,i  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fdb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #a1        
#bjba,mr4 ,brown introduced the         
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,house                
,administration1 and in addition to the 
,committee on the ,judiciary1 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     
direct the ,attorney ,general to        
establish a voter information response  
system and hotline to respond to the    
questions and complaints of voters in   
elections for ,federal office1 and for  
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,voter         
,information ,hotline ,act of #bjba4    
#b4 ,voter information response systems 
and hotline  7a7 ,establishment and     
operation of systems and services  7#a7 
,state-based response systems ,the      

,attorney ,general shall coordinate the 
establishment of a ,state-based response
 system for responding to questions and 
complaints from individuals voting or   
seeking to vote1 or registering to vote 
or seeking to register to vote1 in      
elections for ,federal office4 ,such    
system shall provide-- 7,a7             
,state-specific1 same-day1 and immediate
 assistance to such individuals1        
including information on how to register
 to vote1 the location and hours of     
operation of polling places1 and how to 
obtain absentee ballots2 and  7,b7      
,state-specific1 same-day1 and immediate
 assistance to individuals encountering 
problems with registering to vote or    
voting1 including individuals           
encountering intimidation or deceptive  
practices4  7#b7 ,hotline ,the ,attorney
 ,general1 in consultation with ,state  
election officials1 shall establish and 
operate a toll-free telephone service1  
using a telephone number that is        
accessible throughout the ,united       

,states and that uses easily            
identifiable numerals1 through which    
individuals throughout the ,united      
,states-- 7,a7 may connect directly to  
the ,state-based response system        
described in paragraph 7#a7 with respect
 to the ,state involved2  7,b7 may      
obtain information on voting in         
elections for ,federal office1 including
 information on how to register to vote 
in such elections1 the locations and    
hours of operation of polling places1   
and how to obtain absentee ballots2 and 
7,c7 may report information to the      
,attorney ,general on problems          
encountered in registering to vote or   
voting1 including incidences of voter   
intimidation or suppression4  7#c7      
,collaboration with ,state and local    
election officials  7,a7 ,collection of 
information from states ,the ,attorney  
,general shall coordinate the collection
 of information on ,state and local     
election laws and policies1 including   
information on the statewide            

computerized voter registration lists   
maintained under title ,,iii of the     
,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb1 so  
that individuals who contact the free   
telephone service established under     
paragraph 7#b7 on the date of an        
election for ,federal office may receive
 an immediate response on that day4     
7,b7 ,forwarding questions and          
complaints to ,states ,if an individual 
contacts the free telephone service     
established under paragraph 7#b7 on the 
date of an election for ,federal office 
with a question or complaint with       
respect to a particular ,state or       
jurisdiction within a ,state1 the       
,attorney ,general shall forward the    
question or complaint immediately to the
 appropriate election official of the   
,state or jurisdiction so that the      
official may answer the question or     
remedy the complaint on that date4  7#d7
 ,consultation requirements for         
development of systems and services ,the
 ,attorney ,general shall ensure that   

the ,state-based response system under  
paragraph 7#a7 and the free telephone   
service under paragraph 7#b7 are each   
developed in consultation with civil    
rights organizations1 voting rights     
groups1 ,state and local election       
officials1 voter protection groups1 and 
other interested community              
organizations1 especially those that    
have experience in the operation of     
similar systems and services4  7b7 ,use 
of service by individuals with          
disabilities and individuals with       
limited ,english language proficiency   
,the ,attorney ,general shall design and
 operate the telephone service          
established under this section in a     
manner that ensures that individuals    
with disabilities are fully able to use 
the service1 and that assistance is     
provided in any language in which the   
,state 7or any jurisdiction in the      
,state7 is required to provide election 
materials under section #bjc of the     
,voting ,rights ,act of #aife4  7c7     

,voter ,hotline ,task ,force  7#a7      
,appointment by attorney general ,the   
,attorney ,general shall appoint        
individuals 7in such number as the      
,attorney ,general considers appropriate
 but in no event fewer than #c7 to serve
 on a ,voter ,hotline ,task ,force to   
provide ongoing analysis and assessment 
of the operation of the telephone       
service established under this section1 
and shall give special consideration in 
making appointments to the ,task ,force 
to individuals who represent civil      
rights organizations4 ,at least one     
member of the ,task ,force shall be a   
representative of an organization       
promoting voting rights or civil rights 
which has experience in the operation of
 similar telephone services or in       
protecting the rights of individuals to 
vote1 especially individuals who are    
members of racial1 ethnic1 or linguistic
 minorities or of communities who have  
been adversely affected by efforts to   
suppress voting rights4  7#b7           

,eligibility ,an individual shall be    
eligible to serve on the ,task ,force   
under this subsection if the individual 
meets such criteria as the ,attorney    
,general may establish1 except that an  
individual may not serve on the task    
force if the individual has been        
convicted of any criminal offense       
relating to voter intimidation or voter 
suppression4  7#c7 ,term of service ,an 
individual appointed to the ,task ,force
 shall serve a single term of #b years1 
except that the initial terms of the    
members first appointed to the ,task    
,force shall be staggered so that there 
are at least #c individuals serving on  
the ,task ,force during each year4 ,a   
vacancy in the membership of the ,task  
,force shall be filled in the same      
manner as the original appointment4     
7#d7 ,no compensation for service       
,members of the ,task ,force shall serve
 without pay1 but shall receive travel  
expenses1 including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence1 in accordance with         

applicable provisions under subchapter  
,i of chapter #eg of title #e1 ,united  
,states ,code4  7d7 ,bi-,annual report  
to ,congress ,not later than ,march #a  
of each odd-numbered year1 the ,attorney
 ,general shall submit a report to      
,congress on the operation of the       
telephone service established under this
 section during the previous #b years1  
and shall include in the report-- 7#a7  
an enumeration of the number and type of
 calls that were received by the        
service2  7#b7 a compilation and        
description of the reports made to the  
service by individuals citing instances 
of voter intimidation or suppression1   
together with a description of any      
actions taken in response to such       
instances of voter intimidation or      
suppression2  7#c7 an assessment of the 
effectiveness of the service in making  
information available to all households 
in the ,united ,states with telephone   
service2  7#d7 any recommendations      
developed by the ,task ,force           

established under subsection 7c7 with   
respect to how voting systems may be    
maintained or upgraded to better        
accommodate voters and better ensure the
 integrity of elections1 including but  
not limited to identifying how to       
eliminate coordinated voter suppression 
efforts and how to establish effective  
mechanisms for distributing updates on  
changes to voting requirements2 and     
7#e7 any recommendations on best        
practices for the ,state-based response 
systems established under subsection    
7a77#a74  7e7 ,authorization of         
appropriations  7#a7 ,authorization     
,there are authorized to be appropriated
 to the ,attorney ,general for fiscal   
year #bjba and each succeeding fiscal   
year such sums as may be necessary to   
carry out this section4  7#b7 ,set-aside
 for outreach ,of the amounts           
appropriated to carry out this section  
for a fiscal year pursuant to the       
authorization under paragraph 7#a71 not 
less than #ae percent shall be used for 

outreach activities to make the public  
aware of the availability of the        
telephone service established under this
 section1 with an emphasis on outreach  
to individuals with disabilities and    
individuals with limited proficiency in 
the ,english language4