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116TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1631
To amend title 39, United States Code, to provide that any absentee ballot
may be mailed free of postage, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 7, 2019
Mr. VEASEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and 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 39, United States Code, to provide that
any absentee ballot may be mailed free of postage, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Postage Free Ballot
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Act’’.
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SEC. 2. ABSENTEE BALLOTS CARRIED FREE OF POSTAGE.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 34 of title 39, United
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States Code, is amended by adding after section 3406 the
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following:
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‘‘§ 3407. Absentee ballots carried free of postage
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‘‘(a) Any absentee ballot for any election shall be car-
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ried expeditiously and free of postage.
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‘‘(b) As used in this section, the term ‘absentee ballot’
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does not include any ballot covered by section 3406.’’.
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
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for chapter 34 of such title is amended by inserting after
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the item relating to section 3406 the following:
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‘‘3407. Absentee ballots carried free of postage.’’.
(c) REIMBURSEMENT.—Section 2401(c) of title 39,
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United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘3406’’ and
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inserting ‘‘3407’’.
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SEC. 3. USE BY STATES OF REQUIREMENTS PAYMENTS
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UNDER HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT OF 2002 TO
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REIMBURSE POSTAL SERVICE.
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(a) AUTHORIZING
USE
OF
PAYMENTS.—Section
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251(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C.
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21001(b)) is amended—
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(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘as provided
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in paragraphs (2) and (3)’’ and inserting ‘‘as other-
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wise provided in this subsection’’; and
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(2) by adding at the end the following new
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paragraph:
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‘‘(4) REIMBURSEMENT
OF
POSTAL
SERVICE
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FOR
COSTS
ASSOCIATED
WITH
ABSENTEE
BAL-
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LOTS.—A State shall use a requirements payment to
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reimburse the United States Postal Service for the
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revenue which the Postal Service would have ob-
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tained as the result of the mailing of absentee bal-
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lots in the State but for section 3407 of title 39,
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United States Code.’’.
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(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
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subsection (a) shall apply with respect to the requirements
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payments made to a State under part 1 of subtitle D of
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title II of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C.
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21001 et seq.)—
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(1) for fiscal year 2019 or any previous fiscal
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year, but only to the extent that any such payment
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remains unobligated or unexpended by the State as
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of the date of the enactment of this Act; and
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(2) for fiscal year 2020 and each succeeding fis-
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cal year.
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