Grants to jurisdictions to incentivize the provision of voting materials in languages not triggering Section 203 coverage in applying jurisdiction

(a) Availability of grants (1) In general The Election Assistance Commission (in this section, referred to as the Commission) shall make incentive grants under subsection (b) to States and political subdivisions to assist the States and political subdivisions in providing voting materials during an election cycle in the language of a covered language minority group. (2) Application required In order to receive a grant under this section, a State or political subdivision shall submit to the Commission, at such time and in such form as the Commission may require, an application containing such information and assurances as the Commission may require, such as a plan for the State or political subdivision to engage stakeholders with a demonstrated experience of serving the relevant covered language minority group. (b) Incentive grants (1) Use of funds The Commission shall make an incentive grant under this subsection to a State or political subdivision to cover the reasonable costs incurred by the State or political subdivision in providing voting materials in the language of a covered language minority group for an election cycle. (2) Continuation of provision of materials for groups in succeeding election cycles If a State or political subdivision receives an incentive grant with respect to a covered language minority group for an election cycle, the State or political subdivision will certify to the Commission that the State or political subdivision will continue to provide voting materials in the language of that covered language minority group for each succeeding election cycle unless the population of the group during the succeeding cycle has dropped by 0.5 percent or more from the population of the group during the first election cycle for which the State or political subdivision received an incentive grant with respect to the group. (3) Prohibiting multiple grants for same language minority group If a State or political subdivision receives an incentive grant with respect to a covered language minority group, the State or subdivision may not receive another incentive grant with respect to that same covered language minority group. (c) Definitions In this section— (1) the term covered language minority group — (A) means, with respect to a State or political subdivision, the members of a single language minority who do not meet the requirements of clause (i) or (ii) of section 203(b)(2)(A) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503(b)(2)(A)); and (B) includes the language minorities described in section 203(g) of such Act (52 U.S.C. 10503(g)) and any other language minority; (2) the term election cycle means the period which begins on the day after the date of a regularly scheduled general election for Federal office and which ends on the date of the next regularly scheduled general election for Federal office; (3) the term State means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and (4) the term voting materials has the meaning given under section 203(b)(3)(A) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (52 U.S.C. 10503(b)(3)(A)). (d) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000, to remain available until expended.