,i #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ebgd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #ad1 #bjah,mr4 ,castro of ,texas 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4 ,price of ,north ,carolina1 and ,mr4 ,roskam7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to promote international exchanges on best election practices1 cultivate more secure democratic institutions around the world1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,act4 #b4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 recent elections globally have illustrated the urgent need for the promotion and exchange of international best election practices1 particularly in the areas of cybersecurity1 results transmission1 transparency of electoral data1 election dispute resolution1 and the elimination of discriminatory registration practices and other electoral irregularities2 7#b7 the advancement of democracy worldwide promotes ,american interests1 as stable democracies provide new market opportunities1 improve global health outcomes1 and promote economic freedom and regional security2 7#c7 credible elections are the cornerstone of a healthy democracy and enable all persons to exercise their basic human right to have a say in how they are governed2 7#d7 inclusive elections strengthen the credibility and stability of democracies more broadly1 as democratic institutions flourish when representative of all groups of society2 7#e7 at the heart of a strong election cycle is the professionalism of the election management body and an empowered civil society2 and 7#f7 the development of local expertise via peer-to-peer learning and exchanges promotes the independence of such bodies from internal and external influence4 #c4 ,global ,electoral ,exchange 7a7 ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,the ,secretary of ,state shall establish and administer a ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program to promote the utilization of sound election administration practices in the ,united ,states and foreign countries4 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program described in subsection 7a7 shall include the promotion and exchange of international best election practices1 including in the areas of cybersecurity1 results transmission1 transparency of electoral data1 election dispute resolution1 the elimination of discriminatory registration practices and electoral irregularities1 and other sound election administration practices4 7c7 ,exchange of electoral authorities 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state may1 in consultation1 as appropriate1 with the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development and regionally focused independent agencies1 make grants to any ,united ,states-based organization described in section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from tax under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code with experience in comparative election systems or subject matter expertise in the areas of election administration or electoral integrity that submits an application in such form1 and satisfying such requirements1 as the ,secretary may require4 7#b7 ,types of grants ,an organization described in paragraph 7#a7 may receive a grant for one or more of the following purposes3 7,a7 ,to design and implement programs bringing election administrators and officials1 including government officials1 polling workers1 civil society representatives1 members of the judiciary1 and others who participate in the organization and administration of an election in a foreign country to the ,united ,states to study election procedures in the ,united ,states for educational purposes4 7,b7 ,to design and implement programs taking ,united ,states or another country's election administrators and officials1 including government officials1 polling workers1 civil society representatives1 members of the judiciary1 and others who participate in the organization and administration of elections for public office in the ,united ,states or such other countries to foreign countries to study election procedures in such countries for educational purposes4 7#c7 ,coordination ,the ,secretary of ,state shall coordinate with ,state and local governments in the ,united ,states1 in addition to the governments of ,united ,states territories1 to conduct exchanges under this section and may enter into memorandums of understanding with such governments to guide participation by such governments in the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program4 7#d7 ,limits on activities ,activities administered under the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program may not-- 7,a7 include election observation for the purposes of discussing the validity or legitimacy of an election2 or 7,b7 facilitate any advocacy for a certain electoral result by a grantee when participating in the ,program4 7#e7 ,further limits ,a recipient of a grant under the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program may use such grant for only the purpose for which such grant was awarded1 unless otherwise authorized by the ,secretary of ,state4 7#f7 ,not duplicative ,grants made under this subsection may not be duplicative of any other grants made under any other provision of law for similar or related purposes4 #d4 ,report 7a7 ,internet ,the ,secretary of ,state shall maintain a publically available ,department of ,state website detailing the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program1 including a list of grants awarded under the ,program and the amount awarded in each such grant1 each annual report required under subsection 7c71 and other information at the discretion of the ,secretary4 7b7 ,notification of grants ,not later than #cj days after each grant award under the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program under section #c1 the ,secretary of ,state shall publish on the website described in subsection 7a7 a summary of such grant1 including criteria for selecting the grantee and any relevant agreements between the ,secretary of ,state and foreign governments1 ,state and local governments in the ,united ,states1 or the governments of ,united ,states territories that are associated with such grant4 ,the ,secretary shall notify the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate of such publication4 7c7 ,annual reports 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act and every year thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,state shall publish on the website described in subsection 7a7 a report on the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program and notify the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate of such report4 7#b7 ,elements ,the reports required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,a summary of all exchanges conducted under the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program1 including criteria used to select grantees4 7,b7 ,a summary of all memorandum of understandings with ,states1 local governments1 and territories in accordance with section #c7;c77#c74 7d7 ,annual recommendations ,in conjunction with the annual reports required under subsection 7c71 the ,secretary of ,state may provide recommendations for the improvement of the ,global ,electoral ,exchange ,program1 based on the purposes under section #c7;b71 in a written report to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate4