,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hajd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,august #be1         
#bjbj,ms4 ,haaland 7for herself1 ,ms4   
,norton1 ,mrs4 ,hayes1 and ,mr4 ,carson 
of ,indiana7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,house ,administration1   
and in addition to the ,committee on    
,oversight and ,reform1 for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the       
,speaker1 in each case for consideration
 of such provisions as fall within the  
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to provide for the issuance 
of the ,voting ,by ,mail ,semipostal    
,stamp1 and for other purposes4  #a4    
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,vote ,by ,mail ,stamp ,act4  #b4   
,voting ,by ,mail ,semipostal ,stamp    
7a7 ,in general ,in order to afford a   
convenient way for members of the public
 to contribute to funding voting        
accessibility1 the ,united ,states      
,postal ,service shall issue a          

semipostal 7in this ,act referred to as 
the ,voting ,by ,mail ,semipostal       
,stamp7 in accordance with this section4
  7b7 ,terms and conditions  7#a7 ,in   
general ,the issuance and sale of the   
,voting ,by ,mail ,semipostal ,stamp    
shall be governed by the provisions of  
section #daf of title #ci1 ,united      
,states ,code1 and regulations issued   
under such section1 subject to the      
requirements of this subsection4  7#b7  
,duration ,the ,voting ,by ,mail        
,semipostal ,stamp shall be made        
available to the public for a period of 
#aj years1 beginning no later than #c   
months after the date of the enactment  
of this ,act4  7#c7 ,cost ,the ,voting  
,by ,mail ,semipostal ,stamp shall be   
offered at a cost equal to the cost of  
mailing a letter weighing #a ounce or   
less at the nonautomation single-piece  
first-ounce letter rate1 in effect at   
the time of purchase1 plus a            
differential of not less than #be       
percent4  7#d7 ,disposition of proceeds 

,all amounts becoming available from the
 sale of the ,voting ,by ,mail          
,semipostal ,stamp 7as determined under 
section #daf7;d7 of such title7 shall be
 transferred to the ,election           
,assistance ,commission for the purpose 
of grants under subsection 7c74  7#e7   
,proceeds not to be offset ,in          
accordance with section #daf7;d77#d7 of 
such title1 amounts becoming available  
from the sale of the ,voting ,by ,mail  
,semipostal ,stamp shall not be taken   
into account in any decision relating to
 the level of appropriations or other   
,federal funding to be furnished in any 
year to the ,election ,assistance       
,commission or any ,state4  7c7 ,grants 
to ,states ,to support voting by mail   
7#a7 ,grants ,the ,election ,assistance 
,commission shall carry out a program to
 make grants to eligible ,states for    
supporting voting by mail1 including    
voting by absentee ballot1 in elections 
for ,federal office4  7#b7 ,eligibility 
,a ,state is eligible to receive a grant

 under the program under this subsection
 if the ,state submits to the           
,commission1 at such time and in such   
form as the ,commission may require1 an 
application containing-- 7,a7 a         
description of how the ,state will use  
the grant to support voting by mail in  
the ,state2 and  7,b7 such other        
information and assurances as the       
,commission may require4  7#c7 ,amount  
,the ,commission shall determine the    
amount of a grant made to an eligible   
,state under the program under this     
subsection1 taking into account the     
information provided by the ,state in   
its application for the grant and the   
amount of funds available for grants    
under the program4  7#d7 ,report ,not   
later than #f months after the end of   
each fiscal year during which an        
eligible ,state received a grant under  
the program under this subsection1 the  
,state shall submit a report to the     
,commission describing the activities   
the ,state carried out with the grant4  

7#e7 ,authorization of appropriations   
,there are authorized to be appropriated
 for each of the fiscal years #bjba     
through #bjcj such sums as may be       
necessary to carry out this subsection1 
to be derived from amounts transferred  
to the ,commission under subsection     
7b77#d74  7d7 ,definitions ,in this     
,act-- 7#a7 the term semipostal refers  
to a postage stamp described in section 
#daf7;a77#a7 of title #ci1 ,united      
,states ,code2 and  7#b7 the term ,state
 means the #ej ,states1 the ,district of
 ,columbia1 ,american ,samoa1 ,guam1 the
 ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana
 ,islands1 ,puerto ,rico1 and the ,u4,s4
 ,virgin ,islands4