Support Our Election Workers Act

Subjects: Government Operations and Politics


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1609 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1609

To direct the Election Assistance Commission to establish a program to 
 make grants to States to provide increased pay for election workers, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 16, 2023

  Ms. Klobuchar (for herself, Mr. Warner, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Welch, Mr. 
     Brown, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Smith, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                 Committee on Rules and Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Election Assistance Commission to establish a program to 
 make grants to States to provide increased pay for election workers, 
                        and for other purposes.

    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 ``Support Our Election Workers Act''.

SEC. 2. PROGRAM FOR GRANTS TO SUPPORT ELECTION WORKERS.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--Subtitle D of title II of the Help 
America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21001 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following:

          ``PART 7-- PAYMENTS TO HELP SUPPORT ELECTION WORKERS

``SEC. 297. ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Commission shall establish and operate a 
program under which the Commission shall make payments to eligible 
States for providing increased pay for election workers, including 
individuals serving as election officials or poll workers on a 
temporary or unpaid basis.
    ``(b) Amount of Payment.--
            ``(1) Amount.--The amount of a payment made to a State 
        under the program established under this part shall be equal to 
        the greater of--
                    ``(A) the reasonable costs the State expects to 
                incur in providing increased pay for election workers, 
                as determined by the Commission taking into account the 
                information provided by the State in the plan described 
                in section 297A; or
                    ``(B) the minimum payment amount described in 
                paragraph (2) with respect to the fiscal year.
            ``(2) Minimum payment amount.--The minimum payment amount 
        described in this paragraph with respect to a fiscal year is 
        equal to one-half of 1 percent of the aggregate amount made 
        available during the fiscal year for payments under the program 
        established under this part.
    ``(c) Application.--In order to be eligible to receive a payment 
under the program established under this part, a State shall submit to 
the Commission, at such time and in such form as the Commission may 
require, an application containing a description of a plan for how the 
State will use the payment to provide increased pay to election 
workers, as described in section 297A, together with such other 
information and assurances as the Commission may require.
    ``(d) Reports.--A State receiving a payment under the program 
established under this part shall submit to the Commission such reports 
on the State's use of the payment as the Commission may require.

``SEC. 297A. STATE PLAN FOR PROVIDING INCREASED PAY TO ELECTION 
              WORKERS.

    ``(a) Elements of Plan.--A State's plan for providing increased pay 
to election workers shall include the following elements:
            ``(1) A description of how the State will use increased pay 
        to retain qualified election workers and to recruit new 
        election workers.
            ``(2) The requirements an individual must meet in order to 
        be eligible to receive increased pay under the plan.
            ``(3) The amount of the reasonable costs the State expects 
        to incur in providing increased pay for such eligible 
        individuals.
            ``(4) The procedures for carrying out the plan, including 
        the extent to which State and local election officials will be 
        responsible for carrying out the plan.
    ``(b) Opportunity of All Election Workers To Receive Pay.--Under 
the State's plan, the State may not treat an election worker as 
ineligible to receive increased pay solely because the individual does 
not interact directly with voters, individuals attempting to vote, or 
individuals attempting to register to vote.

``SEC. 297B. COVERAGE OF COMMONWEALTH OF NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS.

    ``In this part, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 
shall be considered a State.

``SEC. 297C. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated for payments under this 
part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024 and each 
succeeding fiscal year.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is 
amended by adding at the end of the items relating to subtitle D of 
title II the following:

          ``PART 7-- Payments to Help Support Election Workers

``Sec. 297. Establishment and operation of grant program.
``Sec. 297A. State plan for providing increased pay to election 
                            workers.
``Sec. 297B. Coverage of Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
``Sec. 297C. Authorization of appropriations.''.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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