Title: Postage Free Ballot Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Postage Free Ballot Act
This bill requires that any absentee ballot for an election be carried through the mail expeditiously and free of charge.
The bill directs a state to use a requirements payment under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to reimburse the U.S. Postal Service for revenue it would have obtained from the mailing of absentee ballots but for the requirement that such ballots be mailed for free.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1631 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 
Committee 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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Postage Free Ballot Act''.

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:
``Sec. 3407. Absentee ballots carried free of postage
    ``(a) Any absentee ballot for any election shall be carried 
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 otherwise provided 
        in this subsection''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Reimbursement of postal service for costs associated 
        with absentee ballots.--A State shall use a requirements 
        payment to reimburse the United States Postal Service for the 
        revenue which the Postal Service would have obtained as the 
        result of the mailing of absentee ballots 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 2019 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 2020 and each succeeding fiscal year.
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