[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6339 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6339

 To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide additional leave for 
Federal employees to serve as poll workers, and to direct the Election 
    Assistance Commission to make grants to States for poll worker 
                       recruitment and training.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 20, 2008

 Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California (for herself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Moran 
  of Virginia, Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Hoyer) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on 
House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide additional leave for 
Federal employees to serve as poll workers, and to direct the Election 
    Assistance Commission to make grants to States for poll worker 
                       recruitment and training.

    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 ``Federal Employees Deserve to 
Volunteer on the Elections Act of 2008'' or the ``FEDVOTE Act of 
2008''.

SEC. 2. LEAVE TO SERVE AS A POLL WORKER.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 63 of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 6329. Absence in connection with serving as a poll worker
    ``(a) In General.--An employee in or under an Executive agency is 
entitled to leave, without loss of or reduction in pay, leave to which 
otherwise entitled, credit for time or service, or performance or 
efficiency rating, not to exceed 6 days in a leave year, in order--
            ``(1) to provide election administration assistance to a 
        State or unit of local government at a polling place on the 
        date of any election for public office; or
            ``(2) to receive any training without which such employee 
        would be ineligible to provide such assistance.
    ``(b) Regulations.--The Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management may prescribe regulations for the administration of this 
section, including regulations setting forth the terms and conditions 
of the election administration assistance an employee may provide for 
purposes of subsection (a).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 63 of 
title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 6328 the following:

``6329. Absence in connection with serving as a poll worker.''.

SEC. 3. GRANTS TO STATES FOR POLL WORKER RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING.

    (a) Grants by Election Assistance Commission.--
            (1) In general.--The Election Assistance Commission 
        (hereafter referred to as the ``Commission'') shall make a 
        grant to each eligible State for recruiting and training 
        individuals to serve as nonpartisan poll workers on dates of 
        elections for public office.
            (2) Use of commission materials.--In carrying out 
        activities with a grant provided under this section, the 
        recipient of the grant shall use the manual prepared by the 
        Commission on successful practices for poll worker recruiting, 
        training and retention as an interactive training tool, and 
        shall develop training programs with the participation and 
        input of experts in adult learning.
    (b) Requirements for Eligibility.--
            (1) Application.--Each State that desires to receive a 
        payment under this section shall submit an application for the 
        payment to the Commission at such time and in such manner and 
        containing such information as the Commission shall require.
            (2) Contents of application.--Each application submitted 
        under paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) describe the activities for which assistance 
                under this section is sought;
                    (B) provide assurances that the funds provided 
                under this section will be used to supplement and not 
                supplant other funds used to carry out the activities;
                    (C) provide assurances that the State will furnish 
                the Commission with information on the number of 
                individuals who served as nonpartisan poll workers 
                after recruitment and training with the funds provided 
                under this section; and
                    (D) provide such additional information and 
                certifications as the Commission determines to be 
                essential to ensure compliance with the requirements of 
                this section.
    (c) Amount of Grant.--
            (1) In general.--The amount of a grant made to a State 
        under this section shall be equal to the product of--
                    (A) the aggregate amount made available for grants 
                to States under this section; and
                    (B) the voting age population percentage for the 
                State.
            (2) Voting age population percentage defined.--In paragraph 
        (1), the ``voting age population percentage'' for a State is 
        the quotient of--
                    (A) the voting age population of the State (as 
                determined on the basis of the most recent information 
                available from the Bureau of the Census); and
                    (B) the total voting age population of all States 
                (as determined on the basis of the most recent 
                information available from the Bureau of the Census).
    (d) Reports to Congress.--
            (1) Reports by recipients of grants.--Not later than 6 
        months after the date on which the final grant is made under 
        this section, each recipient of a grant shall submit a report 
        to the Commission on the activities conducted with the funds 
        provided by the grant.
            (2) Reports by commission.--Not later than 1 year after the 
        date on which the final grant is made under this section, the 
        Commission shall submit a report to Congress on the grants made 
        under this section and the activities carried out by recipients 
        with the grants, and shall include in the report such 
        recommendations as the Commission considers appropriate.
    (e) State Defined.--In this Act, the term ``State'' includes the 
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out this section $75,000,000. Any amount appropriated 
        pursuant to the authority of this subsection shall remain 
        available without fiscal year limitation until expended.
            (2) Administrative expenses.--Of the amount appropriated 
        for any fiscal year pursuant to the authority of this 
        subsection, not more than 3 percent shall be available for 
        administrative expenses of the Commission.

SEC. 4. EXEMPTION OF ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION FROM PAPERWORK 
              REDUCTION ACT.

    Section 3502(1) of title 44, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of subparagraph (C);
            (2) by striking the semicolon at the end of subparagraph 
        (D) and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(E) the Election Assistance Commission;''.
                                 <all>