Federal Election Failsafe Act
Latest action · Jun 1, 2020 Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 1, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Election Failsafe Act
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish guidelines that states must meet for the continuing administration of federal elections in the event of a terrorist attack, an election cybersecurity incident, or a public health emergency.
Specifically, DHS must establish guidelines for the administration of federal elections by states in the event that a state's ability to carry out federal elections is adversely affected by a terrorist attack, an election cybersecurity incident, or a public health emergency. Such guidelines must include, among other elements, guidelines for ensuring that voting systems are resilient to attack so that systems accurately capture and report each vote cast by voters.
States must establish and implement plans to provide for the continuing administration of federal elections which meet the guidelines established by DHS, including plans to continue elections through remote voting. Additionally, state and local election officials must carry out exercises to respond to simulated attacks.
The Election Assistance Commission must provide grants to state and local election officials to assist with meeting the bill's requirements.
The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to study the risks and benefits associated with relying on electronic voting technology in federal elections.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Committee on House Administration | Referred May 1, 2020 |
| House | Homeland Security Committee | Referred May 1, 2020 |
| Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee | Referred Jun 1, 2020 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 1, 2020Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation.
- May 1, 2020Introduced in House
- May 1, 2020Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, 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.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 82, May 1, 2020, page H1973.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R46455 | COVID-19 and Other Election Emergencies: Frequently Asked Questions and Recent Policy Developments Archived | Report | Jul 16, 2020 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish guidelines for failsafe plans for the administration of elections for Federal office in the event that the ability of a State to administer the election is adversely affected by a terrorist attack, a cybersecurity incident, or a public health emergency, to require States to establish and administer failsafe plans in accordance with such guidelines and to provide funds to assist State and local election officials in the establishment and administration of such plans, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Federal Election Failsafe Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Computer security and identity theft
- Computers and information technology
- Congressional oversight
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Emergency planning and evacuation
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government studies and investigations
- State and local government operations
- Terrorism
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 1, 2020Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
