A legislative day only ends when a chamber formally adjourns. If they recess instead, it's still the same "day" — even if weeks pass.
House and Senate each track their own legislative days independently, though both use similar rules.
Record holder:
162 calendar days
Senate "Monday" • Jan 3 – Jun 12, 1980
This matters because many statutory deadlines use "days" without specifying calendar or legislative — letting Congress stretch them indefinitely.
Solving a 77-Person Problem by Burdening 21 Million
Non-citizen voting is already a federal crime punishable by up to 5 years in prison and permanent deportation. Every voter registration already requires a sworn attestation of citizenship under penalty of perjury. The Heritage Foundation's own fraud database found 77 cases of non-citizen voting over 24 years out of billions of ballots cast. Congress's solution: require ~160 million Americans to produce documents that 9-11% of eligible voters don't readily have. Only 48% of Americans have a valid passport. Replacing a lost birth certificate costs $10-60 and takes up to 10 weeks — from the same government now requiring you to have it.
Why It Matters
The bill would effectively eliminate mail-in and online voter registration for federal elections, since applicants must present documents in person. An estimated 21 million eligible citizens lack easy access to the required documentation. Passport ownership skews heavily by income — only 1 in 5 Americans earning under $50K have one. The bill also creates a private right of action allowing anyone to sue election officials who register someone without proper proof.
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration
Passed House 220-208 (Roll no. 102)
Received in the Senate
$158,316
~2 hours of congressional session time at $79,158/hour
(535 members × $174k salary ÷ 147 session days ÷ 8 hours)
Simplified estimate based on salary costs only. Actual costs include staff, facilities, and lost productivity.
Satire notice: Spending figures, pork tracking, and editorial commentary below are satirical estimates for entertainment purposes. They are not official government cost analyses. Legislative history and vote records are real — verify at Congress.gov .
Satirical estimate for entertainment purposes
See how this bill transformed through 5 stages of the legislative process.
Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act or the SAVE ActThis bill requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.Specifically, the bill prohibits states from accepting and processing an application to register to vote in a federal election unless the applicant presents documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill specifies what documents are considered acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship, such as identification that complies with the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates U.S. citizenship.Further, the bill (1) prohibits states from registering an individual to vote in a federal election unless, at the time the individual applies to register to vote, the individual provides documentary proof of U.S. citizenship; and (2) requires states to establish an alternative process under which an applicant may submit other evidence to demonstrate U.S. citizenship.Each state must take affirmative steps on an ongoing basis to ensure that only U.S. citizens are registered to vote, which shall include establishing a program to identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens using information supplied by certain sources.Additionally, states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters.The bill allows for a private right of action against an election official who registers an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.The bill establishes criminal penalties for certain offenses, including registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship.
Read full summary on Congress.govProviding for consideration of the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 18) disapproving the rule submitted b
Related billProviding for consideration of the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 18) disapproving the rule submitted b
Procedurally relatedSAVE Act
Related billSource: Real bill from the 119th Congress. Data from Congress.gov.
The SAVE Act — “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act” — requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. On its face, that sounds reasonable. But consider what already exists:
Under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, every voter registration application must:
Non-citizen voting is already illegal under 18 U.S.C. § 611 (up to 1 year in prison) and 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f) (up to 5 years in prison). Any non-citizen who votes faces permanent deportation and a lifetime ban from the United States.
The Heritage Foundation — which maintains a database specifically to document voter fraud — found 77 instances of non-citizen voting across 24 years out of billions of ballots cast. The Brennan Center’s 2016 survey of 23.5 million votes found approximately 30 suspected incidents — a rate of 0.0001%.
The SAVE Act’s solution would require approximately 160 million Americans to locate and present citizenship documents. An estimated 9-11% of eligible voters don’t readily have them. Only 48% of Americans have a valid passport, and ownership skews heavily by income — only 1 in 5 Americans earning under $50,000 have one.
Need a replacement birth certificate? That’ll be $10-60 and up to 10 weeks by mail — from the same government that’s now requiring you to have it handy. Changed your name through marriage? You’ll need additional documents to bridge the gap between your birth certificate and current ID.
The bill passed the House 220-208 and is pending in the Senate.
Congress has been trying to pass this bill — or something nearly identical — for 4 attempts across 3 Congresses over 1,772+ days. Each time, the House passes it. Each time, the Senate ignores it.
| Attempt | Congress | Bill | Introduced | House Action | Senate Action | Days in Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 117th | H.R. 2343 “Protecting American Voters Act” | Apr 1, 2021 | Died in committee | Never reached | ~730 days |
| 2 | 118th | H.R. 8281 “SAVE Act” | May 9, 2024 | Passed 221-198 (Jul 10, 2024) | Never voted | ~240 days |
| 3 | 119th | H.R. 22 “SAVE Act” | Jan 3, 2025 | Passed 220-208 (Apr 10, 2025) | Pending | 97 days to passage |
| 4 | 119th | H.R. 7296 “SAVE America Act” | Jan 30, 2026 | In committee | — | Ongoing |
Total elapsed time since first introduction: 1,772+ days (Apr 1, 2021 → Apr 10, 2025 House passage of H.R. 22).
The 119th Congress version (H.R. 22) had its own drama: the first procedural rule to bring it to the floor actually failed 206-222, requiring a second attempt that passed 213-211 — a 2-vote margin just to debate the bill.
After nearly 5 years and 4 tries, Congress has spent thousands of hours solving a problem that the Heritage Foundation’s own data says happens 77 times in 24 years. That works out to roughly 23 congressional hours per documented case of non-citizen voting.
This page is satirical commentary by AbsurdityIndex.org. Legislative history comes from public congressional records; spending estimates and "pork" figures are editorial and may not reflect official cost analyses. Absurdity scores are subjective editorial ratings. Verify all claims at Congress.gov
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