under subsection (b)(1).
(3)The Commission may authorize the national committee of a major party or minor party to make expenditures which, in the aggregate, exceed the limitation established by paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of this subsection. Such authorization shall be based upon a determination by the Commission that, due to extraordinary and unforeseen circumstances, such expenditures are necessary to assure the effective operation of the presidential nominating convention by such committee.
(4)For purposes of this section, the payment, by any person other than the national committee of a political party (unless the person paying for such services is a person other than the regular employer of the individual rendering such services) of compensation to any individual for legal or accounting services rendered to or on behalf of the national committee of a political party shall not be treated as an expenditure made by or on behalf of such committee with respect to its limitations on presidential nominating convention expenses.
(e)The national committee of a major party or minor party may receive payments under subsection (b)(3) beginning on July 1 of the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year in which a presidential nominating convention of the political party involved is held.
(f)If, after the close of a presidential nominating convention and after the national committee of the political party involved has been paid the amount which it is entitled to receive under this section, there are moneys remaining in the account of such national committee, the Secretary shall transfer the moneys so remaining to the fund.
(g)Any major party or minor party may file a statement with the Commission in such form and manner and at such times as it may require, designating the national committee of such party. Such statement shall include the information required by section 303(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, together with such additional information as the Commission may require. Upon receipt of a statement filed under the preceding sentences, the Commission promptly shall verify such statement according to such procedures and criteria as it may establish and shall certify to the Secretary for payment in full to any such committee of amounts to which such committee may be entitled under subsection (b). Such certifications shall be subject to an examination and audit which the Commission shall conduct no later than December 31, of the calendar year in which the presidential nominating convention involved is held.
(h)The Commission shall have the same authority to require repayments from the national committee of a major party or a minor party as it has with respect to repayments from any eligible candidate under section 9007(b). The provisions of section 9007(c) and section 9007(d) shall apply with respect to any repayment required by the Commission under this subsection.
(i)Effective on the date of the enactment of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act—
(1)the entitlement of any major party or minor party to a payment under this section shall terminate; and
(2)all amounts in each account maintained for the national committee of a major party or minor party under this section shall be transferred to a fund in the Treasury to be known as the “10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund”, which shall be available only for the purpose provided in section 402A(a)(2) of the Public Health Service Act, and only to the extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 303 and 315 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, referred to in subsecs. (b)(5) and (g), are classified to section 30103 and 30116, respectively, of Title 52, Voting and Elections. The date of the enactment of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, referred to in subsec. (i), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 113–94, which was approved Apr. 3, 2014. section 402A(a)(2) of the Public Health Service Act, referred to in subsec. (i)(2), is classified to section 282a(a)(2) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.
Amendments
2014—Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 113–94 added subsec. (i). 1984—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 98–355, § 1(a), substituted “$4,000,000” for “$3,000,000”. Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 98–355, § 1(b), substituted “section 315(b) and section 315(d)” for “section 320(b) and section 320(d)” and “section 315(c)” for “section 320(c)”. 1980—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 96–187 substituted “$3,000,000” for “$2,000,000”. 1976—Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 94–283, § 307(a), substituted “section 320(b) and section 320(d) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 are adjusted pursuant to the provisions of section 320(c) of such Act” for “section 608(c) and section 608(f) of title 18, United States Code, are adjusted pursuant to the provisions of section 608(d) of such title”. Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 94–283, § 303, added par. (4). 1974—Pub. L. 93–443 substituted provisions respecting payments for presidential nominating conventions for
Prior Provisions
respecting information on proposed expenses, subsec. (a) relating to reports by candidates, and subsec. (b) to publication of summaries.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1984 Amendment Pub. L. 98–355, § 1(c), July 11, 1984, 98 Stat. 394, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this section [amending this section] shall take effect on January 1, 1984.”
Effective Date
of 1980 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–187 effective Jan. 8, 1980, see section 301(a) of Pub. L. 96–187, set out as a note under section 30101 of Title 52, Voting and Elections.
Effective Date
of 1974 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 93–443 applicable with respect to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1974, see section 410(c)(1) of Pub. L. 93–443, set out as a note under section 30101 of Title 52, Voting and Elections.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 9008
Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73