[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 30, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S1860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               AMENDING THE HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT OF 2002

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3969, which was introduced 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 3969) to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 
     to explicitly authorize distribution of grant funds to the 
     voting accessibility protection and advocacy system of the 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the system 
     serving the American Indian consortium, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Ms. BALDWIN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read 
a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 3969) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 3969

       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 ``Protection and Advocacy for 
     Voting Access Program Inclusion Act'' or the ``PAVA Program 
     Inclusion Act''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZING PAYMENTS TO VOTING ACCESSIBILITY 
                   PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY SYSTEMS SERVING THE 
                   COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 
                   AND THE AMERICAN INDIAN CONSORTIUM.

       (a) Recipients Defined.--Section 291 of the Help America 
     Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21061) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d); and
       (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(c) Eligible Grant Recipients.--
       ``(1) Definition of state.--For the purposes of this 
     section, the term `State' shall have the meaning given such 
     term in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities 
     Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15002).
       ``(2) American indian consortium eligible.--A system 
     serving the American Indian consortium for which funds have 
     been reserved under section 509(c)(1)(B) of the 
     Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794e(c)(1)(B)) shall be 
     eligible for payments under subsection (a) in the same manner 
     as a protection and advocacy system of a State.''.
       (b) Grant Minimums for American Indian Consortium.--Section 
     291(b) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 21061(b)) is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``(c)(1)(B),'' after ``as set forth in 
     subsections''; and
       (2) by striking ``subsections (c)(3)(B) and (c)(4)(B) of 
     that section shall be not less than $70,000 and $35,000, 
     respectively.'' and inserting the following: ``subsection 
     (c)(3)(B) shall not be less than $70,000, and the amount of 
     the grants to systems referred to in subsections (c)(1)(B) 
     and (c)(4) shall not be less than $35,000.''.

     SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       The amendments made by section 2 shall take effect at the 
     start of the first fiscal year starting after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.

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