Description:
H.R. 5658 would require that the envelopes for all ballots for federal elections mailed within the United States adhere to certain specifications. Among other requirements, the bill would specify that each envelope include the Official Election Mail logo and a Postal Service (USPS) barcode, which allows tracking of those envelopes. Cash flows for the Postal Service are recorded in the federal budget in the Postal Service Fund and are classified as off-budget direct spending. Using information from the USPS, CBO expects that the agency already has the ability to use trackable barcodes. On that basis, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5658 would increase off-budget direct spending for USPS by less than $500,000 over the 2024-2034 period. Section 4 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act excludes from the application of that act any legislative provision that would enforce constitutional rights of individuals. CBO has determined that H.R. 5658 falls within that exclusion because it enforces constitutional rights related to voting.
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