Senate - 08/03/2009 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration. (All Actions)
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This bill has the status Passed House
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Introduced
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(
[actionDate] => 2009-06-19
[displayText] => Reported by the Committee on House Administration. H. Rept. 111-169.
[externalActionCode] => 5000
[description] => Introduced
[chamberOfAction] => House
)
Passed House
Array
(
[actionDate] => 2009-07-30
[displayText] => Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR 7/28/2009 H8938-8939)
[externalActionCode] => 8000
[description] => Passed House
[chamberOfAction] => House
)
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Shown Here: Referred in Senate (08/03/2009)
111th CONGRESS 1st Session
H. R. 2510
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED
STATES
August 3, 2009
Received; read twice and referred to the
Committee on Rules and
Administration
AN ACT
To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002
to reimburse States for the costs incurred in establishing a program to track
and confirm the receipt of voted absentee ballots in elections for Federal
office and make information on the receipt of such ballots available by means
of online access, 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
“Absentee Ballot Track, Receive, and
Confirm Act”.
SEC. 2.Reimbursement for Costs Incurred in
Establishing Program to Track and Confirm Receipt of Absentee Ballots.
(a) Reimbursement.—Subtitle D of title II of the Help America
Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15401 et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following new part:
“PART 7—Payments to Reimburse States for Costs
Incurred in Establishing Program to Track and Confirm Receipt of Absentee
Ballots
“SEC. 297. Payments to States.
“(a) Payments For Costs of Establishing
Program.—In accordance with
this section, the Commission shall make a payment to a State to reimburse the
State for the costs incurred in establishing, if the State so chooses to
establish, an absentee ballot tracking program with respect to elections for
Federal office held in the State (including costs incurred prior to the date of
the enactment of this part).
“(b) Absentee Ballot Tracking Program
Described.—
“(1) PROGRAM DESCRIBED.—
“(A) IN GENERAL.—In this part, an ‘absentee ballot
tracking program’ is a program to track and confirm the receipt of
absentee ballots in an election for Federal office under which the State or
local election official responsible for the receipt of voted absentee ballots
in the election carries out procedures to track and confirm the receipt of such
ballots, and makes information on the receipt of such ballots available to the
individual who cast the ballot, by means of online access using the Internet
site of the official’s office.
“(B) INFORMATION ON WHETHER VOTE WAS
COUNTED.—The information
referred to under subparagraph (A) with respect to the receipt of an absentee
ballot shall include information regarding whether the vote cast on the ballot
was counted, and, in the case of a vote which was not counted, the reasons
therefor.
“(2) USE OF TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE NUMBER BY
OFFICIALS WITHOUT INTERNET SITE.—A program established by a State or local
election official whose office does not have an Internet site may meet the
description of a program under paragraph (1) if the official has established a
toll-free telephone number that may be used by an individual who cast an
absentee ballot to obtain the information on the receipt of the voted absentee
ballot as provided under such paragraph.
“(c) Certification of Compliance and
Costs.—
“(1) CERTIFICATION REQUIRED.—In order to receive a payment under this
section, a State shall submit to the Commission a statement containing—
“(A) a certification that the State has
established an absentee ballot tracking program with respect to elections for
Federal office held in the State; and
“(B) a statement of the costs incurred by the
State in establishing the program.
“(2) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The amount of a payment made to a State
under this section shall be equal to the costs incurred by the State in
establishing the absentee ballot tracking program, as set forth in the
statement submitted under paragraph (1), except that such amount may not exceed
the product of—
“(A) the number of jurisdictions in the State
which are responsible for operating the program; and
“(B) $3,000.
“(3) LIMIT ON NUMBER OF PAYMENTS
RECEIVED.—A State may not
receive more than one payment under this part.
“SEC. 297A. Authorization of Appropriations.
“(a) Authorization.—There are authorized to be appropriated to
the Commission for fiscal year 2010 and each succeeding fiscal year such sums
as may be necessary for payments under this part.
“(b) Continuing Availability of
Funds.—Any amounts
appropriated pursuant to the authorization under this section shall remain
available until
expended.
(b) Clerical Amendment.—The table of contents of such Act is
amended by adding at the end of the items relating to subtitle D of title II
the following:
“PART 7—PAYMENTS TO REIMBURSE
STATES FOR COSTS INCURRED IN ESTABLISHING PROGRAM TO TRACK AND CONFIRM RECEIPT
OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS”.
“Sec. 297. Payments to
States. “Sec. 297A. Authorization of
appropriations.”.
Passed the House of
Representatives July 30, 2009.