I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8104 

To provide for the issuance of the Voting By Mail Semipostal Stamp, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 25, 2020 

Ms. HAALAND (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. HAYES, and Mr. CARSON of 

Indiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on 

Oversight and Reform, 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 provide for the issuance of the Voting By Mail Semipostal 

Stamp, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Vote By Mail Stamp 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. VOTING BY MAIL SEMIPOSTAL STAMP. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to afford a convenient 

8 way for members of the public to contribute to funding 


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1 voting accessibility, the United States Postal Service shall 

2 issue a semipostal (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Voting 

3 By Mail Semipostal Stamp’’) in accordance with this sec4 tion. 

5 (b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The issuance and sale of the 

7 Voting By Mail Semipostal Stamp shall be governed 

8 by the provisions of section 416 of title 39, United 

9 States Code, and regulations issued under such sec10 tion, subject to the requirements of this subsection. 

11 (2) DURATION.—The Voting By Mail Semipost12 al Stamp shall be made available to the public for 

13 a period of 10 years, beginning no later than 3 

14 months after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

15 (3) COST.—The Voting By Mail Semipostal 

16 Stamp shall be offered at a cost equal to the cost 

17 of mailing a letter weighing 1 ounce or less at the 

18 nonautomation single-piece first-ounce letter rate, in 

19 effect at the time of purchase, plus a differential of 

20 not less than 25 percent. 

21 (4) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.—All amounts 

22 becoming available from the sale of the Voting By 

23 Mail Semipostal Stamp (as determined under section 

24 416(d) of such title) shall be transferred to the ElecVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 Sep 04, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8104.IH H8104

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1 tion Assistance Commission for the purpose of 

2 grants under subsection (c). 

3 (5) PROCEEDS NOT TO BE OFFSET.—In accord4 ance with section 416(d)(4) of such title, amounts 

5 becoming available from the sale of the Voting By 

6 Mail Semipostal Stamp shall not be taken into ac7 count in any decision relating to the level of appro8 priations or other Federal funding to be furnished in 

9 any year to the Election Assistance Commission or 

10 any State. 

11 (c) GRANTS TO STATES TO SUPPORT VOTING BY

12 MAIL.— 

13 (1) GRANTS.—The Election Assistance Com14 mission shall carry out a program to make grants to 

15 eligible States for supporting voting by mail, includ16 ing voting by absentee ballot, in elections for Federal 

17 office. 

18 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—A State is eligible to receive 

19 a grant under the program under this subsection if 

20 the State submits to the Commission, at such time 

21 and in such form as the Commission may require, 

22 an application containing— 

23 (A) a description of how the State will use 

24 the grant to support voting by mail in the 

25 State; and 


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1 (B) such other information and assurances 

2 as the Commission may require. 

3 (3) AMOUNT.—The Commission shall determine 

4 the amount of a grant made to an eligible State 

5 under the program under this subsection, taking 

6 into account the information provided by the State 

7 in its application for the grant and the amount of 

8 funds available for grants under the program. 

9 (4) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after 

10 the end of each fiscal year during which an eligible 

11 State received a grant under the program under this 

12 subsection, the State shall submit a report to the 

13 Commission describing the activities the State car14 ried out with the grant. 

15 (5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There are authorized to be appropriated for each of 

17 the fiscal years 2021 through 2030 such sums as 

18 may be necessary to carry out this subsection, to be 

19 derived from amounts transferred to the Commission 

20 under subsection (b)(4). 

21 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act— 

22 (1) the term ‘‘semipostal’’ refers to a postage 

23 stamp described in section 416(a)(1) of title 39, 

24 United States Code; and 


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1 (2) the term ‘‘State’’ means the 50 States, the 

2 District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the 

3 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 

4 Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Æ 


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