[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2510 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2510

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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 20, 2009

 Mrs. Davis of California (for herself and Mr. McCarthy of California) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
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.''.
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