House Administration Passes Bill to Eliminate Election Assistance Commission and Save Taxpayers $14 Million Annually

WASHINGTON – Today, the Committee on House Administration, led by Chairman Dan Lungren, R-Calif., passed H.R. 672, the Election Support Consolidation and Efficiency Act, by voice vote. The bill, introduced by Subcommittee on Elections Chairman Gregg Harper, R-Miss., would eliminate the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and save taxpayers $14 million annually.

After the markup, Lungren issued the following statement:

"First, I want to thank Mr. Harper for his leadership on this important issue. His efforts and willingness to work with the election community – those directly impacted – has produced a bill that will finally eliminate an agency that has long outlived its purpose.

"In the coming weeks the House will face difficult decisions regarding the fiscal path of this nation. The termination of the EAC, however, is an obvious and simple choice. We simply cannot justify spending $14 million each year on a program that even its direct beneficiaries deem unnecessary. Again, I thank Mr. Harper and encourage the quick adoption of this important legislation."

If adopted, the legislation would eliminate the EAC and transfer its remaining valuable service, its voting system testing and certification program, to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The legislation would also include a formal feedback mechanism for the development of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines by creating a Guidelines Review Board.