I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5250 

To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make an election administration improvement payment to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under title I of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, 

to treat the Commonwealth as a State for the other purposes of such 

Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 6, 2010 

Mr. SABLAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on House Administration 

A BILL 

To direct the Election Assistance Commission to make an 

election administration improvement payment to the 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under 

title I of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, to treat 

the Commonwealth as a State for the other purposes 

of such Act, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. ELECTION ADMINISTRATION IMPROVEMENT 

2 PAYMENT TO COMMONWEALTH OF THE 

3 NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. 

4 (a) PAYMENT TO COMMONWEALTH.—The Election 

5 Assistance Commission shall make a single payment to the 

6 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in an 

7 amount equal to the aggregate amount of the payments 

8 which would have been made to the Commonwealth under 

9 title I of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 

10 15301 et seq.) if— 

11 (1) the Commonwealth had been treated as a 

12 State under such Act at the time payments were 

13 made under such title to other States; and 

14 (2) the Commonwealth had been subject to the 

15 same minimum payment amounts applicable under 

16 such title to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

17 Guam, American Samoa, and the United States Vir18 gin Islands. 

19 (b) USE OF PAYMENT.—The Commonwealth shall 

20 use the payment made under this section to carry out the 

21 same activities (subject to the same conditions) for which 

22 States received payments under title I of the Help Amer23 ica Vote Act of 2002. 

24 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

26 necessary for the payment under this section. 


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1 SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF COMMONWEALTH OF NORTHERN 

2 MARIANA ISLANDS AS STATE FOR PURPOSES 

3 OF HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT OF 2002. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 901 of the Help America 

5 Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15541) is amended by strik6 ing ‘‘and the United States Virgin Islands’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘the United States Virgin Islands, and (except for pur8 poses of title I) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar9 iana Islands’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS RELATING TO

11 TREATMENT OF TERRITORIES.— 

12 (1) SELECTION OF LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS

13 TO SERVE ON ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION

14 STANDARDS BOARD.—Section 213(a)(2) of such Act 

15 (42 U.S.C. 15343(a)(2)) is amended by striking 

16 ‘‘and American Samoa,’’ and inserting ‘‘American 

17 Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 

18 Mariana Islands,’’. 

19 (2) MINIMUM AMOUNT OF REQUIREMENTS PAY20 MENT.—Section 252(c)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 15402(c)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘or the United 

22 States Virgin Islands,’’ and inserting ‘‘the United 

23 States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the 

24 Northern Mariana Islands,’’. 

25 (3) CONSULTATION OF HELP AMERICA VOTE

26 FOUNDATION WITH LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS.— 


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1 Section 15602(c) of title 36, United States Code, is 

2 amended by striking ‘‘and the United States Virgin 

3 Islands’’ and inserting ‘‘the United States Virgin Is4 lands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar5 iana Islands’’. 

6 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

7 this section shall apply with respect to fiscal years begin8 ning with the first fiscal year which begins after funds 

9 are appropriated to the Commonwealth of the Northern 

10 Mariana Islands pursuant to the grant under section 1. 

Æ 


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