{"format":1,"id":"118-hr-6513","congress":118,"number":"H.R. 6513","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2024","title_source":"Short Title(s) from Engrossed Amendment Senate bill text","official_title":"To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to confirm the requirement that States allow access to designated congressional election observers to observe the election administration procedures in congressional elections.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to confirm the requirement that States allow access to designated congressional election observers to observe the election administration procedures in congressional elections."},{"type":"Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text","title":"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2024"},{"type":"Short Titles from ENR (Enrolled) bill text","title":"COCOA Act of 2024"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"COCOA Act of 2024"},{"type":"Short Title(s) from Engrossed Amendment Senate bill text","title":"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2024"},{"type":"Short Title(s) from Engrossed Amendment Senate bill text","title":"COCOA Act of 2024"},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2023"},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"COCOA Act of 2023"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"COCOA Act of 2023"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2023"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"COCOA Act of 2023"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2023"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"COCOA Act of 2023"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2023"}],"outcome":"became_law","law_number":"Public Law 118-106","introduced":"2023-11-30","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2024-09-25","vote":{"id":"118-2024-h449","question":"On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Concur in the Senate Amendment","title":"COCOA Act","result":"Passed","yea":413,"nay":1,"present":0,"not_voting":18,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2024/roll449.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"voice","date":"2024-09-24","vote":null,"how":"unanimous_consent","words":"Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent."}},"president":{"status":"signed","date":"2024-10-04"},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Became Public Law No: 118-106.","date":"2024-10-04"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2024-10-04","stage":"Public Law","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2024 or the COCOA Act of 2024"},{"k":"p","t":"This act provides statutory authority for designated congressional election observers. Designated congressional election observer refers to an employee of the House of Representatives or the Senate who is designated in writing by the chair or ranking minority member of the House Committee on House Administration or the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration to gather information with respect to an election, including in the event that the election is contested in the House or the Senate and for other purposes permitted by Article I, Section 5, clause 1 and Article I, Section 4, clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution."},{"k":"p","t":"The act requires states to provide designated congressional election observers with full access to clearly observe all elements of administration procedures of federal elections, including access to any area in which a ballot is cast, processed, scanned, tabulated, canvassed, recounted, audited, or certified, including during pre- and post-election procedures."},{"k":"p","t":"The act prohibits such an observer from handling ballots or election equipment, advocating for a position or candidate, taking any action to reduce ballot secrecy or voter privacy, taking any action to interfere with the ability of a voter to cast a ballot or an election administrator to carry out the administrator's duties, or otherwise interfering with the election administration process."},{"k":"p","t":"The act specifies the conduct for which designated congressional election observers may be removed by election officials. In the event of removal, the election official must, within 24 hours of the observer's removal, provide written notice to the chair and ranking minority member of the House Committee on House Administration or the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration."}],"words":281},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require States to give designated congressional election observers access to observe election administration procedures in elections for Federal office.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr#HFB2D4F6B0D1449B0AC8624ACCBC4BA0B:~:text=2.%20Access%20for%20congressional%20election%20observers"}]},"core_areas":["Congressional election observer access to election administration procedures","Observer conduct limits and removal by election officials"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Requires a State to give each designated congressional election observer full access to clearly observe all elements of election administration procedures, including any area where a ballot is cast, processed, scanned, tabulated, canvassed, recounted, audited, or certified.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr#HFB2D4F6B0D1449B0AC8624ACCBC4BA0B:~:text=2.%20Access%20for%20congressional%20election%20observers"}},{"text":"Bars an observer from handling ballots or election equipment, advocating for any position or candidate, reducing ballot secrecy or voter privacy, or interfering with voters or election administrators, while allowing observers to ask questions of election officials and workers.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr#HFB2D4F6B0D1449B0AC8624ACCBC4BA0B:~:text=2.%20Access%20for%20congressional%20election%20observers"}},{"text":"Allows a State or local election official who has a reasonable basis to believe an observer has engaged in or imminently will engage in intimidation, prohibited deceptive practices, or disruption of voting or ballot handling to remove the observer from the area.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr#HFB2D4F6B0D1449B0AC8624ACCBC4BA0B:~:text=2.%20Access%20for%20congressional%20election%20observers"}},{"text":"Requires an election official, within 24 hours of removing an observer, to inform the chair and ranking minority member of the responsible House or Senate committee and to give written notice of the reasons for the removal.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr#HFB2D4F6B0D1449B0AC8624ACCBC4BA0B:~:text=2.%20Access%20for%20congressional%20election%20observers"}},{"text":"Defines a designated congressional election observer as a House or Senate employee designated in writing by the chair or ranking minority member of the Committee on House Administration or the Committee on Rules and Administration to gather information about an election.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr#HFB2D4F6B0D1449B0AC8624ACCBC4BA0B:~:text=2.%20Access%20for%20congressional%20election%20observers"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"rule":"enrolled","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-09-30","approved_by":"checks"},"changes":{"first":{"chamber":"House","type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2024-09-09","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/eh"},"final":{"type":"Enrolled Bill","date":null,"href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr"},"kept":0.61,"replaced":false,"removed":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/eh#H54898D67DF784B3388AF3932BED5FDAF"},"heading":"Short title; findings","effect":"Gives the Act the short title \"Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2023\" or \"COCOA Act of 2023\" and sets out findings on Congress's authority over elections of its Members, election contests, and congressional election observers.","partly":{"label":"Sec. 1","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text/enr#H2FB893C897C6441F86499A948F79F9A0:~:text=1.%20Short%20title"},"part":"Sets out findings on Congress judging the elections of its own Members, the history of election contests, and the House's use of staff as election observers."}],"added":[],"added_count":0,"approved":"2026-10-01","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6513/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/118-hr-6513.png","v":"70dd679a08ca","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 6513, 118th Congress: Confirmation Of Congressional Observer Access Act of 2024. House: 413 Yea, 1 Nay. Senate: unanimous consent. Outcome: Became law, 4 Oct 2024."}}