In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.

Ex Input:
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Community Partnerships Against Crime 
Act'', or ``COMPAC''.

SEC. 2. COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AGAINST CRIME.

    (a) Conforming Provisions.--(1) Section 5001 of the Anti-Drug Abuse 
Act of 1988 is amended--
            (A) by striking

      ``Chapter 2--Public and Assisted Housing Drug Elimination''

        and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

          ``Chapter 2--Community Partnerships Against Crime'';

            (B) by striking ``Congressional findings.'' and 
            inserting in lieu thereof the following: 
            ``Purposes.''; and
            (C) by adding after

``Sec. 5130. Authorization of appropriations.''
        the following:

``Sec. 5131. Technical assistance.''.
    (2) The heading for chapter 2 of subtitle C of title V of the Anti-
Drug Abuse Act of 1988 is amended to read as follows:

          ``CHAPTER 2--COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AGAINST CRIME''.

    (b) Short Title, Purposes, and Authority To Make Grants.--Sections 
5121, 5122, and 5123 of the Public and Assisted Housing Drug 
Elimination Act of 1990 are amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 5121. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This chapter may be cited as the `Community Partnerships Against 
Crime Act of 1993'.

``SEC. 5122. PURPOSES.

    ``The purposes of this chapter are to--
            ``(1) substantially expand and enhance the Federal 
        Government's commitment to eliminating crime in public housing;
            ``(2) broaden the scope of the Public and Assisted Housing 
        Drug Elimination Act of 1990 to apply to all types of crime, 
        and not simply crime that is drug-related;
            ``(3) target opportunities for long-term commitments of 
        funding primarily to public housing agencies with serious crime 
        problems;
            ``(4) encourage the involvement of a broad range of 
        community-based groups, and residents of neighboring housing 
        that is owned or assisted by the Secretary, in the development 
        and implementation of anti-crime plans;
            ``(5) reduce crime and disorder in and around public 
        housing through the expansion of community-oriented policing 
        activities and problem solving;
            ``(6) provide training, information services, and other 
        technical assistance to program participants; and
            ``(7) establish a standardized assessment system to 
        evaluate need among public housing agencies, and to measure 
        progress in reaching crime reduction goals.

``SEC. 5123. AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.

    ``The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in accordance 
with the provisions of this chapter, may make grants, for use in 
eliminating crime in and around public and other federally assisted 
low-income housing projects (1) to public housing agencies (including 
Indian housing authorities) and (2) using amounts appropriated for 
fiscal year 1994 only, to private, for-profit and nonprofit owners of 
federally assisted low-income housing. In designing the program, the 
Secretary shall consult with the Attorney General.''.
    (c) Eligible Activities.--Section 5124 of such Act is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(a) Public and Assisted Housing.--'';
            (2) by inserting in the introductory material, immediately 
        after ``used in'', the following: ``and around'';
            (3) in paragraph (3), by inserting immediately before the 
        semicolon the following: ``, such as fencing, lighting, 
        locking, and surveillance systems'';
            (4) by striking paragraph (4)(A) and inserting in lieu 
        thereof the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(A) to investigate crime; and'';
            (5) in paragraph (6)--
                    (A) by striking ``in and around public or other 
                federally assisted low-income housing projects''; and
                    (B) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon;
            (6) in paragraph (7)--
                    (A) by striking ``where a public housing agency 
                receives a grant,'';
                    (B) by striking ``drug abuse'' and inserting in 
                lieu thereof ``crime''; and
                    (C) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                in lieu thereof a colon;
            (7) by adding the following new paragraphs after paragraph 
        (7):
            ``(8) the employment or utilization of one or more 
        individuals, including law enforcement officers, made available 
        by contract or other cooperative arrangement with State or 
        local law enforcement agencies, to engage in community- and 
        problem-oriented policing involving interaction with members of 
        the community on proactive crime control and prevention;
            ``(9) youth initiatives, such as activities involving 
        training, education, after school programs, cultural programs, 
        recreation and sports, career planning, and entrepreneurship 
        and employment; and
            ``(10) resident service programs, such as job training, 
        education programs, and other appropriate social services which 
        address the contributing factors of crime.''; and
            (8) by striking subsection (b).
    (d) Applications.--Section 5125 of such Act is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by adding the paragraph designation ``(1)'' 
                immediately after ``In general.--'';
                    (B) in the first sentence, by striking ``, a public 
                housing resident management corporation,'';
                    (C) in the second sentence, by striking ``drug-
                related crime on the premises of'' and inserting in 
                lieu thereof the following: ``crime in and around''; 
                and
                    (D) by adding the following new paragraphs at the 
                end:
            ``(2) The Secretary shall, by regulation issued after 
        notice and opportunity for public comment, set forth criteria 
        for establishing a class of public housing agencies that have 
        especially severe crime problems. Any public housing agency 
        within this class may submit an application for a one-year 
        grant under this chapter that, subject to the availability of 
        appropriated amounts, shall be renewed for a period not 
        exceeding the four subsequent years: Provided, That the 
        Secretary finds, after an annual or more frequent performance 
        review, that the public housing agency is performing under the 
        terms of the grant and applicable laws in a satisfactory manner 
        and meets such other requirements as the Secretary may 
        prescribe.
            ``(3) Any eligible applicant may submit an application for 
        a grant for a period of up to two years. The Secretary may 
        accord a preference to applications seeking a subsequent grant 
        under this paragraph if the grant is to be used to continue or 
        expand activities assisted under a previous grant under this 
        paragraph and the Secretary finds that the applicant's program 
        under the prior grant is being managed soundly and demonstrates 
        success. Any preferences under the preceding sentence shall not 
        unreasonably prejudice the opportunities of other public 
        housing agencies to be awarded grants under this paragraph.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in the introductory material, by striking 
                ``subsections (c) and (d)'' and inserting in lieu 
                thereof ``subsections (a) and (c)'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``drug-related 
                crime problem in'' and inserting in lieu thereof the 
                following: ``crime problem in and around'';
                    (C) in paragraph (2), by inserting immediately 
                after ``crime problem in'' the following: ``and 
                around''; and
                    (D) in paragraph (4), by inserting after ``local 
                government'' the following: ``, local community-based 
                non-profit organizations, local resident organizations 
                that represent the residents of neighboring projects 
                that are owned or assisted by the Secretary,'';
            (3) in subsection (c)(2) by striking ``drug-related'' the 
        two places it appears; and
            (4) by striking subsection (d).
    (e) Definitions.--Section 5126 of such Act is amended by striking 
paragraphs (1) and (2), and renumbering paragraphs (3) and (4) as 
paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively.
    (f) Implementation.--Section 5127 of such Act is amended to read as 
follows:

``SEC 5127. IMPLEMENTATION.

    ``The Secretary shall issue regulations to implement this chapter 
within 180 days of the enactment of the Community Partnerships Against 
Crime Act.''.
    (g) Reports.--Section 5128 of such Act is amended by striking 
``drug-related crime in'' and inserting in lieu thereof the following: 
``crime in and around''.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 5130 of such Act is 
amended--
            (1) in the first sentence of subsection (a), by striking 
        ``$175,000,000 for fiscal year 1993'' and all that follows and 
        inserting in lieu thereof: ``$265,000,000 for fiscal year 1994 
        and $325,000,000 for fiscal year 1995.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``Set-Asides'' and inserting in 
                lieu thereof ``Set-Aside'';
                    (B) by striking the first sentence;
                    (C) by striking ``drug elimination'';
                    (D) by striking ``fiscal years 1993 and 1994''; and
                    (E) by striking ``and 5.0 percent'' and all that 
                follows through the end of the sentence and inserting 
                in lieu thereof a period; and
            (3) by striking subsection (c) and section 520(k) of the 
        Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act.
    (i) Technical Assistance.--Such Act is further amended by adding at 
the end thereof the following new section:

``SEC. 5131. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    ``Of the amounts appropriated annually for each of fiscal years 
1994 and 1995 to carry out this chapter, the Secretary is authorized to 
use up to $10,000,000, directly or indirectly, under grants, contracts, 
cooperative agreements, or otherwise, to provide training, information 
services, and other technical assistance to public housing agencies and 
other entities with respect to their participation in the program 
authorized by this chapter. Such technical assistance may include the 
establishment and operation of the clearinghouse on drug abuse in 
public housing and the regional training program on drug abuse in 
public housing under sections 5143 and 5144 of this Act. The Secretary 
is also authorized to use the foregoing amounts for obtaining 
assistance in establishing and managing assessment and evaluation 
criteria and specifications, and obtaining the opinions of experts in 
relevant fields.''.

Ex Output:
Community Partnerships Against Crime Act, or COMPAC - Amends the Public and Assisted Housing Drug Elimination Act of 1990 to expand the use of anti-drug crime public housing grants to all types of crime. 
Makes long-term (one-year initial, five-year total) grants available to public housing authorities with especially severe crime problems.  Makes other applicants eligible for two-year grants, with preference for subsequent funding.


Ex Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Shareholder Empowerment Act of 
2009''.

SEC. 2. MAJORITY VOTING FOR DIRECTORS.

    The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is amended by adding after 
section 16 the following new section:

``SEC. 16A. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS.

    ``(a) Standards Relating to Election of Directors.--
            ``(1) Commission rules.--Not later than 270 days after the 
        date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall, by 
        rule, direct the national securities exchanges and national 
        securities associations to prohibit the listing of any security 
        of an issuer that is not in compliance with the requirements of 
        any portion of paragraph (2). Such rules shall provide for 
        appropriate procedures for an issuer to have an opportunity to 
        cure any defects that would be the basis for such a prohibition 
        before the imposition of such prohibition.
            ``(2) Standards for election of directors.--
                    ``(A) Majority voting.--Each issuer shall, to the 
                extent permitted under State law, provide in its 
                governing documents that--
                            ``(i) directors in uncontested elections 
                        shall be elected by a majority of the votes 
                        cast as to each nominee; and
                            ``(ii) in contested elections where the 
                        number of nominees exceeds the number of 
                        directors to be elected, directors shall be 
                        elected by the vote of a plurality of the 
                        shares represented at any meeting and entitled 
                        to vote on the election of directors.
                    ``(B) Resignation policy.--Each issuer shall also, 
                to the extent permitted under State law, adopt 
                procedures under which any director who is not elected 
                to a new term shall offer to tender his or her 
                resignation to the board of directors. The board of 
                directors, with the advice of a committee of the board 
                if such a committee has been established for that 
                purpose, shall determine what action should be taken as 
                to that resignation and shall publicly disclose its 
                decision and the rationale for that decision within a 
                reasonable period after certification of the election 
                results.
    ``(b) Shareholder Access to the Proxy in Director Elections.--
            ``(1) Rule.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Commission shall, by rule, 
        require that in proxy statements and proxies, authorizations or 
        consents prepared by an issuer pursuant to section 14, the 
        issuer shall identify and provide security holders with an 
        opportunity to vote on candidates for the board of directors 
        who have been nominated by holders in the aggregate at least 1 
        percent of the issuer's voting securities for at least 2 years 
        prior to a record date established by the issuer for a meeting 
        of security holders.
            ``(2) Application.--This rule shall specify the information 
        to be provided to an issuer by security holders who nominate 
        candidates for inclusion in an issuer's proxy materials under 
        this section and shall require the issuer to disclose 
        information about such candidates in the issuer's proxy 
        materials to the same extent that information must be disclosed 
        about candidates nominated by the issuer. This rule shall apply 
        only when eligible security holders have nominated fewer than a 
        majority of the number of directors then authorized to serve on 
        the board of directors, and the rule shall specify procedures 
        to be followed if different security holders nominate 
        candidates sufficient to constitute a majority of the board of 
        directors.
            ``(3) Effective date.--The rule shall apply to proxy voting 
        for meetings of security holders held on or after January 1, 
        2010, except to the extent that a meeting was originally 
        scheduled to be held in 2009, but was adjourned to 2010.
    ``(c) Broker Discretionary Voting in Uncontested Director 
Elections.--Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this 
section, the Commission shall by, rule, require that a broker shall not 
be allowed to vote securities on an uncontested election to the board 
of directors of an issuer to the extent that the beneficial owner of 
those securities has not provided specific instructions to the broker. 
The rule shall apply to proxy voting for meetings of security holders 
held on or after January 1, 2010, except to the extent that a meeting 
was originally scheduled to be held in 2009, but was adjourned to 2010.
    ``(d) Independent Chairman of the Board of Directors.--
            ``(1) Commission rules.--Not later than 270 days after the 
        date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall, by 
        rule, direct the national securities exchanges and national 
        securities associations to prohibit the listing of any security 
        of an issuer that is not in compliance with the requirements of 
        any portion of paragraph (2). Such rules shall provide for 
        appropriate procedures for an issuer to have an opportunity to 
        cure any defects that would be the basis for such a prohibition 
        before the imposition of such prohibition.
            ``(2) Independent chairman of the board of directors.--Each 
        issuer shall provide in its governing documents or a public 
        statement of corporate policy that, to the extent possible and 
        consistent with the issuer's status as a publicly traded 
        company, the chairman of the board of directors shall be an 
        independent director who has not previously served as an 
        executive officer of the issuer. Such rule shall be implemented 
        with due regard for contracts in existence on the date of 
        enactment of this section. For purposes of this subsection, an 
        `independent director' shall be one who during the preceding 5 
        years has not been--
                    ``(A) employed by the issuer in an executive 
                capacity;
                    ``(B) an employee, director or owner greater than 
                20 percent of the beneficial shares of a firm that is a 
                paid adviser or consultant to the issuer;
                    ``(C) employed by a significant customer or 
                supplier of the issuer;
                    ``(D) a party to a personal services contract with 
                the issuer, as well as with the issuer's Chair, chief 
                executive officer, or other senior executive officer;
                    ``(E) an employee, officer or director of a 
                foundation, university or other non-profit organization 
                that receives the greater of $100,000 or 1 percent of 
                total annual donations from the issuer;
                    ``(F) a relative of an executive of the issuer;
                    ``(G) part of an interlocking directorate in which 
                the issuer's chief executive officer or another 
                executive serves on the board of another issuer 
                employing that director; and
                    ``(H) engaged in any other relationship with the 
                issuer or senior executives that the Commission 
                determines would not render that director an 
                independent director.''.

SEC. 3. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION REQUIREMENTS.

    The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is further amended by adding 
after the section 16A, as added by section 2, the following new section

``SEC. 16B. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION REQUIREMENTS.

    ``(a) Shareholder Approval of Executive Compensation.--
            ``(1) Annual shareholder vote on executive compensation.--
        Any proxy or consent or authorization for an annual or other 
        meeting of an issuer shall permit a separate vote by 
        shareholders to approve the compensation of senior executive 
        officers, as disclosed pursuant to the compensation disclosure 
        rules of the Commission (which disclosure shall include the 
        compensation discussion and analysis, the compensation tables, 
        and any related material).
            ``(2) Non-binding nature of vote.--A shareholder vote 
        described in paragraph (1) shall not be binding on the board of 
        directors of an issuer and may not be construed as overruling a 
        decision by such board, nor to create or imply any additional 
        fiduciary duty by such board, nor shall such vote be construed 
        to restrict or limit the ability of security holders to make 
        proposals for inclusion in proxy materials related to executive 
        compensation.
            ``(3) Deadline for rules.--Not later than 1 year after the 
        date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall issue 
        any final rules and regulations required by this section.
            ``(4) Exception.--This provision shall not apply to any 
        issuer who is subject to a similar recoupment requirement under 
        another provision of Federal law.
    ``(b) Independent Compensation Advisers.--
            ``(1) Requirement.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Commission shall, by rule, 
        require that if an issuer's board of directors or a committee 
        thereof retains an individual adviser or advisory firm in 
        conjunction with negotiating employment contracts or 
        compensation agreements with the issuer's executives, the 
        individual adviser and his or her firm shall be independent of 
        the issuer, its executives and directors, and shall report 
        solely to the board of directors or the committee thereof 
        responsible for executive compensation. The rule shall further 
        require that issuers shall not agree to indemnify or limit the 
        liability of compensation advisers or advisory firms.
            ``(2) Determination.--In determining the extent to which an 
        adviser or advisory firm is independent of an issuer within the 
        meaning of this section, the Commission shall consider such 
        matters as--
                    ``(A) the extent (as measured by annual fees and 
                other relevant metrics) to which an individual adviser 
                or advisory firm provides services in conjunction with 
                negotiating employment contracts or compensation 
                agreements with the issuer's executives, as compared to 
                other services that the adviser or advisory firm 
                provides to the issuer or executives;
                    ``(B) whether individual advisers are permitted to 
                hold equity and do hold equity in the issuer; and
                    ``(C) whether an advisory firm's incentive 
                compensation plan links the compensation of individual 
                advisers to the advisory firm's provision of other 
                services to the issuer.
    ``(c) Clawbacks of Unearned Performance-Based Pay.--
            ``(1) Commission rules.--Not later than 270 days after the 
        date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall, by 
        rule, direct the national securities exchanges and national 
        securities associations to prohibit the listing of any security 
        of an issuer that is not in compliance with the requirements of 
        any portion of paragraph (2). Such rules shall provide for 
        appropriate procedures for an issuer to have an opportunity to 
        cure any defects that would be the basis for such a prohibition 
        before the imposition of such prohibition.
            ``(2) Recoupment of unearned compensation.--An issuer's 
        board of directors or a committee thereof shall develop and 
        disclose a policy for reviewing unearned bonus payments, 
        incentive payments, or equity payments that were awarded to 
        executive officers owing to fraud, financial results that 
        require restatement, or some other cause. The policy should 
        require recovery or cancellation of any unearned payments to 
        the extent that it is feasible and practical to do so.
            ``(3) Exception.--This provision shall not apply to any 
        issuer who is subject to a similar recoupment requirement under 
        another provision of Federal law.
    ``(d) Severance Agreements Tied to Performance.--
            ``(1) Commission rules.--Not later than 270 days after the 
        date of enactment of this section, the Commission shall, by 
        rule, direct the national securities exchanges and national 
        securities associations to prohibit the listing of any security 
        of an issuer that is not in compliance with the requirements of 
        any portion of paragraph (2). Such rules shall provide for 
        appropriate procedures for an issuer to have an opportunity to 
        cure any defects that would be the basis for such a prohibition 
        before the imposition of such prohibition.
            ``(2) Severance agreements tied to performance.--An 
        issuer's board of directors or a committee thereof shall not 
        enter into agreements providing for severance payments to a 
        senior executive officer who is terminated because of poor 
        performance as an executive, as determined by the board of 
        directors. To the extent that an issuer is able to terminate a 
        senior executive officer for cause, poor performance by the 
        executive, as determined by the board of directors, shall be 
        considered as one such cause. The rule shall be implemented 
        with due regard for contracts in existence on the date of 
        enactment of this section.
    ``(e) Improved Disclosure of Compensation Targets.--Not later than 
1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Commission 
shall, by rule, require additional disclosure of specific performance 
targets that are used by issuers to determine a senior executive 
officer's eligibility for bonuses, equity and incentive compensation. 
The Commission shall consider methods to improve disclosure in 
situations when it is claimed that disclosure would result in 
competitive harm to the issuer, including, requirements that the issuer 
describe its past experience with similar target levels, disclose any 
inconsistencies between compensation targets and targets set in other 
contexts, submit a request for confidential treatment of the 
performance targets under Commission rules, or disclose the data after 
disclosure would no longer be considered competitively harmful.''.

Ex Output:
Shareholder Empowerment Act of 2009 - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to direct the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to prohibit national securities exchanges and associations from listing the securities of any issuer unless, to the extent permitted by state law, such issuer requires: (1) the election of directors who receive the majority of votes in uncontested elections or a plurality of votes in contested elections; and (2) directors who are not reelected to offer to tender their resignations.

Directs the SEC to: (1) require issuers to identify and provide security holders with an opportunity to vote on director candidates who have been nominated by holders of at least 1% of the issuer's voting securities for at least two years, provided security holders have nominated fewer than a majority of the directors then authorized to serve; (2) prohibit brokers from voting securities on an uncontested election to the board of directors without having received specific instructions from the securities' beneficial owners; and (3) requires listed issuers, to the extent possible, to have an independent chairman of their board of directors who has not served as an executive of the issuer.

Requires any proxy or consent or authorization for an annual or other meeting of a securities issuer to permit a separate shareholder vote on executive compensation, though such vote shall not be binding on its board of directors.

Directs the SEC to direct the national securities exchanges and national securities associations to prohibit: (1) issuers from retaining advisors in negotiating executive employment or compensation agreements that are not independent or are protected from liability by such issuers; (2) the listing of issuers that do not have a (clawback) policy of recovering executive payments that were unearned due to fraud, faulty financial statements, or some other cause; and (3) the listing of issuers that provide severance payments to senior executives who are terminated for poor performance.

Directs the SEC to require additional disclosure of specific performance targets issuers use in determining a senior executive's eligibility for bonuses, equity, and incentive compensation.


Ex Input:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Military Voters' Equal Access to 
Voter Registration Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Members of the Armed Forces and their family members 
        (in this section referred to as ``military voters'') who have 
        sought to vote in recent elections for Federal office have had 
        substantial difficulty doing so, frequently resulting in the 
        disenfranchisement of such military voters.
            (2) Due to the highly transient nature of military service 
        and frequent overseas deployments, military voters are 
        constantly on the move between military installations in the 
        United States and to and from overseas locations. As a result, 
        military voters are typically absent from their home voting 
        jurisdictions on election day and, if military voters wish to 
        exercise their right to vote, they must do so by absentee 
        ballot.
            (3) In 1986, Congress enacted the Uniformed and Overseas 
        Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff et seq.) in an 
        attempt to permit military voters to register to vote and vote 
        by absentee ballot in all elections for Federal office. 
        Nevertheless, the absentee voting system, as created under such 
        Act, has consistently failed to ensure that military voters 
        actually receive their unmarked absentee ballots prior to 
        election day. Military voters continue to experience 
        substantial difficulty in registering to vote, updating their 
        voting addresses, and obtaining absentee ballots prior to 
        election day.
            (4) In 1993, Congress enacted the National Voter 
        Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg et seq.) to create a 
        national voter registration system, as well as to provide 
        citizens with increased opportunities to register to vote and 
        receive voting assistance. Such Act, however, failed to ensure 
        that military voters have the same access to voter registration 
        assistance as the civilian population, because their military 
        service typically takes them out of their home voting 
        jurisdictions, where they would otherwise be able to receive 
        such assistance, as required under such Act.
            (5) The Inspector General of the Department of Defense has 
        found that military voters do not receive adequate information 
        and assistance to register to vote and request an absentee 
        ballot. In a survey following the 2004 election, the Inspector 
        General found that only 40 to 50 percent of members of the 
        Armed Forces, and a lesser percentage of their dependents, 
        received voting information or assistance prior to the 
        election. The Inspector General reached a similar conclusion 
        after the 2006 election, finding that less than 40 percent of 
        military voters received voting information and assistance.
            (6) Millions of military voters have been disenfranchised 
        as a result of the current system's inability to provide them 
        with voting information and assistance. A Department of Defense 
        study conducted by the Defense Manpower Data Center found that, 
        in the 2006 election for Federal office, only 22 percent of 
        military voters were able to successfully vote, by either 
        casting an absentee ballot or voting in person--which 
        represents approximately one-half of the percentage of the 
        overall national population that voted in such election. A 
        separate study by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission found 
        that, in such election, only a small fraction of military 
        voters were able to request an absentee ballot. The Election 
        Assistance Commission study further showed that, even when 
        military voters were able to request a ballot, a significant 
        percentage of the ballots requested never reached the military 
        voters who requested them, having been sent to outdated 
        addresses from which the military voters had since moved.
            (7) Preliminary data from the 2008 Presidential election 
        shows little or no improvement. According to statistics 
        collected from 5 of the 6 States with the largest number of 
        military voters, only 21.9 percent of all eligible military 
        voters in those States were able to request absentee ballots. 
        Once again, many ballots were sent to outdated addresses and 
        did not reach the intended military voters.
            (8) The ability of military voters to participate in the 
        democratic process would be significantly improved through more 
        robust efforts by the Armed Forces to provide such voters with 
        pertinent voting information and effective assistance when they 
        need it most--when their address changes as a result of 
        reassignment to a new duty station or overseas deployment. The 
        Armed Forces, in so doing, would dramatically increase the 
        ability of military voters to request and obtain absentee 
        ballots, and they would also help ensure that local election 
        officials have the most current address of military voters in 
        order to send absentee ballots to such voters.

SEC. 3. TREATMENT OF ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.

    Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 
1973gg-5) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(d) Active Duty Military Installations.--
            ``(1) Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
        of this subsection, each Secretary of a military department 
        shall take appropriate actions to designate an office on each 
        installation of the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of such 
        Secretary to ensure that each individual described in paragraph 
        (2) is provided the opportunity to register to vote in an 
        election for Federal office, update the individual's voter 
        registration information, and request an absentee ballot under 
        the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
            ``(2) The following individuals are described in this 
        paragraph:
                    ``(A) A member of the Armed Forces--
                            ``(i) who is undergoing a permanent change 
                        of duty station;
                            ``(ii) who is deploying overseas for at 
                        least 6 months;
                            ``(iii) who is or returning from an 
                        overseas deployment of at least 6 months; or
                            ``(iv) who requests assistance related to 
                        voter registration.
                    ``(B) A dependent of a member of the Armed Forces, 
                if the dependent--
                            ``(i) requests assistance related to voter 
                        registration; and
                            ``(ii) is at least 18 years of age.
            ``(3) The assistance described in paragraph (1) shall be 
        provided to a member of the Armed Forces--
                    ``(A) described in clause (i) of paragraph (2)(A), 
                as part of the administrative processing of the member 
                upon arrival at the new duty station of the member;
                    ``(B) described in clause (ii) of such paragraph, 
                as part of the administrative processing of the member 
                upon deployment from the home duty station of the 
                member;
                    ``(C) described in clause (iii) of such paragraph, 
                as part of the administrative processing of the member 
                upon return to the home duty station of the member; and
                    ``(D) described in clause (iv) of such paragraph, 
                at any time the member requests such assistance.
            ``(4) An office designated by the Secretary of a military 
        department under paragraph (1) shall be considered to be a 
        voter registration agency designated under subsection (a)(2) of 
        this section for all purposes of this subchapter.''.

SEC. 4. OUTREACH FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR FAMILY 
              MEMBERS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of each military department, or the 
Presidential designee under section 101(a) of the Uniformed and 
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff et seq.), shall 
take appropriate actions to inform members of the Armed Forces and the 
dependents of such members of the assistance available under section 
7(d) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg-
5), as added by section 3, including--
            (1) the availability of voter registration assistance at 
        offices designated under paragraph (1) of such section 7(d); 
        and
            (2) the time, location, and manner in which a member of the 
        Armed Forces and a dependent of such a member may utilize such 
        assistance.
    (b) Reports.--
            (1) Report on status of implementation.--
                    (A) Report required.--Not later than 180 days after 
                the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
                each military department, or the Presidential designee 
                under section 101(a) of the Uniformed and Overseas 
                Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff), shall 
                submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report 
                on the status of the implementation of section 7(d) of 
                the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 
                1973gg-5), as added by section 3.
                    (B) Elements.--The report under subparagraph (A) 
                shall include a detailed description of the specific 
                steps taken towards the implementation of such section, 
                including the designation of offices under paragraph 
                (1) of such section 7(d).
            (2) Report on utilization of voter registration 
        assistance.--
                    (A) Reports required.--Not later than 1 year after 
                the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
                each military department, or the Presidential designee, 
                shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a 
                report on the utilization of voter registration 
                assistance provided under such section 7(d).
                    (B) Elements.--The report under subparagraph (A) 
                shall include--
                            (i) a description of the specific programs 
                        implemented by each military department of the 
                        Armed Forces pursuant to such section 7(d); and
                            (ii) the number of military service members 
                        and dependents who utilized voter registration 
                        assistance provided under such section 7(d).
            (3) Relevant committees of congress defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``relevant committees of Congress'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Committees on Appropriations, Armed 
                Services, and Rules and Administration of the Senate; 
                and
                    (B) the Committees on Appropriations, Armed 
                Services, and House Administration of the House of 
                Representatives.

Ex Output:

Military Voters' Equal Access to Voter Registration Act of 2009 - Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require designating direct each Secretary of a military department to designate an office on each Armed Forces installation to ensure that certain individuals are provided the opportunity to register to vote in federal elections, update voter registrations, and request absentee ballots under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

Designates as those individuals those who are: (1) members of the Armed Forces and are undergoing a permanent change of duty station, deploying overseas for at least 6 months, returning from an overseas deployment of at least 6 months, or requests assistance related to voter registration; and (2) are dependents of members of the Armed Forces, request assistance, and are at least 18 years old.

Considers an office so designated to be a voter registration agency for all purposes of the Act.

Requires informing Armed Forces members and their dependents of the assistance available under this Act.