SET Act
House Vacancies: New Deadlines for Special Elections
The SET Act was recently introduced and is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on House Administration. It is in the early stages of the lawmaking process and is considered active. There are no upcoming votes or hearings scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
This bill lacks support from the opposing party and tells states how to run their own elections, which usually leads to a lot of debate.
Key Points
- States would be required to hold a special election to fill an empty seat in the House of Representatives within 180 days. This applies if a member of Congress resigns, passes away, or can no longer do their job.
- The only exception to this rule is if a regular general election is already scheduled to happen within that same 180-day window. This helps avoid the cost and effort of holding two major elections back-to-back.
- If a state fails to hold the election on time, the U.S. Attorney General or even regular citizens can sue the state's governor to force them to act. The Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader would also have the power to sue.
- The goal is to make sure Americans living in a district with a vacancy are not left without a representative for a long time. Right now, some states have no strict deadlines, leaving people without a vote in Congress for months.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
SET Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(5)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.