Disaster Assistance Voting Act of 2009
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Disaster Assistance Voting Act of 2009 - Applies certain protections for absent military and overseas voters to individuals evacuated (eligible evacuees) as a result of a major disaster.
Requires any eligible evacuee to be treated in the same manner as an absentee uniformed services voter and overseas voter for purposes of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Deems such an individual to be entitled to vote by absentee ballot for purposes of the National Voter Reigistration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Directs the Election Assistance Commission to make grants to eligible states to: (1) restore and replace supplies, materials, and equipment used in the state election administration which were damaged as a result of a major natural disaster; and (2) conduct outreach and education for voters displaced for the same reason.
Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require delay for at least three (currently, two) consecutive federal general elections before removal of eligible evacuees from the official list of voters by reason of their not voting or appearing to vote in several consecutive such elections.
Requires each motor vehicle authority and each voter registration agency in a state to take necessary steps to notify individuals to whom their services are provided of the protections afforded by this Act and of the requirements for obtaining them, including submission of an affidavit stating that the individual intends to return to the place of residence where the individual is otherwise qualified to vote.
Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to direct the President to send a similar notice to each individual and household receiving assistance under that Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on July 30, 2009. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 31, 2009: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 111th Congress (2009-10), 383 of the 10,778 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.6 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Artur Davis (D-AL) introduced it on July 30, 2009, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 3 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 30, 2009, 6251 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 6250 days ago, on July 31, 2009.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 111th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2011 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers