CONG. WEBER: With Elections Approaching, We Must Pass the SAVE Act to 'Safeguard American Voter Eligibility'

It is unfair to include Non-Citizens & Illegal Immigrants in apportioning the number of House Representatives and electors allocated to each state

By Congressman Randy Weber

Texas Insider Report: (WASHINGTON, D.C.) –  This past week, I joined Speaker Mike Johnson, Congressman Chip Roy, and Senator Mike Lee to announce the introduction of the "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act." Amid the worst border crisis in American history, the SAVE Act would ensure that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register.
 
The SAVE Act would:
 

• Amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which has governed state voter registration since 1993, to require states to obtain documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and identity – in person – when registering an individual to vote in a Federal election. 
  • This requirement applies regardless of whether an individual is registering to vote at a DMV, a voter registration agency (such as a welfare office), or by mail. 
  • Direct states to establish an alternative process for applicants who may not have documentary proof of citizenship but are, in fact, U.S. citizens (due to religious reasons or otherwise), subject to minimum standards set by the Election Assistance Commission and signed attestations and affidavits by both the applicant and official making the determination.
  • Direct states to provide reasonable accommodations for disabled Americans and applicants who have discrepancies in their documentation due to a name change.
• Require states to establish a program to remove non-citizens from their existing voter rolls and give states no-cost access to Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration databases to do so. 
• Empower citizens to bring civil suits against election officials that fail to uphold proof of citizenship requirements for Federal elections by expanding the NVRA’s existing private right of action, and adds penalties for election officials that register non-citizens to vote in Federal elections.
•  Direct the Election Assistance Commission to promptly update any guidance associated with the SAVE Act and streamline updates to federal forms by exempting the updates from the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Around DC:  Here is a recap of what the House of Representatives passed this last week: 

In Article I, the Constitution requires the government to conduct a census of the population every ten years, upon which the apportionment of U.S. House Representatives and presidential electors for each state is based. 

While only citizens of the United States are able to vote for their preferred candidates for federal offices, the current practice for apportionment wrongly includes noncitizens from the census count, such as illegal immigrants, in a state’s population for the purpose of calculating how many Representatives and electors are allocated to each state. This unfairly benefits states with higher noncitizen residents over states with a lower concentration of noncitizens, resulting in the former getting a higher apportionment of Representatives and electors and, hence, a stronger voice in the federal government. 
 
In 1975, Congress established the Energy Policy & Conservation Act (EPCA) to increase American energy production, encourage efficient energy use, and bolster national energy security. Under the EPCA, the Department of Energy (DOE) sets efficiency standards for 60 product categories – but these standards must be cost-effective, significantly save energy, and be technologically feasible. 

Unfortunately, President Biden’s DOE has consistently abused its authority to push a radical energy agenda on American families and consumers, attempting to implement conservation standards that are neither economically justifiable nor significantly more energy efficient. Additionally, the Biden DOE’s proposed standards aim to shut down the use of natural gas and force electric appliances on the American people, regardless of cost, performance, or availability – putting their radical Green New Deal agenda before the needs of hardworking Americans. 

These overreaching rules take away consumer choice, burden American families, and force Americans to use expensive appliances that do not perform as well.

While the Biden Administration fights to unleash a stream of new burdensome regulations for a multitude of vital home appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, and dryers, House Republicans passed legislation to protect consumer choice and keep government agencies out of your home.

The "Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act" prevents the Secretary of Energy and the DOE from implementing new or amended energy efficiency standards for appliances that are not technologically feasible and economically justified.

Congressman Randy Weber represents the 14th District of Texas, which includes Freeport LNG, Golden Pass LNG, and Port Arthur LNG. He serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, which has the broadest jurisdiction of any legislative committee in Congress, as well as on the House Science Space & Technology Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Energy's, and the EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) Energy Research & Development Programs, including all Environmental Standards and Research Programs.