I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6494 
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 
DECEMBER 8, 2016 
Mr. VEASEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the 
Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined 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-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Postage Free Ballot 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ABSENTEE BALLOTS CARRIED FREE OF POSTAGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 34 of title 39, United 
States Code, is amended by adding after section 3406 the 
following: 
‘‘§ 3407. Absentee ballots carried free of postage 
‘‘(a) Any absentee ballot for any election shall be car-
ried expeditiously and free of postage. 
‘‘(b) As used in this section, the term ‘absentee ballot’ 
does not include any ballot covered by section 3406.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 34 of such title is amended by inserting after 
the item relating to section 3406 the following: 
‘‘3407. Absentee ballots carried free of postage.’’. 
(c) REIMBURSEMENT.—Section 2401(c) of title 39, 
United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘3406’’ and 
inserting ‘‘3407’’. 
SEC. 3. USE BY STATES OF REQUIREMENTS PAYMENTS 
UNDER HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT OF 2002 TO 
REIMBURSE POSTAL SERVICE. 
(a) AUTHORIZING
USE
OF
PAYMENTS.—Section 
251(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 
21001(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘as provided 
in paragraphs (2) and (3)’’ and inserting ‘‘as other-
wise provided in this subsection’’; and 
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(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) REIMBURSEMENT
OF
POSTAL
SERVICE 
FOR
COSTS
ASSOCIATED
WITH
ABSENTEE
BAL-
LOTS.—A State shall use a requirements payment to 
reimburse the United States Postal Service for the 
revenue which the Postal Service would have ob-
tained as the result of the mailing of absentee bal-
lots in the State but for section 3407 of title 39, 
United States Code.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall apply with respect to the requirements 
payments made to a State under part 1 of subtitle D of 
title II of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 
21001 et seq.)— 
(1) for fiscal year 2017 or any previous fiscal 
year, but only to the extent that any such payment 
remains unobligated or unexpended by the State as 
of the date of the enactment of this Act; and 
(2) for fiscal year 2018 and each succeeding fis-
cal year. 
Æ 
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