,,ib ,union ,calendar ,no4 #hbe #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #defc ,report ,no4 #aah-igh1 ,part ,i ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #aa1 #bjbc,mr4 ,steil 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,tiffany1 ,mr4 ,gimenez1 ,mr4 ,wittman1 ,mr4 ,carey1 ,ms4 ,tenney1 ,mr4 ,valadao1 ,mr4 ,bost1 ,mr4 ,van ,orden1 ,mr4 ,graves of ,louisiana1 ,mr4 ,reschenthaler1 ,mr4 ,grothman1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey1 ,mr4 ,guest1 ,mr4 ,calvert1 ,mr4 ,ellzey1 ,ms4 ,boebert1 ,ms4 ,greene of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,timmons1 ,mr4 ,la,turner1 ,mr4 ,lawler1 ,mr4 ,griffith1 ,mr4 ,bucshon1 ,mr4 ,collins1 ,mr4 ,mooney1 ,mr4 ,fry1 ,mr4 ,d',esposito1 ,mr4 ,cline1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,louisiana1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,florida1 ,mrs4 ,bice1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,south ,dakota1 ,mr4 ,amodei1 ,ms4 ,stefanik1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,mr4 ,buchanan1 ,mr4 ,hudson1 ,mr4 ,loudermilk1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,georgia1 ,mrs4 ,hinson1 ,mr4 ,scalise1 ,mr4 ,des,jarlais1 ,mr4 ,edwards1 ,mr4 ,latta1 ,mr4 ,kustoff1 ,mr4 ,stauber1 ,mrs4 ,houchin1 ,mr4 ,moylan1 ,mr4 ,la,lota1 ,mr4 ,jackson of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,scott ,franklin of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,alford1 ,mr4 ,graves of ,missouri1 ,mr4 ,crenshaw1 ,ms4 ,mace1 ,mr4 ,moolenaar1 ,ms4 ,foxx1 ,mr4 ,gooden of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,tony ,gonzales of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,hill1 ,mrs4 ,rodgers of ,washington1 ,mrs4 ,harshbarger1 ,mr4 ,smucker1 ,mr4 ,wenstrup1 ,mr4 ,rouzer1 ,mr4 ,la,malfa1 ,mr4 ,williams of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,pfluger1 ,mr4 ,mc,carthy1 ,mr4 ,balderson1 ,mrs4 ,mc,clain1 ,mr4 ,babin1 ,mr4 ,mike ,garcia of ,california1 ,mr4 ,cole1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,ms4 ,granger1 ,mr4 ,fleischmann1 ,mr4 ,strong1 ,mr4 ,baird1 ,mr4 ,crawford1 ,mr4 ,mc,clintock1 ,mrs4 ,miller of ,west ,virginia1 ,mr4 ,miller of ,ohio1 ,mrs4 ,miller of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,moore of ,alabama1 ,mr4 ,feenstra1 ,mr4 ,mills1 ,mr4 ,carl1 ,mr4 ,austin ,scott of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,langworthy1 ,mr4 ,zinke1 ,mr4 ,kelly of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,aderholt1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,newhouse1 ,mrs4 ,fischbach1 ,mr4 ,bean of ,florida1 ,mrs4 ,miller-,meeks1 and ,mr4 ,westerman7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,house ,administration1 and in addition to the ,committees on the ,judiciary1 ,ways and ,means1 ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 ,intelligence 7,permanent ,select71 ,homeland ,security1 ,education and the ,workforce1 ,financial ,services1 ,oversight and ,accountability1 and ,rules1 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 ,january #c1 #bjbe;,additional sponsors3 ,mr4 ,james1 ,ms4 ,de ,la ,cruz1 ,mr4 ,luttrell1 ,mr4 ,rose1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,nebraska1 ,mr4 ,yakym1 ,mr4 ,flood1 ,mr4 ,finstad1 ,mr4 ,mc,henry1 ,mr4 ,barr1 ,mr4 ,kelly of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,steube1 ,ms4 ,malliotakis1 ,mr4 ,meuser1 ,mrs4 ,cammack1 ,mr4 ,green of ,tennessee1 ,mr4 ,waltz1 ,mr4 ,bilirakis1 ,mr4 ,ezell1 ,mr4 ,walberg1 ,mr4 ,mc,cormick1 ,mr4 ,fallon1 ,mr4 ,dunn of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,santos1 ,mr4 ,huizenga1 ,mr4 ,la,hood1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,bergman1 ,mr4 ,williams of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,lamborn1 ,ms4 ,hageman1 and ,mr4 ,nehls ,january #c1 #bjbe,reported from the ,committee on ,house ,administration with an amendment,strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic ,january #c1 #bjbe ,committees on the ,judiciary1 ,ways and ,means1 ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 ,intelligence 7,permanent ,select71 ,homeland ,security1 ,education and the ,workforce1 ,financial ,services1 ,oversight and ,accountability1 and ,rules discharged2 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union and ordered to be printed,for text of introduced bill1 see copy of bill as introduced on ,july #aa1 #bjbc ,a ,,bill ,to promote election integrity1 voter confidence1 and faith in elections by removing ,federal impediments to1 equipping ,states with tools for1 and establishing voluntary considerations to support effective ,state administration of ,federal elections1 improving election administration in the ,district of ,columbia1 improving the effectiveness of military voting programs1 enhancing election security1 and protecting political speech1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections ,act or the ,,ace ,act4 #b4 ,table of contents ,the table of contents of this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title4,sec4 #b4 ,table of contents4,sec4 #c4 ,general findings4,title ,i--,election ,administration ,integrity,subtitle ,a--,findings ,relating to ,state ,administration of ,federal ,elections,sec4 #aja4 ,findings ,relating to ,state ,administration of ,federal ,elections4,subtitle ,b--,voluntary ,considerations for ,state ,administration of ,federal ,elections,sec4 #aaa4 ,short title4,sec4 #aab4 ,findings4,sec4 #aac4 ,election integrity voluntary considerations and ,federal forum for ,state information sharing4,subtitle ,c--,requirements to ,promote ,integrity in ,election ,administration,sec4 #aba4 ,ensuring only eligible ,american citizens may participate in ,federal elections4,sec4 #abb4 ,state reporting requirements with respect to voter list maintenance4,sec4 #abc4 ,contents of ,state mail voter registration form4,sec4 #abd4 ,provision of photographic citizen voter identification tools for ,state use4,sec4 #abe4 ,mandatory provision of identification for certain voters not voting in person4,sec4 #abf4 ,confirming access for congressional election observers4,sec4 #abg4 ,use of requirements payments for post-election audits4,sec4 #abh4 ,increase in threshold for requiring information reporting with respect to certain payees4,sec4 #abi4 ,voluntary guidelines with respect to nonvoting election technology4,sec4 #acj4 ,status reports by ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology4,sec4 #aca4 #eja7;c77#c7 organizations prohibited from providing direct or indirect funding for election administration4,sec4 #acb4 ,federal agency involvement in voter registration activities4,sec4 #acc4 ,prohibition on use of ,federal funds for election administration in ,states that permit ballot harvesting4,sec4 #acd4 ,clarification with respect to ,federal election record-keeping requirement4,sec4 #ace4 ,clarification of rules with respect to hiring of election workers4,sec4 #acf4 ,state assistance in assigning mailing addresses with respect to ,tribal ,governments4,sec4 #acg4 ,state defined4,sec4 #ach4 ,voter registration for applicants without driver's license or social security number4,sec4 #aci4 ,,gao study on domestic manufacturing and assembly of voting equipment4,sec4 #aci;,a4 ,,gao study and report on ability of ,states to comply with certain special election requirements4,subtitle ,d--,district of ,columbia ,election ,integrity and ,voter ,confidence,sec4 #ada4 ,short title4,sec4 #adb4 ,statement of congressional authority2 findings4,sec4 #adc4 ,requirements for elections in ,district of ,columbia4,sec4 #add4 ,repeal of ,local ,resident ,voting ,rights ,amendment ,act of #bjbb4,sec4 #ade4 ,effective date4,subtitle ,e--,administration of the ,election ,assistance ,commission,sec4 #aea4 ,short title4,sec4 #aeb4 ,findings relating to the administration of the ,election ,assistance ,commission4,sec4 #aec4 ,requirements with respect to staff and funding of the ,election ,assistance ,commission4,sec4 #aed4 ,general requirements for payments made by ,election ,assistance ,commission4,sec4 #aee4 ,executive ,board of the ,standards ,board authority to enter into contracts4,sec4 #aef4 ,election ,assistance ,commission primary role in election administration assistance4,sec4 #aeg4 ,clarification of the duties of the ,election ,assistance ,commission4,sec4 #aeh4 ,election ,assistance ,commission powers4,sec4 #aei4 ,membership of the ,local ,leadership ,council4,sec4 #afj4 ,rule of construction4,subtitle ,f--,prohibition on ,involvement in ,elections by ,foreign ,nationals,sec4 #afa4 ,prohibition on contributions and donations by foreign nationals in connection with ballot initiatives and referenda4,sec4 #afb4 ,prohibiting providing assistance to foreign nationals in making contributions or donations in connection with elections4,sec4 #afc4 ,prohibition on contributions by foreign nationals to certain tax-exempt entities4,subtitle ,g--,constitutional ,experts ,panel with ,respect to ,presidential ,elections,sec4 #aga4 ,short title4,sec4 #agb4 ,establishment of panel of constitutional experts4,title ,,ii--,military ,voting ,administration,sec4 #bjj4 ,short title4,subtitle ,a--,findings ,relating to ,military ,voting,sec4 #bja4 ,findings relating to military voting4,subtitle ,b--,,gao ,analysis on ,military ,voting ,access,sec4 #baa4 ,government ,accountability ,office report on implementation of ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act and improving access to voter registration information and assistance for absent uniformed services voters4,title ,,iii--,first ,amendment ,protection ,act,sec4 #cjj4 ,short title4,subtitle ,a--,protecting ,political ,speech and ,freedom of ,association,part #a--,protecting ,political ,speech,sec4 #cja4 ,findings4,sec4 #cjb4 ,repeal of limits on coordinated political party expenditures4,sec4 #cjc4 ,repeal of limit on aggregate contributions by individuals4,sec4 #cjd4 ,equalization of contribution limits to ,state and national political party committees4,sec4 #cje4 ,expansion of permissible ,federal election activity by ,state and local political parties4,sec4 #cjf4 ,participation in joint fundraising activities by multiple political committees4,part #b--,protecting ,freedom of ,association,sec4 #cjg4 ,findings4,sec4 #cjh4 ,protecting privacy of donors to tax-exempt organizations4,sec4 #cji4 ,reporting requirements for tax-exempt organizations4,sec4 #caj4 ,maintenance of standards for determining eligibility of section #eja7;c77#d7 organizations4,subtitle ,b--,prohibition on ,use of ,federal funds for ,congressional ,campaigns,sec4 #caa4 ,prohibiting use of ,federal funds for payments in support of congressional campaigns4,subtitle ,c--,registration and ,reporting ,requirements,sec4 #cba4 ,electronic filing of electioneering communication reports4,sec4 #cbb4 ,increased qualifying threshold and establishing purpose for political committees4,sec4 #cbc4 ,increased threshold with respect to independent expenditure reporting requirement4,sec4 #cbd4 ,increased qualifying threshold with respect to candidates4,sec4 #cbe4 ,repeal requirement of persons making independent expenditures to report identification of certain donors4,subtitle ,d--,exclusion of ,certain ,amounts from ,treatment as ,contributions or ,expenditures,sec4 #cca4 ,increased threshold for exemption of certain amounts as contributions4,sec4 #ccb4 ,exemption of uncompensated internet communications from treatment as contribution or expenditure4,sec4 #ccc4 ,media exemption4,subtitle ,e--,prohibition on ,issuance of ,regulations on ,political ,contributions,sec4 #cda4 ,prohibition on issuance of regulations on ,political ,contributions4,subtitle ,f--,miscellaneous ,provisions,sec4 #cea4 ,permanent extension of fines for qualified disclosure requirement violations4,sec4 #ceb4 ,permitting political committees to make disbursements by methods other than check4,sec4 #cec4 ,designation of individual authorized to make campaign committee disbursements in event of death or incapacity of candidate4,sec4 #ced4 ,prohibiting aiding or abetting making of contributions in name of another4,sec4 #cee4 ,unanimous consent of ,commission members required for ,commission to refuse to defend actions brought against ,commission4,sec4 #cef4 ,federal ,election ,commission member pay4,sec4 #ceg4 ,uniform statute of limitations for proceedings to enforce ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga4,sec4 #ceh4 ,theft from political committee as a ,federal crime4,sec4 #cei4 ,repeal of obsolete provisions of law4,sec4 #cfj4 ,deadline for promulgation of proposed regulations4,title ,,iv--,election ,security,subtitle ,a--,promoting ,election ,security,sec4 #dja4 ,short title4,sec4 #djb4 ,reports to ,congress on foreign threats to elections4,sec4 #djc4 ,rule of construction4,subtitle ,b--,cybersecurity for ,election ,systems,sec4 #daa4 ,cybersecurity advisories relating to election systems4,sec4 #dab4 ,process to test for cybersecurity vulnerabilities in election equipment4,sec4 #dac4 ,sense of ,congress regarding need to notify ,state and local officials of election cybersecurity incidents4,title ,v--,congressional ,redistricting,sec4 #eja4 ,sense of ,congress on authority to establish maps of congressional districts4,sec4 #ejb4 ,authority for ,speaker of the ,house to join certain civil actions relating to apportionment4,sec4 #ejc4 ,census ,monitoring ,board4,title ,,vi--,disinformation ,governance ,board,sec4 #fja4 ,termination of the ,disinformation ,governance ,board4,sec4 #fjb4 ,prohibition on funding similar board or similar activities4,title ,,vii--,severability,sec4 #gja4 ,severability4 #c4 ,general findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to ,article #a1 ,section #d of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 the ,states have the primary role in establishing 7t7he ,times1 ,places and ,manner of holding ,elections for ,senators and ,representatives1 while ,congress has a purely secondary role in this space and must restrain itself from acting improperly and unconstitutionally4 7#b7 ,federal election legislation should never be the first step and must never impose burdensome1 unfunded ,federal mandates on ,state and local elections officials4 ,when ,congress does speak1 it must devote its efforts only to resolving highly significant and substantial deficiencies to ensure the integrity of our elections4 ,state legislatures are the primary venues to establish rules for governing elections and correct most issues4 7#c7 ,all eligible ,american voters who wish to participate must have the opportunity to vote1 and all lawful votes must be counted4 7#d7 ,states must balance appropriate election administration structures and systems with accessible access to the ballot box4 7#e7 ,political speech is protected speech4 7#f7 ,the ,first ,amendment protects the right of all ,americans to state their political views and donate money to the candidates1 causes1 and organizations of their choice without fear of retribution4 7#g7 ,redistricting decisions are best made at the ,state level4 7#h7 ,states must maintain the flexibility to determine the best redistricting processes for the particular needs of their citizens4 7#i7 ,congress has independent authority under the ,fourteenth1 ,fifteenth1 ,nineteenth1 ,twenty-,fourth1 and ,twenty-,sixth ,amendments to ensure elections are conducted without unlawful discrimination4 7#aj7 ,the ,civil ,rights ,act and the ,voting ,rights ,act1 which are not anchored in ,article #a1 ,section #d of the ,constitution1 have seen much success since their passage in #aifd and #aife1 and ,congress should continue to exercise its constitutional authority in this space as appropriate4 ,i ,election ,administration ,integrity ,a ,findings ,relating to ,state ,administration of ,federal ,elections #aja4 ,findings ,relating to ,state ,administration of ,federal ,elections 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that constitutional scholar ,robert ,natelson has done invaluable work with respect to the history and understanding of the ,elections ,clause4 7b7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,constitution reserves to the ,states the primary authority and the duty to set election legislation and administer elections--the times1 places and manner of holding of elections--and ,congress' power in this space is purely secondary to the ,states' power and is to be employed only in the direst of circumstances4 ,history1 precedent1 the ,framers' words1 debates concerning ratification1 the ,supreme ,court1 and the ,constitution itself make it exceedingly clear that ,congress' power over elections is not unfettered4 7#b7 ,the ,framing ,generation grappled with the failure of the ,articles of ,confederation1 which provided for only a weak national government incapable of preserving the ,union4 ,under the ,articles1 the ,states had exclusive authority over ,federal elections held within their territory2 but1 given the difficulties the national government had experienced with ,state cooperation 7e4g41 the failure of ,rhode ,island to send delegates to the ,confederation ,congress71 the ,federalists1 including ,alexander ,hamilton1 were concerned with the possibility that the ,states1 in an effort to destroy the ,federal ,government1 simply might not hold elections or that an emergency1 such as an invasion or insurrection1 might prevent the operation of a ,state's government1 leaving the ,congress without ,members and the ,federal ,government unable to respond4 7#c7 ,quite plainly1 ,alexander ,hamilton1 a leading ,federalist and proponent of our ,constitution1 understood the ,elections ,clause as serving only as a sort of emergency fail-safe1 not as a cudgel used to nationalize our elections process4 ,writing as ,publius to the people of ,new ,york1 ,hamilton further expounds on the correct understanding of the ,elections ,clause3 ,the natural order of the subject leads us to consider1 in this place1 that provision of the ,constitution which authorizes the national legislature to regulate1 in the last resort1 the election of its own members44 ,alexander ,hamilton 7writing as ,publius71 ,federalist no4 #ei1 ,concerning the ,power of ,congress to ,regulate the ,election of ,members1 ,n4,y4 ,,packet 7,fri41 ,feb4 #bb1 #aghh74 7#d7 ,when questioned at the ,states' constitutional ratifying conventions with respect to this provision1 the ,federalists confirmed this understanding of a constitutionally limited1 secondary congressional power under ,article #a1 ,section #d4 7,convention delegate ,james ,mc,henry added that the risk to the federal government without a fail-safe provision might not arise from state malice3 ,an insurrection or rebellion might prevent a state legislature from administering an election472 7,an occasion may arise when the exercise of this ultimate power of ,congress may be necessary 4 4 4 if a state should be involved in war1 and its legislature could not assemble1 7as was the case of ,south ,carolina and occasionally of some other states1 during the ,revolutionary war7472 7,sir1 let it be remembered that this power can only operate in a case of necessity1 after the factious or listless disposition of a particular state has rendered an interference essential to the salvation of the general government474 ,see ,robert ,g4 ,natelson1 ,the ,original ,scope of the ,congressional ,power to ,regulate ,elections1 #ac ,u4 ,,pa4 ,j4 ,,const4 ,l4 #a1 #ab-ac 7,nov4 #bjaj74 7#e7 ,john ,jay made similar claims in ,new ,york4 ,and1 as constitutional scholar ,robert ,natelson notes in his invaluable article1 ,the ,original ,scope of the ,congressional ,power to ,regulate ,elections1 ,alexander ,contee ,hanson1 a member of ,congress whose pamphlet supporting the ,constitution proved popular1 stated flatly that ,congress would exercise its times1 places1 and manner authority only in cases of invasion1 legislative neglect or obstinate refusal to pass election laws providing for the election of ,members of ,congress1 or if a state crafted its election laws with a sinister purpose or to injure the general government4 ,cementing his point1 ,hanson goes further to decree1 ,the exercise of this power must at all times be so very invidious1 that congress will not venture upon it without some very cogent and substantial reason44 ,alexander ,contee ,hanson 7writing as ,astrides71 ,remarks on the ,proposed ,plan3 #ca ,january1 reprinted in ,john ,p4 ,kaminski1 ,gaspare ,j4 ,saladino1 and ,richard ,leffler 7eds471 #c ,commentaries on the ,constitution1 public and private #ah ,december #aghg to #ca ,january #aghh #ebb-bf 7#aihd74 7#f7 ,in fact1 had the alternate view of the ,elections ,clause been accepted at the time of the ,constitution's drafting--that is1 that it offers ,congress unfettered power over ,federal elections-- it is likely that the ,constitution would not have been ratified or that an amendment to this language would have been required4 7#g7 ,indeed1 at least seven of the original #ac ,states--over half and enough to prevent the ,constitution from being ratified--expressed specific concerns with the language of the ,elections ,clause4 ,see #a ,annals of ,cong4 #gii 7#aghi71 ,joseph ,gales 7ed47 7#ahcd74 ,however1 leading ,federalists444 assured them 444that1 even without amendment1 the ,elections ,clause should be construed as limited to emergencies4 ,three ,states1 ,new ,york1 ,north ,carolina1 and ,rhode ,island1 specifically made their ratification contingent on this understanding being made express4 ,ratification of the ,constitution by the ,state of ,new ,york 7,july #bf1 #aghh7 7,under these impressions and declaring that the rights aforesaid cannot be abridged or violated1 and the ,explanations aforesaid are consistent with the said ,constitution1 ,and in confidence that the ,amendments which have been proposed to the said ,constitution will receive early and mature ,consideration3 ,we the said ,delegates1 in the ,name and in sic the behalf of the ,people of the ,state of ,new ,york ,do by these presents ,assent to and ,ratify the said ,constitution4 ,in full ,confidence 4 4 4 that the ,congress will not make or alter any ,regulation in this ,state respecting the times places and manner of holding ,elections for ,senators or ,representatives unless the ,legislature of this ,state shall neglect or refuse to make laws or regulations for the purpose1 or from any circumstance be incapable of making the same1 and that in those cases such power will only be exercised until the ,legislature of this ,state shall make provision in the ,premises72 ,ratification of the ,constitution by the ,state of ,north ,carolina 7,nov4 #ba1 #aghi7 7,that ,congress shall not alter1 modify1 or interfere in the times1 places1 or manner of holding elections for senators and representatives1 or either of them1 except when the legislature of any state shall neglect1 refuse or be disabled by invasion or rebellion1 to prescribe the same472 ,ratification of the ,constitution by the ,state of ,rhode ,island 7,may #bi1 #agij7 7,under these impressions1 and declaring1 that the rights aforesaid cannot be abridged or violated1 and that the explanations aforesaid1 are consistent with the said constitution1 and in confidence that the amendments hereafter mentioned1 will receive an early and mature consideration1 and conformably to the fifth article of said constitution1 speedily become a part thereof2 ,we the said delegates1 in the name1 and in sic the behalf of the ,people1 of the ,state of ,rhode-,island and ,providence-,plantations1 do by these ,presents1 assent to1 and ratify the said ,constitution4 ,in full confidence 4 4 4 ,that the ,congress will not make or alter any regulation in this ,state1 respecting the times1 places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives1 unless the legislature of this state shall neglect1 or refuse to make laws or regulations for the purpose1 or from any circumstance be incapable of making the same2 and that in those cases1 such power will only be exercised1 until the legislature of this ,state shall make provision in the ,premises474 7#h7 ,congress finds that the ,framers designed and the ratifying ,states understood the ,elections ,clause to serve solely as a protective backstop to ensure the preservation of the ,federal ,government1 not as a font of limitless power for ,congress to wrest control of ,federal elections from the ,states4 7#i7 ,this understanding was also reinforced by debate during the first ,congress that convened under the ,constitution where ,representative ,aedanus ,burke proposed a constitutional amendment to limit the ,times1 ,places and ,manner ,clause to emergencies4 ,although the amendment failed1 those on both sides of the ,burke amendment debate already understood the ,elections ,clause to limit ,federal elections power to emergencies4 7#aj7 ,history clearly shows that even in the first ,congress that convened under the ,constitution1 it was acknowledged and understood through the debates that ensued over the ,elections ,clause provision that ,congress' control over elections is limited4 7#aa7 ,similarly1 proponent ,representative ,smith of ,south ,carolina also believed the original text of the ,elections ,clause already limited the ,federal ,government's power over ,federal elections to emergencies and so thought there would be no harm in supporting an amendment to make that language express4 ,annals of ,congress #hja 7#aghi7 ,joseph ,gales ,edition4 ,a ,century of ,lawmaking for a ,new ,nation3 ,u4,s4 ,congressional ,documents and ,debates1 #aggd - #ahge 7loc4gov74 ,so1 even the records of the ,first ,congress reflect a recognition of the emergency nature of congressional power over ,federal elections4 7#ab7 ,similarly1 the ,supreme ,court has supported this understanding4 ,in ,smiley v4 ,holm1 the ,court held that ,article #a1 ,section #d of the ,constitution reserved to the ,states the primary 444authority to provide a complete code for congressional elections1 not only as to times and places1 but in relation to notices1 registration1 supervision of voting1 protection of voters1 prevention of fraud and corrupt practices1 counting of votes1 duties of inspectors and canvassers1 and making and publication of election returns2 in short1 to enact the numerous requirements as to procedure and safeguards which experience shows are necessary in order to enforce the fundamental right involved4 ,and these requirements would be nugatory if they did not have appropriate sanctions in the definition of offenses and punishments4 ,all this is comprised in the subject of times1 places and manner of holding elections1 and involves lawmaking in its essential features and most important aspect44 ,smiley v4 ,holm1 #bhe ,u4,s4 #cee1 #cff 7#aicb74 7#ac7 ,this holding is consistent with the understanding of the ,elections ,clause since the framing of the ,constitution4 ,the ,smiley ,court also held that while ,congress maintains the authority to 444supplement these state regulations or to substitute its own1 such authority remains merely a general supervisory power over the whole subject44 ,id4 7#ad7 ,more recently1 the ,court noted in ,arizona v4 ,inter-,tribal ,council of ,ariz41 ,inc4 that this grant of congressional power that is1 the fail-safe provision in the ,elections ,clause was the ,framers' insurance against the possibility that a ,state would refuse to provide for the election of representatives to the ,federal ,congress44 ,arizona v4 ,inter-,tribal ,council of ,arizona1 ,inc41 #egj ,u4,s4 #a1 #g-i 7#bjac74 ,the ,court explained that the ,elections ,clause 444imposes upon the ,states the duty444to prescribe the time1 place1 and manner of electing ,representatives and ,senators44 ,id4 at #h4 ,and1 while1 as the ,court noted1 the power of ,congress over the ,times1 ,places1 and ,manner of congressional elections is paramount1 and may be exercised at any time1 and to any extent which it deems expedient2 and so far as it is exercised1 and no farther1 the regulations effected supersede those of the ,state which are inconsistent therewith1 id4 at #i1 the ,inter-,tribal ,court explained1 quoting extensively from the ,federalist no4 #ei1 that it was clear that the congressional fail-safe included in the ,elections ,clause was intended for the sorts of governmental self-preservation discussed here3 ,every government ought to contain in itself the means of its own preservation42 ,an exclusive power of regulating elections for the national government1 in the hands of the ,state legislatures1 would leave the existence of the ,union entirely at their mercy4 ,they could at any moment annihilate it by neglecting to provide for the choice of persons to administer its affairs44 ,id4 at #h4 7#ae7 ,it is clear in every respect that the congressional fail-safe described in the ,elections ,clause vests purely secondary authority over ,federal elections in the ,federal legislative branch and that the primary authority rests with the ,states4 ,congressional authority is intended to be1 and as a matter of constitutional fact is1 limited to addressing the worst imaginable issues1 such as invasion or other matters that might lead to a ,state not electing representatives to constitute the two ,houses of ,congress4 ,congress' authority has never extended to the day-to-day authority over the ,times1 ,places and ,manner of ,holding ,elections that the ,constitution clearly reserves to the ,states4 7#af7 ,congress must act within the bounds of its constitutional authority when enacting legislation concerning the administration of our nation's elections4 ,b ,voluntary ,considerations for ,state ,administration of ,federal ,elections #aaa4 ,short title ,this subtitle may be cited as the ,voluntarily ,offered ,tools for ,election ,reforms by ,states ,act or the ,,voters ,act4 #aab4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states ,constitution reserves to the ,states the primary duty and authority to establish election law and to administer ,federal elections4 ,see article ,i1 section #d1 clause #a of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,under ,america's decentralized election system1 there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to how elections are administered4 7#c7 ,each ,state should be afforded the flexibility to implement election administration processes and procedures that are most beneficial in meeting the needs of its voters and ensuring that its elections are free1 fair1 and secure4 7#d7 ,the ,federal ,government is in a position to provide ,states with voluntary tools to improve election integrity and voter confidence1 as well to remove ,federal impediments that hinder ,state efforts4 7#e7 ,the ,election ,assistance ,commission 7,,eac7 was established to assist ,states in the administration of ,federal elections4 ,one of its core missions is to serve as a clearinghouse for election administration information and to provide a forum for ,states to discuss and exchange ideas on issues related to the administration of ,federal elections1 including practices1 processes1 and procedures4 7#f7 ,the ,,eac's ,standards ,board and ,local ,leadership ,council are advisory boards with ,state and local election official membership from all fifty ,states and territories and are best suited to develop voluntary considerations for various election administration practices1 processes1 and procedures4 #aac4 ,election integrity voluntary considerations and ,federal forum for ,state information sharing 7a7 ,in general ,subtitle ,c of title ,,ii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjiha et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating section #bdg as section #bdh2 and 7#b7 by inserting after section #bdf the following new section3 #bdg4 ,release of voluntary considerations by ,standards ,board and ,local ,leadership ,council with respect to election administration 7a7 ,in general ,the ,standards ,board and the ,local ,leadership ,council of the ,commission shall draw from experiences in their home jurisdictions and information voluntarily provided by and between ,states and their political subdivisions on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of election administration policies and release voluntary considerations with respect to the administration of an election for ,federal office4 7b7 ,matters to consider ,in releasing the voluntary considerations under subsection 7a71 the ,standards ,board and the ,local ,leadership ,council shall examine and consolidate information provided by ,states and release considerations with respect to each of the following categories3 7#a7 ,the process for the administration of ballots delivered by mail1 including-- 7,a7 deadlines for the return and receipt of such ballots to the appropriate election official2 7,b7 the design of such ballots1 including the envelopes used to deliver the ballots2 7,c7 the process for requesting and tracking the return of such ballots2 7,d7 the processing of such ballots upon receipt by the appropriate election official1 including the schedule for counting the ballots and the reporting of the unofficial results of such counting2 and 7,e7 voter identity verification procedures1 including signature matching or verification4 7#b7 ,the signature verification procedures used to verify the identity of voters in an election1 which shall include an evaluation of human and machine methods of signature verification1 an assessment of the training provided to individuals tasked to carry out such verification procedures1 and the proposal of other less subjective methods of confirming the identity of a voter such as requiring the identification number of a valid government-issued photo identification or the last four digits of the voter's social security number to be provided along with the voter's signature4 7#c7 ,the processes used to carry out maintenance of the official list of persons registered to vote in each ,state4 7#d7 ,rules and requirements with respect to the access provided to election observers4 7#e7 ,the processes used to ensure the timely and accurate reporting of the unofficial results of ballot counting in each polling place in a ,state and the reporting of the unofficial results of such counting4 7#f7 ,the methods used to recruit poll workers and designate the location of polling places during a pandemic1 natural disaster1 or other emergency4 7#g7 ,the education of the public with respect to the certification and testing of voting machines and related nonvoting election technology 7as defined in section #bih;,c of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb7 prior to the use of such machines and technology in an election for ,federal office1 including education with respect to-- 7,a7 how such machines and technology are tested for accuracy1 logic1 and security2 and 7,b7 the connectivity to the public internet of such machines and technology4 7#h7 ,the processes and procedures used to carry out a post-election audit4 7#i7 ,the processes and procedures used to ensure a secure chain of custody with respect to ballots and election equipment4 7#aj7 ,public education1 access1 and citizen oversight and input with respect to the certification and testing of voter machines prior to ,federal elections4 7#aa7 ,the conduct of independent post-election audits4 7#ab7 ,transparency in the election and voting process4 7#ac7 ,accountability measures to ensure compliance by election administrators with applicable law4 7c7 ,release of voluntary considerations 7#a7 ,deadline for release ,not later than #ab months after the date of the enactment of the ,american ,confidence in ,elections ,act1 the ,standards ,board shall release voluntary considerations with respect to each of the categories described in subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,transmission and notification requirements ,not later than #ae days after the date the ,standards ,board releases voluntary considerations with respect to a category described in subsection 7b71 the ,commission shall-- 7,a7 transmit the considerations to the chief ,state election official of each ,state and the elected leadership of the legislature of each ,state1 including the elected leadership of any committee of the legislature of a ,state with jurisdiction with respect to elections2 7,b7 make the considerations available on a publicly accessible ,government website2 and 7,c7 notify and transmit the considerations to the chair and ranking minority member of the ,committee on ,house ,administration of the ,house of ,representatives1 the chair and ranking minority member of the ,committee on ,rules and ,administration of the ,senate or their successor committees1 and the chairs and ranking minority members of other relevant committees of ,congress4 7d7 ,use of requirements payments for implementation of voluntary considerations ,a ,state may use a requirements payment provided under this ,act or any other ,federal funds made available to the ,state by the ,commission for the purposes of election administration to implement any of the voluntary considerations released under subsection 7a74 7e7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this section may be construed-- 7#a7 to require compliance with the voluntary considerations released under subsection 7a71 including as a condition of the receipt of ,federal funds2 or 7#b7 to treat the lack of compliance with such considerations as a violation of the ,voting ,rights ,act of #aife or the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd or to treat compliance with such considerations as a defense against an alleged violation of either such ,act4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating the item relating to section #bdg as relating to section #bdh2 and 7#b7 by inserting after the item relating to section #bdf the following new item3 ,sec4 #bdg4 ,release of voluntary considerations by ,standards ,board and ,local ,leadership ,council with respect to election administration4 4 ,c ,requirements to ,promote ,integrity in ,election ,administration #aba4 ,ensuring only eligible ,american citizens may participate in ,federal elections 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,non-,citizens3 ,outlawed from ,voting in ,our ,trusted ,elections ,act of #bjbc or the ,,no ,,vote for ,non-,citizens ,act of #bjbc4 7b7 ,findings2 ,sense of ,congress 7#a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7,a7 ,every eligible ,american citizen who wishes to cast a ballot in a ,federal election must be permitted to do so according to law1 and their ballot must be examined according to law1 and1 if it meets all lawful requirements1 counted4 7,b7 ,congress has long required ,states to lists of eligible voters in ,federal elections in a manner that promotes voter confidence4 7,c7 ,the changes included herein are not intended to be an expansion of ,federal power but rather a clarification of ,state authority4 7,d7 ,the ,fifteenth ,amendment1 the ,nineteenth ,amendment1 the ,twenty-,fourth ,amendment1 and the ,twenty-,sixth ,amendment1 among other references1 make clear that the ,constitution prohibits voting by non-citizens in ,federal elections4 7,e7 ,congress has the constitutional authority1 including under the aforementioned amendments1 to pass statutes preventing non-citizens from voting in ,federal elections1 and did so with the ,illegal ,immigration ,reform and ,immigrant ,responsibility ,act of #aiif4 7,f7 ,congress may further exercise its constitutional authority to ensure the ,constitution's prohibition on non-citizen voting in ,federal elections is upheld4 7,g7 ,since the ,constitution prohibits non-citizens from voting in ,federal elections1 such ineligible persons must not be permitted to be placed on lists of eligible voters in ,federal elections4 7,h7 ,improper placement of an ineligible non-citizen on a list of eligible voters in ,federal elections leads to-- 7i7 confusion on the part of the ineligible person with respect to their ineligibility to cast a ballot2 and 7ii7 an increased likelihood that human error will permit ineligible persons to cast ballots in ,federal elections4 7,i7 ,state officials have confirmed that poorly maintained voter registration lists lead to ineligible persons casting ballots in ,federal elections4 7,j7 ,a former ,broward ,county1 ,florida1 elections supervisor has confirmed that ineligible non-voters were able to cast ballots in previous elections and that she was not able to locate as many as #b1jdj ballots during the #bjah midterm recount4 7,k7 ,this clarification of ,state authority to maintain lists of eligible voters in ,federal elections to ensure non-citizens are not included on such lists will promote voter confidence in election processes and outcomes4 7,l7 ,congress has the authority to ensure that no ,federal elections funding is used to support ,states that permit non-citizens to cast ballots in any election4 7,m7 ,federal courts and executive agencies have much of the information ,states may need to maintain their lists of eligible voters in ,federal elections1 and those entities should make that information accessible to ,state election authorities4 7,n7 ,it is important to clarify the penalty for any violation of law that allows a non-citizen to cast a ballot in a ,federal election4 7,o7 ,to protect the confidence of voters in ,federal elections1 it is important to implement the policy described herein4 7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7,a7 many ,states have not adequately met the requirements concerning the removal of ineligible persons from ,state voter registration rolls pursuant to section #h of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7 and should strive to audit and update their voter registration rolls on a routine basis2 7,b7 allowing non-citizens to cast ballots in ,american elections weakens our electoral system1 directly and indirectly impacts ,federal policy and funding decisions and candidate choice through the election of ,state and local officials1 dilutes the value of citizenship1 and sows distrust in our elections system2 7,c7 even if a ,state has the sovereign authority1 no ,state should permit non-citizens to cast ballots in ,state or local elections2 7,d7 ,states should use all information available to them to maintain ,federal voter registration lists and should inform ,congress if such data is insufficient2 and 7,e7 ,congress may take further action in the future to address this problem4 7c7 ,clarifying authority of ,states to remove noncitizens from voting rolls 7#a7 ,authority under regular removal programs ,section #h7;a77#d7 of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7;a77#d77 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking or at the end of subparagraph 7,a72 7,b7 by redesignating subparagraph 7,b7 as subparagraph 7,c72 and 7,c7 by inserting after subparagraph 7,a7 the following new subparagraph3 7,b7 the registrant's status as a noncitizen of the ,united ,states2 or 4 7#b7 ,conforming amendment relating to ongoing removal ,section #h7;c77#b77;,b77i7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7;c77#b77;,b77i77 is amended by striking 7#d77;,a7 and inserting 7#d77;,a7 or 7,b74 7d7 ,requirement to maintain separate ,state voter registration list for noncitizens ,section #h7;a7 of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#e77;,b71 by striking and at the end2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#f71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#g7 in the case of a ,state that allows individuals who are not citizens of the ,united ,states to vote in elections for public office in the ,state or any local jurisdiction of the ,state1 ensure that the name of any registrant who is not a citizen of the ,united ,states is maintained on a voter registration list that is separate from the official list of eligible voters with respect to registrants who are citizens of the ,united ,states4 4 7e7 ,requirements for ballots for ,state or local jurisdictions that allow noncitizen voting ,section #cja7;a77#a7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajha7;a77#a77 is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,d7 ,in the case of a ,state or local jurisdiction that allows individuals who are not citizens of the ,united ,states to vote in elections for public office in the ,state or local jurisdiction1 the ballot used for the casting of votes by a noncitizen in such ,state or local jurisdiction may only include the candidates for the elections for public office in the ,state or local jurisdiction for which the noncitizen is permitted to vote4 4 7f7 ,reduction in payments for election administration to ,states or local jurisdictions that allow noncitizen voting 7#a7 ,in general ,title ,,ix of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baada et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #ijg4 ,reduction in payments to ,states or local jurisdictions that allow noncitizen voting 7a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of this ,act1 the amount of a payment under this ,act to any ,state or local jurisdiction that allows individuals who are not citizens of the ,united ,states to vote in elections for public office in the ,state or local jurisdiction shall be reduced by #cj percent4 7b7 ,prohibition on use of funds for certain election administration activities ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 no ,federal funds may be used to implement the requirements of section #h7;a77#g7 of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7;a77#g77 7as added by section #aba7;d7 of the ,american ,confidence in ,elections ,act7 or section #cja7;a77#a77;,d7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajha7;a77#a77;,d77 7as added by section #aba7;e7 of the ,american ,confidence in ,elections ,act7 in a ,state or local jurisdiction that allows individuals who are not citizens of the ,united ,states to vote in elections for public office in the ,state or local jurisdiction4 4 7#b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act is amended by adding at the end the following new item3 ,sec4 #ijg4 ,reduction in payments to ,states or local jurisdictions that allow noncitizen voting4 4 7g7 ,promoting provision of information by ,federal entities 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,requirement ,each entity of the ,federal ,government which maintains information which is relevant to the status of an individual as a registered voter in elections for ,federal office in a ,state shall1 upon the request of an election official of the ,state1 provide that information to the election official4 7,b7 ,prohibiting fees ,the head of an entity described in subparagraph 7,a7 may not charge a fee for responding to an election official's request under such subparagraph4 7#b7 ,policies and procedures ,consistent with section #cejf7;g7 of title #dd1 ,united ,states ,code1 an entity of the ,federal ,government shall carry out this subsection in accordance with policies and procedures which will ensure that the information is provided securely1 accurately1 and in a timely basis4 7#c7 ,conforming amendment relating to coverage under ,privacy ,act ,section #eeb;a7b7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking or at the end of paragraph 7#aa72 7,b7 by striking the period at the end of paragraph 7#ab7 and inserting 2 or2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#ac7 to an election official of a ,state in accordance with section #aba7;h7 of the ,american ,confidence in ,elections ,act4 4 7h7 ,ensuring provision of information to ,state election officials on individuals recused from jury service on grounds of noncitizenship 7#a7 ,requirement described ,if a ,united ,states district court recuses an individual from serving on a jury on the grounds that the individual is not a citizen of the ,united ,states1 the court shall transmit a notice of the individual's recusal-- 7,a7 to the chief ,state election official of the ,state in which the individual resides2 and 7,b7 to the ,attorney ,general of the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,definitions ,for purposes of this subsection-- 7,a7 the chief ,state election official of a ,state is the individual designated by the ,state under section #aj of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeji7 to be responsible for coordination of the ,state's responsibilities under such ,act2 and 7,b7 the term ,state has the meaning given such term in section #ija of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baada71 as amended by section #ach4 7i7 ,prohibition on voting by noncitizens in ,federal elections 7#a7 ,in general ,section #ab of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeaa7 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking ,a person and inserting 7a7 ,in general4--,a person2 and 7,b7 by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7b7 ,prohibition on voting by aliens 7#a7 ,in general ,it shall be unlawful for any alien to vote in any election in violation of section #faa of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,penalties ,any person who violates this subsection shall be fined under title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 imprisoned not more than #a year1 or both4 4 7#b7 ,effective date ,this subsection and the amendments made by this subsection shall apply with respect to elections held after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #abb4 ,state reporting requirements with respect to voter list maintenance ,section #h of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7i71 by adding at the end the following3 7#c7 ,the records maintained pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 shall include lists of the names and addresses of all registrants in a ,state who were inactive according to the criteria described in subsection 7d77#a77;,b7 and the length of time each such registrant has been inactive according to such criteria4 7#d7 ,nothing in this subsection may be construed to waive the requirement that a ,state make the records maintained pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 publically available1 without regard to whether or not the records are maintained in whole or in part1 or were provided to the ,state or a political subdivision of the ,state1 by a nongovernmental organization or other private entity4 2 7#b7 by redesignating subsection 7j7 as subsection 7k72 and 7#c7 by inserting after subsection 7i7 the following new subsection3 7j7 ,reporting requirements ,not later than ,june #cj of each odd-numbered year1 each ,state shall submit to the ,election ,assistance ,commission a report that includes1 with respect to such ,state during the preceding #b-year period1 the total number of-- 7#a7 registrants who were inactive according to the criteria described in subsection 7d77#a77;,b7 and the length of time each such registrant has been inactive according to such criteria2 7#b7 registrants who voted in at least one of the prior #b consecutive general elections for ,federal office2 7#c7 registrants removed from the list of official voters in the ,state pursuant to subsection 7d77#a77;,b72 7#d7 notices sent to registrants pursuant to subsection 7d77#b72 and 7#e7 registrants who received a notice described in paragraph 7#d7 who responded to such notice4 4 #abc4 ,contents of ,state mail voter registration form 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,state ,instruction ,inclusion ,act4 7b7 ,in general ,section #f7;a7 of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeje7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by inserting 1 except that a ,state may1 in addition to the criteria stated in section #i7;b71 require that an applicant provide proof that the applicant is a citizen of the ,united ,states after elections for ,federal office2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by inserting and such form may include a requirement that the applicant provide proof that the applicant is a citizen of the ,united ,states after elections for ,federal office4 #abd4 ,provision of photographic citizen voter identification tools for ,state use 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,citizen ,vote ,protection ,act4 7b7 ,findings2 ,sense of ,congress 7#a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7,a7 ,photo voter identification programs established by the ,states should be administered without unlawful discrimination and with an eye toward balancing appropriate access to the ballot box with election integrity and voter confidence goals4 7,b7 ,as confirmed by the bipartisan ,commission on ,federal ,election ,reform 7commonly known as the ,carter-,baker ,commission71 voters in nearly #ajj democracies use a photo identification card without fear of infringement of their rights4 7,c7 ,as confirmed by the ,carter-,baker ,commission1 8the right to vote is a vital component of ,u4,s4 citizenship and all ,states should use their best efforts to obtain proof of citizenship before registering voters404 7,d7 ,the ,carter-,baker ,commission was correct in its #bjje report when it recommended that the ,,real ,,id ,act be modestly adapted for voting purposes to indicate on the front or back whether the individual is a ,u4,s4 citizen44 7,e7 ,congress acknowledges the important work completed by the ,carter-,baker ,commission and1 by amending the ,,real ,,id ,act1 resolves the concerns in the ,commission's report that the ,,real ,,id ,act does not require that the card indicates citizenship1 but that would need to be done if the card is to be used for voting purposes4 7,f7 ,photographic voter identification is important for ensuring voter confidence in election processes and outcomes4 7,g7 ,requiring photographic voter identification is well within ,states' constitutional competence1 including pursuant to the ,qualifications ,clause of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states 7article ,i1 section #b1 clause #b71 the ,presidential ,electors ,clause of the ,constitution 7article ,,ii1 section #a1 clause #b71 and the ,seventeenth ,amendment4 7,h7 ,the ,fifteenth ,amendment1 the ,nineteenth ,amendment1 the ,twenty-,fourth ,amendment1 and the ,twenty-,sixth ,amendment1 among other references1 make clear that the ,constitution prohibits voting by non-citizens in ,federal elections4 7,i7 ,congress has the constitutional authority1 including under the aforementioned amendments1 to pass statutes preventing non-citizens from voting in ,federal elections1 and did so with the ,illegal ,immigration ,reform and ,immigrant ,responsibility ,act of #aiif4 7,j7 ,congress may further exercise its constitutional authority to ensure the ,constitution's prohibition on non-citizen voting in ,federal elections is upheld4 7#b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7,a7 the ,states should implement the substance of the recommendation of the ,carter-,baker ,commission that1 to ensure that persons presenting themselves at the polling place are the ones on the registration list1 the ,commission recommends that ,states encourage voters to use the ,,real ,,id card1 which was mandated in a law signed by the ,president in ,may #bjje2 and 7,b7 a standard ,state photo identification document1 when required for voting purposes1 should be available at no cost to individuals who cannot afford the cost of obtaining such document4 7c7 ,,real ,,id ,act ,amendment 7#a7 ,amendment ,section #bjb7;b7 of the ,real ,,id ,act of #bjje 7#di ,u4,s4,c4 #cjcja note7 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#aj7 ,if the person is a citizen of the ,united ,states1 an indication of that citizenship1 except that no other information may be included with respect to the immigration status of the person4 4 7#b7 ,applicability ,the amendment made by this subsection shall be effective ,january #a1 #bjbf1 and shall apply with respect to any driver's license or identification card issued by a ,state on and after such date4 7d7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this section or in any amendment made by this section may be construed to establish or mandate the use of a national identification card or to authorize any office of the executive branch to establish or mandate the use of a national identification card4 #abe4 ,mandatory provision of identification for certain voters not voting in person 7a7 ,requiring voters to provide identification ,title ,,iii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajha et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating sections #cjd and #cje as sections #cje and #cjf2 and 7#b7 by inserting after section #cjc the following new section3 #cjd4 ,mandatory provision of identification for certain voters who vote by mail 7a7 ,finding of ,constitutional authority ,congress finds that it has the authority to establish the terms and conditions that ,states must follow with respect to the administration of voting by mail because article ,i1 section #h1 clause #g of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states and other enumerated powers grant ,congress the power to regulate the operations of the ,united ,states ,postal ,service4 7b7 ,requiring provision of identification to receive a ballot or vote in certain cases 7#a7 ,individuals requesting a ballot to vote by mail ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 the appropriate ,state or local election official may not provide an individual a ballot to vote by mail for an election for ,federal office in a case in which the individual requested such ballot other than in person from the appropriate ,state or local election official of the ,state at a ,state-designated elections office unless the individual submits with the application for the ballot a copy of an identification described in paragraph 7#c74 7#b7 ,individuals voting by mail in certain cases 7,a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 in a case in which the appropriate ,state or local election official provides an individual a ballot to vote by mail for an election for ,federal office without requiring such individual to submit a separate application or request to receive such ballot for each such election1 the election official may not accept the voted ballot unless the individual submits with the voted ballot a copy of an identification described in paragraph 7#c74 7,b7 ,fail-safe voting ,an individual who desires to vote other than in person but who does not meet the requirements of subparagraph 7,a7 may cast such a ballot other than in person and the ballot shall be counted as a provisional ballot in accordance with section #cjb7;a74 7#c7 ,identification described ,an identification described in this paragraph is1 with respect to an individual-- 7,a7 a current and valid photo identification of the individual2 7,b7 a copy of a current utility bill1 bank statement1 government check1 paycheck1 or other government document that shows the name and address of the individual2 7,c7 a valid driver's license or an identification card issued by a ,state or the identification number for such driver's license or identification card issued by a ,state2 7,d7 the last #d digits of the individual's social security number2 or 7,e7 such other documentation issued by the ,federal ,government or by a ,state1 local1 or ,tribal government that provides the same or more identifying information as required by subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,d7 such that the election official is reasonably certain as to the identity of the individual4 7c7 ,exceptions ,this section does not apply with respect to any individual who is-- 7#a7 entitled to vote by absentee ballot under the ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcja et seq472 7#b7 provided the right to vote otherwise than in person under section #c7;b77#b77;,b77ii7 of the ,voting ,accessibility for the ,elderly and ,handicapped ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjajb7;b77#b77;,b77ii772 or 7#c7 entitled to vote otherwise than in person under any other ,federal law4 7d7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this section may be construed-- 7#a7 as prohibiting a ,state from imposing identification requirements to request a ballot to vote by mail or cast a vote by mail that are more stringent than the requirements under this section2 or 7#b7 as affecting the authority of a ,state to require notarization or witness signature or other formal authentication as a condition of obtaining or casting an absentee ballot4 7e7 ,effective date ,this section shall take effect on ,january #a1 #bjbe4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendments relating to existing identification requirements 7#a7 ,treatment as individuals registering to vote by mail for purposes of first-time voter identification requirements ,section #cjc7;b77#a77;,a7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajhc7;b77#a77;,a77 is amended by striking by mail and inserting by mail or otherwise not in person at an elections office or voter registration agency of the ,state4 7#b7 ,exceptions ,section #cjc7;b77#c7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajhc7;b77#c77 is amended-- 7,a7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking by mail under section #f of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aigc;gg-#d7 and inserting by mail under section #f of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeje7 or otherwise not in person at a voter registration agency of the ,state2 and 7,b7 in subparagraph 7,b77i71 by striking by mail under section #f of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aigc;gg-#d7 and inserting by mail under section #f of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeje7 or otherwise not in person at a voter registration agency of the ,state4 7#c7 ,expansion of types of identification permitted ,section #cjc7;b77#b77;,a7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajhc7;b77#b77;,a77 is amended-- 7,a7 in clause 7i7-- 7i7 in subclause 7,i71 by striking or at the end2 and 7ii7 by adding at the end the following new subclause3 7,,iii7 such other documentation issued by a ,federal1 ,state1 or local government that provides the same or more identifying information as required by subclauses 7,i7 and 7,,ii7 such that the election official is reasonably certain as to the identity of the individual2 or 2 and 7,b7 in clause 7ii7-- 7i7 in subclause 7,i71 by striking or at the end2 7ii7 in subclause 7,,ii71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 or2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following new subclause3 7,,iii7 such other documentation issued by a ,federal1 ,state1 or local government that provides the same or more identifying information as required by subclauses 7,i7 and 7,,ii7 such that the election official is reasonably certain as to the identity of the individual4 4 7c7 ,conforming amendment relating to enforcement ,section #dja of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baaaa7 is amended by striking and #cjc and inserting #cjc1 and #cjd4 7d7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating the items relating to sections #cjd and #cje as relating to sections #cje and #cjf2 and 7#b7 by inserting after the item relating to section #cjc the following3 ,sec4 #cjd4 ,mandatory provision of identification for certain voters who vote by mail4 4 #abf4 ,confirming access for congressional election observers 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,confirmation of ,congressional ,observer ,access ,act of #bjbc or the ,,cocoa ,act of #bjbc4 7b7 ,findings relating to ,congressional election observers ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,constitution delegates to each ,house of the ,congress the authority to 8be the ,judge of the ,elections1 ,returns and ,qualifications of its own ,members04 7#b7 ,while1 in general1 ,congress shall respect the determination of ,state authorities with respect to the election of members to each ,house1 each ,house of ,congress serves as the final arbiter over any contest to the seating of any putative ,member-elect or ,senator-elect4 7#c7 ,these election contest procedures are contained in the precedents of each ,house of ,congress4 ,further1 for the ,house of ,representatives the procedures exist under the ,federal ,contested ,elections ,act4 7#d7 ,in the post-,civil ,war modern era1 more than #ajj election contests have been filed with the ,house of ,representatives4 7#e7 ,for decades1 ,congress has appointed and sent out official congressional observers to watch the administration of congressional elections in the ,states and territories4 7#f7 ,these observers serve to permit ,congress to develop its own factual record in preparation for eventual contests and for other reasons4 7#g7 ,this section and the amendments made by this section do not establish any new authorities or procedures but are provided simply to permit a convenient statutory reference for existing congressional authority and activity4 7c7 ,confirming requirement that ,states provide access ,title ,,iii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajha et seq471 as amended by section #abe7;a71 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating sections #cje and #cjf as sections #cjf and #cjg2 and 7#b7 by inserting after section #cjd the following new section3 #cje4 ,confirming access for congressional election observers 7a7 ,finding of ,constitutional authority ,congress finds that it has the authority to require that ,states allow access to designated congressional election observers to observe the election administration procedures in an election for ,federal office because the authority granted to ,congress under article ,i1 section #e of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states gives each ,house of ,congress the power to be the judge of the elections1 returns and qualifications of its own ,members4 7b7 ,requiring ,states to provide access ,a ,state shall provide each individual who is a designated congressional election observer for an election with full access to clearly observe all of the elements of the administration procedures with respect to such election1 including but not limited to in all areas of polling places and other facilities where ballots in the election are processed1 tabulated1 cast1 canvassed1 and certified1 in all areas where voter registration activities occur before such election1 and in any other such place where election administration procedures to prepare for the election or carry out any post-election recounts take place4 ,no designated ,congressional election observer may handle ballots1 elections equipment 7voting or non voting71 advocate for a position or candidate1 take any action to reduce ballot secrecy or otherwise violate the privacy of a voter1 or otherwise interfere with the elections administration process4 7c7 ,designated congressional election observer described ,in this section1 a designated congressional election observer is an individual who is designated in writing by the chair or ranking minority member of the ,committee on ,house ,administration of the ,house of ,representatives or the ,committee on ,rules and ,administration of the ,senate1 or the successor committee in either ,house of ,congress to gather information with respect to an election1 including in the event that the election is contested in the ,house of ,representatives or the ,senate and for other purposes permitted by article #a1 section #e of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 4 7d7 ,conforming amendment relating to enforcement ,section #dja of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baaaa71 as amended by section #abe7;c71 is amended by striking and #cjd and inserting #cjd1 and #cje4 7e7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act1 as amended by section #abe7;d71 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating the items relating to sections #cje and #cjf as relating to sections #cjf and #cjg2 and 7#b7 by inserting after the item relating to section #cjd the following3 ,sec4 #cje4 ,confirming access for congressional election observers4 4 #abg4 ,use of requirements payments for post-election audits 7a7 ,permitting use of payments for audits ,section #bea7;b77#a7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajja7;b77#a77 is amended by inserting 1 including to conduct and publish an audit of the effectiveness and accuracy of the voting systems1 nonvoting election technology 7as defined in section #bih;,c71 election procedures1 and outcomes used to carry out an election for ,federal office in the ,state and the performance of the ,state and local election officials who carried out the election1 but only if the audit meets the requirements of paragraph 7#d7 after requirements of title ,,iii4 7b7 ,requirements for audits ,section #bea7;b7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajja7;b77 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#d7 ,requirements for audits conducted with requirements payments ,an audit described in paragraph 7#a7 meets the requirements of this paragraph if-- 7,a7 no individual who participates in conducting the audit is an employee or contractor of an office of the ,state or local government which is responsible for the administration of elections for ,federal office or of a subsidiary or affiliate of such an office2 and 7,b7 the audit includes an examination of compliance with established processes for voter registration1 voter check-in1 voting1 tabulation1 canvassing1 post-election proceedings 7such as recounts and recanvasses71 and reporting of results4 4 7c7 ,sense of ,congress regarding timing of audits ,it is the sense of ,congress that post-election audits of the effectiveness and accuracy of the voting systems1 election procedures1 and outcomes used to carry out an election for ,federal office in a ,state and the performance of the ,state and local election officials who carried out the election are most effective when the audits are completed before the expiration of the period during which persons are authorized under ,state law to challenge the results of the election4 #abh4 ,increase in threshold for requiring information reporting with respect to certain payees 7a7 ,in general ,sections #fjda7;a7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended by striking #fjj and inserting #e1jjj4 7b7 ,inflation adjustment ,section #fjda of such ,code is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7h7 ,inflation adjustment ,in the case of any calendar year after #bjbd1 the dollar amount in subsection 7a7 shall be increased by an amount equal to-- 7#a7 such dollar amount1 multiplied by 7#b7 the cost-of-living adjustment determined under section #a7;f77#c7 for such calendar year1 determined by substituting calendar year #bjbc for calendar year #bjaf in subparagraph 7,a77ii7 thereof4 ,if any increase under the preceding sentence is not a multiple of #ajj1 such increase shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of #ajj4 4 7c7 ,application to reporting on remuneration for services and direct sales ,section #fjda;,a of such ,code is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a77#b71 by striking is #fjj or more and inserting equals or exceeds the dollar amount in effect for such calendar year under section #fjda7;a71 and 7#b7 in subsection 7b77#a77;,b71 by striking is #e1jjj or more and inserting equals or exceeds the dollar amount in effect for such calendar year under section #fjda7;a74 7d7 ,application to backup withholding ,section #cdjf7;b77#f7 of such ,code is amended-- 7#a7 by striking #fjj in subparagraph 7,a7 and inserting the dollar amount in effect for such calendar year under section #fjda7;a71 and 7#b7 by striking only where aggregate for calendar year is #fjj or more in the heading and inserting only if in excess of threshold4 7e7 ,conforming amendments 7#a7 ,the heading of section #fjda7;a7 of such ,code is amended by striking of #fjj or more and inserting exceeding threshold4 7#b7 ,section #fjda7;a7 of such ,code is amended by striking taxable year and inserting calendar year4 7f7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to payments made after ,december #ca1 #bjbc4 #abi4 ,voluntary guidelines with respect to nonvoting election technology 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,protect ,american ,voters ,act4 7b7 ,adoption of voluntary guidelines by ,election ,assistance ,commission 7#a7 ,adoption of guidelines ,title ,,ii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjiba et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new subtitle3 ,e ,voluntary ,guidelines for ,use of ,nonvoting ,election ,technology #bih4 ,adoption of voluntary guidelines by ,commission 7a7 ,adoption ,the ,commission shall adopt voluntary guidelines for election officials on the use of nonvoting election technology1 taking into account the recommendations of the ,standards ,board and the ,local ,leadership ,council of the ,commission under section #bih;,a4 7b7 ,review ,the ,commission shall review the guidelines adopted under this subtitle not less frequently than once every #d years1 and may adopt revisions to the guidelines as it considers appropriate4 7c7 ,process for adoption ,the adoption of the voluntary guidelines under this subtitle shall be carried out by the ,commission in a manner that provides for each of the following3 7#a7 ,publication of notice of the proposed guidelines in the ,federal ,register4 7#b7 ,an opportunity for public comment on the proposed guidelines4 7#c7 ,an opportunity for a public hearing on the record4 7#d7 ,publication of the final recommendations in the ,federal ,register4 7d7 ,deadline for initial set of guidelines ,the ,commission shall adopt the initial set of voluntary guidelines under this section not later than ,december #ca1 #bjbe4 #bih;,a4 ,role of ,standards ,board and ,local ,leadership ,council 7a7 ,duties ,the ,standards ,board and the ,local ,leadership ,council of the ,commission shall assist the ,commission in the adoption of voluntary guidelines under section #bih1 including by providing the ,commission with recommendations on appropriate standards for the use of nonvoting election technology1 including standards to ensure the security and accuracy1 and promote the usability1 of such technology1 and by conducting a review of existing ,state programs with respect to the testing of nonvoting election technology4 7b7 ,sources of assistance 7#a7 ,certain members of ,technical ,guidelines ,development ,committee ,the following members of the ,technical ,guidelines ,development ,committee under section #bba shall assist the ,standards ,board and the ,local ,leadership ,council in carrying out their duties under this section3 7,a7 ,the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology4 7,b7 ,the representative of the ,american ,national ,standards ,institute4 7,c7 ,the representative of the ,institute of ,electrical and ,electronics ,engineers4 7,d7 ,the #d members of the ,technical ,guidelines ,development ,committee appointed under subsection 7c77#a77;,e7 of such section as the other individuals with technical and scientific expertise relating to voting systems and voting equipment4 7#b7 ,detailee from ,,cisa ,the ,executive ,board of the ,standards ,board may request the ,director of the ,cybersecurity and ,infrastructure ,security ,agency of the ,department of ,homeland ,security to provide a detailee to assist the ,standards ,board in carrying out its duties under this section1 so long as such detailee has no involvement in the drafting of any of the voluntary guidelines4 #bih;,b4 ,use of payments to obtain or upgrade technology ,a ,state may use funds provided under any law for activities to improve the administration of elections for ,federal office1 including to enhance election technology and make election security improvements1 to obtain nonvoting election technology which is in compliance with the voluntary guidelines adopted under section #bih or to upgrade nonvoting election technology so that the technology is in compliance with such guidelines1 and may1 notwithstanding any other provision of law1 use any unobligated grant funding provided to the ,state by the ,election ,assistance ,commission from amounts appropriated under the heading ,independent ,agencies--,election ,assistance ,commission--,election ,security ,grants in title ,v of division ,c of the ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjbj 7,public ,law #aaf-ic7 for the purposes of enhancing election technology and making election security improvements until ,december #ca1 #bjbd4 #bih;,c4 ,nonvoting election technology defined ,in this subtitle1 the term nonvoting election technology means technology used in the administration of elections for ,federal office which is not used directly in the casting1 counting1 tabulating1 or collecting of ballots or votes1 including each of the following3 7#a7 ,electronic pollbooks or other systems used to check in voters at a polling place or verify a voter's identification4 7#b7 ,election result reporting systems4 7#c7 ,electronic ballot delivery systems4 7#d7 ,online voter registration systems4 7#e7 ,polling place location search systems4 7#f7 ,sample ballot portals4 7#g7 ,signature systems4 7#h7 ,such other technology as may be recommended for treatment as nonvoting election technology as the ,standards ,board may recommend4 4 7#b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act is amended by adding at the end of the items relating to title ,,ii the following3 ,subtitle ,e--,voluntary ,guidelines for ,use of ,nonvoting ,election ,technology ,sec4 #bih4 ,adoption of voluntary guidelines by ,commission4 ,sec4 #bih;,a4 ,role of ,standards ,board and ,local ,leadership ,council4 ,sec4 #bih;,b4 ,use of payments to obtain or upgrade technology4,sec4 #bih;,c4 ,nonvoting election technology defined4 4 7c7 ,treatment of technology used in most recent election ,any nonvoting election technology1 as defined in section #bih;,c of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7as added by subsection 7a77#a771 which a ,state used in the most recent election for ,federal office held in the ,state prior to the date of the enactment of this ,act shall be deemed to be in compliance with the voluntary guidelines on the use of such technology which are adopted by the ,election ,assistance ,commission under section #bih of such ,act 7as added by subsection 7a77#a774 #acj4 ,status reports by ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology ,section #bca of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjiga7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7e7 ,status reports by ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology ,not later than #fj days after the end of each fiscal year 7beginning with #bjbe71 the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology shall submit to ,congress a status report describing-- 7#a7 the extent to which the ,director carried out the ,director's responsibilities under this ,act during the fiscal year1 including the responsibilities imposed under this section and the responsibilities imposed with respect to the ,technical ,guidelines ,development ,committee under section #bbb1 together with the ,director's best estimate of when the ,director will completely carry out any responsibility which was not carried out completely during the fiscal year2 and 7#b7 the extent to which the ,director carried out any projects requested by the ,commission during the fiscal year1 together with the ,director's best estimate of when the ,director will complete any such project which the ,director did not complete during the fiscal year4 4 #aca4 #eja7;c77#c7 organizations prohibited from providing direct or indirect funding for election administration 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,end ,zuckerbucks ,act of #bjbc4 7b7 ,in general ,section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended-- 7#a7 by striking and which does not participate and inserting which does not participate1 and 7#b7 by striking the period at the end and inserting and which does not provide direct funding to any ,state or unit of local government for the purpose of the administration of elections for public office or any funding to any ,state or unit of local government in a case in which it is reasonable to expect such funding will be used for the purpose of the administration of elections for public office 7except with respect to the donation of space to a ,state or unit of local government to be used as a polling place in an election for public office744 7c7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in the amendments made by subsection 7b7 shall be construed to prevent a house of worship1 community center1 or similar facility from serving as a polling place in an election for public office4 7d7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply to funding provided in taxable years beginning after ,december #ca1 #bjbe4 #acb4 ,federal agency involvement in voter registration activities 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,promoting ,free and ,fair ,elections ,act of #bjbc4 7b7 ,clarification of ,federal agency involvement in voter registration activities ,executive ,order #adjai 7#hf ,fed4 ,reg4 #acfbc2 relating to promoting access to voting7 shall have no force or effect1 and any contract or arrangement entered into by an agency to carry out activities pursuant to sections #c and #d of such ,executive ,order shall be abrogated4 7c7 ,agreements with nongovernmental organizations ,none of the funds made available for the salaries and expenses of an agency may be used to solicit or enter into an agreement with a nongovernmental organization to conduct voter registration or voter mobilization activities1 including registering voters or providing any person with voter registration materials1 absentee or vote-by-mail ballot applications1 voting instructions1 or candidate-related information1 on the property or website of the agency4 7d7 ,report on prior voter registration and mobilization activities ,not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the head of each agency shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report describing the activities carried out by the agency pursuant to sections #c and #d of ,executive ,order #adjai 7#hf ,fed4 ,reg4 #acfbc74 7e7 ,prohibiting voter registration and mobilization in ,federal work-study programs ,section #ddc7;b77#a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhg-ec7;b77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by striking and2 7#b7 by redesignating subparagraph 7,d7 as subparagraph 7,e72 and 7#c7 by inserting after subparagraph 7,c7 the following3 7,d7 does not involve registering or mobilizing voters on or off the campus of the institution2 and 4 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,agency ,the term agency has the meaning given the term in section #cejb7a7 of title #dd1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,rules and ,administration of the ,senate2 7,b7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate2 7,c7 the ,committee on ,house ,administration of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,d7 the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives4 #acc4 ,prohibition on use of ,federal funds for election administration in ,states that permit ballot harvesting 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,no ,federal ,funds for ,ballot ,harvesting ,act4 7b7 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 the right to vote is a fundamental right of citizens of the ,united ,states1 as described by the ,constitution of the ,united ,states2 7#b7 the ,committee on ,house ,administration of the ,house of ,representatives1 which is charged with investigating election irregularities1 received reports through its official ,election ,observer ,program for the #bjah general election and the #bjbj general election1 as well as from other stakeholders1 that individuals other than voters themselves were depositing large amounts of absentee ballots at polling places throughout ,california and other ,states1 a practice colloquially known as 8ballot harvesting02 7#c7 the practice of ballot harvesting creates significant vulnerabilities in the chain-of-custody of ballots because individuals collecting ballots are not required to be registered voters and are not required to identify themselves at a voter's home1 and the ,state does not track how many ballots are harvested in an election2 7#d7 in ,north ,carolina1 a congressional election was invalidated due to fraud associated with ballot harvesting committed by a political operative1 and it is unlikely such activity would have been detected were it not for the prohibition against ballot harvesting in the ,state2 7#e7 ballot harvesting invites electioneering activity at home and weakens ,states' long-standing voter protection procedures1 which remain in place at polling locations1 creating the possibility of undue influence over voters by political operatives and other bad actors2 and 7#f7 the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states has affirmed ,state authority to restrict ballot harvesting 7,brnovich v4 ,democratic ,national ,committee1 #ada ,s4 ,ct4 #bcba 7#bjba774 7c7 ,prohibition on ,federal funds for election administration for ,states allowing collection and transmission of ballots by certain third parties 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjija et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #ijh4 ,prohibition on ,federal funds for election administration for ,states allowing collection and transmission of ballots by certain third parties 7a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 no ,federal funds may be used to administer any election for ,federal office in a ,state unless the ,state has in effect a law that prohibits an individual from the knowing collection and transmission of a ballot in an election for ,federal office that was mailed to another person1 other than an individual described as follows3 7#a7 ,an election official while engaged in official duties as authorized by law4 7#b7 ,an employee of the ,united ,states ,postal ,service or other commercial common carrier engaged in similar activities while engaged in duties authorized by law4 7#c7 ,any other individual who is allowed by law to collect and transmit ,united ,states mail1 while engaged in official duties as authorized by law4 7#d7 ,a family member1 household member1 or caregiver of the person to whom the ballot was mailed4 7b7 ,definitions ,for purposes of this section1 with respect to a person to whom the ballot was mailed3 7#a7 ,the term caregiver means an individual who provides medical or health care assistance to such person in a residence1 nursing care institution1 hospice facility1 assisted living center1 assisted living facility1 assisted living home1 residential care institution1 adult day health care facility1 or adult foster care home1 except that such term does not include an individual who is an employee of the residence1 nursing care institution1 hospice facility1 assisted living center1 assisted living facility1 assisted living home1 residential care institution1 adult day health care facility1 or adult foster care home in which the individual provides such assistance to such person4 7#b7 ,the term family member means an individual who is related to such person by blood1 marriage1 adoption or legal guardianship4 7#c7 ,the term household member means an individual who resides at the same residence as such person4 4 7#b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act is amended by adding at the end the following new item3 ,sec4 #ijh4 ,prohibition on ,federal funds for election administration for ,states allowing collection and transmission of ballots by certain third parties4 4 #acd4 ,clarification with respect to ,federal election record-keeping requirement ,section #cja of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifj 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjgja7 is amended-- 7#a7 by inserting including records and papers of envelopes used to deliver voted ballots by mail and scanned1 electronically preserved records of envelopes used to deliver blank ballots or absentee ballot requests or used for any purpose other than delivering voted ballots1 ballots1 ballot images1 chain of custody records1 cast vote records1 logic and accuracy test results and equipment certification1 and other materials related to the ,federal election that would be essential for conducting a post-election audit after requisite to voting in such election12 and 7#b7 by inserting after shall devolve upon such custodian4 the following3 ,such records and papers shall be considered public records available for reasonable public inspection1 including at a minimum1 as defined the law of the ,state in which the election is held1 the candidates appearing on the ballot in the election1 political parties whose candidates appeared on the ballot in the election1 and any individuals authorized to observe the election4 #ace4 ,clarification of rules with respect to hiring of election workers 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,election ,worker ,hiring ,preference for ,veterans and ,americans ,with ,disabilities ,act4 7b7 ,preferences for veterans and individuals with disabilities 7#a7 ,preferences ,in hiring election workers to administer an election in a ,state or local jurisdiction1 the ,state or local jurisdiction may give preference to individuals who are veterans or individuals with a disability4 7#b7 ,inclusion of information in ,election ,assistance ,commission clearinghouse ,the ,federal ,election ,commission shall include in any clearinghouse it maintains of procedures adopted by ,states with respect to the administration of ,federal elections information on the procedures under which ,states hire individuals who are veterans or individuals with a disability as election workers1 as described in paragraph 7#a74 7#b7 ,individual with a disability defined ,in this subsection1 the term individual with a disability has the meaning given such term in the ,americans with ,disabilities ,act of #aiij 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #abaja74 7c7 ,preference and waiver of residency requirement for spouses and dependents of absent military voters 7#a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that1 in hiring election workers to administer an election in a ,state or local jurisdiction1 the ,state or local jurisdiction-- 7,a7 should give preference to an individual who is a nonresident military spouse or dependent2 and 7,b7 should not refuse to hire such an individual as an election worker solely on the grounds that the individual does not maintain a place of residence in the ,state or local jurisdiction4 7#b7 ,inclusion of information in ,election ,assistance ,commission clearinghouse ,the ,federal ,election ,commission shall include in any clearinghouse it maintains of procedures adopted by ,states with respect to the administration of ,federal elections information on the procedures under which ,states hire nonresident military spouses or dependents as election workers1 as described in paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,nonresident military spouse or dependent defined ,in this subsection1 a nonresident military spouse or dependent means an individual who is an absent uniformed services voter under section #ajg7a77;,c7 of the ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizen ,absentee ,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcaj7a77;,c774 #acf4 ,state assistance in assigning mailing addresses with respect to ,tribal ,governments 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,mailing ,addresses on ,indian ,lands ,act or the ,,mail ,act4 7b7 ,in general ,upon request from a ,tribal ,government1 the appropriate ,state executives of the ,state concerned shall assist the ,tribal ,government to assign a mailing address to each home and residence of the ,tribal ,government in the ,state that does not have a mailing address assigned to such home or residence and shall ensure that the ,state records include any such mailing address assigned and any mailing address previously assigned by such ,tribal ,government4 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,indian ,the term ,indian has the meaning given the term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#b7 ,indian tribe ,the term ,indian ,tribe has the meaning given the term ,indian tribe in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#c7 ,state ,the term ,state has the meaning given such term in section #ija of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baada74 7#d7 ,tribal government ,the term ,tribal ,government means the recognized governing body of an ,indian ,tribe4 #acg4 ,state defined 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,northern ,mariana ,islands ,inclusion ,act4 7b7 ,application to ,commonwealth of ,northern ,mariana ,islands ,section #ija of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baada7 is amended by striking and the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands and inserting the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 and the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4 7c7 ,conforming amendments ,such ,act is further amended as follows3 7#a7 ,the second sentence of section #bac7;a77#b7 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjidc7;a77#b77 is amended by striking and ,american ,samoa and inserting ,american ,samoa1 and the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4 7#b7 ,section #beb7;c77#b7 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajjb7;c77#b77 is amended by striking or the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands and inserting the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 or the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4 #ach4 ,voter registration for applicants without driver's license or social security number 7a7 ,in general ,section #cjc7;a77#e77;,a7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajhc7;a77#e77;,a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in clause 7i71 by striking ,except as provided in clause 7ii71 notwithstanding any other provision of law1 an application and inserting ,an application2 7#b7 in clause 7i77,,ii71 by striking 7other than an applicant to whom clause 7ii7 applies72 and 7#c7 by amending clause 7ii7 to read as follows3 7ii7 ,special rule for applicants without driver's license or social security number ,if an applicant for voter registration for an election for ,federal office has not been issued a current and valid driver's license or a social security number1 the ,state shall assign the applicant a temporary number which shall be valid to identify the applicant for the purposes of voter registration only during the period that begins on the date the temporary number is assigned and ends #cj days after the date that the applicant receives a current and valid driver's license or a social security number4 ,if the applicant fails to provide a driver's license number or the last #d digits of the social security number 7as the case may be7 to the ,state during the #cj-;day period that begins on the date the applicant receives such driver's license or social security number1 the applicant's application for voter registration with respect to which the temporary number was assigned may not be accepted or processed by the ,state4 4 #aci4 ,,gao study on domestic manufacturing and assembly of voting equipment 7a7 ,study required ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall carry out a study on the feasability and requirements for all voting equipment used in elections for ,federal office to be manufactured and assembled in the ,united ,states1 which shall include an assessment of the importance of maintaining a secure supply chain for such voting equipment4 7b7 ,submittal ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit a report containing the results of the study carried out under subsection 7a7 to-- 7#a7 the appropriate congressional committees2 7#b7 the chief ,state election official of each ,state2 7#c7 the ,election ,assistance ,commission2 and 7#d7 the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology4 7c7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that it is in the national interest of the ,united ,states that equipment used for voting in ,american elections be developed1 programmed1 manufactured1 and assembled within the ,united ,states under the authority of ,united ,states persons4 #aci;,a4 ,,gao study and report on ability of ,states to comply with certain special election requirements 7a7 ,study 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct a study of the ability of ,states to comply with the requirements for filling a vacancy in the ,state's representation in the ,house of ,representatives by special election in extraordinary circumstances pursuant to section #bf of the ,revised ,statutes of the ,united ,states 7#b ,u4,s4,c4 #h74 7#b7 ,consultation ,in conducting the study under this subsection1 the ,comptroller ,general shall-- 7,a7 consult and work cooperatively with all ,states and shall not rely on sample information relating to a limited number of ,states2 and 7,b7 consult with the ,election ,assistance ,commission4 7#c7 ,state defined ,in this subsection1 the term ,state means each of the several ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 ,guam1 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 and the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4 7b7 ,report ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit to ,congress a report on the study conducted under subsection 7a71 and shall include in the report such recommendations as the ,comptroller ,general considers appropriate4 ,d ,district of ,columbia ,election ,integrity and ,voter ,confidence #ada4 ,short title ,this subtitle may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,election ,integrity and ,voter ,confidence ,act4 #adb4 ,statement of congressional authority2 findings 7a7 ,statement of congressional authority ,congress finds that it has the authority to establish the terms and conditions for the administration of elections for public office in the ,district of ,columbia-- 7#a7 pursuant to article ,i1 section #h1 clause #ag of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 which grants ,congress the exclusive power to enact legislation with respect to the seat of the government of the ,united ,states2 7#b7 with recognition of the ,residence ,act of #agij1 which ,congress passed pursuant to the above authority and which established the ,city of ,washington in the ,district of ,columbia as the seat of the government of the ,united ,states2 7#c7 pursuant to article ,i1 section #h1 clause #ah of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 which grants ,congress the authority to make all ,laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into ,execution its enumerated powers2 and 7#d7 under other enumerated powers granted to ,congress4 7b7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,voter identification requirements in the ,district of ,columbia are some of the weakest in the country4 ,currently1 voters in the ,district of ,columbia are required only to provide proof of residence the first time they vote and are never asked to provide anything again4 7#b7 ,in the #bjab general election1 the ,district of ,columbia was wholly unprepared for early voters4 ,several polling locations featured only one or two voting machines4 ,as a result1 some voters waited in line for hours while others waited for hours only to be turned away as the polls closed4 7#c7 ,following the #bjab general election1 the executive director of the ,d4,c4 ,board of ,elections testified that missteps had taken place during the election4 ,voters complained that some precincts were not accessible for the disabled1 while poorly trained employees ran sites elsewhere in the ,district4 ,in other cases1 voters were provided with ballots that were not correct for their addresses1 allowing them to vote in races in other wards4 7#d7 ,in the ,district of ,columbia's #bjad ,april ,democratic primary1 voters had to wait several hours after polls closed before receiving meaningful election returns because of problems with voting machines that led to an unusually lengthy and chaotic tabulation process4 7#e7 ,in the aftermath of that primary1 while the ,district of ,columbia originally blamed a handful of voting machines for late election results1 the executive director later clarified that the issue came from a broad computer network failure4 ,as a result1 on election night1 ballots did not begin to be counted until #aj3jj p4m4 ,the executive director said on election night1 polling officials never really did determine the problem444,all this occurred despite record low turnout for the primary4 7#f7 ,before the #bjad midterm election1 the executive director stated that he hoped that ballot counting would be done before midnight but could not offer any promises based on the ,district of ,columbia's previous history4 7#g7 ,following the #bjad midterm election1 the ,office of the ,district of ,columbia ,auditor performed an audit of the election and found the following3 7,a7 #bc of #hi precincts visited did not have the minimum number of poll workers designated in city election procedures4 ,in total1 #afh workers did not come to work as scheduled1 and others that were not trained to perform certain functions had to take on new jobs4 7,b7 #cg of the #hi precincts inspected featured polling places not fully accessible to disabled voters4 ,some issues included missing or inoperable doorbells to alert poll workers that a wheelchair-bound voter needed assistance1 as well as a lack of accessible parking spaces and entrances4 7,c7 #eg of the #hi precincts featured election and non-election equipment issues affecting a wide range of the ,election ,day technology -- including paper ballot readers1 electronic poll books and touch-screen voting machines4 7#h7 ,in #bjaf1 the ,office of the ,district of ,columbia ,auditor released a report titled ,the ,district of ,columbia ,voter ,file3 ,compliance with ,law and ,best ,practices1 which included the following3 7,a7 ,in #bjae1 the ,board of ,elections1 as required under ,district law1 sent out written notices to #bfj1jjj inactive voters through the ,u4,s4 ,postal ,service in an attempt to maintain accurate voter registration rolls4 #ch1agi1 or almost #ae percent of those postcards1 were returned as undeliverable4 7,b7 ,the ,office of the ,auditor took a sample of thirty-three decedents who had died between ,january of #bjaa and ,december of #bjad4 ,the audit found that all of the thirty-three decedents were still on the ,district's voter registration rolls4 7,c7 ,the ,district of ,columbia is a member of the ,electronic ,registration ,information ,center 7,,eric74 ,according to ,,eric1 #ac1fea voters were registered in the ,district of ,columbia and another jurisdiction4 ,the ,d4,c4 ,board of ,elections contacted every voter with a duplicate registration4 #f1jjj voters confirmed they now resided outside the ,district of ,columbia and the other #g1fea or #ef percent of voters with a duplicate registration did not respond4 7#i7 ,the ,district of ,columbia allows for same-day registration and automatic voter registration4 ,in #bjah1 the ,district of ,columbia implemented an ,automatic ,voter ,registration program through the ,department of ,motor ,vehicles 7,,dmv74 ,now1 any ,,dmv application automatically serves as an application to register to vote or update registration records1 unless the applicant affirmatively opts out of this registration option4 7#aj7 ,in #bjbj1 voting in the ,district of ,columbia for the ,june primary election was fraught with problems4 ,some voters waited in line for hours1 and thousands of voters who requested absentee mail-in ballots never received them4 ,as a result1 the ,district of ,columbia allowed voters that never received their absentee ballot to cast their ballots via unsecured email4 ,during the ,committee on ,house ,administration and ,committee on ,oversight and ,accountability joint hearing titled ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,the ,path to ,election ,integrity in the ,district of ,columbia1 witnesses called by ,republicans and ,democrats both agreed that casting a ballot via unsecured email raised serious security and voter identification concerns4 7#aa7 ,in #bjbj1 the ,district of ,columbia ,board of ,elections mailed every registered voter a ballot for the general election4 ,voters were still permitted to vote in-person4 ,the ,board mailed #dba1gia ballots1 and #dh1jah of them were undeliverable1 more than eleven percent4 ,this is a rate more than eight times higher than the national average4 7#ab7 ,even after mailing every registered voter a ballot in the #bjbj general election1 the ,district of ,columbia had lower voter turnout rates than ,states like ,florida1 ,ohio1 and ,georgia4 ,in #bjbj1 the ,district of ,columbia reported a roughly #fd percent turnout while ,florida reported #gg percent1 ,ohio reported roughly #gd percent1 and ,georgia reported #ff percent4 7#ac7 ,in #bjbb1 the ,district of ,columbia ,board of ,elections mailed every registered voter a ballot for the midterm primary election4 ,voters were still allowed to vote in person4 ,the ,board mailed #djb1cbc ballots1 and #fe1cih ballots1 or about #af percent1 were undeliverable4 ,this is an increase of #ag1chj in undeliverable ballots between the #bjbj general election and the #bjbb primary election4 7#ad7 ,in #bjbb1 the ,district of ,columbia ,board of ,elections mailed every registered voter a ballot for the ,november general election4 ,voters were still allowed to vote in person4 ,the ,board mailed #ejh1edc ballots1 and #hg1iba were undeliverable4 ,the rate of undeliverable ballots mailed out for the general election in #bjbb was #ag percent1 an increase of about six basis points from the #bjbj election4 ,in addition1 the ,district of ,columbia mailed over #ejj voters an incorrect ballot4 ,at the time of the #bjbb election1 the ,,covid-#ai pandemic was largely over1 allowing voters to vote in person without issue1 unlike during the #bjbj election4 7#ae7 ,despite mailing every registered voter a ballot in the #bjbb midterm election1 the ,district of ,columbia had far lower voter turnout rates than ,states like ,florida1 ,georgia1 and ,ohio4 ,in #bjbb1 the ,district of ,columbia reported roughly #dj percent turnout while ,florida reported #ed percent1 ,ohio reported #eb percent1 and ,georgia reported roughly #eg percent4 7#af7 ,the ,local ,resident ,voting ,rights ,amendment ,act of #bjbb allows noncitizen green-card holders and illegal aliens to cast a ballot in local races1 as long as the non-citizen voter is at least eighteen years of age and has resided in the ,district of ,columbia for thirty days4 ,the law will take effect in #bjbd4 ,estimates as to the number of non-citizens of voting age living in the ,district of ,columbia range from #ba1jjj to #db1jjj1 potentially half of whom are illegal aliens4 ,even according to the low estimates1 there are more than enough non-citizens of voting age living in the ,district of ,columbia to impact election outcomes in some wards4 7#ag7 ,on ,february #i1 #bjbc1 the ,u4,s4 ,house of ,representatives1 by a vote of #bfj to #afb1 passed ,h4,j4 ,res4 #bd1 disapproving the ,local ,resident ,voting ,rights ,amendment ,act of #bjbb under the ,district of ,columbia ,home ,rule ,act4 #adc4 ,requirements for elections in ,district of ,columbia 7a7 ,requirements described ,title ,,iii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bahja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new subtitle3 ,c ,requirements for ,elections in ,district of ,columbia #cba4 ,statement of congressional authority2 findings ,congress finds that it has the authority to establish the terms and conditions for the administration of elections for public office in the ,district of ,columbia-- 7#a7 pursuant to article ,i1 section #h1 clause #ag of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 which grants ,congress the exclusive power to enact legislation with respect to the seat of the government of the ,united ,states2 7#b7 with recognition of the ,residence ,act of #agij1 which ,congress passed pursuant to the above authority and which established the ,city of ,washington in the ,district of ,columbia as the seat of the government of the ,united ,states2 7#c7 pursuant to article ,i1 section #h1 clause #ah of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 which grants ,congress the authority to make all ,laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into ,execution its enumerated powers2 and 7#d7 under other enumerated powers granted to ,congress4 #cbb4 ,requirements for photo identification 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,voter ,identification ,act4 7b7 ,requiring provision of identification to receive a ballot or vote 7#a7 ,individuals voting in person ,a ,district of ,columbia election official may not provide a ballot for a ,district of ,columbia election to an individual who desires to vote in person unless the individual presents to the official an identification described in paragraph 7#c74 7#b7 ,individuals voting other than in person ,a ,district of ,columbia election official may not provide a ballot for a ,district of ,columbia election to an individual who desires to vote other than in person unless the individual submits with the application for the ballot a copy of an identification described in paragraph 7#c74 7#c7 ,identification described ,an identification described in this paragraph is1 with respect to an individual1 any of the following3 7,a7 ,a current and valid motor vehicle license issued by the ,district of ,columbia or any other current and valid photo identification of the individual which is issued by the ,district of ,columbia or the identification number for such motor vehicle license or photo identification4 7,b7 ,a current and valid ,united ,states passport1 a current and valid military photo identification1 or any other current and valid photo identification of the individual which is issued by the ,federal ,government4 7,c7 ,any current and valid photo identification of the individual which is issued by a ,tribal ,government4 7,d7 ,a student photo identification issued by a secondary school 7as such term is defined in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja77 or an institution of higher education 7as such term is defined in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja774 7,e7 ,the last #d digits of the individual's social security number4 7#d7 ,ensuring proof of residence ,if an individual presents or submits an identification described in paragraph 7#c7 which does not include the address of the individual's residence1 the ,district of ,columbia election official may not provide a ballot to the individual unless the individual presents or submits a document or other written information from a third party which-- 7,a7 provides the address of the individual's residence2 and 7,b7 such document or other written information is of sufficient validity such that the election official is reasonably certain as to the identity of the individual4 7c7 ,provision of identification without cost to indigent individuals ,if the ,district of ,columbia charges an individual a fee for an identification described in subsection 7b77#c7 and the individual provides an attestation that the individual is unable to afford the fee1 the ,district of ,columbia shall provide the identification to the individual at no cost4 7d7 ,special rule with respect to sincerely held religious beliefs ,in the case of an individual who is unable to comply with the requirements of subsection 7b7 due to sincerely held religious beliefs1 the ,district of ,columbia shall provide such individual with an alternative identification that shall be deemed to meet the requirements of an identification described in subsection 7b77#c74 7e7 ,designation of ,district of ,columbia agency to provide copies of identification ,the ,mayor of the ,district of ,columbia shall designate an agency of the ,district of ,columbia government to provide an individual with a copy of an identification described in subsection 7b77#c7 at no cost to the individual for the purposes of meeting the requirement under subsection 7b77#b74 7f7 ,inclusion of photos in poll books 7#a7 ,short title ,this subsection may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,photographic ,poll ,books ,act4 7#b7 ,methods for obtaining photos 7,a7 ,provision of photos by offices of ,district of ,columbia government ,if any office of the ,district of ,columbia government has a photograph or digital image of the likeness of an individual who is eligible to vote in a ,district of ,columbia election1 the office1 in consultation with the chief election official of the ,district of ,columbia1 shall provide access to the photograph or digital image to the chief election official of the ,district of ,columbia4 7,b7 ,taking of photos at polling place ,if a photograph or digital image of an individual who votes in person at a polling place is not included in the poll book which contains the names of the individuals who are eligible to vote in the ,district of ,columbia election and which is used by election officials to provide ballots to such eligible individuals1 the appropriate election official shall take a photograph of the individual and provide access to the photograph to the chief election official of the ,district of ,columbia4 7,c7 ,copies of photos provided by individuals not voting in person ,the election official who receives a copy of an identification described in subsection 7b77#c7 which is submitted by an individual who desires to vote other than in person at a polling place shall provide access to the copy of the identification to the chief election official of the ,district of ,columbia4 7#c7 ,inclusion in poll books ,the chief election official of the ,district of ,columbia shall ensure that the most recently available photograph1 digital image1 or copy of an identification for which access is provided under paragraph 7#b7 is included in the poll book which contains the name of the individuals who are eligible to vote in the ,district of ,columbia election and which is used by election officials to provide ballots to such eligible individuals4 7#d7 ,protection of privacy of voters ,the appropriate election officials of the ,district of ,columbia shall ensure that any photograph1 digital image1 or copy of an identification which is included in a poll book under this subsection is not used for any purpose other than the administration of ,district of ,columbia elections and is not provided or otherwise made available to any other person except as may be necessary to carry out that purpose4 7g7 ,exceptions ,this section does not apply with respect to any individual who is-- 7#a7 entitled to vote by absentee ballot under the ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcja et seq472 7#b7 provided the right to vote otherwise than in person under section #c7;b77#b77;,b77ii7 of the ,voting ,accessibility for the ,elderly and ,handicapped ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjajb7;b77#b77;,b77ii772 or 7#c7 entitled to vote otherwise than in person under any other ,federal law4 7h7 ,definitions ,for the purposes of this section1 the following definitions apply3 7#a7 ,indian tribe ,the term ,indian ,tribe has the meaning given the term ,indian tribe in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 7#b7 ,tribal government ,the term ,tribal ,government means the recognized governing body of an ,indian ,tribe4 #cbc4 ,requirements for voter registration 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,voter ,list ,maintenance ,act4 7b7 ,annual list maintenance 7#a7 ,requirements 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,district of ,columbia shall carry out annually a program to remove ineligible persons from the official list of persons registered to vote in the ,district of ,columbia1 as required by section #h of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7 and pursuant to the procedures described in subparagraph 7,b74 7,b7 ,removal from voter rolls ,in the case of a registrant from the official list of eligible voters in ,district of ,columbia elections who has failed to vote in a ,district of ,columbia election during a period of two consecutive years1 the ,district of ,columbia shall send to such registrant a notice described in section #h7;d77#b7 of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjejg7;d77#b77 and shall remove the registrant from the official list of eligible voters in ,district of ,columbia elections if-- 7i7 the registrant fails to respond to such notice2 and 7ii7 the registrant has not voted or appeared to vote in a ,district of ,columbia election during the period beginning the date such notice is sent and ending the later of #d years after the date such notice is sent or after two consecutive ,district of ,columbia general elections have been held4 7#b7 ,timing ,in the case of a year during which a regularly scheduled ,district of ,columbia election is held1 the ,district of ,columbia shall carry out the program described in paragraph 7#a7 not later than #ij days prior to the date of the election4 7c7 ,prohibiting same-day registration ,the ,district of ,columbia may not permit an individual to vote in a ,district of ,columbia election unless1 not later than #cj days prior to the date of the election1 the individual is duly registered to vote in the election4 #cbd4 ,ban on collection and transmission of ballots by certain third parties 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,election ,fraud ,prevention ,act4 7b7 ,in general ,the ,district of ,columbia may not permit an individual to knowingly collect and transmit a ballot in a ,district of ,columbia election that was mailed to another person1 other than an individual described as follows3 7#a7 ,an election official while engaged in official duties as authorized by law4 7#b7 ,an employee of the ,united ,states ,postal ,service or other commercial common carrier engaged in similar activities while engaged in duties authorized by law4 7#c7 ,any other individual who is allowed by law to collect and transmit ,united ,states mail1 while engaged in official duties as authorized by law4 7#d7 ,a family member1 household member1 or caregiver of the person to whom the ballot was mailed4 7c7 ,definitions ,for purposes of this section1 with respect to a person to whom the ballot was mailed3 7#a7 ,the term caregiver means an individual who provides medical or health care assistance to such person in a residence1 nursing care institution1 hospice facility1 assisted living center1 assisted living facility1 assisted living home1 residential care institution1 adult day health care facility1 or adult foster care home1 except that such term does not include an individual who is an employee of the residence1 nursing care institution1 hospice facility1 assisted living center1 assisted living facility1 assisted living home1 residential care institution1 adult day health care facility1 or adult foster care home in which the individual provides such assistance to such person44 7#b7 ,the term family member means an individual who is related to such person by blood1 marriage1 adoption or legal guardianship4 7#c7 ,the term household member means an individual who resides at the same residence as such person4 #cbe4 ,timely processing and reporting of results 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,timely ,reporting of ,election ,results ,act4 7b7 ,time for processing ballots and reporting results ,the ,district of ,columbia shall begin processing ballots received by mail in a ,district of ,columbia election as soon as such ballots are received and shall ensure that the results of such ,district of ,columbia election are reported to the public not later than #ab hours after the closing of polls on the date of the election1 but in no case shall such ballots be tabulated or such results be reported earlier than the closing of polls on the date of the election4 7c7 ,requirement to publish number of voted ballots on election day ,the ,district of ,columbia shall1 as soon as practicable after the closing of polls on the date of a ,district of ,columbia election1 make available on a publicly accessible website the total number of voted ballots in the possession of election officials in the ,district of ,columbia as of the time of the closing of polls on the date of such election1 which shall include1 as of such time-- 7#a7 the number of voted ballots delivered by mail2 7#b7 the number of ballots requested for such election by individuals who are entitled to vote by absentee ballot under the ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcja et seq472 and 7#c7 the number of voted ballots for such election received from individuals who are entitled to vote by absentee ballot under the ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcja et seq471 including from individuals who1 under such ,act1 voted by absentee ballot without requesting such a ballot4 7d7 ,requirements to ensure bipartisan election administration activity ,with respect to a ,district of ,columbia election1 ,district of ,columbia election officials shall ensure that all activities are carried out in a bipartisan manner1 which shall include a requirement that1 in the case of an election worker who enters a room which contains ballots1 voting equipment1 or non voting equipment as any part of the election worker's duties to carry out such election1 the election worker is accompanied by an individual registered to vote with respect to a different political party than such election worker1 as determined pursuant to the voting registration records of the ,district of ,columbia4 #cbf4 ,ban on noncitizen voting 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,citizen ,voter ,act4 7b7 ,ban on noncitizen voting ,no individual may vote in a ,district of ,columbia election unless the individual is a citizen of the ,united ,states4 #cbg4 ,requirements with respect to provisional ballots 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,provisional ,ballot ,reform ,act4 7b7 ,in general ,except as provided in subsection 7c71 the ,district of ,columbia shall permit an individual to cast a provisional ballot pursuant to section #cjb if-- 7#a7 the individual declares that such individual is a registered voter in the ,district of ,columbia and is eligible to vote in a ,district of ,columbia election but the name of the individual does not appear on the official list of eligible voters for the polling place or an election official asserts that the individual is not eligible to vote2 or 7#b7 the individual declares that such individual is a registered voter in the ,district of ,columbia and is eligible to vote in a ,district of ,columbia election but does not provide an identification required under section #cbb1 except that the individual's provisional ballot shall not be counted in the election unless the individual provides such identification to the chief ,state election official of the ,district of ,columbia not later than #e3jj pm on the second day which begins after the date of the election4 7c7 ,requirements with respect to counting provisional ballots in certain cases ,if the name of an individual who is a registered voter in the ,district of ,columbia and eligible to vote in a ,district of ,columbia election appears on the official list of eligible voters for a polling place in the ,district of ,columbia1 such individual may cast a provisional ballot pursuant to section #cjb for such election at a polling place other than the polling place with respect to which the name of the individual appears on the official list of eligible voters1 except that the individual's provisional ballot shall not be counted in the election unless the individual demonstrates pursuant to the requirements under section #cjb that the individual is a registered voter in the jurisdiction of the polling place at which the individual cast such ballot4 #cbh4 ,mandatory post-election audits 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,mandatory ,post-,election ,audits ,act4 7b7 ,requirement for post-election audits 7#a7 ,requirement ,not later than #cj days after each ,district of ,columbia election1 the ,district of ,columbia shall conduct and publish an audit of the effectiveness and accuracy of the voting systems1 nonvoting election technology 7as defined in section #bih;,c71 election procedures1 and outcomes used to carry out the election and the performance of the election officials who carried out the election1 but in no case shall such audit be completed later than #b business days before the deadline to file an election contest under the laws of the ,district of ,columbia4 7#b7 ,independence of auditor ,no individual who participates in conducting the audit required under this section may be an employee or contractor of an office of the ,district of ,columbia which is responsible for the administration of ,district of ,columbia elections or of a subsidiary or affiliate of such an office4 #cbi4 ,public observation of election procedures 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,public ,observation of ,election ,procedures ,act4 7b7 ,designated representatives of candidates1 political parties1 and committees affiliated with ballot initiatives 7#a7 ,authority to observe procedures ,an individual who is not a ,district of ,columbia election official may observe election procedures carried out in a ,district of ,columbia election1 as described in paragraph 7#b71 if the individual is designated to observe such procedures by a candidate in the election1 a political party1 or a committee affiliated with a ballot initiative or referendum in the election4 7#b7 ,authority and procedures described ,the authority of an individual to observe election procedures pursuant to this subsection is as follows3 7,a7 ,the individual may serve as a poll watcher to observe the casting and tabulation of ballots at a polling place on the date of the election or on any day prior to the date of the election on which ballots are cast at early voting sites1 and may challenge the casting or tabulation of any such ballot4 7,b7 ,the individual may serve as a poll watcher to observe the canvassing and processing of absentee or other mail-in ballots1 including the procedures for verification of signed certificates of transmission under section #ccj7;c77#b74 7,c7 ,the individual may observe the recount of the results of the election at any location at which the recount is held1 and may challenge the tabulation of any ballot tabulated pursuant to the recount4 7#c7 ,provision of credentials ,the chief ,state election official of the ,district of ,columbia shall provide each individual who is authorized to observe election procedures under paragraph 7#a7 with appropriate credentials to enable the individual to observe such procedures4 7#d7 ,exception for candidates and law enforcement officers ,an individual may not serve as a poll watcher under subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b7 of paragraph 7#b71 and the chief ,state election official of the ,district of ,columbia may not provide the individual with credentials to enable the individual to serve as a poll watcher under such subparagraph1 if the individual is a candidate in the election or a law enforcement officer4 7c7 ,other individuals 7#a7 ,petition for observer credentials ,in addition to the individuals described in subsection 7b71 any individual1 including an individual representing or affiliated with a domestic or international organization1 may petition the chief ,state election official of the ,district of ,columbia to provide the individual with credentials to observe election procedures carried out in a ,district of ,columbia election1 as described in subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,authority described ,if the chief ,state election official provides an individual with credentials under paragraph 7#a71 the individual shall have the same authority to observe election procedures carried out in the election as an individual described in subsection 7b71 except that the individual may not challenge the casting1 tabulation1 canvassing1 or processing of any ballot in the election4 7#c7 ,exception for candidates and law enforcement officers ,the chief ,state election official of the ,district of ,columbia may not provide an individual who is a candidate in the election or a law enforcement officer with credentials to serve as a poll watcher1 as described in subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b7 of subsection 7b77#b74 7d7 ,authority of members of public to observe testing of equipment ,in addition to the authority of individuals to observe procedures under subsections 7b7 and 7c71 any member of the public may observe the testing of election equipment by election officials prior to the date of the election4 7e7 ,prohibiting limits on ability to view procedures ,an election official may not obstruct the ability of an individual who is authorized to observe an election procedure under this section to view the procedure as it is being carried out4 7f7 ,prohibition against certain restrictions ,an election official may not require that an individual who observes election procedures under this section stays more than #c feet away from the procedure as it is being carried out4 #ccj4 ,requirements for voting by mail-in ballot 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,mail ,balloting ,reform ,act4 7b7 ,prohibiting transmission of unsolicited ballots ,the ,district of ,columbia may not transmit an absentee or other mail-in ballot for a ,district of ,columbia election to any individual who does not request the ,district of ,columbia to transmit the ballot4 7c7 ,signature verification 7#a7 ,inclusion of certificate with ballot ,the ,district of ,columbia shall include with each absentee or other mail-in ballot transmitted for a ,district of ,columbia election a certificate of transmission which may be signed by the individual for whom the ballot is transmitted4 7#b7 ,requiring verification for ballot to be counted ,except as provided in subsection 7d71 the ,district of ,columbia shall not accept an absentee or other mail-in ballot for a ,district of ,columbia election unless-- 7,a7 the individual for whom the ballot was transmitted-- 7i7 signs and dates the certificate of transmission included with the ballot under paragraph 7#a72 and 7ii7 includes the signed certification with the ballot and the date on such certification is accurate and in no case later than the date of the election2 and 7,b7 the individual's signature on the ballot matches the signature of the individual on the official list of registered voters in the ,district of ,columbia or other official record or document used by the ,district of ,columbia to verify the signatures of voters4 7d7 ,notice and opportunity to cure 7#a7 ,notice and opportunity to cure discrepancy in signatures ,if an individual submits an absentee or other mail-in ballot for a ,district of ,columbia election and the appropriate ,district of ,columbia election official determines that a discrepancy exists between the signature on such ballot and the signature of such individual on the official list of registered voters in the ,district of ,columbia or other official record or document used by the ,district of ,columbia to verify the signatures of voters1 such election official1 prior to making a final determination as to the validity of such ballot1 shall-- 7,a7 make a good faith effort to immediately notify the individual by mail1 telephone1 or 7if available7 text message or electronic mail that-- 7i7 a discrepancy exists between the signature on such ballot and the signature of the individual on the official list of registered voters in the ,district of ,columbia or other official record or document used by the ,district of ,columbia to verify the signatures of voters2 and 7ii7 if such discrepancy is not cured prior to the expiration of the #dh-;hour period which begins on the date the official notifies the individual of the discrepancy1 such ballot will not be counted2 and 7,b7 cure such discrepancy and count the ballot if1 prior to the expiration of the #dh-;hour period described in subparagraph 7,a77ii71 the individual provides the official with information to cure such discrepancy1 either in person1 by telephone1 or by electronic methods4 7#b7 ,notice and opportunity to cure missing signature or other defect ,if an individual submits an absentee or other mail-in ballot for a ,district of ,columbia election without a signature on the ballot or the certificate of transmission included with the ballot under subsection 7c77#a7 or submits an absentee ballot with another defect which1 if left uncured1 would cause the ballot to not be counted1 the appropriate ,district of ,columbia election official1 prior to making a final determination as to the validity of the ballot1 shall-- 7,a7 make a good faith effort to immediately notify the individual either by mail1 telephone1 or 7if available7 text message or electronic mail that-- 7i7 the ballot or certificate of transmission did not include a signature or has some other defect2 and 7ii7 if the individual does not provide the missing signature or cure the other defect prior to the expiration of the #dh-;hour period which begins on the date the official notifies the individual that the ballot or certificate of transmission did not include a signature or has some other defect1 such ballot will not be counted2 and 7,b7 count the ballot if1 prior to the expiration of the #dh-;hour period described in subparagraph 7,a77ii71 the individual provides the official with the missing signature on a form proscribed by the ,district of ,columbia or cures the other defect4 ,this paragraph does not apply with respect to a defect consisting of the failure of a ballot to meet the applicable deadline for the acceptance of the ballot1 as described in subsection 7e74 7e7 ,deadline for acceptance 7#a7 ,deadline ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 the ,district of ,columbia may not accept an absentee or other mail-in ballot for a ,district of ,columbia election which is received by the appropriate election official following the close of polls on ,election ,day4 7#b7 ,exception for absent military and overseas voters ,paragraph 7#a7 does not apply to a ballot cast by an individual who is entitled to vote by absentee ballot under the ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcja et seq474 7#c7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this subsection may be construed as prohibiting the ,district of ,columbia from accepting an absentee or other mail-in ballot for a ,district of ,columbia election that is delivered in person by the voter to an election official at an appropriate polling place or the ,district of ,columbia ,board of ,elections if such ballot is received by the election official by the deadline described in paragraph 7#a74 #cca4 ,requirements with respect to use of drop boxes 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,ballot ,security ,act4 7b7 ,requirements ,with respect to a ,district of ,columbia election1 the ,district of ,columbia may not use a drop box to accept a voted absentee or other mail-in ballot for any such election unless-- 7#a7 any such drop box is located inside a ,district of ,columbia government building or facility2 7#b7 the ,district of ,columbia provides for the security of any such drop box through #bd-;hour remote or electronic surveillance2 and 7#c7 the ,district of ,columbia ,board of ,elections collects any ballot deposited in any such drop box each day after #e3jj p4m4 7local time7 during the period of the election4 #ccb4 ,special rule with respect to application of requirements to ,federal elections ,with respect to an election for ,federal office in the ,district of ,columbia1 to the extent that there is any inconsistency with the requirements of this subtitle and the requirements of subtitle ,a1 the requirements of this subtitle shall apply4 #ccc4 ,prohibiting the use of ranked choice voting 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,district of ,columbia ,one ,vote ,one ,choice ,act4 7b7 ,prohibition ,the ,district of ,columbia may not carry out a ,district of ,columbia election using a system of ranked choice voting under which each voter shall rank the candidates for the office in the order of the voter's preference4 #ccd4 ,early voting 7a7 ,requiring early voting 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,district of ,columbia shall allow individuals to vote in person in a ,district of ,columbia election during an early voting period which occurs prior to the date of the election1 in the same manner as in person voting is allowed on such date4 7#b7 ,length of period ,the early voting period required under this subsection with respect to a ,district of ,columbia election shall consist of not more than #aj days during the period of consecutive days 7including weekends7 which begins on the #adth day before the date of the election and ends on the date of the election4 7b7 ,polling place requirements ,each polling place which allows voting during an early voting period under subsection 7a7 shall have the same hours for each day on which such voting occurs as the polling place has on the date of the election4 #cce4 ,district of ,columbia election defined ,in this subtitle1 the term ,district of ,columbia election means any election for public office in the ,district of ,columbia1 including an election for ,federal office1 and any ballot initiative or referendum4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendment relating to enforcement ,section #dja of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baaaa7 is amended by striking the period at the end and inserting the following3 1 and the requirements of subtitle ,c with respect to the ,district of ,columbia44 7c7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act is amended by adding at the end of the items relating to title ,,iii the following3 ,subtitle ,c--,requirements for ,elections in ,district of ,columbia,sec4 #cba4 ,statement of congressional authority2 findings4,sec4 #cbb4 ,requirements for photo identification4,sec4 #cbc4 ,requirements for voter registration4,sec4 #cbd4 ,ban on collection and transmission of ballots by certain third parties4,sec4 #cbe4 ,timely processing and reporting of results4,sec4 #cbf4 ,ban on noncitizen voting4,sec4 #cbg4 ,requirements with respect to provisional ballots4,sec4 #cbh4 ,mandatory post-election audits4,sec4 #cbi4 ,public observation of election procedures4,sec4 #ccj4 ,requirements for voting by mail-in ballot4,sec4 #cca4 ,requirements with respect to use of drop boxes4,sec4 #ccb4 ,special rule with respect to application of requirements to ,federal elections4,sec4 #ccc4 ,prohibiting the use of ranked choice voting4 ,sec4 #ccd4 ,early voting4,sec4 #cce4 ,district of ,columbia election defined404 #add4 ,repeal of ,local ,resident ,voting ,rights ,amendment ,act of #bjbb ,the ,local ,resident ,voting ,rights ,amendment ,act of #bjbb 7,d4,c4 ,law #bd-bdb7 is repealed1 and any provision of law amended or repealed by such ,act shall be restored or revived as if such ,act had not been enacted into law4 #ade4 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this subtitle shall apply with respect to ,district of ,columbia elections held on or after ,january #a1 #bjbd4 ,for purposes of this section1 the term ,district of ,columbia election has the meaning given such term in section #ccc of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb1 as added by section #adc7;a74 ,e ,administration of the ,election ,assistance ,commission #aea4 ,short title ,this subtitle may be cited as the ,positioning the ,election ,assistance ,commission for the ,future ,act of #bjbc4 #aeb4 ,findings relating to the administration of the ,election ,assistance ,commission ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,election ,assistance ,commission best serves the ,american people when operating within its core statutory functions1 including serving as a clearinghouse for information on election administration1 providing grants1 and testing and certifying election equipment4 7#b7 ,the ,american people are best served when ,federal agency election assistance is offered by a single agency with expertise in this space4 ,the ,election ,assistance ,commission1 composed of four election experts from different political parties1 is best situated among the ,federal ,government agencies to offer assistance services to citizens and to guide other ,federal agencies that have responsibilities in the elections space4 ,the ,commission is also best suited to determine the timing of the issuance of any advisories and to disburse all appropriated election grant funding4 7#c7 ,to this end1 ,congress finds that the ,election ,assistance ,commission should be viewed as the lead ,federal ,government agency on all election administration matters1 and other ,federal agencies operating in this space should look to the ,commission for guidance1 direction1 and support on election administration-related issues4 #aec4 ,requirements with respect to staff and funding of the ,election ,assistance ,commission 7a7 ,staff ,section #bjd7;a77#e7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjibd7;a77#e77 is amended by striking of such additional personnel and inserting of not more than #ee full-time equivalent employees to carry out the duties and responsibilities under this ,act and the additional duties and responsibilities required under the ,american ,confidence in ,elections ,act4 7b7 ,funding ,section #baj of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjicj7 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking for each of the fiscal years #bjjc through #bjje and inserting for each of the fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbf2 and 7#b7 by striking 7but not to exceed #aj1jjj1jjj for each such year7 and inserting 7but not to exceed #be1jjj1jjj for each such year74 7c7 ,prohibition on certain use of funds 7#a7 ,prohibition ,none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available under subsection 7b7 may be obligated or expended for the operation of an advisory committee established by the ,election ,assistance ,commission pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 ,app4 #b71 except with respect to the operation of the ,local ,leadership ,council4 7#b7 ,no effect on entities established by ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb ,paragraph 7#a7 does not apply with respect to the operation of any entity established by the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb1 including the ,election ,assistance ,commission ,standards ,board1 the ,election ,assistance ,commission ,board of ,advisors1 and the ,technical ,guidelines ,development ,committee4 7d7 ,requirements with respect to compensation of members of the ,commission ,section #bjc7;d7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjibc7;d77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking at the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level ,,iv of the ,executive ,schedule under section #ecae of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code and inserting at an annual rate of basic pay equal to the lesser of the amount of #agf1cjj1 as adjusted under section #ecah of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 in the same manner as the annual rate of pay for positions at each level of the ,executive ,schedule1 or #ij percent of the annual rate of pay for a member of the ,federal ,election ,commission 7but in no case lower than the rate applicable for the pay period occurring on the date of the enactment of the ,american ,confidence in ,elections ,act72 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking ,no member appointed and inserting ,except as provided in paragraph 7#c71 no member appointed2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#c7 ,supplemental employment and compensation ,an individual serving a term of service on the ,commission shall be permitted to hold a position at an institution of higher education 7as such term is defined in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7 if-- 7,a7 the ,general ,counsel of the ,election ,assistance ,commission determines that such position does not create a conflict of interest with the individual's position as a sitting member of the ,commission and grants the individual approval to hold the position2 and 7,b7 the annual rate of compensation received by the individual from such institution is not greater than the amount equal to #di4i of the annual rate of basic pay paid to the individual under paragraph 7#a74 4 7e7 ,office of ,inspector ,general ,section #bjd of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjibd7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7f7 ,office of ,inspector ,general ,in consultation with the ,office of the ,inspector ,general of the ,commission1 the ,commission shall establish annually a budget and a number of full-time equivalent employees for the ,office of the ,inspector ,general which will ensure that the ,office has sufficient funding and personnel to carry out the duties and responsibilities under section #djd of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 4 7f7 ,effective date ,this section and the amendments made by this section shall take effect on ,october #a1 #bjbe4 #aed4 ,general requirements for payments made by ,election ,assistance ,commission 7a7 ,exclusive authority of ,election ,assistance ,commission to make election administration payments to ,states ,no entity of the ,federal ,government other than the ,election ,assistance ,commission may make any payment to a ,state for purposes of administering elections for ,federal office1 including obtaining election and voting equipment and infrastructure 7including software71 enhancing election and voting technology1 and making election and voting security improvements1 including with respect to cybersecurity and infrastructure 7including software74 7b7 ,prohibiting use of payments for get-out-the-vote-activity2 other requirements for payments made by ,commission ,subtitle ,d of title ,,ii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bajja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new part3 #g ,general ,requirements for ,payments #big4 ,prohibiting use of payments for get-out-the-vote-activity 7a7 ,prohibition ,no payment made to a ,state or unit of local government by the ,commission under this ,act or any other ,act or any other ,federal funds made available to a ,state or unit of local government may be used for get-out-the-vote activity4 7b7 ,definition ,in this section1 the term get-out-the-vote activity means1 with respect to a payment made to a ,state or unit of local government1 any activity which1 at the time the payment is made1 is treated as get-out-the-vote-activity under the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga and the regulations promulgated by the ,federal ,election ,commission to carry out such ,act1 or similar activity which is targeted1 or may be reasonably assumed to be targeted1 at particular voters and groups of voters on the basis of political affiliation1 their expected votes1 their place of residence1 or some other demographic factor4 4 7c7 ,requiring disclaimer in communications ,part #g of subtitle ,d of title ,,ii of such ,act1 as added by subsection 7b71 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #big;,a4 ,requiring communications funded by payments to include disclaimer 7a7 ,requirement ,if a ,state or unit of local government disseminates a public communication which was developed or disseminated in whole or in part with a payment made to the ,state or a unit of local government by the ,commission under this ,act or any other ,act1 the ,state or unit of local government shall ensure that the communication includes1 in a clear and conspicuous manner1 the following statement3 ,paid for using ,federal taxpayer funds pursuant to the ,help ,america ,vote ,act4 7b7 ,clear and conspicuous manner described ,a statement required under subsection 7a7 shall be considered to be in a clear and conspicuous manner if the statement meets the following requirements3 7#a7 ,text or graphic communications ,in the case of a text or graphic communication1 the statement-- 7,a7 appears in letters at least as legible as the majority of the text in the communication2 7,b7 is contained in a printed box set apart from the other contents of the communication2 and 7,c7 is printed with a reasonable degree of color contrast between the background and the printed statement4 7#b7 ,audio communications ,in the case of an audio communication1 the statement is spoken in a clearly audible and intelligible manner at the beginning or end of the communication and lasts at least #c seconds4 7#c7 ,video communications ,in the case of a video communication1 the statement-- 7,a7 is included at either the beginning or the end of the communication2 and 7,b7 is made in a written format that meets the requirements of subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,c7 of paragraph 7#a7 and appears for at least #d seconds4 7#d7 ,other communications ,in the case of any other type of communication1 the statement is at least as clear and conspicuous as the statement specified in paragraph 7#a71 7#b71 or 7#c74 7c7 ,public communication ,in this section1 the term public communication means a communication relating to the administration of an election for ,federal office by means of any broadcast1 cable1 or satellite communication1 ,internet communication1 newspaper1 magazine1 outdoor advertising facility1 mass mailing1 or telephone bank to the general public1 or any other form of general public advertising4 #big;,b4 ,guidance on use of payments 7a7 ,requiring establishment and publication on guidance ,the ,commission shall establish and publish clear guidance on the permissible use of any payments made by the ,commission to ,states and units of local government under this ,act or any other ,act4 7b7 ,requirements for guidance ,the guidance established under this section shall meet the following requirements3 7#a7 ,the guidance shall be consistent for all ,states and units of local government4 7#b7 ,the guidance shall be available to the public4 7#c7 ,if the ,commission revises any previously established and published guidance under this section1 the revision may not take effect until after the next regularly scheduled general election for ,federal office1 and the ,commission shall provide and publish its reasons for the revision4 7c7 ,application of guidance to audits ,if the ,commission conducts any audit of the use of a payment to a ,state or unit of local government1 it shall base the audit on the compliance of the ,state or unit of local government with the applicable guidance under this section and the applicable requirements of this ,act4 7d7 ,uniform terms for reports ,in cooperation and consultation with ,states1 the ,commission shall establish a set of uniform terms for ,states and units of local government to use for any reports submitted to the ,commission on the use of payments made by the ,commission under this ,act or any other ,act4 4 7d7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act is amended by inserting at the end of the items relating to subtitle ,d of title ,,ii the following3 ,part #g--;,general ,requirements for ,payments,sec4 #big4 ,prohibiting use of payments for get-out-the-vote-activity4,sec4 #big;,a4 ,requiring communications funded by payments to include disclaimer4,sec4 #big;,b4 ,guidance on use of payments4 4 7e7 ,effective date ,this section and the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to payments made on or after the date that is #cj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #aee4 ,executive ,board of the ,standards ,board authority to enter into contracts ,section #bac7;c7 of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjidc7;c77 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#e7 ,authority to enter into contracts ,the ,executive ,board of the ,standards ,board may1 using amounts already made available to the ,commission1 enter into contracts to employ and retain no more than #b individuals to enable the ,standards ,board to discharge its duties with respect to the examination and release of voluntary considerations with respect to the administration of elections for ,federal offices by the ,states under section #bdg1 except that-- 7,a7 no more than #a individual from the same political party may be employed under such contracts at the same time2 7,b7 the authority to enter into such contracts shall end on the earlier of the date of the release of the considerations or ,december #ca1 #bjbe2 and 7,c7 no additional funds may be appropriated to the ,commission for the purposes of carrying out this paragraph4 4 #aef4 ,election ,assistance ,commission primary role in election administration assistance 7a7 ,in general ,except as provided in any other provision of law1 the ,election ,assistance ,commission shall1 with respect to any other entity of the ,federal ,government1 have primary jurisdiction to address issues with respect to the administration of elections for ,federal office4 7b7 ,exclusive authority of ,election ,assistance ,commission to develop voluntary guidelines with respect to voting systems and nonvoting technology ,no entity of the ,federal ,government other than the ,election ,assistance ,commission may develop1 adopt1 issue1 or oversee voluntary guidelines with respect to voting systems and any related nonvoting election technology1 as defined in section #bih;,c of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7as added by section #abi7;b77 that are used in elections for ,federal office4 #aeg4 ,clarification of the duties of the ,election ,assistance ,commission ,section #bjb of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjibb7 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking ,the ,commission shall serve and inserting the following3 7a7 ,in general ,the ,commission shall serve 2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#a71 by striking including the maintenance of a clearinghouse of information on the experiences of ,state and local governments in implementing the guidelines and in operating voting systems in general and inserting including1 in cooperation with and for the benefit of the ,states and their political subdivisions1 the maintenance and operation of a ,federal forum for the ,states and their political subdivisions to discuss with other ,states and their political subdivisions their experiences with election administration processes1 equipment1 operations1 training1 and scheduling1 as well as any other useful information relating to ,state administration of elections for ,federal office 7as described in subsection 7b772 7#c7 in paragraph 7#b71 by inserting 1 including any related nonvoting election technology1 as defined in section #bih;,c of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb after hardware and software2 and 7#d7 by adding at the end the following new subsections3 7b7 ,federal forum for discussion of election administration experiences 7#a7 ,membership ,the membership of the ,federal forum described in paragraph 7#a7 of subsection 7a7 shall be comprised of the membership of the ,standards ,board and of the ,local ,leadership ,council4 7#b7 ,maintenance of clearinghouse ,as part of such ,federal forum1 the ,commission shall1 on behalf of and for the benefit of the ,states and their political subdivisions1 maintain and operation a national clearinghouse of relevant information developed by or provided to the ,federal forum with respect to ,state administration of elections for ,federal office4 ,the ,commission may also include other information related to election administration that it considers useful to ,state and local election administrators who administer elections for ,federal office1 except that the ,commission may not endorse a private third party1 the information provided or published by a private third party1 or use such information in a way that suggests that the information was created or endorsed by the ,commission4 7c7 ,special rule with respect to prioritization of duties ,the ,commission shall-- 7#a7 prioritize carrying out the duties described in paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71 and 7#d7 of subsection 7a72 7#b7 retain personnel qualified to assist the ,commission in carrying out such duties2 and 7#c7 prioritize such duties in all budget requests4 4 #aeh4 ,election ,assistance ,commission powers ,section #bje of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjibe7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7f7 ,concurrent transmissions to ,congress 7#a7 ,budget estimate or request ,whenever the ,commission submits any budget estimate or request to the ,president or the ,director of the ,office of ,management and ,budget1 the ,commission shall concurrently transmit a copy of such estimate or request to the ,committee on ,house ,administration of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,rules and ,administration of the ,senate4 7#b7 ,legislative recommendation1 testimony1 or comments ,whenever the ,commission submits any legislative recommendation1 testimony1 or comments on legislation requested by ,congress or by any ,member of ,congress to the ,president or the ,office of ,management and ,budget1 it shall concurrently transmit a copy thereof to ,congress or to the ,member of ,congress involved 7as the case may be74 ,no officer or agency of the ,united ,states shall have any authority to require the ,commission to submit its legislative recommendations1 testimony1 or comments on legislation to any office or agency of the ,united ,states for approval1 comments1 or review prior to the submission of such recommendations1 testimony1 or comments to the ,congress or ,member of ,congress under the previous sentence4 4 #aei4 ,membership of the ,local ,leadership ,council 7a7 ,in general ,subtitle ,c of title ,,ii of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjiha et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating section #bdh1 as redesignated by section #aac7;a77#a71 as section #bdi2 and 7#b7 by adding before section #bdi 7as redesignated by paragraph 7#a77 the following new section3 #bdh4 ,membership of the ,local ,leadership ,council ,in appointing members of the ,local ,leadership ,council1 the ,commission shall ensure that members who represent the same ,state are not of the same political affiliation in their professional capacities and should reflect the goal of soliciting diverse opinions and ideas4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents of such ,act is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating the item relating to section #bdh1 as redesignated by section #aac7;b77#a71 as section #bdi2 and 7#b7 by inserting after the item relating to section #bdg1 as added by section #aac7;b77#b71 the following new item3 ,sec4 #bdh4 ,membership of the ,local ,leadership ,council4 4 #afj4 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this subtitle or the amendments made by this subtitle shall be construed as providing the ,election ,assistance ,commission with additional regulatory authority1 other than the regulatory authority required to carry out the requirements and duties under this subtitle and the amendments made by this subtitle4 ,f ,prohibition on ,involvement in ,elections by ,foreign ,nationals #afa4 ,prohibition on contributions and donations by foreign nationals in connection with ballot initiatives and referenda 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,keeping ,foreign ,money out of ,ballot ,measures ,act4 7b7 ,in general ,chapter #bi of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #fab4 ,foreign nationals making certain political contributions 7a7 ,prohibition ,it shall be unlawful for a foreign national1 directly or indirectly1 to make a contribution as such term is defined in section #cja7h77;,a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7h77;,a77 or donation of money or other thing of value1 or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation1 in connection with a ,state or local ballot initiative or referendum4 7b7 ,penalty ,any person who violates subsection 7a7 shall be fined not more than #bej1jjj1 imprisoned for not more than #e years1 or both4 7c7 ,foreign national defined ,in this section1 the term foreign national has the meaning given such term in section #cai7;b7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaba7;b774 4 7c7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections for chapter #bi of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following new item3 #fab4 ,foreign nationals making certain political contributions4 4 7d7 ,effective ,date ,the amendment made by this section shall apply with respect to contributions and donations made on or after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #afb4 ,prohibiting providing assistance to foreign nationals in making contributions or donations in connection with elections 7a7 ,prohibition ,section #cai7;a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaba7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a77;,c71 by striking or at the end2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 or2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#c7 a person to knowingly help or assist a foreign national in violating this subsection4 4 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made by this section shall apply with respect to contributions and donations made on or after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #afc4 ,prohibition on contributions by foreign nationals to certain tax-exempt entities 7a7 ,in general ,section #cai7;a77#a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaba7;a77#a771 as amended by section #afb7;a71 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by adding or at the end2 7#b7 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,d7 a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value to an organization that is described in section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from tax under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code if the organization makes or expects to make a contribution to a political committee during the #d-year period which begins on the date that the foreign national made such contribution or donation to the organization2 or 4 7b7 ,rule of construction regarding privacy of donor information ,section #cai of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaba7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7c7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in paragraph 7#a77;,d7 of subsection 7a7 may be construed to permit the collection1 submission1 or disclosure of any information in violation of the ,speech ,privacy ,act of #bjbc4 4 7c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to contributions made on or after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 ,g ,constitutional ,experts ,panel with ,respect to ,presidential ,elections #aga4 ,short title ,this subtitle may be cited as the ,solving an ,overlooked ,loophole in ,votes for ,executives 7,,solve7 ,act4 #agb4 ,establishment of panel of constitutional experts 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established the ,twentieth ,amendment ,section ,four ,panel 7in this section referred to as the ,panel74 7b7 ,membership 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,panel shall be composed of #f constitutional experts1 of whom-- 7,a7 #a shall be appointed by the majority leader of the ,senate2 7,b7 #a shall be appointed by the minority leader of the ,senate2 7,c7 #a shall be appointed jointly by the majority and minority leader of the ,senate2 7,d7 #a shall be appointed by the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives2 7,e7 #a shall be appointed by minority leader of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,f7 #a shall be appointed jointly by the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives and the minority leader of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,date ,the appointments of the members of the ,panel shall be made not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act4 7#c7 ,vacancy ,any vacancy occurring in the membership of the ,panel shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made4 7#d7 ,chairperson and ,vice ,chairperson ,the ,panel shall select a ,chairperson and ,vice ,chairperson from among the members of the ,panel4 7c7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,panel shall be to recommend to ,congress model legislation1 which shall provide for an appropriate process1 pursuant to section #d of the ,twentieth ,amendment to the ,united ,states ,constitution1 to resolve any vacancy created by the death of a candidate in a contingent presidential or vice-presidential election4 7d7 ,reports 7#a7 ,initial report ,not later than #a year after the date on which all of the appointments have been made under subsection 7b77#b71 the ,panel shall submit to ,congress an interim report containing the ,panel's findings1 conclusions1 and recommendations4 7#b7 ,final report ,not later than #f months after the submission of the interim report under paragraph 7#a71 the ,panel shall submit to ,congress a final report containing the ,panel's findings1 conclusions1 and recommendations4 7e7 ,meetings2 information 7#a7 ,in general ,meetings of the ,panel shall be held at the ,law ,library of ,congress4 7#b7 ,information ,the ,panel may secure from the ,law ,library of ,congress such information as the ,panel considers necessary to carry out the provisions of this section4 7f7 ,funds 7#a7 ,compensation of members ,members of the ,panel shall receive no compensation4 7#b7 ,other funding ,no amounts shall be appropriated for the purposes of this section1 except for any amounts strictly necessary for the ,law ,library of ,congress to execute its responsibilities under subsection 7e74 7g7 ,termination 7#a7 ,in general ,the panel established under subsection 7a7 shall terminate #ij days after the date on which the panel submits the final report required under subsection 7d77#b74 7#b7 ,records ,upon termination of the panel1 all of its records shall become the records of the ,secretary of the ,senate and the ,clerk of the ,house of ,representatives4 ,,ii ,military ,voting ,administration #bjj4 ,short title ,this title may be cited as the ,american ,confidence in ,elections3 ,military ,voting ,rights ,study ,act4 ,a ,findings ,relating to ,military ,voting #bja4 ,findings relating to military voting ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,participation in the voting process by ,americans who serve in the ,armed ,forces is vital to the future of the ,republic2 however1 due to the realities of service around the globe and despite many best efforts1 the nation has not always lived up to its commitment to servicemembers that their vote be counted4 7#b7 ,the ,military and ,overseas ,empowerment 7,,move7 ,act made great progress in solving problems with voting that many servicemembers faced4 ,yet1 for many1 it is still difficult to exercise the franchise1 with many ballots not reaching ,state elections officials until after the deadline1 negating their voice4 ,after #ad years1 ,congress must address the remaining issues4 7#c7 ,congress finds that it is a moral imperative of national importance that every eligible ,american servicemember has the opportunity to cast a ballot in each election and1 not only that such ballot be received in time to be counted1 but that it actually be counted according to law4 ,b ,,gao ,analysis on ,military ,voting ,access #baa4 ,government ,accountability ,office report on implementation of ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act and improving access to voter registration information and assistance for absent uniformed services voters 7a7 ,in general ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct-- 7#a7 an analysis of the effectiveness of the ,federal ,government in carrying out its responsibilities under the ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcja et seq47 to promote access to voting for absent uniformed services voters2 and 7#b7 a study on means for improving access to voter registration information and assistance for members of the ,armed ,forces and their family members4 7b7 ,elements 7#a7 ,analysis ,the analysis required by subsection 7a77#a7 shall include analysis of the following3 7,a7 ,data and information pertaining to the transmission of ballots to absent unformed services voters4 7,b7 ,data and information pertaining to the methods of transmission of voted ballots from absent uniformed services voters1 including the efficacy and security of such methods4 7,c7 ,data and information pertaining to the treatment by election officials of voted ballots transmitted by absent uniformed services voters1 including-- 7i7 the rate at which such ballots are counted in elections2 7ii7 the rate at which such ballots are rejected in elections2 and 7iii7 the reasons for such rejections4 7,d7 ,an analysis of the effectiveness of the assistance provided to absent uniformed services voters by ,voting ,assistance ,officers of the ,federal ,voting ,assistance ,program of the ,department of ,defense4 7,e7 ,a review of the extent of coordination between ,voting ,assistance ,officers and ,state and local election officials4 7,f7 ,information regarding such other issues relating to the ability of absent uniformed services voters to register to vote1 vote1 and have their ballots counted in elections for ,federal office4 7,g7 ,data and information pertaining to-- 7i7 the awareness of members of the ,armed ,forces and their family members of the requirement under section #aeff;a of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 that the ,secretaries of the military departments provide voter registration information and assistance2 and 7ii7 whether members of the ,armed ,forces and their family members received such information and assistance at the times required by subsection 7c7 of that section4 7#b7 ,study ,the study required by subsection 7a77#b7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,an assessment of potential actions to be undertaken by the ,secretary of each military department to increase access to voter registration information and assistance for members of the ,armed ,forces and their family members4 7,b7 ,an estimate of the costs and requirements to fully meet the needs of members of the ,armed ,forces for access to voter registration information and assistance4 7c7 ,methods ,in conducting the analysis and study required by subsection 7a71 the ,comptroller ,general shall1 in cooperation and consultation with the ,secretaries of the military departments-- 7#a7 use existing information from available government and other public sources2 and 7#b7 acquire1 through the ,comptroller ,general's own investigations1 interviews1 and analysis1 such other information as the ,comptroller ,general requires to conduct the analysis and study4 7d7 ,report required ,not later than ,september #cj1 #bjbe1 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit to the ,committee on ,rules and ,administration of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,house ,administration of the ,house of ,representatives a report on the analysis and study required by subsection 7a74 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,absent uniformed services voter ,the term absent uniformed services voter has the meaning given that term in section #ajg of the ,uniformed and ,overseas ,citizens ,absentee ,voting ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjcaj74 7#b7 ,family member ,the term family member1 with respect to a member of the ,armed ,forces1 means a spouse and other dependent 7as defined in section #ajgb of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code7 of the member4 ,,iii ,first ,amendment ,protection ,act #cjj4 ,short title ,this title may be cited as the ,first ,amendment ,protection ,act4 ,a ,protecting ,political ,speech and ,freedom of ,association #a ,protecting ,political ,speech #cja4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the structure of the ,constitution and its amendments represents the radical idea that any sovereign power exercised by the ,federal ,government flows either directly from the people or through the ,states they established to govern themselves4 ,in the words of the ,ninth and ,tenth ,amendments1 the enumeration in the ,constitution1 of certain rights1 shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people4,the powers not delegated to the ,united ,states by the ,constitution1 nor prohibited by it to the ,states1 are reserved to the ,states respectively1 or to the people4 7#b7 ,among the many freedoms it protects1 the ,first ,amendment prevents ,congress from making any law abridging the freedom of speech1 the right of the people peaceably to assemble1 or the right of the people to petition the ,government for the redress of grievances4 7#c7 ,any proposed ,federal action concerning freedom of speech1 protest1 or petition must start with an analysis of the ,first ,amendment4 ,congress must ask whether the proposed action would abridge these freedoms1 and any uncertainty must be determined in favor of fewer restrictions on speech4 7#d7 ,in particular1 political speech1 uttered in the furtherance of self-government1 must raise an even higher bar to congressional abridgement4 ,the mechanisms and media used to offer political speech must realize the same protections4 7#e7 ,as the ,supreme ,court has recognized1 the ,constitution grants ,congress only a very narrow interest in the regulation of political speech1 the prevention of corruption or the appearance of corruption4 ,buckley v4 ,valeo1 #dbd ,u4,s4 #a1 #be-bf 7#aigf72 ,federal ,election ,commission v4 ,national ,conservative ,political ,action ,commission1 #dgj ,u4,s4 #dhj1 #dig 7#aihe72 ,citizens ,united v4 ,federal ,election ,commission #eeh ,u4 ,s4 #caj1 #cei 7#bjaj72 ,mc,cutcheon v4 ,federal ,election ,commission1 #egb ,u4 ,s4 #ahe1 #bjg 7#bjad72 ,cruz v4 ,federal ,election ,commission #adb ,s4,ct4 #afch1 #afeb 7#bjbb74 7#f7 ,in order to uphold and effectuate the ,constitution1 any ,federal statute that goes beyond this interest must be repealed1 and ,congress must exercise its ,article #a authorities to do so4 #cjb4 ,repeal of limits on coordinated political party expenditures 7a7 ,repeal of ,limits ,section #cae7;d7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;d77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 by striking may make expenditures and inserting may make expenditures1 including coordinated expenditures11 and 7,b7 by striking ,federal office1 subject to the limitations contained in paragraphs 7#b71 7#c71 and 7#d7 of this subsection and inserting ,federal office in any amount2 and 7#b7 by striking paragraphs 7#b71 7#c71 7#d71 and 7#e74 7b7 ,clarifying treatment of certain party communications as coordinated expenditures ,section #cae7;d7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;d771 as amended by subsection 7a71 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#b7 ,for purposes of this subsection1 a communication shall be treated as a coordinated expenditure in connection with the campaign of a candidate only if the public communication is paid for by a committee of a political party or its agent1 refers to a clearly identified ,house or ,senate candidate1 and is publicly distributed or otherwise publicly disseminated in the clearly identified candidate's jurisdiction4 4 7c7 ,conforming amendment relating to ,indexing ,section #cae7;c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a77;,b77i71 by striking 7d712 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,b77i71 by striking subsections 7b7 and 7d7 and inserting subsection 7b74 7d7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held during #bjbd or any succeeding year4 #cjc4 ,repeal of limit on aggregate contributions by individuals 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds that the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states in ,mc,cutcheon v4 ,,fec1 #egb ,u4,s4 #ahe 7#bjad7 determined the biennial aggregate limits under section #cae7;a77#c7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;a77#c77 to be unconstitutional4 7b7 ,repeal ,section #cae7;a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;a77 is amended by striking paragraph 7#c74 7c7 ,conforming amendments ,section #cae7;c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;c77 is amended by striking 7a77#c71 each place it appears in paragraph 7#a77;,b77i71 7#a77;,c71 and 7#b77;,b77ii74 #cjd4 ,equalization of contribution limits to ,state and national political party committees 7a7 ,in general ,section #cae7;a77#a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;a77#a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,b71 by striking a national political party and inserting a national or ,state political party2 7#b7 by adding or at the end of subparagraph 7,b72 7#c7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by striking 2 or and inserting a period2 and 7#d7 by striking subparagraph 7,d74 7b7 ,contributions by multicandidate political committees 7#a7 ,in general ,section #cae7;a77#b77;,b7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;a77#b77;,b77 is amended by striking a national political party and inserting a national or ,state political party4 7#b7 ,price index adjustment ,section #cae7;c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;c77 is amended-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,d7 ,in any calendar year after #bjbd-- 7i7 a limitation established by subsection 7a77#b7 shall be increased by the percent difference determined under subparagraph 7,a72 7ii7 each amount so increased shall remain in effect for the calendar year2 and 7iii7 if any amount after adjustment under clause 7i7 is not a multiple of #ajj1 such amount shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of #ajj4 2 and 7,b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,b7-- 7i7 in clause 7i71 by striking and at the end2 7ii7 in clause 7ii71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7iii7 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7iii7 for purposes of subsection 7a77#b71 calendar year #bjbd4 4 7c7 ,acceptance of additional amounts for certain accounts 7#a7 ,permitting acceptance of additional amounts in same manner as national parties ,section #cae7;a7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;a77 is amended-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a77;,b71 by striking paragraph 7#i7 and inserting paragraph 7#i7 or paragraph 7#aj72 and 7,b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,b71 by striking paragraph 7#i7 and inserting paragraph 7#i7 or paragraph 7#aj74 7#b7 ,accounts ,section #cae7;a77#i7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;a77#i77 is amended by striking national committee of a political party each place it appears in subparagraphs 7,a71 7,b71 and 7,c7 and inserting committee of a national or ,state political party4 7#c7 ,state party convention accounts described ,section #cae7;a7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;a77 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#aj7 ,an account described in this paragraph is a separate1 segregated account of a political committee established and maintained by a ,state committee of a political party which is used solely to defray-- 7,a7 expenses incurred with respect to carrying out ,state party nominating activities or other party-building conventions2 7,b7 expenses incurred with respect to providing for the attendance of delegates at a presidential nominating convention1 but only to the extent that such expenses are not paid for from the account described in paragraph 7#i77;,a72 or 7,c7 expenses incurred with respect to carrying out local1 county1 or district conventions or proceedings to elect delegates to a ,state party convention4 4 7d7 ,clarification of indexing of amounts to ensure equalization of party contribution limits ,for purposes of applying section #cae7;c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;c77 to limits on the amount of contributions to political committees established and maintained by a ,state political party1 the amendments made by this section shall be considered to have been included in section #cjg of the ,bipartisan ,campaign ,reform ,act of #bjjb 7,public ,law #ajg-ee2 #aaf ,stat4 #ajb74 7e7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held during #bjbd or any succeeding year4 #cje4 ,expansion of permissible ,federal election activity by ,state and local political parties 7a7 ,expansion of permissible use of funds not subject to contribution limits or source prohibitions by ,state and local political parties for ,federal election activity ,section #cbc7;b77#b7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjabe7;b77#b77 is amended to read as follows3 7#b7 ,applicability ,notwithstanding section #cja7bj71 for purposes of paragraph 7#a71 an amount that is expended or disbursed by a ,state1 district1 or local committee of a political party shall be considered to be expended or disbursed for ,federal election activity only if the committee coordinated the expenditure or disbursement of the amount with a candidate for election for ,federal office or an authorized committee of a candidate for election for ,federal office4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendments 7#a7 ,fundraising costs ,section #cbc7;c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjabe7;c77 is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence3 ,in the case of a person described in subsection 7b71 the previous sentence applies only if the amount was spent by such person in coordination with a candidate for election for ,federal office or an authorized committee of a candidate for election for ,federal office1 as determined pursuant to regulations promulgated by the ,commission for the purpose of determining whether a political party communication is coordinated with a candidate1 a candidate's authorized committee1 or an agent thereof44 7#b7 ,appearance of ,federal candidates or officeholders at fundraising events ,section #cbc7;e77#c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjabe7;e77#c77 is amended by striking subsection 7b77#b77;,c7 and inserting subsection 7b74 #cjf4 ,participation in joint fundraising activities by multiple political committees 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,while ,federal law permits the ,federal ,election ,commission to engage in certain gap-filling activities as it administers the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga1 the regulations promulgated by the ,federal ,election ,commission to govern joint fundraising activities of multiple political committees are not tied specifically to any particular provision of the ,act1 and while these regulations generally duplicate the provisions of the ,act1 they also impose additional and unnecessary burdens on political committees which seek to engage in joint fundraising activities1 such as a requirement for written agreements between the participating committees4 7#b7 ,it is therefore not necessary at this time to direct the ,federal ,election ,commission to repeal the existing regulations which govern joint fundraising activities of multiple political committees1 as some political committees may have reasons for following the provisions of such regulations which impose additional and unnecessary burdens on these activities4 7b7 ,criteria for participation in joint fundraising activities ,section #cjb of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajb7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7j7 7#a7 ,two or more political committees as defined in this ,act may participate in joint fundraising activities in accordance with the following criteria3 7,a7 ,the costs of the activities shall be allocated among and paid for by the participating committees on the basis of the allocation among the participating committees of the contributions received as a result of the activities4 7,b7 ,notwithstanding subparagraph 7,a71 a participating committee may make a payment 7in whole or in part7 for the portion of the costs of the activities which is allocated to another participating committee1 and the amount of any such payment shall be treated as a contribution made by the committee to the other participating committee4 7,c7 ,the provisions of section #cae7;a77#h7 regarding the treatment of contributions to a candidate which are earmarked or otherwise directed through an intermediary or conduit shall apply to contributions made by a person to a participating committee which are allocated by the committee to another participating committee4 7#b7 ,nothing in this subsection may be construed to prohibit two or more political committees from participating in joint fundraising activities by designating or establishing a separate1 joint committee subject to the registration and reporting requirements of this ,act or by publishing a joint fundraising notice4 4 #b ,protecting ,freedom of ,association #cjg4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,first ,amendment of the ,united ,states ,constitution provides that ,congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion1 or prohibiting the free exercise thereof2 or abridging the freedom of speech1 or of the press2 or the right of the people peaceably to assemble1 and to petition the ,government for a redress of grievances4 ,see ,u4,s4 ,const4 ,amend4 ,i4 7#b7 ,the ,supreme ,court has held that the ,first ,amendment's protections apply with equal force to ,states and localities as it does to the ,federal ,government4 ,see ,gitlow v4 ,new ,york1 #bfh ,u4,s4 #feb 7#aibe74 7#c7 ,the ,supreme ,court has held that implicit in the right to engage in activities protected by the ,first ,amendment lies a corresponding right to associate with others4,roberts v4 ,united ,states ,jaycees1 #dfh ,u4 ,s4 #fji1 #fbb 7#aihd74 ,this is commonly understood as the right of association4 ,it furthers a wide variety of political1 social1 economic1 educational1 religious1 and cultural ends1 and is especially important in preserving political and cultural diversity and in shielding dissident expression from suppression by the majority4,id4 7#d7 ,in ,,naacp v4 ,alabama ex rel4 ,patterson1 #ceg ,u4,s4 #ddi 7#aieh71 the ,supreme ,court held the ,first ,amendment's freedom of association protected the ,national ,association for the ,advancement of ,colored ,people from compelled disclosure of its members4 ,this was because on past occasions revelation of the identity of its rank-and-file members has exposed these members to economic reprisal1 loss of employment1 threat of physical coercion1 and other manifestations of public hostility4 ,under these circumstances444it is apparent that compelled disclosure of petitioner's ,alabama membership is likely to affect adversely the ability of petitioner and its members to pursue their collective effort to foster beliefs which they admittedly have the right to advocate1 in that it may induce members to withdraw from the ,association and dissuade others from joining it because of fear of exposure of their beliefs shown through their associations and of the consequences of this exposure4,id4 at #dfb-dfc4 7#e7 ,the ,first ,amendment's freedom of association has been protected and strengthened by the ,supreme ,court for over sixty years4 ,see ,,naacp v4 ,alabama ex rel4 ,patterson1 #ceg ,u4,s4 #ddi 7#aieh72 ,shelton v4 ,tucker1 #cfd ,u4 ,s4 #dgi 7#aifj72 ,bates v4 ,little ,rock1 #cfa ,u4 ,s4 #eaf 7#aifj72 ,healy v4 ,james1 #djh ,u4 ,s4 #afi 7#aigb72 ,elrod v4 ,burns1 #dbg ,u4 ,s4 #cdg 7#aigf72 ,roberts v4 ,united ,states ,jaycees1 #dfh ,u4,s4 #fji1 #fbb 7#aihd72 ,boy ,scouts of ,america v4 ,dale1 #ecj ,u4,s4 #fdj 7#bjjj72 ,americans for ,prosperity ,foundation v4 ,bonta1 #ada ,s4 ,ct4 #bcgc 7#bjba74 7#f7 ,most recently1 in ,americans for ,prosperity ,foundation v4 ,bonta1 #ada ,s4 ,ct4 #bcgc 7#bjba71 a ,california law required ,americans for ,prosperity ,foundation and the ,thomas ,moore ,law ,center to disclose the names1 contribution amounts1 and addresses of their major donors4 ,id4 at #bchj4 ,the ,supreme ,court held this substantial intrusion into the group's donors was unconstitutional4 ,id4 at #bchi4 ,while ,california ,attorney ,general ,bonta argued these disclosures were needed so ,california could prevent wrongdoing by charitable organizations1 there was not a single1 concrete instance in which pre-investigation collection of this information did anything to advance the ,attorney ,general's investigative1 regulatory or enforcement efforts4,id4 at #bchf4 ,similarly1 ,california's need for this information before initiating an investigation was highly questionable as it was only one of three states to impose this requirement and did not seriously enforce it until #bjaj4 ,id4 at #bchg4 7#g7 ,in short1 ,americans for ,prosperity ,foundation and ,,naacp both stand for the proposition that compelled disclosure of an organization's members can violate an organization's freedom of association4 ,this is because effective advocacy of both public and private points of view1 particularly controversial ones1 is undeniably enhanced by group association and there is a vital relationship between freedom to associate and privacy in one's associations444 ,see ,id4 at #bchb citing ,,naacp v4 ,alabama ex rel4 ,patterson1 #ceg ,u4,s4 #ddi1 #dfj-dfb4 7#h7 ,unfortunately1 the ,first ,amendment's freedom of association protections are under constant attack4 ,recently1 there have been efforts to enlarge the size of the ,supreme ,court because of disagreement with some of its rulings and personal disagreement with some of the justices4 7#i7 ,on ,april #i1 #bjba1 the ,president issued ,executive ,order #adjbc that created the ,presidential ,commission on the ,supreme ,court 7the ,commission74 ,under ,section #c7;iii7 of that ,executive ,order1 the ,commission was tasked with providing an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against ,supreme ,court reform1 including an appraisal of the merits and legality of particular reform proposals44 7#aj7 ,in ,december #bjba1 the ,commission released its final report4 ,on the issue of adding justices to the ,supreme ,court1 the ,commission concluded mirroring the broader public debate1 there is profound disagreement among ,commissioners on this issue44 7#aa7 ,unfortunately1 even though the ,president's ,commission would not endorse adding the number of justices on the ,supreme ,court1 some in ,congress still believe it is necessary4 ,see1 for example1 ,h4,r4 #cdbb1 the ,judiciary ,act of #bjbc that would add four associate justices to the ,supreme ,court4 7#ab7 ,because of this political uncertainty and the importance that donors in all organizations1 no matter their party affiliation1 are protected from having their membership disclosed and threats of reprisal that would follow1 it is important that ,congress statutorily codifies the ,supreme ,court's holdings in ,,naacp v4 ,alabama ex rel4 ,patterson and ,americans for ,prosperity ,foundation v4 ,bonta4 7#ac7 ,government targeting of tax-exempt organizations because of disagreement with their political views is sadly not a hypothetical problem4 ,from #bjaj through #bjac1 the ,internal ,revenue ,service 7,,irs7 intentionally discriminated against conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status with words like patriot or ,tea ,party in their names4 7#ad7 ,after years of litigation1 in ,october #bjag1 the ,,irs signed a consent decree in ,federal court and admitted to targeting conservative organizations from #bjaj through #bjac4 ,the ,,irs confessed that its treatment of conservative organizations during the tax-exempt determinations process1 including screening their applications based on their names or policy positions1 subjecting those applications to heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays1 and demanding of some ,plaintiffs' information that ,,tigta ,u4,s4 ,treasury ,inspector ,general1 ,tax ,administration determined was unnecessary to the agency's determination of their tax-exempt status1 was wrong44 7#ae7 ,it is antithetical to the ,first ,amendment that the ,,irs or any ,federal ,government agency would ever be used to target an organization because of its political beliefs1 or who its donors might be4 ,as such1 these organizations need to be protected to prevent events like what transpired at the ,,irs between #bjaj and #bjac4 #cjh4 ,protecting privacy of donors to tax-exempt organizations 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,speech ,privacy ,act of #bjbc4 7b7 ,restrictions on collection of donor information 7#a7 ,restrictions ,an entity of the ,federal ,government may not collect or require the submission of information on the identification of any donor to a tax-exempt organization4 7#b7 ,exceptions ,paragraph 7#a7 does not apply to the following3 7,a7 ,the ,internal ,revenue ,service1 acting lawfully pursuant to section #fjcc of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf or any successor provision4 7,b7 ,the ,secretary of the ,senate and the ,clerk of the ,house of ,representatives1 acting lawfully pursuant to section #c of the ,lobbying ,disclosure ,act of #aiie 7#b ,u4,s4,c4 #afjd74 7,c7 ,the ,federal ,election ,commission1 acting lawfully pursuant to section #eaj of title #cf1 ,united ,states ,code4 7,d7 ,an entity acting pursuant to a lawful order of a court or administrative body which has the authority under law to direct the entity to collect or require the submission of the information1 but only to the extent permitted by the lawful order of such court or administrative body4 7c7 ,restrictions on release of donor information 7#a7 ,restrictions ,an entity of the ,federal ,government may not disclose to the public information revealing the identification of any donor to a tax-exempt organization4 7#b7 ,exceptions ,paragraph 7#a7 does not apply to the following3 7,a7 ,the ,internal ,revenue ,service1 acting lawfully pursuant to section #fajd of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf or any successor provision4 7,b7 ,the ,secretary of the ,senate and the ,clerk of the ,house of ,representatives1 acting lawfully pursuant to section #c of the ,lobbying ,disclosure ,act of #aiie 7#b ,u4,s4,c4 #afjd74 7,c7 ,the ,federal ,election ,commission1 acting lawfully pursuant to section #eaj of title #cf1 ,united ,states ,code4 7,d7 ,an entity acting pursuant to a lawful order of a court or administrative body which has the authority under law to direct the entity to disclose the information1 but only to the extent permitted by the lawful order of such court or administrative body4 7,e7 ,an entity which discloses the information as authorized by the organization4 7d7 ,tax-exempt organization defined ,in this section1 a tax-exempt organization means an organization which is described in section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and is exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code4 ,nothing in this subsection may be construed to treat a political organization under section #ebg of such ,code as a tax-exempt organization for purposes of this section4 7e7 ,penalties ,it shall be unlawful for any officer or employee of the ,united ,states1 or any former officer or employee1 willfully to disclose to any person1 except as authorized in this section1 any information revealing the identification of any donor to a tax-exempt organization4 ,any violation of this section shall be a felony punishable upon conviction by a fine in any amount not exceeding #bej1jjj1 or imprisonment of not more than #e years1 or both1 together with the costs of prosecution1 and if such offense is committed by any officer or employee of the ,united ,states1 he shall1 in addition to any other punishment1 be dismissed from office or discharged from employment upon conviction for such offense4 #cji4 ,reporting requirements for tax-exempt organizations 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,don't ,weaponize the ,,irs ,act4 7b7 ,organizations exempt from reporting 7#a7 ,gross receipts threshold ,clause 7ii7 of section #fjcc7;a77#c77;,a7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended by striking #e1jjj and inserting #ej1jjj4 7#b7 ,organizations described ,subparagraph 7,c7 of section #fjcc7;a77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended-- 7,a7 by striking and at the end of clause 7v71 7,b7 by striking the period at the end of clause 7vi7 and inserting a semicolon1 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new clauses3 7vii7 any other organization described in section #eja7;c7 7other than a private foundation or a supporting organization described in section #eji7;a77#c772 and 7viii7 any organization 7other than a private foundation or a supporting organization described in section #eji7;a77#c77 which is not described in section #agj7;c77#b77;,a71 or which is created or organized in a possession of the ,united ,states1 which has no significant activity 7including lobbying and political activity and the operation of a trade or business7 other than investment activity in the ,united ,states4 4 7#c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this subsection shall apply to taxable years ending after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7c7 ,clarification of application to section #ebg organizations 7#a7 ,in general ,paragraph 7#a7 of section #fjcc7;g7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended-- 7,a7 by striking ,this section and inserting ,except as otherwise provided by this subsection1 this section1 and 7,b7 by striking for the taxable year4 and inserting for the taxable year in the same manner as to an organization exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a744 7#b7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this subsection shall apply to taxable years ending after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7d7 ,reporting of names and addresses of contributors 7#a7 ,in general ,paragraph 7#a7 of section #fjcc7;a7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,except as provided in subsections 7b77#e7 and 7g77#b77;,b71 such annual return shall not be required to include the names and addresses of contributors to the organization44 7#b7 ,application to section #ebg organizations ,paragraph 7#b7 of section #fjcc7;g7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended-- 7,a7 by striking and at the end of subparagraph 7,a71 7,b7 by redesignating subparagraph 7,b7 as subparagraph 7,c71 and 7,c7 by inserting after subparagraph 7,a7 the following new subparagraph3 7,b7 containing the names and addresses of all substantial contributors1 and 4 7#c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this subsection shall apply to taxable years ending after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #caj4 ,maintenance of standards for determining eligibility of section #eja7;c77#d7 organizations 7a7 ,in general ,the ,department of the ,treasury1 including the ,internal ,revenue ,service1 may not issue1 revise1 or finalize any regulation1 revenue ruling1 or other guidance not limited to a particular taxpayer relating to the standard which is used to determine whether an organization is operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare for purposes of section #eja7;c77#d7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf 7including the proposed regulations published at #gh ,fed4 ,reg4 #gaece 7,november #bi1 #bjac774 7b7 ,application of current standards and definitions ,the standard and definitions as in effect on ,january #a1 #bjaj1 which are used to make determinations described in subsection 7b7 shall apply after the date of the enactment of this ,act for purposes of determining status under section #eja7;c77#d7 of such ,code of organizations created on1 before1 or after such date4 ,b ,prohibition on ,use of ,federal funds for ,congressional ,campaigns #caa4 ,prohibiting use of ,federal funds for payments in support of congressional campaigns ,no ,federal funds1 including amounts attributable to the collection of fines and penalties1 may be used to make any payment in support of a campaign for election for the office of ,senator or ,representative in1 or ,delegate or ,resident ,commissioner to1 the ,congress4 ,c ,registration and ,reporting ,requirements #cba4 ,electronic filing of electioneering communication reports 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,modernizing ,electioneering ,communications ,reporting ,act4 7b7 ,requiring electronic filing ,section #cjd7;a77#aa77;,a77i7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajd7;a77#aa77;,a77i77 is amended by inserting or makes electioneering communications after expenditures4 #cbb4 ,increased qualifying threshold and establishing purpose for political committees 7a7 ,in general ,section #cja7d7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7d77 is amended to read as follows3 7#d7 ,the term political committee means-- 7,a7 any committee1 club1 association1 or other group of persons1 including any local committee of a political party1 which receives contributions aggregating in excess of #be1jjj during a calendar year or which makes expenditures aggregating in excess of #be1jjj during a calendar year and which is under the control of a candidate or has the major purpose of nominating or electing a candidate2 or 7,b7 any separate segregated fund established under the provisions of section #caf7;b74 4 7b7 ,definition ,section #cja of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#bg7 ,major purpose of nominating or electing a candidate ,the term major purpose of nominating or electing a candidate means1 with respect to a group of persons described in paragraph 7#d77;,a7-- 7,a7 a group whose central organizational purpose is to expressly advocate for the nomination1 election1 or defeat of a candidate2 or 7,b7 a group for which the majority of its spending throughout its lifetime of existence has been on contributions1 expenditures1 or independent expenditures4 4 7c7 ,price index adjustment for political committee threshold ,section #cae7;c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;c771 as amended by section #cjd7;b71 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,e7 ,in any calendar year after #bjbd-- 7i7 a threshold established by sections #cja7d77;,a7 or #cja7d77;,c7 shall be increased by the percent difference determined under subparagraph 7,a72 7ii7 each amount so increased shall remain in effect for the calendar year2 and 7iii7 if any amount after adjustment under clause 7i7 is not a multiple of #ajj1 such amount shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of #ajj4 2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,b7-- 7,a7 in clause 7ii71 by striking and at the end2 7,b7 in clause 7iii71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7iv7 for purposes of sections #cja7d77;,a7 and #cja7d77;,c71 calendar year #bjbd4 4 7d7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held during #bjbd or any succeeding year4 #cbc4 ,increased threshold with respect to independent expenditure reporting requirement 7a7 ,in general ,section #cjd7;c77#a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajd7;c77#a77 is amended by striking #bej and inserting #a1jjj4 7b7 ,price index adjustment for independent expenditure reporting threshold ,section #cae7;c7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;c771 as amended by sections #cjd7;b7 and #cbb7;c71 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,f7 ,in any calendar year after #bjbd-- 7i7 a threshold established by section #cjd7;c77#a7 shall be increased by the percent difference determined under subparagraph 7,a72 7ii7 each amount so increased shall remain in effect for the calendar year2 and 7iii7 if any amount after adjustment under clause 7i7 is not a multiple of #ajj1 such amount shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of #ajj4 2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,b7-- 7,a7 in clause 7iii71 by striking and at the end2 7,b7 in clause 7iv71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7v7 for purposes of section #cjd7;c77#a71 calendar year #bjbd4 4 7c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held during #bjbd or any succeeding year4 #cbd4 ,increased qualifying threshold with respect to candidates 7a7 ,increase in threshold ,section #cja7b7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7b77 is amended by striking #e1jjj each place it appears and inserting #aj1jjj4 7b7 ,price index adjustment for exemption of certain amounts as contributions ,section #cae7;c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;c771 as amended by sections #cjd7;b71 #cbb7;c71 and #cbc7;b71 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,g7 ,in any calendar year after #bjbd-- 7i7 a threshold established by sections #cja7b7 shall be increased by the percent difference determined under subparagraph 7,a72 7ii7 each amount so increased shall remain for the #b-year period that begins on the first day following the date of the general election in the year preceding the year in which the amount is increased and ending on the date of the next general election2 and 7iii7 if any amount after adjustment under clause 7i7 is not a multiple of #ajj1 such amount shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of #ajj4 2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,b7-- 7,a7 in clause 7iv71 by striking and at the end2 7,b7 in clause 7v71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7vi7 for purposes of section #cja7b71 calendar year #bjbd4 4 7c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held during #bjbd or any succeeding year4 #cbe4 ,repeal requirement of persons making independent expenditures to report identification of certain donors 7a7 ,repeal ,section #cjd7;c77#b7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajd7;c77#b77 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,a71 by adding and at the end2 7#b7 in subparagraph 7,b71 by striking 2 and and inserting a period2 and 7#c7 by striking subparagraph 7,c74 7b7 ,conforming amendment ,section #cjd7;c77#a7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajd7;c77#a77 is amended by striking the information required under subsection 7b77#c77;,a7 for all contributions received by such person and inserting the information required under paragraph 7#b74 7c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to independent expenditures made on or after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 ,d ,exclusion of ,certain ,amounts from ,treatment as ,contributions or ,expenditures #cca4 ,increased threshold for exemption of certain amounts as contributions 7a7 ,real or personal property exemption ,section #cja7h77;,b77ii7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7h77;,b77ii77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking #a1jjj and inserting #b1jjj2 and 7#b7 by striking #b1jjj and inserting #d1jjj4 7b7 ,travel expenses exemption ,section #cja7h77;,b77iv7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7h77;,b77iv77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking #a1jjj and inserting #b1jjj2 and 7#b7 by striking #b1jjj and inserting #d1jjj4 7c7 ,price index adjustment for exemption of certain amounts as contributions ,section #cae7;c7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;c771 as amended by sections #cjd7;b71 #cbb7;c71 #cbc7;b71 and #cbd7;b7 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,h7 ,in any calendar year after #bjbd-- 7i7 the exemption amounts established by sections #cja7h77;,b77ii7 or #cja7h77;,b77iv7 shall be increased by the percent difference determined under subparagraph 7,a72 7ii7 each amount so increased shall remain for the #b-year period that begins on the first day following the date of the general election in the year preceding the year in which the amount is increased and ending on the date of the next general election2 and 7iii7 if any amount after adjustment under clause 7i7 is not a multiple of #ajj1 such amount shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of #ajj4 2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b77;,b7-- 7,a7 in clause 7v71 by striking and at the end2 7,b7 in clause 7vi71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7vii7 for purposes of section #cja7h77;,b77ii7 or #cja7h77;,b77iv71 calendar year #bjbd4 4 7d7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held during #bjbd or any succeeding year4 #ccb4 ,exemption of uncompensated internet communications from treatment as contribution or expenditure 7a7 ,exemptions 7#a7 ,exemption from treatment as contribution ,section #cja7h77;,b7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7h77;,b77 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking and at the end of clause 7xiii72 7,b7 by striking the period at the end of clause 7xiv7 and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7xv7 any payment by any person in producing and disseminating any information or communication on the ,internet1 ,internet platform or other ,internet-enabled application1 unless the information or communication is disseminated for a fee on another person's website1 platform or other ,internet-enabled application1 whether coordinated or not4 4 7#b7 ,exemption from treatment as expenditure ,section #cja7i77;,b7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7i77;,b77 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking and at the end of clause 7ix72 7,b7 by striking the period at the end of clause 7x7 and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following new clause3 7xi7 any cost incurred by any person in producing and disseminating any information or communication on the ,internet1 ,internet platform or other ,internet-enabled application1 unless the information or communication is disseminated for a fee on another person's website1 platform or other ,internet-enabled application4 4 7b7 ,application to definition of public communications ,section #cja7bb7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7bb77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,in the previous sentence1 the terms public communication and general public political advertising do not include communications disseminated over the ,internet or via an ,internet platform or other ,internet-enabled application1 unless the communication or advertising is disseminated for a fee on another person's website1 platform or other internet-enabled application44 7c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held during #bjbd or any succeeding year4 #ccc4 ,media exemption 7a7 ,expansion of exemption to additional forms of media ,section #cja7i77;,b77i7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7i77;,b77i77 is amended to read as follows3 7i7 any news story1 commentary1 or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting1 cable1 satellite1 or internet-based station1 programmer1 operator or producer2 newspaper1 magazine1 or other periodical publisher2 electronic publisher1 platform1 or application2 book publisher2 or filmmaker or film producer1 distributor or exhibitor1 unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any political party1 political committee1 or candidate2 4 7b7 ,application to contributions ,section #cja7h77;,b7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7h77;,b771 as amended by section #ccb7;a77#a71 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating clauses 7i7 through 7xv7 as clauses 7ii7 through 7xvi72 and 7#b7 by inserting before clause 7ii7 7as so redesignated7 the following new clause3 7i7 any payment for any news story1 commentary1 or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting1 cable1 satellite1 or internet-based station1 programmer1 operator or producer2 newspaper1 magazine1 or other periodical publisher2 electronic publisher1 platform1 or application2 book publisher2 or filmmaker or film producer1 distributor or exhibitor2 4 7c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections held during #bjbd or any succeeding year4 ,e ,prohibition on ,issuance of ,regulations on ,political ,contributions #cda4 ,prohibition on issuance of regulations on ,political ,contributions 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,from #bjaj through #bjac1 the ,internal ,revenue ,service targeted conservative organizations seeking tax-exempt status4 ,the result of this targeting was obvious--to discourage conservative organizations and individuals associated with them from engaging in the #bjab presidential election after an incredibly successful #bjaj midterm election4 7#b7 ,in response to this treatment1 a large number of conservative organizations sued the ,internal ,revenue ,service4 ,in #bjag1 a settlement was reached and the ,internal ,revenue ,service was required to issue an apology for its actions4 7#c7 ,congress quickly recognized that the ,internal ,revenue ,service was not the only government agency that could question or threaten the tax-exempt status of disfavored political groups4 ,the ,securities and ,exchange ,commission1 an independent government agency1 also enjoys some regulatory power in this area4 7#d7 ,beginning in #bjae1 ,congress has included in every appropriations bill that has funded the ,securities and ,exchange ,commission1 an appropriations rider prohibiting the agency from using any of the funds made available to finalize1 issue1 or implement any rule1 regulation1 or order regarding the disclosure of political contributions1 contributions to tax exempt organizations1 or dues paid to trade associations4,see ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjaf1 ,h4,r4 #bjbi1 #aadth ,cong4 #a 7#bjae72 ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjag1 ,h4,r4 #bdd1 #aaeth ,cong4 #a 7#bjag72 ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjah1 ,h4,r4 #afbe1 #aaeth ,cong4 #b 7#bjah72 ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjai1 ,h4,j4 ,res4 #ca1 #aafth ,cong4 #a 7#bjai72 ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjbj1 ,h4,r4 #aaeh1 #aafth ,cong4 #a 7#bjai72 ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act1 #bjba1 ,h4,r4 #acc1 #aafth ,cong4 #b 7#bjbj72 ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act #bjbb1 ,h4,r4 #bdga1 #aagth ,cong4 #b 7#bjbb72 ,consolidated ,appropriations ,act #bjbc1 ,h4,r4 #bfag1 #aagth ,cong4 #b 7#bjbb74 7#e7 ,this prohibition is too important to be subject to yearly renewal4 ,instead1 it must be enacted into permanent law so political organizations of both political parties can rest assured the ,securities and ,exchange ,commission will not target them4 7b7 ,prohibition ,the ,securities and ,exchange ,commission may not finalize1 issue1 or implement any rule1 regulation1 or order regarding the disclosure of political contributions1 contributions to tax exempt organizations1 or dues paid to trade associations4 ,f ,miscellaneous ,provisions #cea4 ,permanent extension of fines for qualified disclosure requirement violations ,section #cji7;a77#d77;,c77v7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaji7;a77#d77;,c77v77 is amended by striking 1 and that end on or before ,december #ca1 #bjbc4 #ceb4 ,permitting political committees to make disbursements by methods other than check ,section #cjb7;h77#a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajb7;h77#a77 is amended by striking except by check drawn on such accounts in accordance with this section and inserting except from such accounts4 #cec4 ,designation of individual authorized to make campaign committee disbursements in event of death or incapacity of candidate 7a7 ,in ,general ,section #cjb of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajb71 as amended by section #cjf7;b71 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7k7 7#a7 ,each candidate may1 with respect to each authorized committee of the candidate1 designate an individual who shall be responsible for disbursing funds in the accounts of the committee in the event of the death or incapacity of the candidate1 and may also designate another individual to carry out the responsibilities of the designated individual under this subsection in the event of the death or incapacity of the designated individual or the unwillingness of the designated individual to carry out the responsibilities4 7#b7 ,in order to designate an individual under this subsection1 the candidate shall file with the ,commission a signed written statement 7in a standardized form developed by the ,commission1 and including any applicable supporting documentation1 including a will or trust document7 that contains the name and address of the individual and the name of the authorized committee for which the designation shall apply1 and that may contain the candidate's instructions regarding the lawful disbursement of the funds involved by the individual4 ,at any time after filing the statement1 the candidate may revoke the designation of an individual by filing with the ,commission a signed written statement of revocation 7in a standardized form developed by the ,commission74 7#c7 7,a7 ,upon the death or incapacity of a candidate who has designated an individual for purposes of paragraph 7#a71 funds in the accounts of each authorized committee of the candidate may be disbursed only under the direction and in accordance with the instructions of such individual1 subject to the terms and conditions applicable to the disbursement of such funds under this ,act or any other applicable ,federal or ,state law 7other than any provision of ,state law which authorizes any person other than such individual to direct the disbursement of such funds74 7,b7 ,subparagraph 7,a7 does not apply with respect to an authorized committee if1 at the time of the candidate's death or incapacity1 the authorized committee has a treasurer or a designated agent of the treasurer as described in section #cjb7;a71 unless the treasurer or designated agent is incapacitated or cannot be reached by the authorized committee4 7,c7 ,nothing in this paragraph may be construed to grant any authority to an individual who is designated pursuant to this subsection other than the authority to direct the disbursement of funds as provided in such paragraph1 or may be construed to affect the responsibility of the treasurer of an authorized committee for which funds are disbursed in accordance with such paragraph to file reports of the disbursements of such funds under section #cjd7;a74 4 7b7 ,inclusion of ,designation in ,statement of ,organization of ,committee ,section #cjc7;b7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajc7;b77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#e71 by striking and at the end2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#f71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#g7 in the case of an authorized committee of a candidate who has designated an individual under section #cjb7k7 7including a second individual designated to carry out the responsibilities of that individual under such section in the event of that individual's death or incapacity or unwillingness to carry out the responsibilities7 to disburse funds from the accounts of the committee in the event of the death of the candidate1 a copy of the statement filed by the candidate with the ,commission under such section 7as well as a copy of any subsequent statement of revocation filed by the candidate with the ,commission under such section74 4 7c7 ,effective ,date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to authorized campaign committees which are designated under section #cjb7;e77#a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga before1 on1 or after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #ced4 ,prohibiting aiding or abetting making of contributions in name of another ,section #cbj of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjabb7 is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence3 ,no person shall knowingly direct1 help1 or assist any person in making a contribution in the name of another person44 #cee4 ,unanimous consent of ,commission members required for ,commission to refuse to defend actions brought against ,commission 7a7 ,unanimous consent ,section #cjg of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajg7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7f7 7#a7 ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 the ,commission shall defend each action brought against the ,commission under this ,act or chapter #ie and #if of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf-- 7,a7 through the ,general ,counsel1 as provided in subsection 7a77#f72 7,b7 by appointing counsel as provided in section #cjf7;f77#d72 or 7,c7 by referral to the ,attorney ,general in the case of a criminal action4 7#b7 ,the ,commission may refuse to defend an action brought against the ,commission pursuant to the unanimous vote of its ,members4 4 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made by subsection 7a7 shall apply with respect to actions brought on or after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #cef4 ,federal ,election ,commission member pay 7a7 ,determination of rate of pay ,section #cjf7;a77#d7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajf7;a77#d77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking 7#d7 ,members and inserting 7#d77;,a7 ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 members2 7#b7 by striking equivalent to the compensation paid at level ,,iv of the ,executive ,schedule 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 #ecae7 and inserting at an annual rate of basic pay of #ahf1cjj1 as adjusted under section #ecah of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 in the same manner as the annual rate of pay for positions at each level of the ,executive ,schedule1 which may not be varied or suspended by executive action2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7,b7 ,a member who serves on the ,commission after the expiration of the member's term because the member's successor has not taken office may not receive any increase in compensation under this subsection for any pay period occurring after the expiration of the #d-year period which begins on the date of the expiration of the member's term4 ,a member shall no longer be subject to the previous sentence if the member is appointed to a new term and takes office pursuant to that appointment4 7,c7 ,a member shall be permitted to hold a position at an institution of higher education 7as such term is defined in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7 if-- 7i7 the ,general ,counsel of the ,commission determines that such position does not create a conflict of interest with the member's position as a sitting member of the ,commission and grants the member approval to hold the position2 and 7ii7 the annual rate of compensation received by the individual from such institution is not greater than the amount equal to #di4i of the annual rate of basic pay paid to the member under this paragraph4 4 7b7 ,clarification of authority to serve additional terms ,section #cjf7;a77#b7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajf7;a77#b77 is amended by striking shall serve for a single term of #f years and inserting shall be appointed for terms of #f years4 #ceg4 ,uniform statute of limitations for proceedings to enforce ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7a7 #e-year limitation ,section #djf7;a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjade7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking 7a7 and inserting 7a77#a72 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following new paragraph3 7#b7 ,no person shall be subject to a civil penalty for any violation of title ,,iii of this ,act unless the proceeding is initiated in accordance with section #cji not later than #e years after the date on which the violation occurred4 4 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made by subsection 7a7 shall apply with respect to violations occurring on or after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #ceh4 ,theft from political committee as a ,federal crime 7a7 ,federal crime ,chapter #bi of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 as amended by section #afa7;b71 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #fac4 ,theft from political committee 7a7 ,in general ,it shall be unlawful to remove1 without appropriate authorization1 any funds or any other item of value from an account maintained for the benefit of a candidate for ,federal office or the candidate's political committee 7as such term is defined in section #cja of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja774 7b7 ,penalty ,any person who violates subsection 7a7 shall be fined not more than #bej1jjj1 imprisoned for not more than #e years1 or both4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections for chapter #bi of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following new item3 #fac4 ,theft from political committee4 4 #cei4 ,repeal of obsolete provisions of law 7a7 ,provisions held unconstitutional 7#a7 ,membership of ,secretary of ,senate and ,clerk of ,house on ,federal ,election ,commission ,section #cjf7;a77#a7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajf7;a77#a77 is amended by striking the ,secretary of the ,senate and the ,clerk of the ,house of ,representatives or their designees1 ex officio and without the right to vote1 and4 7#b7 ,prohibiting contributions by minors ,the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga is amended by striking section #cbd 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjabf74 7#c7 ,increase in contribution limits for candidates in response to personal fund expenditures by opponents 7,a7 ,house candidates ,the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga is amended by striking section #cae;,a 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaag74 7,b7 ,senate candidates ,section #cae of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7 is amended-- 7i7 by striking subsection 7i72 and 7ii7 by redesignating subsection 7j7 as subsection 7i74 7,c7 ,conforming amendment relating to notification ,section #cjd7;a77#f7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajd7;a77#f77 is amended-- 7i7 by striking subparagraphs 7,b71 7,c71 and 7,d72 and 7ii7 by redesignating subparagraph 7,e7 as subparagraph 7,b74 7,d7 ,conforming amendment relating to definitions ,section #cja7be7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaja7be77 is amended by striking ,for purposes of sections #cae7;i7 and #cae;,a and paragraph 7#bf71 the term and inserting ,the term4 7,e7 ,other conforming amendment ,section #cae7;a77#a7 of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7;a77#a77 is amended by striking ,except as provided in subsection 7i7 and section #cae;,a1 no person and inserting ,no person4 7#d7 ,electioneering communications and independent expenditures by corporations and labor organizations ,section #caf of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaag7 is amended-- 7,a7 in subsection 7b77#b71 by striking or for any applicable electioneering communication2 and 7,b7 by striking subsection 7c74 7#e7 ,limitation on repayment of personal loans ,section #cae of such ,act 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaaf7 is amended by striking subsection 7i71 as redesignated by paragraph 7#d77;,b77ii74 7b7 ,provisions relating to use of ,presidential ,election ,campaign ,fund for party nominating conventions ,section #ijjh of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7b71 by striking paragraph 7#c72 and 7#b7 by striking subsections 7c71 7d71 7e71 7f71 7g71 and 7h74 7c7 ,technical correction 7#a7 ,sections #cjg and #cji of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjajg and #cjaji7 are each amended by striking subpena each place it appears and inserting subpoena4 7#b7 ,section #cji7;a77#g7 of the ,federal ,election ,campaign ,act of #aiga 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #cjaji7;a77#g77 is amended by striking subpenas and inserting subpoenas4 #cfj4 ,deadline for promulgation of proposed regulations ,not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,federal ,election ,commission shall publish in the ,federal ,register proposed regulations to carry out this title and the amendments made by this title4 ,,iv ,election ,security ,a ,promoting ,election ,security #dja4 ,short title ,this title may be cited as the ,election ,security ,assistance ,act4 #djb4 ,reports to ,congress on foreign threats to elections 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and #cj days after the end of each fiscal year thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security and the ,director of ,national ,intelligence1 in coordination with the heads of the appropriate ,federal entities1 shall submit a joint report to the appropriate congressional committees and the chief ,state election official of each ,state on foreign threats to elections in the ,united ,states1 including physical and cybersecurity threats4 7b7 ,voluntary participation by ,states ,the ,secretary shall solicit and consider voluntary comments from all ,state election agencies4 ,participation by an election agency in the report under this section shall be voluntary and at the discretion of the ,state4 7c7 ,appropriate ,federal entities ,in this section1 the term appropriate ,federal entities means-- 7#a7 the ,department of ,commerce1 including the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology2 7#b7 the ,department of ,defense2 7#c7 the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 including the component of the ,department that reports to the ,under ,secretary responsible for overseeing critical infrastructure protection1 cybersecurity1 and other related programs of the ,department2 7#d7 the ,department of ,justice1 including the ,federal ,bureau of ,investigation2 7#e7 the ,election ,assistance ,commission2 and 7#f7 the ,office of the ,director of ,national ,intelligence1 the ,national ,security ,agency1 and such other elements of the intelligence community 7as defined in section #c of the ,national ,security ,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #cjjc77 as the ,director of ,national ,intelligence determines are appropriate4 7d7 ,other definitions ,in this section-- 7#a7 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,rules and ,administration1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs1 the ,select ,committee on ,intelligence1 and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 and 7,b7 the ,committee on ,house ,administration1 the ,committee on ,homeland ,security1 the ,permanent ,select ,committee on ,intelligence1 and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 7#b7 the term chief ,state election official means1 with respect to a ,state1 the individual designated by the ,state under section #aj of the ,national ,voter ,registration ,act of #aiic 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #bjeji7 to be responsible for coordination of the ,state's responsibilities under such ,act2 7#c7 the term election agency means any component of a ,state or any component of a unit of local government of a ,state that is responsible for administering ,federal elections2 7#d7 the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security2 and 7#e7 the term ,state has the meaning given such term in section #ija of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb 7#eb ,u4,s4,c4 #baada74 #djc4 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this title may be construed as authorizing the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security to carry out the administration of an election for ,federal office4 ,b ,cybersecurity for ,election ,systems #daa4 ,cybersecurity advisories relating to election systems 7a7 ,cybersecurity advisories 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,cybersecurity and ,infrastructure ,security ,agency of the ,department of ,homeland ,security 7in this subtitle referred to as the ,director7 shall provide notification to the ,election ,assistance ,commission 7in this subtitle referred to as the ,commission7 if the ,director is determining whether an advisory relating to the cybersecurity of election systems used in the administration of elections for ,federal office or the cybersecurity of elections for ,federal office generally is necessary4 ,if such a determination is made in the affirmative1 the ,director shall coordinate with the ,election ,assistance ,commission on the timing of the release of the advisory4 7#b7 ,prohibition ,the ,director may not issue an advisory described in paragraph 7#a7 unless the ,commission has provided input relating thereto4 7b7 ,notification ,if the ,director issues an advisory described in subsection 7a71 the ,director1 in collaboration with the ,commission1 shall provide to appropriate ,state election officials and vendors of covered voting systems notification relating thereto4 #dab4 ,process to test for cybersecurity vulnerabilities in election equipment 7a7 ,process for covered voting systems 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director and the ,commission 7in consultation with the ,technical ,guidelines ,development ,committee and the ,standards ,board of the ,commission71 shall jointly establish a voluntary process to test covered voting systems for cybersecurity vulnerabilities4 ,such process shall include the following3 7,a7 ,mitigation strategies and other remedies4 7,b7 ,notice to the ,commission and appropriate entities of the results of testing conducted pursuant to such process4 7#b7 ,implementation ,the ,director shall implement the process established under paragraph 7#a7 at the request of the ,commission4 7b7 ,labeling for voting systems ,the ,commission 7in consultation with the ,technical ,guidelines ,development ,committee and the ,standards ,board of the ,commission71 shall establish a process to provide for the deployment of appropriate labeling available through the website of the ,commission to indicate that covered voting systems passed the most recent cybersecurity testing pursuant to the process established under subsection 7a74 7c7 ,rules of construction ,the process established under subsection 7a71 including the results of any testing carried out pursuant to this section1 shall not affect-- 7#a7 the certification status of equipment used in the administration of an election for ,federal office under the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb2 or 7#b7 the authority of the ,commission to so certify such equipment under such ,act4 7d7 ,exclusive authority of ,election ,assistance ,commission with respect to guidelines and certification of covered voting systems ,no entity of the ,federal ,government other than the ,election ,assistance ,commission may issue guidelines with respect to the minimum standards for the testing1 certification1 decertification1 and recertification of covered voting systems4 7e7 ,definition ,in this section1 the term covered voting systems means equipment used in the administration of an election for ,federal office that is certified in accordance with versions of ,voluntary ,voting ,system ,guidelines under the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb1 and includes any related nonvoting election technology1 as defined in section #bih;,c of the ,help ,america ,vote ,act of #bjjb1 as added by section #abi7;b74 #dac4 ,sense of ,congress regarding need to notify ,state and local officials of election cybersecurity incidents ,it is the sense of ,congress that1 because the ,constitution tasks the ,federal ,government with the primary responsibility to protect national security and reserves to the ,states and tasks them with the duty to establish election law and to administer ,federal elections1 it is imperative that the relevant ,federal officials communicate regularly and clearly with ,state and local officials who are administering ,federal elections4 ,v ,congressional ,redistricting #eja4 ,sense of ,congress on authority to establish maps of congressional districts ,it is the sense of ,congress that1 while ,congress is authorized under the ,constitution of the ,united ,states to ensure that congressional redistricting is carried out in a manner consistent with the ,constitution1 only a ,state has the authority to establish maps of the congressional districts of the ,state and to determine the procedures and criteria used to establish such maps4 #ejb4 ,authority for ,speaker of the ,house to join certain civil actions relating to apportionment ,the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives or the ,speaker's designee or designees may commence or join in a civil action1 for and on behalf of the ,house of ,representatives1 under any applicable law1 to prevent the use of any statistical method1 in connection with the decennial census1 to determine the population for purposes of the apportionment or redistricting of ,members in ,congress4 ,it shall be the duty of the ,office of the ,general ,counsel of the ,house of ,representatives to represent the ,house in such civil action1 according to the directions of the ,speaker4 ,the ,office of the ,general ,counsel of the ,house of ,representatives may employ the services of outside counsel and other experts for this purpose4 #ejc4 ,census ,monitoring ,board 7a7 ,short title ,this section may be cited as the ,citizen ,census ,monitoring ,board ,permanent ,authorization ,act of #bjbc4 7b7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the #bjbj decennial census of population was conducted amongst unique and difficult circumstances which have caused many of its results to be questioned as regards their accuracy and legality4 7#b7 ,privacy limitations prevent the decennial census from being a transparent process1 therefore limiting the ability of the public and even ,congress or the courts from effectively monitoring the entire census process4 7#c7 ,only an independent bipartisan ,board with the same access to data and documentation as the ,bureau of the ,census itself can effectively monitor the decennial census process4 7#d7 ,therefore1 in order to achieve these goals1 the ,congress finds that a bipartisan ,census ,monitoring ,board should be established4 7c7 ,establishment ,there shall be established a board to be known as the ,census ,monitoring ,board 7in this section referred to as the ,board74 7d7 ,duties ,the function of the ,board shall be to review all aspects of the preparation and implementation1 data and results1 and all post-enumeration activities and procedures1 of the #bjbj decennial census of population under section #ada of title #ac1 ,united ,states ,code1 7including all dress rehearsals and other simulations of a census in preparation therefor7 and observe and monitor all aspects of the preparation and implementation of the #bjcj decennial census and each decennial census thereafter 7including all dress rehearsals and other simulations of a census in preparation therefor74 7e7 ,members 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,board shall be composed of #f members1 appointed as follows3 7,a7 ,one individual appointed by the majority leader of the ,senate4 7,b7 ,two individuals appointed by the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives4 7,c7 ,one individual appointed by the minority leader of the ,senate4 7,d7 ,two individuals appointed by the minority leader of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#b7 ,appointment ,each member of the ,board shall be appointed within #fj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 ,a vacancy in the ,board shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made4 ,members of the ,board's terms shall expire when the ,houses of ,congress are reorganized1 except that a member shall continue to serve as a member until their replacement is appointed4 7#c7 ,compensation ,members shall not be entitled to any pay by reason of their service on the ,board1 but shall receive travel expenses1 including per diem in lieu of subsistence1 in accordance with sections #egjb and #egjc of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#d7 ,bipartisan ,the ,board shall be bipartisan and each party's appointees shall caucus separately and elect a co-chair from each caucus4 7#e7 ,meetings ,the ,board shall meet at the call of either co-chair4 7#f7 ,quorum ,a quorum shall consist of four members of the ,board4 7#g7 ,regulations ,the ,board may promulgate any regulations necessary to carry out its duties4 7f7 ,executive directors 7#a7 ,in general ,each caucus of the ,board shall have an executive director who shall be appointed by the members of the two most numerous caucuses1 each of whom shall be paid at a rate not to exceed level ,,iv of the ,executive ,schedule under section #ecae of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,staff and services 7,a7 ,in general ,subject to such rules as the ,board may prescribe1 each executive director-- 7i7 may appoint and fix the pay of such additional personnel as that executive director considers appropriate2 and 7ii7 may procure temporary and intermittent services under section #caji7;b7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 but at rates for individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of the maximum annual rate of pay payable for grade ,,gs-#ae of the ,general ,schedule4 7,b7 ,board rules ,such rules shall include provisions to ensure an equitable division or sharing of resources1 as appropriate1 between the respective staff of the ,board4 7#c7 ,board staff ,the staff of the ,board shall be appointed without regard to the provisions of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 governing appointments in the competitive service1 and shall be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter #ea and subchapter ,,iii of chapter #ec of such title 7relating to classification and ,general ,schedule pay rates74 7#d7 ,facilities ,the ,administrator of the ,general ,services ,administration1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,commerce1 shall locate suitable office space for the operation of the ,board in the headquarters of the ,bureau of the ,census in ,suitland1 ,maryland1 or its successor location4 ,the facilities shall serve as the headquarters of the ,board and shall include all necessary equipment and incidentals required for the proper functioning of the ,board4 7g7 ,other authorities 7#a7 ,hearings ,for the purpose of carrying out its duties1 the ,board may hold such hearings 7at the call of either co-chair7 and undertake such other activities as the ,board determines to be necessary to carry out its duties4 7#b7 ,access to information 7,a7 ,in general ,each co-chair of the ,board and any ,board staff who may be designated by the ,board under this subparagraph shall be granted access to any data1 files1 information1 or other matters maintained by the ,bureau of the ,census 7or received by it in the course of conducting a decennial census of population7 which they may request1 subject to such regulations as the ,board may prescribe in consultation with the ,secretary of ,commerce4 ,no information may be withheld pursuant to title #ac1 ,united ,states ,code1 and all members of the ,board and ,board staff shall be sworn to protect the confidentiality and privilege of all data and information protected by such title4 7,b7 ,agency information ,the ,board or the co-chairs acting jointly may secure directly from any other ,federal agency1 including the ,white ,house1 all information that the ,board considers necessary to enable the ,board to carry out its duties4 ,upon request of the ,board or both co-chairs1 the head of that agency 7or other person duly designated for purposes of this paragraph7 shall furnish that information to the ,board4 7#c7 ,regulations ,the ,board shall prescribe regulations under which any member of the ,board or of its staff1 and any person whose services are procured under subsection 7e77#b77;,a77ii71 who gains access to any information or other matter pursuant to this subsection shall1 to the extent that any provisions of section #i or section #bad of title #ac1 ,united ,states ,code1 would apply with respect to such matter in the case of an employee of the ,department of ,commerce1 be subject to such provisions4 7#d7 ,detail authority ,upon the request of the ,board1 the head of any ,federal agency is authorized to detail1 without reimbursement1 any of the personnel of such agency to the ,board to assist the ,board in carrying out its duties4 ,any such detail of a ,federal employee under this paragraph shall not interrupt or otherwise affect the civil service status or privileges of the employee4 7#e7 ,technical assistance ,upon the request of the ,board1 the head of a ,federal agency shall provide such technical assistance to the ,board as the ,board determines to be necessary to carry out its duties4 7#f7 ,use of mails ,the ,board may use the ,united ,states mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as ,federal agencies and shall1 for purposes of the frank1 be considered a commission of ,congress as described in section #cbae of title #ci1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#g7 ,support services ,upon request of the ,board1 the ,administrator of ,general ,services shall provide to the ,board on a reimbursable basis such administrative support services as the ,board may request4 7#h7 ,printing costs ,for purposes of costs relating to printing and binding1 including the cost of personnel detailed from the ,government ,publishing ,office1 the ,board shall be deemed to be a committee of the ,congress4 7h7 ,reports 7#a7 #bjbj census ,the ,board shall transmit to the ,congress-- 7,a7 interim reports1 with the first such report due by ,april #a1 #bjbd2 7,b7 additional reports1 the first of which shall be due by ,february #a1 #bjbe1 the second of which shall be due by ,april #a1 #bjbe1 and subsequent reports at least semiannually thereafter2 7,c7 a final report on the #bjbj ,census shall be due by ,september #a1 #bjbe2 and 7,d7 any other reports which the ,board or either co-chair considers appropriate4 7#b7 ,subsequent censuses ,with respect to the #bjcj decennial census of population and each decennial census thereafter1 the ,board shall transmit to ,congress-- 7,a7 an interim report due not later than ,september #a of the second year following the year in which a decennial census occurs2 and 7,b7 a final report not later than ,september #a of the third year following the year in which a decennial census occurs2 and 7,c7 any other reports which the ,board or either co-chair considers appropriate4 7#c7 ,final report contents ,a final report under paragraph 7#a77;,c7 or 7#b77;,b7 shall contain a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the ,board with respect to the matters described in subsection 7c74 7#d7 ,report contents ,in addition to any matter otherwise required under this subsection1 each such report shall address1 with respect to the period covered by such report-- 7,a7 the degree to which efforts of the ,bureau of the ,census to prepare to conduct the decennial census-- 7i7 shall achieve maximum possible accuracy at every level of geography2 7ii7 shall be taken by means of an enumeration process designed to count every individual possible2 7iii7 shall be free from political bias and arbitrary decisions2 and 7iv7 comply with all legal and constitutional requirements2 and 7,b7 efforts by the ,bureau of the ,census intended to contribute to enumeration improvement1 specifically in connection with-- 7i7 computer modernization and the appropriate use of automation2 7ii7 address list development2 7iii7 outreach and promotion efforts at all levels designed to maximize response rates1 especially among groups that have historically been undercounted 7including measures undertaken in conjunction with local government and community and other groups72 7iv7 establishment and operation of field offices2 and 7v7 efforts relating to the recruitment1 hiring1 and training of enumerators4 7#e7 ,availability of data and information ,any data or other information obtained by the ,board under this section shall be made available to any committee or subcommittee of ,congress of appropriate jurisdiction upon request of the chair or ranking minority member of such committee or subcommittee4 ,no such committee or subcommittee1 or member thereof1 shall disclose any information obtained under this paragraph which is submitted to it on a confidential basis unless the full committee determines that the withholding of that information is contrary to the national interest4 7#f7 ,use of contractors ,the ,board shall study and submit to ,congress1 as part of its first report under paragraph 7#a77;,a71 its findings and recommendations as to the feasibility and desirability of using postal personnel or private contractors to help carry out the decennial census4 7i7 ,accuracy of census ,to the extent practicable1 members of the ,board shall work to promote the most accurate and complete decennial census possible by using their positions to publicize the need for full and timely responses to decennial census questionnaires4 7j7 ,limitation on ,board members and staff 7#a7 ,in general ,no individual described in paragraph 7#b7 may-- 7,a7 be appointed or serve as a member of the ,board or as a member of the staff of the ,board2 or 7,b7 enter into any contract with the ,board4 7#b7 ,individuals covered ,an individual described in this paragraph is any individual who is serving or who has ever served-- 7,a7 as the ,director of the ,census2 or 7,b7 with any committee or subcommittee of either ,house of ,congress having jurisdiction over any aspect of the decennial census as-- 7i7 a ,member of ,congress2 or 7ii7 a congressional employee4 7k7 ,exception for use of information ,section #i7;a7 of title #ac1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended in the matter before paragraph 7#a7-- 7#a7 by striking or section #baj and inserting 1 section #baj2 7#b7 by striking #aiih or and inserting #aiih12 and 7#c7 by striking #aiig and inserting 1 or section #ejb of the ,american ,confidence in ,elections ,act4 7l7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #g1ejj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbd and each fiscal year thereafter to carry out this section4 ,,vi ,disinformation ,governance ,board #fja4 ,termination of the ,disinformation ,governance ,board ,the ,disinformation ,governance ,board of the ,department of ,homeland ,security is hereby terminated4 #fjb4 ,prohibition on funding similar board or similar activities ,no ,federal funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available may be used to establish any other entity that is substantially similar to the ,disinformation ,governance ,board terminated by section #fja or to carry out activities that are substantially similar to the ,disinformation ,governance ,board terminated by section #fja4 ,,vii ,severability #gja4 ,severability ,if any provision of this ,act or any amendment made by this ,act1 or the application of any such provision or amendment to any person or circumstance1 is held to be unconstitutional1 the remainder of this ,act1 and the application of such provision or amendment to any other person or circumstance1 shall not be affected by the holding4 ,january #c1 #bjbe,reported from the ,committee on ,house ,administration with an amendment,january #c1 #bjbe ,committees on the ,judiciary1 ,ways and ,means1 ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 ,intelligence 7,permanent ,select71 ,homeland ,security1 ,education and the ,workforce1 ,financial ,services1 ,oversight and ,accountability1 and ,rules discharged2 committed to the ,committee of the ,whole ,house on the ,state of the ,union and ordered to be printed