Rep. Elise Stefanik

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, voted against a piece of legislation last week that would attempt to prevent foreign interference in elections.

The Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Last Democracy (SHIELD) Act would require political committees to report if they are contacted by foreign entities offering unlawful election assistance; apply existing campaign advertising requirements to online advertisements; and limit political spending by foreign entities, according to congress.gov.

The law also prohibits disseminating false statements regarding federal elections or public endorsements and intentionally hindering someone from voting or registering to vote.

The bill passed 227-181, with all Republicans voting in opposition.

House Republicans introduced an amendment to the bill to remove the requirement that the attorney general tell the public if he or she determines that state and local election officials have not taken adequate steps to correct false information being disseminated by foreign agents in the election.

The amendment failed in a party-line vote.

Stefanik explained her vote in a Facebook post.

“I have a strong and bipartisan record of focusing on eliminating foreign interference, but the Shield Act includes some very concerning provisions that would allow the attorney general to meddle in state and local elections,” she said. “The House must work with the Senate to pass meaningful reforms to secure U.S. elections, not pass a partisan bill that strengthens the federal government and weakens states’ oversight in their own elections.”

Stefanik urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring to the floor two bills that Stefanik has supported — the Honest Ads Act and the Paid Ads Act.

The Honest Ads Act would require digital political advertisements to disclose who paid for them, as required for TV and radio ads. The Paid Ads Act would prohibit foreign nationals from buying broadcast or digital advertisements on behalf of a federal candidate.

Stefanik is also co-sponsor of the Honest Elections Act, which she said would ensure that any suspected involvement by foreign agents in the American electoral process would be brought to the attention of law enforcement.

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Older Americans Act

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The House of Representatives on Monday passed legislation to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, which provides services to senior citizens.

Stefanik co-authored the bill, which includes some new provisions, including encouraging the use of individual assessments to identify the needs of family caregivers; requiring people who are diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease receive equal protection under the law; and providing Holocaust survivors access to specialized care and services, according to a news release.

“This reauthorization updates the law so programs can be more responsive to the needs of seniors, while raising funding levels to keep pace with the growing generation of older Americans,” she said in a news release.

Business programs

The House last week voted to extend the SCORE business program through 2022. The Service Corps of Retired Executives is a program of the Small Business Administration that helps provide business expertise to small businesses.

Also passed by a bipartisan margin was a bill to reauthorize the Small Business Development Center through 2023.

Stefanik voted yes on the Corporate Transparency Act, which would require new and existing small corporations and limited liability companies to disclose information about their owners.

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Donations transparency, early voting

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation last week requiring local boards of elections to calculate and publish campaign contribution limits on their websites for county, town, city and village officers.

The bill would require this information to be posted to websites by April 15.

In addition, another bill Cuomo signed would require boards of election to give more notice if there are special elections.

“The democratic process only works when voters and candidates alike have the right information — especially when it comes to contribution limits and election dates,” Cuomo said in a news release. “By signing these measures into law, we will further increase transparency and help ensure all New Yorkers have the opportunity to make their voices heard during special elections.”

Cuomo last week also announced an early voting public awareness campaign. People can text “early voting” to 81336 to receive information about early voting polling places via text. More information can also be found at https://www.ny.gov/early-voting-new-york.