110 HR 7281 IH: Critical Election Infrastructure Act of U.S. House of Representatives 2008-11-19 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7281 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 19, 2008 Mr. Hastings of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration A BILL To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to States to carry out election administration improvement plans.

1.

Short Title

This Act may be cited as the Critical Election Infrastructure Act of 2008.

2.

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)Roughly 130 million votes were cast in the United States in the November 2008 general election, representing over 61% of the Nation’s population. (2)Hundreds of thousands of individuals were forced to wait in lines for 5 hours or longer in order to cast their votes, both during early voting periods and on Election Day. (3)Hundreds of jurisdictions lacked the necessary equipment and personnel to speedily and efficiently meet the needs of such large turnout.

3.

Grants to States for Election Administration Improvements

(a)

Grants Authorized

The Election Assistance Commission (hereafter referred to as the Commission) shall make grants to eligible States to carry out election administration improvement plans. (b)

Plans Described

For purposes of this Act, an election administration improvement plan is a plan established by a State to promote efficiency and fairness in the operation of polling places at which individuals cast ballots in elections for Federal office held in the State (including early voting sites), which may include the acquisition of additional voting systems and equipment, improved training of election administration officials, and the allocation of additional election administration officials to polling places serving greater numbers of voters. (c)

Eligibility

A State is eligible to receive a grant under this Act if it submits to the Commission (at such time and in such form as the Commission may require) an application containing— (1)the State’s election administration improvement plan; (2)a description of how the State will use the funds provided under the grant to carry out the plan; and (3)such other information and certifications as the Commission may require. (d)

Amount of Grant

The amount of the grant made to an eligible State under this Act shall be determined by the Commission, taking into account the contents of application submitted by the State under subsection (c), the amount of funds available for grants to all States, and such other factors 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.

4.

Authorization of Appropriations

(a)

In General

There are authorized to be appropriated for grants under this Act $250,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2012. (b)

Continuing Availability of Funds

Any amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization under this section shall remain available until expended.