Bill Summary
The "Invest in Our Democracy Act of 2019" is a bill that has been proposed to Congress in order to provide grants for election officials and employees to receive continued education in the fields of election administration and cybersecurity. This act is seen as necessary in order to protect our democracy and ensure free and fair elections, as well as to address the growing threat of foreign interference in our elections. The bill outlines the process for distributing these grants, including determining the eligibility of institutions and individuals, and setting the amount of the grant to cover 75% of the tuition for an accredited certificate program in election administration or cybersecurity. The bill also authorizes funding for this program for the next 8 fiscal years.
Possible Impacts
1. People working in the field of election administration or cybersecurity could receive financial support for their continuing education through grants provided by this legislation.
2. State and local election officials could benefit from the increased focus on election security and the recognition of its importance in national security.
3. Institutions of higher education that offer accredited certificate programs in election administration or cybersecurity could see an increase in enrollment and funding as a result of their participation in the program established by this legislation.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1692 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1692
To provide grants to support continuing education in election
administration or cybersecurity for election officials and employees.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 23 (legislative day, May 22), 2019
Ms. Klobuchar (for herself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and
Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide grants to support continuing education in election
administration or cybersecurity for election officials and employees.
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 ``Invest in Our Democracy Act of
2019''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) free and fair elections are central to our democracy;
(2) protecting our elections from foreign adversaries is a
national security priority;
(3) the States conduct elections and it is important to
maintain State leadership in election administration;
(4) the States deserve Federal support to secure our
elections from interference by foreign nations; and
(5) election security in the United States will benefit
from continued education and investment in the individuals that
administer our elections.
SEC. 3. SUPPORTING CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR ELECTION OFFICIALS AND
EMPLOYEES.
(a) Program Authority and Method of Distribution.--The Election
Assistance Commission (in this section referred to as the
``Commission'') shall establish a program under which the Commission
pays to each eligible institution such sums as may be necessary to pay
to each eligible certificate program enrollee (as defined in subsection
(b)) for each academic year during which that enrollee is enrolled in
an accredited certificate program in election administration or
cybersecurity in the amount for which that enrollee is eligible, as
determined pursuant to subsection (c). Not less than 85 percent of such
sums shall be advanced to eligible institutions prior to the start of
each payment period and shall be based upon an amount requested by the
institution as needed to pay eligible certificate program enrollees
until such time as the Commission determines an alternative payment
system that provides payments to institutions in an accurate and timely
manner, except that this sentence shall not be construed to limit the
authority of the Commission to place an institution on a reimbursement
system of payment.
(b) Eligible Certificate Program Enrollee.--In this section, the
term ``eligible certificate program enrollee'' means an individual
who--
(1) is a State or local election official, an employee of a
State or local election official, or an employee of the
Commission;
(2) certifies to the Commission their enrollment in an
accredited certificate program in election administration or
cybersecurity; and
(3) submits to the Commission--
(A) a receipt or other verification determined
appropriate by the Commission of the tuition amount for
such certificate program; and
(B) an application at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Commission may
require.
(c) Amount of Grants.--The amount of a grant for an eligible
certificate program enrollee under this section for a year shall be an
amount equal to 75 percent of the tuition amount for the accredited
certificate program in election administration or cybersecurity for the
year.
(d) Additional Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Accredited certificate program in election
administration or cybersecurity.--The term ``accredited
certificate program in election administration or
cybersecurity'' means a program in election administration or
cybersecurity that leads to a certificate, or other nondegree
recognized credential, at an eligible institution.
(2) Eligible institution.--The term ``eligible
institution'' means an institution of higher education (as
defined under section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1001)) that--
(A) offers an accredited certificate program in
election administration or cybersecurity; and
(B) elects to participate in the program
established under this section.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section--
(1) $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years
2022 through 2028.
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