[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4555 Reported in House (RH)]

<DOC>





                                                 Union Calendar No. 385
118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4555

                          [Report No. 118-465]

    To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to allow the use of 
requirements payments to conduct a post-election audit with respect to 
               an election for Federal office in a State.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 11, 2023

  Mr. Murphy introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

                             April 17, 2024

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 
                               11, 2023]


_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to allow the use of 
requirements payments to conduct a post-election audit with respect to 
               an election for Federal office in a State.


 


    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 Election Audit Act''.

SEC. 2. USE OF REQUIREMENTS PAYMENTS FOR POST-ELECTION AUDITS.

    (a) Permitting Use of Payments for Audits.--Section 251(b)(1) of 
the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21001(b)(1)) is amended by 
inserting ``, including to conduct and publish an audit of the 
effectiveness and accuracy of the voting systems, nonvoting election 
technology (as defined in paragraph (4)(B)), election procedures, and 
outcomes used to carry out an election for Federal office in the State 
and the performance of the State and local election officials who 
carried out the election, but only if the audit meets the requirements 
of paragraph (4)(A)'' after ``requirements of title III''.
    (b) Requirements for Audits; Nonvoting Election Technology 
Defined.--Section 251(b) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21001(b)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Requirements for audits conducted with requirements 
        payments.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An audit described in paragraph 
                (1) meets the requirements of this paragraph if--
                            ``(i) no individual who participates in 
                        conducting the audit is an employee or 
                        contractor of an office of the State or local 
                        government which is responsible for the 
                        administration of elections for Federal office 
                        or of a subsidiary or affiliate of such an 
                        office; and
                            ``(ii) the audit includes an examination of 
                        compliance with established processes for voter 
                        registration, voter check-in, voting, 
                        tabulation, canvassing, post-election 
                        proceedings (such as recounts and recanvasses), 
                        and reporting of results.
                    ``(B) Nonvoting election technology defined.--In 
                paragraph (1), the term `nonvoting election technology' 
                means technology used in the administration of 
                elections for Federal office which is not used directly 
                in the casting, counting, tabulating, or collecting of 
                ballots or votes, including each of the following:
                            ``(i) Electronic pollbooks or other systems 
                        used to check in voters at a polling place or 
                        verify a voter's identification.
                            ``(ii) Election result reporting systems.
                            ``(iii) Electronic ballot delivery systems.
                            ``(iv) Online voter registration systems.
                            ``(v) Polling place location search 
                        systems.
                            ``(vi) Sample ballot portals.
                            ``(vii) Signature systems.
                            ``(viii) Such other technology as may be 
                        recommended for treatment as nonvoting election 
                        technology as the Standards Board may 
                        recommend.''.
    (c) Sense of Congress Regarding Timing of Audits.--It is the sense 
of Congress that post-election audits of the effectiveness and accuracy 
of the voting systems, election procedures, and outcomes used to carry 
out an election for Federal office in a State and the performance of 
the State and local election officials who carried out the election are 
most effective when the audits are completed before the expiration of 
the period during which persons are authorized under State law to 
challenge the results of the election.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 385

118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 4555

                          [Report No. 118-465]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to allow the use of 
requirements payments to conduct a post-election audit with respect to 
               an election for Federal office in a State.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             April 17, 2024

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed