U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is cosponsoring a bipartisan bill to provide grants that support continuing education in election administration or cybersecurity for the nation’s election officials and employees.
Sen. Collins on May 23 introduced the Invest in Our Democracy Act of 2019, S. 1692, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to secure America’s elections from adversaries that continue to target them, according to the lawmaker’s office.
“We know for certain that the Russians were relentless in their efforts to meddle in the 2016 elections,” said Sen. Collins, a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. “In an effort to defend this cornerstone of our democracy, our bipartisan bill would help provide training and support to election officials who are on the frontlines to ensure our elections are safe and secure.”
If enacted, S. 1692 would establish a grant program administered by the Election Assistance Commission to cover up to 75 percent of the cost of the yearly tuition of election officials and employees who are enrolled in an accredited certificate program for election administration or cybersecurity, according to a summary provided by Sen. Collins’ office.
Specifically, S. 1692 would authorize $1 million for fiscal year 2021 and such sums necessary for each fiscal year between 2022 and 2028, according to the summary.
S. 1692, which has been referred to the U.S. Senate Rules and Administration Committee, continues Sen. Collins’ efforts during this session of Congress to ramp up election security.
For instance, most recently, Sen. Collins questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray during a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last month to review the administration’s fiscal year 2020 funding request and budget justification for the FBI, asking about the agency’s efforts to deter foreign interference in American elections.
Sen. Collins also cosponsored related bipartisan bills in April, the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines (DETER) Act of 2019, S. 1060, and in March, the Protect Our Elections Act, S. 825.