Amendment
Bill No. HB 7149
Amendment No. 868673
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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1Representative Randolph offered the following:
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3     Amendment (with title amendment)
4     Remove lines 427-507 and insert:
5     (6)  In any civil action brought by the Attorney General or
6the state attorney for enforcement, if the court finds that no
7violation occurred, the Attorney General or the state attorney
8shall be liable for attorney's fees and costs to the person or
9organization against whom the complaint was brought.
10     (1)  Prior to engaging in any voter registration
11activities, a third-party voter registration organization shall
12name a registered agent in the state and submit to the division,
13in a form adopted by the division, the name of the registered
14agent and the name of those individuals responsible for the day-
15to-day operation of the third-party voter registration
16organization, including, if applicable, the names of the
17entity's board of directors, president, vice president, managing
18partner, or such other individuals engaged in similar duties or
19functions. On or before the 15th day after the end of each
20calendar quarter, each third-party voter registration
21organization shall submit to the division a report providing the
22date and location of any organized voter registration drives
23conducted by the organization in the prior calendar quarter.
24     (2)  The failure to submit the information required by
25subsection (1) does not subject the third-party voter
26registration organization to any civil or criminal penalties for
27such failure, and the failure to submit such information is not
28a basis for denying such third-party voter registration
29organization with copies of voter registration application
30forms.
31     (3)  A third-party voter registration organization that
32collects voter registration applications serves as a fiduciary
33to the applicant, ensuring that any voter registration
34application entrusted to the third-party voter registration
35organization, irrespective of party affiliation, race,
36ethnicity, or gender shall be promptly delivered to the division
37or the supervisor of elections. If a voter registration
38application collected by any third-party voter registration
39organization is not promptly delivered to the division or
40supervisor of elections, the third-party voter registration
41organization shall be liable for the following fines:
42     (a)  A fine in the amount of $50 for each application
43received by the division or the supervisor of elections more
44than 10 days after the applicant delivered the completed voter
45registration application to the third-party voter registration
46organization or any person, entity, or agent acting on its
47behalf. A fine in the amount of $250 for each application
48received if the third-party registration organization or person,
49entity, or agency acting on its behalf acted willfully.
50     (b)  A fine in the amount of $100 for each application
51collected by a third-party voter registration organization or
52any person, entity, or agent acting on its behalf, prior to book
53closing for any given election for federal or state office and
54received by the division or the supervisor of elections after
55the book closing deadline for such election. A fine in the
56amount of $500 for each application received if the third-party
57registration organization or person, entity, or agency acting on
58its behalf acted willfully.
59     (c)  A fine in the amount of $500 for each application
60collected by a third-party voter registration organization or
61any person, entity, or agent acting on its behalf, which is not
62submitted to the division or supervisor of elections. A fine in
63the amount of $1,000 for any application not submitted if the
64third-party registration organization or person, entity, or
65agency acting on its behalf acted willfully.
66
67The aggregate fine pursuant to this subsection which may be
68assessed against a third-party voter registration organization,
69including affiliate organizations, for violations committed in a
70calendar year shall be $1,000. The fines provided in this
71subsection shall be reduced by three-fourths in cases in which
72the third-party voter registration organization has complied
73with subsection (1). The secretary shall waive the fines
74described in this subsection upon a showing that the failure to
75deliver the voter registration application promptly is based
76upon force majeure or impossibility of performance.
77     (7)(4)(a)  The division shall adopt rules to administer
78this section. The division shall adopt by rule a form to elicit
79specific information concerning the facts and circumstances from
80a person who claims to have been registered to vote by a third-
81party voter registration organization but who does not appear as
82an active voter on the voter registration rolls.
83     (b)  The division may investigate any violation of this
84section. Civil fines shall be assessed by the division and
85enforced through any appropriate legal proceedings.
86     (5)  The date on which an applicant signs a voter
87registration application is presumed to be the date on which the
88third-party voter registration organization received or
89collected the voter registration application.
90     (8)(6)  The civil fines provided in this section are in
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T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T
95     Remove line 35 and insert:
96injunction or other appropriate order; providing circumstances
97under which the Attorney General or state attorney shall be
98liable for certain fees and costs; requiring the


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.