,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bhjg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #af1 #bjai,mr4 ,krishnamoorthi 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,swalwell of ,california1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,mr4 ,welch1 ,ms4 ,moore1 and ,ms4 ,eshoo7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,labor ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,,iv of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife to require institutions of higher education that participate in programs under such title to distribute voter registration forms to students enrolled at the institution1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,help ,students ,vote ,act4 #b4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that political participation and civic engagement are fundamental to the health of ,american democracy1 and that all citizens should be encouraged to vote1 regardless of party affiliation4 #c4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to the ,national ,center for ,education ,statistics1 undergraduate enrollment is projected to increase from #ag1jjj1jjj to #ai1cjj1jjj students between #bjae and #bjbf1 and nearly #c1jjj1jjj undergraduate and graduate students today enroll in exclusively online education4 7#b7 ,according to the ,pew ,research ,center1 people between the ages of #ah and #ce comprise roughly #ca percent of the overall electorate4 7#c7 ,in #bjad1 young adults 7ages #ah to #bi7 made up about #ba percent of the voting eligible population but only #ag percent of this populations cast a ballot in the #bjad election4 7#d7 ,just #db percent of #ah-bd year olds said they were registered to vote in #bjad1 which was the lowest rate in #dj years4 7#e7 ,in #bjjh1 #ba percent of young adults 7ages #ah to #bi7 said they weren't registered to vote because they missed the registration deadline4 ,six percent said they didn't know where or how to register4 #d4 ,distributing voter registration forms ,section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc77 is amended to read as follows3 7#bc7 7,a7 ,the institution will make a good faith effort to distribute voter registration forms to each student1 and to make such forms widely available to students at the institution4 ,in this paragraph1 the term student means an individual who is enrolled at the institution as an undergraduate or graduate student on a full-time or part-time basis1 including an individual who is solely enrolled in an online course4 7,b7 ,the institution shall be considered in compliance with the good faith requirements of subparagraph 7,a7-- 7i7 if1 with respect to each student enrolled and physically in attendance at the institution1 the institution-- 7,i7 7aa7 distributes voter registration forms not less than twice in a calendar year1 and distributes such voter registration forms not less than #cj days in advance of the deadline for registering to vote within the ,state for the next scheduled ,federal or ,state primary election and not less than #cj days in advance of the deadline for registering to vote within the ,state for the next scheduled ,federal or ,state general election2 or 7bb7 electronically transmits a message containing a voter registration form 7or the message contains an ,internet address where such a form can be downloaded7 acceptable for use in the ,state in which the institution is located to each such student1 and such electronic message is devoted exclusively to voter registration1 not less than twice in a calendar year1 and transmits such a message not less than #cj days in advance of the deadline for registering to vote within the ,state for the next scheduled ,federal or ,state primary election and not less than #cj days in advance of the deadline for registering to vote within the ,state for the next scheduled ,federal or ,state general election2 7,,ii7 makes available information regarding ,state registration deadlines1 residency requirements1 voter identification1 and absentee voting1 as applicable2 and 7,,iii7 ensures that an appropriate staff person or office has been designated as a ,campus ,vote ,coordinator to ensure compliance in accordance with this clause at the institution and who shall-- 7aa7 be publicly designated as the ,campus ,vote ,coordinator1 along with the ,coordinator's contact information1 on the institution's website2 and 7bb7 upon request1 provide to students residency requirements for voting1 including the ability of out of ,state students to vote in the ,state in which they are enrolled and physically in attendance1 in accordance with applicable ,state law2 and 7ii7 if1 with respect to each student enrolled exclusively in distance education or correspondence programs and who is not physically in attendance at the institution1 the institution-- 7,i7 transmits a message of referral to a centralized voter registration website or platform that provides applicable voter registration forms and information to potential voters in all ,states1 provided that such platform is hosted by a government affiliated website2 and 7,,ii7 transmits such message not less than twice in a calendar year4 7,c7 ,the institution may also include voter registration forms within materials or information distributed to newly enrolled1 or returning1 students at the beginning of a term1 consistent with the requirements of subparagraph 7,b74 4 #e4 ,grants authorized ,the ,secretary of ,education shall award grants to institutions of higher education that greatly exceed the minimum requirements under section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc771 including as demonstrated by-- 7#a7 sponsoring large on campus voter mobilization efforts2 7#b7 engaging the surrounding community in nonpartisan voter registration and get out the vote efforts2 7#c7 creating a website with centralized information about voter registration and election dates2 7#d7 inviting candidates to speak on campus2 and 7#e7 offering rides to the polls to increase voter education1 registration1 and mobilization4 #f4 ,enforcement actions 7a7 ,corrective action 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,education shall submit a written warning to an institution of higher education that violates a requirement of section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc77 that includes a direction to correct the violation not later than #fj days after the date the warning was received4 7#b7 ,actions authorized ,if an institution of higher education does not correct a violation in accordance with a direction from the ,secretary of ,education as described in paragraph 7#a71 the ,attorney ,general of the ,united ,states may authorize the appropriate ,state law enforcement officer or the chief elections official of a ,state to commence a civil action in accordance with subsection 7b74 7b7 ,civil actions 7#a7 ,in general ,a ,state law enforcement officer or chief elections official of a ,state may commence a civil action in accordance with subsection 7a7 in the appropriate district court of the ,united ,states against the institution that engages in a pattern or practice of violating section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc774 7#b7 ,relief ,in a civil action commenced under paragraph 7#a71 the court may-- 7,a7 grant any appropriate equitable or declaratory relief with respect to the violation of section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc772 7,b7 award all other appropriate relief to any person or group aggrieved by the violation2 7,c7 to vindicate the public interest1 assess a civil penalty in an amount not exceeding the amount listed in section #dhg7;c77#c77;,b7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;c77#c77;,b77 for any violation2 and 7,d7 take into account the number of days in which the infraction occurred4 7#c7 ,intervention ,upon timely application1 a person aggrieved by a violation of section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc77 with respect to which a civil action is commenced under this subsection may intervene in such action1 and may obtain such appropriate relief as the person could obtain in a civil action under subsection 7c7 with respect to such violation1 along with costs and reasonable attorneys fees4 7c7 ,private right of action 7#a7 ,in general ,any person or group aggrieved by a violation of section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc77 may commence a civil action in any appropriate district court of the ,united ,states against the institution that engages in such violation4 7#b7 ,relief ,in a civil action commenced under paragraph 7#a71 the court may-- 7,a7 grant any appropriate equitable or declaratory relief with respect to the violation of section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc772 7,b7 award any other appropriate relief to the person or group aggrieved by the violation1 including the costs of the action1 such as reasonable attorneys' fees2 7,c7 to vindicate the public interest1 assess a civil penalty in an amount not exceeding the amount listed in section #dhg7;c77#c77;,b7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;c77#c77;,b77 for any violation2 and 7,d7 take into account the number of days in which the infraction occurred4 7#c7 ,reporting ,not later than #fj days before the date a person or group aggrieved by a violation of section #dhg7;a77#bc7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajid7;a77#bc77 commences a civil action under paragraph 7#a71 the person or group shall report the violation to the ,department of ,education1 a ,federal or ,state law enforcement agency1 and the institution purported to have committed the violation via an affidavit detailing the alleged violation4 7d7 ,preservation of remedies ,nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude or limit any remedy otherwise available under other law1 including consequential and punitive damages4