[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2215 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2215
To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to treat the lease
for a dwelling unit under certain federally assisted housing programs
as a simultaneous application for voter registration in elections for
Federal office, to designate owners of dwelling units under certain
federally assisted housing programs as voter registration agencies for
purposes of such Act, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 26, 2021
Mr. Garcia of Illinois (for himself, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Williams of
Georgia, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Foster, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lee of California, Ms.
Meng, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. McGovern, Mrs. Demings, Mr.
Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Jayapal,
Mr. Schiff, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Hastings, Mr.
Takano, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Jones, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Danny K.
Davis of Illinois, Mr. Sires, Mr. Auchincloss, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney
of New York, and Mr. San Nicolas) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to treat the lease
for a dwelling unit under certain federally assisted housing programs
as a simultaneous application for voter registration in elections for
Federal office, to designate owners of dwelling units under certain
federally assisted housing programs as voter registration agencies for
purposes of such Act, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Our Homes, Our Votes Act''.
SEC. 2. PROMOTING VOTER REGISTRATION FOR RESIDENTS OF UNITS UNDER
CERTAIN FEDERALLY ASSISTED HOUSING PROGRAMS.
(a) Treatment of Lease as Simultaneous Application for Voter
Registration.--
(1) In general.--The National Voter Registration Act of
1993 is amended by inserting after section 5 (52 U.S.C. 20504)
the following new section:
``SEC. 5A. SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION FOR VOTER REGISTRATION AND LEASE
FOR PHA-ASSISTED HOUSING.
``(a) In General.--
``(1) Application for voter registration.--Each lease and
annual income recertification for a PHA-assisted dwelling unit
(as such term is defined in subsection (e)) submitted to the
applicable public housing agency for such unit shall serve as
an application for voter registration with respect to elections
for Federal office for each lessee who signs the lease unless
the lessee fails to sign the voter registration application.
``(2) Update.--An application for voter registration
submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be considered as
updating any previous voter registration by the applicant.
``(b) Limitation on Use of Information.--No information relating to
the failure of a lessee of PHA-assisted dwelling unit to sign a voter
registration application may be used for any purpose other than voter
registration.
``(c) Forms and Procedures.--
``(1) Inclusion.--Each owner of a PHA-assisted dwelling
unit shall include a voter registration application form for
elections for Federal office as part of a lease for such
dwelling unit.
``(2) Included information.--The voter registration
application portion of a lease for a PHA-assisted dwelling
unit--
``(A) may not require any information that
duplicates information required in the lease portion of
the form (other than a second signature or other
information necessary under subparagraph (C));
``(B) may require only the minimum amount of
information necessary to--
``(i) prevent duplicate voter
registrations; and
``(ii) enable State election officials to
assess the eligibility of the applicant and to
administer voter registration and other parts
of the election process;
``(C) shall include a statement that--
``(i) states each eligibility requirement
(including citizenship);
``(ii) contains an attestation that the
applicant meets each such requirement; and
``(iii) requires the signature of the
applicant, under penalty of perjury;
``(D) shall include, in print that is identical to
that used in the attestation portion of the
application--
``(i) the information required in
subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 8(a)(5) of
this Act;
``(ii) a statement that, if an applicant
declines to register to vote, the fact that the
applicant has declined to register will remain
confidential and will be used only for voter
registration purposes; and
``(iii) a statement that if an applicant
does register to vote, the office at which the
applicant submits a voter registration
application will remain confidential and will
be used only for voter registration purposes;
and
``(E) shall be made available (as submitted by the
applicant, or in machine readable or other format) to
the appropriate State election official as provided by
State law.
``(d) Transmittal.--
``(1) By owner.--In the case of lease or annual income
recertification for a PHA-assistance dwelling unit described in
subsection (e)(1)(B), the owner of the dwelling unit shall
transmit a completed voter registration portion of a lease or
annual income recertification to the public housing agency
providing assistance with respect to such unit not later than
10 days after the date of acceptance.
``(2) By pha.--Subject to paragraph (3), a completed voter
registration portion of a lease or annual income
recertification for a PHA-assisted dwelling unit accepted by
the public housing agency as owner of such a dwelling unit, or
pursuant to paragraph (1), shall be transmitted to the
appropriate State election official not later than 10 days
after the date of acceptance.
``(3) Applications accepted within 5 days of registration
deadline.--If a registration application is accepted by a
public housing agency pursuant to paragraph (2) within 5 days
before the last day for registration to vote in an election,
the application shall be transmitted to the appropriate State
election official not later than 5 days after the date of
acceptance.
``(e) Definitions.--As used in this section:
``(1) PHA-assisted dwelling unit.--The term `PHA-assisted
dwelling unit' means a dwelling unit--
``(A) in public housing, as such term is defined in
section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937
(42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)); or
``(B) that is assisted under the program for
tenant-based rental assistance under section 8(o) of
the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.
1437f(o)), including the program under paragraph (13)
of such section 8(o).
``(2) Public housing agency.--The term `public housing
agency' has the meaning given such term in section 3(b) of the
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)).
``(3) Owner.--The term `owner' means, with respect to a
PHA-assisted dwelling unit--
``(A) in the case of a unit described in paragraph
(1)(A) of this subsection, the public housing agency
that owns or operates such unit; or
``(B) in the case of a unit described in paragraph
(1)(B) of this subsection, the private person or entity
having the legal right to lease such unit.''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)
shall apply with respect to leases entered into on or after the
expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(b) Treatment of Owners of Units as Voter Registration Agencies.--
(1) In general.--Section 7 of such Act (52 U.S.C. 20506) is
amended--
(A) in subsection (a)(2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking
``and'' at the end;
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following
new subparagraph:
``(C) each owner (as such term is defined in subsection
(e)) of a dwelling unit assisted under a covered federally
assisted housing program (as such term is defined in such
subsection) located within such State, subject to section 5A in
the case of an owner described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of
subsection (e)(1), except that such an owner shall be a voter
registration agency for purposes of this section only with
respect to lessees of such dwelling units of such owner located
within such State.''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(e) Definitions.--As used in this section:
``(1) Covered federally assisted housing program.--The term
`covered federally assisted housing program' means--
``(A) the public housing program under title I of
the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437
et seq.);
``(B) the programs for rental housing assistance
under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of
1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f), including--
``(i) the program for tenant-based rental
assistance under subsection (o) of such section
8; and
``(ii) the program for project-based rental
assistance under such section 8;
``(C) the program for supportive housing for the
elderly under section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959
(12 U.S.C. 1701q);
``(D) the program for supportive housing for
persons with disabilities under section 811 of the
Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42
U.S.C. 8013);
``(E) the program for housing opportunities for
persons with AIDS under subtitle D of title VIII of the
Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42
U.S.C. 12901 et seq.);
``(F) the program under subtitle A of title IV of
the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
11360 et seq.);
``(G) the HOME Investment Partnerships Program
under subtitle A of title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez
National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12741 et
seq.);
``(H) the program under paragraph (3) of section
221(d) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C.
1715l(d)(3)) that bears interest at a rate determined
under the proviso under paragraph (5) of such section
221(d);
``(I) the rental assistance program under section
236 of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715z-1);
``(J) the programs for rural housing assistance
provided under sections 514, 515, 516, 522, and 538 of
the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1484, 1485, 1486,
1490m, and 1490p-2);
``(K) the low income housing tax credit program
under section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
(26 U.S.C. 42);
``(L) the program for rural housing vouchers under
section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C.
1490r); and
``(M) the program for assistance from the Housing
Trust Fund established under section 1338 of the
Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and
Soundness Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4568).
``(2) Owner.--The term `owner' means, with respect to a
dwelling unit assisted under a covered federally assisted
housing program--
``(A) in the case of a dwelling unit assisted under
a program specified in subparagraph (A) or (B)(1) of
paragraph (1) of this subsection, the public housing
agency that owns or operates such unit or provides
rental assistance with respect to such unit, as
applicable; or
``(B) in the case of a dwelling unit assisted under
any other covered federally assisted housing program,
the private person or entity having the legal right to
lease such unit.''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendments made by paragraph (1)
shall apply with respect to assistance provided on or after the
expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the
enactment of this Act.
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