HF 2755
1st Committee Engrossment - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010)
Posted on 03/19/2013 07:29 p.m.
KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.
Line numbers
1.1A bill for an act
1.2relating to elections; appropriating money for grants to counties for voting
1.3equipment and vote-counting equipment; specifying grant terms and procedures;
1.4repealing an appropriation;repealing Laws 2005, chapter 162, section 34,
1.5subdivision 2, as amended.
1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.7 Section 1. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS; ASSISTIVE VOTING EQUIPMENT AND new text end
1.8new text begin VOTE-COUNTING EQUIPMENT.new text end
1.9 new text begin Subdivision 1.new text end new text begin Operating grants.new text end new text begin $300,000 is appropriated from the Help America new text end
1.10new text begin Vote Act account to the secretary of state for grants to counties to defray operating costs of new text end
1.11new text begin the assistive voting equipment and vote-counting equipment in each polling place. Grants new text end
1.12new text begin of up to $300 per polling place may be made until this appropriation is exhausted. If the new text end
1.13new text begin grant requests exceed the appropriation available, the secretary of state shall prorate the new text end
1.14new text begin grant amounts to each eligible county to match the amount available.new text end
1.15 new text begin Subd. 2.new text end new text begin Grant application.new text end new text begin To receive a grant under this subdivision, a county new text end
1.16new text begin must apply to the secretary of state on forms prescribed by the secretary of state that new text end
1.17new text begin set forth how the grant money will be spent. Grant applications for operating costs for new text end
1.18new text begin the 2010 elections must be received by the secretary of state by August 1, 2010. Grant new text end
1.19new text begin awards must be made to the counties by December 1, 2010. If funds remain from this new text end
1.20new text begin appropriation, the secretary may also make grants available for the 2012 election, with new text end
1.21new text begin grant applications due by March 1, 2012, and grants made to counties by June 30, 2012.new text end
1.22 new text begin Subd. 3.new text end new text begin Eligibility.new text end new text begin To be eligible to apply for a grant under this section, a county new text end
1.23new text begin must have fewer than 50,000 registered voters as of January 1, 2010, and must have new text end
2.1new text begin less than $300 per polling place that was used in the 2008 general election as a balance, new text end
2.2new text begin including any interest earned on the account, in its Help America Vote Act account from new text end
2.3new text begin funds distributed to it in 2005.new text end
2.4 new text begin Subd. 4.new text end new text begin Report.new text end new text begin Each county receiving a grant under this section must include new text end
2.5new text begin the expenditures it has made on the appropriate Help America Vote Act reports submitted new text end
2.6new text begin to the secretary of state. If a county does not use the funds it has received under this new text end
2.7new text begin section by June 30, 2013, it must return the funds to the secretary of state. In addition new text end
2.8new text begin to the report required by this section, each county receiving a grant under this act must new text end
2.9new text begin maintain financial records for each grant sufficient to satisfy federal audit standards and new text end
2.10new text begin must transmit those records to the secretary of state upon request of the secretary of state.new text end
2.11 new text begin Subd. 5.new text end new text begin Operating costs.new text end new text begin "Operating costs" include actual county and municipal new text end
2.12new text begin costs for hardware maintenance, election day technical support, software licensing, system new text end
2.13new text begin programming, voting system testing, training of county or municipal staff in the use of new text end
2.14new text begin voting equipment, and transportation of and storage of the voting equipment.new text end
2.15 Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS; OPTICAL SCAN EQUIPMENT.new text end
2.16 new text begin Subdivision 1.new text end new text begin Optical scan voting equipment grants.new text end new text begin $2,100,000 is appropriated new text end
2.17new text begin from the Help America Vote Act account to the secretary of state for grants to counties to new text end
2.18new text begin purchase optical scan voting equipment.new text end
2.19 new text begin Subd. 2.new text end new text begin Grant application.new text end new text begin To receive a grant under this section, a county must new text end
2.20new text begin apply to the secretary of state on forms prescribed by the secretary of state that set forth new text end
2.21new text begin how the grant money will be spent. Applications for grants under this section must be new text end
2.22new text begin submitted to the secretary of state by December 1, 2010, and be for purchases made prior new text end
2.23new text begin to March 31, 2014. Any funds granted to a county and not spent by June 30, 2014, must new text end
2.24new text begin be returned to the secretary of state and the Help America Vote Act account.new text end
2.25 new text begin Subd. 3.new text end new text begin Eligibility.new text end new text begin A county is eligible to apply for a grant of up to $4,000 per new text end
2.26new text begin precinct to replace precinct-based optical scan vote counters if the vote counter was new text end
2.27new text begin purchased prior to December 31, 2002, and the county received no federal or state funds new text end
2.28new text begin to defray the cost of that purchase. Counties must agree to provide a 50 percent match for new text end
2.29new text begin any state and federal funds granted through this grant application.new text end
2.30 new text begin Subd. 4.new text end new text begin Report.new text end new text begin Each county receiving a grant under this section must include new text end
2.31new text begin the expenditures it has made on the appropriate Help America Vote Act reports submitted new text end
2.32new text begin to the secretary of state. If a county does not use the funds it has received under this new text end
3.1new text begin section by June 30, 2014, it must return the funds to the secretary of state. In addition new text end
3.2new text begin to the report required by this section, each county receiving a grant under this act must new text end
3.3new text begin maintain financial records for each grant sufficient to satisfy federal audit standards and new text end
3.4new text begin must transmit those records to the secretary of state upon request of the secretary of state.new text end
3.5 Sec. 3. new text begin REPEALER.new text end
3.6new text begin Laws 2005, chapter 162, section 34, subdivision 2, as amended by Laws 2009, new text end
3.7new text begin chapter 101, article 2, section 95, new text end new text begin is repealed.new text end