§21061 Payments for Protection and Advocacy Systems

Summary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services must pay each State’s protection and advocacy system so people with disabilities can fully take part in elections, including registering, voting, and getting into polling places. These protection and advocacy systems get the same broad powers they have under subtitle C of title I of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000. Minimum grant rules follow 29 U.S.C. 794e, but certain systems must receive at least $70,000 and others at least $35,000. Protection and advocacy system — the State program named in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000. State — has the meaning given in that same section. A system serving an American Indian consortium with reserved funds under 29 U.S.C. 794e(c)(1)(B) is eligible the same way as a State system. Within 90 days after the first appropriation for a fiscal year under section 21062, the Secretary must set aside 7 percent of that money for training and technical help for these voting activities. That money can be used to train people with disabilities (including blind people) on voting systems and to test those systems. At least one recipient must use funds to support nonvisual access. Eligible recipients are nonprofit public or private groups with voting experience for people with disabilities, have a board mostly made up of people with disabilities or their family members or blind people, and apply to the Secretary as required.