H.R. 7418

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7418 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7418

To convert the program of public financing of presidential election 
campaigns to a program of providing grants to States for enhancing the 
security of election systems, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 9, 2026

Mrs. Bice (for herself, Ms. Lee of Florida, Mr. McDowell, Mr. Smith of 
New Jersey, and Mr. Mills) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to 
the Committee on Ways and Means, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To convert the program of public financing of presidential election 
campaigns to a program of providing grants to States for enhancing the 
security of election systems, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Securing Tech and Election 
Administration Defenses For All States and Territories Act'' or the 
``STEADFAST Act''.

SEC. 2. CONVERSION OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN FUNDING PROGRAM TO 
STATE GRANT PROGRAM FOR ELECTION SECURITY.

(a) Election Security Program.--
(1) Payments.--Subtitle H of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1985 is amended by adding at the end the following new chapter:

``CHAPTER 97--ELECTION SECURITY PROGRAM AND FUND

``SEC. 9051. PAYMENTS TO STATES FOR ELECTION SECURITY.

``(a) Authorization of Payments.--The Election Assistance 
Commission shall establish and operate a program under which the 
Commission shall make payments to eligible States for activities to 
promote the security of elections for Federal office by updating voting 
systems to meet security standards.
``(b) Eligibility.--A State is eligible to receive a payment under 
this chapter if the State submits to the Commission, at such time and 
in such form as the Commission may require, an application containing 
the following:
``(1) A plan for the use of the payment.
``(2) A certification that the State does not permit 
noncitizens to vote in any election for public office held in 
the State.
``(3) Assurances that the State will submit reports to the 
Commission, at such frequency as the Commission may require, on 
the use of the payment.
``(4) Such other information and assurances as the 
Commission may require.
``(c) Use of Funds.--
``(1) Activities described.--An eligible State may use a 
payment received under this chapter for the following:
``(A) Acquiring voting equipment.
``(B) Cybersecurity efforts to protect voting 
systems.
``(C) Providing physical security for the storage 
of voting equipment.
``(D) Modernizing and replacing the components of 
voting systems.
``(E) Purchasing and printing paper ballots and 
implementing security features for protecting paper 
ballots.
``(F) Securing and protecting electronic poll 
books.
``(2) Prohibition.--A State may not use the funds provided 
under a payment received under this chapter to pay any of the 
following:
``(A) Costs associated with training for election 
administrators, other than training in the use of 
election system equipment.
``(B) Costs associated with any litigation or for 
the payment of any judgement.
``(d) Use of Qualified Vendors.--
``(1) Requirement.--An eligible State may use a payment 
received under this chapter to carry out activities through a 
vendor, but only if the vendor is certified as a qualified 
vendor by the Commission under paragraph (2).
``(2) Certification.--
``(A) In general.--The Commission shall certify 
vendors as qualified vendors for purposes of this 
chapter in accordance with such criteria as the 
Commission considers appropriate, except that the 
Commission may not certify a vendor as a qualified 
vendor if the vendor directly provided funds to a State 
or unit of local government to support the 
administration of an election for Federal office.
``(B) Deadline.--Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of the Securing Tech and Election 
Administration Defenses For All States and Territories 
Act, the Commission shall publish the list of qualified 
vendors for purposes of this chapter.
``(e) Priority for Certain States.--In determining the eligible 
States which will receive payments under this chapter, the Commission 
shall give priority to States which meet each of the following 
conditions in carrying out elections for Federal office:
``(1) The State uses paper ballots which permit voters to 
verify the vote cast on the ballot and which may serve as a 
paper trail for purposes of post-election audits.
``(2) The State uses available resources to ensure that 
noncitizens are not registered to vote and do not vote in such 
elections, which may include the Systematic Alien Verification 
for Entitlements Program administered by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security and the Social Security Number Verification 
Service of the Social Security Administration.
``(3) The State requires a voter to, in order to obtain a 
ballot at a polling place, provide to an election official any 
of the following forms of valid photo identification:
``(A) A valid State-issued motor vehicle driver's 
license that includes a photo of the individual and an 
expiration date.
``(B) A valid State-issued identification card that 
includes a photo of the individual and an expiration 
date.
``(C) A valid United States passport for the 
individual.
``(D) A valid military identification for the 
individual.
``(E) A valid identification document issued by a 
Tribal government that includes a photo of the 
individual and an expiration date.
``(F) Any other form of government-issued 
identification specified by the State as valid photo 
identification for purposes of this subsection, 
excluding identification cards provided by an 
educational institution.
``(f) Amount of Payment.--
``(1) Number of registered voters.--The amount of the 
payment made to an eligible State under this chapter for a 
fiscal year shall be equal to the product of--
``(A) the aggregate amount made available for 
payments to eligible States under this chapter for the 
fiscal year; and
``(B) the registered voter population proportion 
for the State (as defined in paragraph (2)).
``(2) Registered voter population proportion.--The term 
`registered voter population proportion' means, with respect to 
an eligible State, the amount equal to the quotient of--
``(A) the number of individuals who are registered 
to vote in elections for Federal office held in the 
State, as determined by the State on the basis of the 
most recent information available; and
``(B) the total number of individuals who are 
registered to vote in elections for Federal office held 
in all eligible States, as determined by the Commission 
on the basis of the information determined by the 
eligible States under subparagraph (A).
``(g) Report Required.--Each State that receives a payment under 
this chapter shall provide to the Commission and make available on a 
publicly accessible website of the State a report detailing--
``(1) how such payment was spent; and
``(2) the extent to which the State complied with or 
deviated from the information submitted in the application 
described in subsection (b).

``SEC. 9052. ELECTION SECURITY FUND.

``(a) Establishment; Purpose.--
``(1) In general.--There is hereby established on the books 
of the Treasury of the United States a special fund to be known 
as the `Election Security Fund', which shall be used to carry 
out the program under this chapter.
``(2) Limit on administrative expenses.--The Commission may 
use not more than 5 percent of the amount in the Fund during a 
fiscal year for the administrative expenses of the Fund during 
the fiscal year.
``(b) Funds Designated by Individual Taxpayers.--The Secretary of 
the Treasury shall, from time to time, transfer to the fund an amount 
not in excess of the sum of the amounts designated to the fund by 
individuals under section 6096.
``(c) Appropriation.--There is appropriated to the Fund for each 
fiscal year, out of amounts in the general fund of the Treasury not 
otherwise appropriated, an amount equal to the amounts so designated 
during each fiscal year, which shall remain available to the Fund 
without fiscal year limitation.

``SEC. 9053. PUBLIC INFORMATION ON PROGRAM AND FUND.

``(a) Providing Information to Public.--The Commission shall 
provide information to the public on the program established under this 
chapter and the use of the designation of income tax payments under 
section 6096 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to transfer amounts 
to the Election Security Fund, including by establishing and operating 
a hyperlink to such information on the Commission's official public 
website.
``(b) Deadline.--The Commission shall meet the requirements of 
subsection (a) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of the Securing Tech and Election Administration Defenses For All 
States and Territories Act.

``SEC. 9054. DEFINITIONS.

``In this chapter--
``(1) the term `Commission' means the Election Assistance 
Commission;
``(2) the term `Fund' means the Election Security Fund 
established under section 9052; and
``(3) the term `State' means each of the several States, 
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for subtitle 
H of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following:

``Chapter 97--Election Security Program and Fund

``Sec. 9051. Payments to States for election security.
``Sec. 9052. Election Security Fund.
``Sec. 9053. Public information on Program and Fund.
``Sec. 9054. Definitions.''.
(b) Designation of Income Tax Payments to Election Security Fund.--
(1) Designation.--Section 6096(a) of such Code is amended 
by striking ``the Presidential Election Campaign Fund'' and 
inserting ``the Election Security Fund''.
(2) Reference to eac website with public information on 
program and fund.--Section 6096(a) of such Code is amended by 
adding at the end the following new sentence: ``The Secretary 
shall ensure that the individual tax return form includes a 
citation to the hyperlink on the official public website of the 
Election Assistance Commission which is established and 
operated under section 9053.''.
(3) Effective date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
shall apply with respect to taxable years ending after December 
31, 2025.

SEC. 3. TERMINATION OF TAXPAYER FINANCING OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 
CAMPAIGNS.

(a) Termination of Presidential Election Campaign Fund.--
(1) Termination.--Chapter 95 of subtitle H of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

``SEC. 9014. TERMINATION.

``The provisions of this chapter shall not apply with respect to 
any presidential election (or any presidential nominating convention) 
after the date of the enactment of this section, or to any candidate in 
such an election.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 
95 of subtitle H of such Code is amended by adding at the end 
the following new item:

``Sec. 9014. Termination.''.
(b) Termination of Presidential Primary Matching Payment Account.--
(1) Termination.--Chapter 96 of subtitle H of such Code is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 9043. TERMINATION.

``The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to any candidate 
with respect to any presidential election after the date of the 
enactment of this section.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 
96 of subtitle H of such Code is amended by adding at the end 
the following new item:

``Sec. 9043. Termination.''.
(c) Transfer of Remaining Funds to Election Security Fund.--Section 
9006 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
``(d) Transfer of Funds Remaining After Termination.--The Secretary 
shall transfer the amounts in the fund as of the date of the enactment 
of this subsection to the Election Security Fund under section 9052, to 
be available as described in such section.''.
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