Detailed Instructions: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Q: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Uniformed and Overseas Citizen
Absentee Voting Reform Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

(1) Some 3,000,000 to 6,000,000 American citizens,
including 576,000 Federal employees and their overseas
dependents in the armed services and in other Federal agencies,
live permanently or temporarily reside outside the 50 States
and the District of Colombia.
(2) Both the members of the armed services, their
dependents, other employees of the Federal Government and their
dependents, and the roughly 3,000,000 to 5,500,000 million
other American citizens abroad make an inestimable contribution
to the security, economic well-being, and cultural vitality of
the United States.
(3) Although great progress has been made in recent decades
in assuring that these citizens have the chance to participate
fully in our democratic process, the national elections of
November 2000 revealed grave shortcomings in our system, with
nearly 40 percent of overseas ballots rejected in one State
alone.
(4) Moreover, during these elections it became apparent
that timely information about the numbers of American citizens
seeking to vote and voting from abroad, information which is
essential to measure the effectiveness of our overseas voting
system, is not currently provided by the States.

SEC. 3. SIMPLIFICATION OF VOTER REGISTRATION AND ABSENTEE BALLOT
APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES AND
OVERSEAS VOTERS.

(a) Requiring States To Accept Official Form for Simultaneous Voter
Registration and Absentee Ballot Application; Deadline for Providing
Absentee Ballot.--
(1) In general.--Section 102 of the Uniformed and Overseas
Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1) is amended--
(A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
''(2) accept and process, with respect to any election for
Federal office, any otherwise valid voter registration
application and absentee ballot application from an absent
uniformed services voter or overseas voter, if the application
is received by the appropriate State election official not less
than 30 days before the election;'';
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph
(3) and inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraphs:
''(4) use the official post card form (prescribed under
section 101) for simultaneous voter registration application
and absentee ballot application; and
''(5) transmit the absentee ballot for an election to each
absent uniformed services voter and overseas voter who is
registered with respect to the election as soon as practicable
after the voter is registered, but in no case later than the
45th day preceding the election (if the voter is registered as
of such day).''.
(2) Conforming amendments.--Section 101(b)(2) of such Act
(42 U.S.C. 1973ff(b)(2) is amended by striking ''as recommended
in section 104'' and inserting ''as required under section
102(4)''.
(b) Use of Single Application for All Subsequent Elections.--
Section 104 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-3) is amended to read as
follows:

''SEC. 104. USE OF SINGLE APPLICATION FOR ALL SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS.

''(a) In General.--If a State accepts and processes an official
post card form (prescribed under section 101) submitted by an absent
uniformed services voter or overseas voter for simultaneous voter
registration and absentee ballot application (in accordance with
section 102(4))--
''(1) the voter shall be deemed to have submitted an
absentee ballot application for each subsequent election for
Federal office held in the State; and
''(2) the State shall provide an absentee ballot to the
voter for each subsequent election for Federal office held in
the State (in accordance with the deadline required under
section 102(a)(5)).
''(b) Exception for Voters Changing Registration.--Subsection (a)
shall not apply with respect to a voter registered to vote in a State
for any election held after the voter notifies the State that the voter
no longer wishes to be registered to vote in the State or after the
State determines that the voter has registered to vote in another
State.
''(c) No Effect on Voter Removal Programs.--Nothing in this section
may be construed to prevent a State from removing any voter from the
rolls of registered voters in the State under any program or method
permitted under section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act of
1993.''.

SEC. 4. REMOVING BARRIERS TO ACCEPTANCE OF COMPLETED BALLOTS.

Section 102 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting
Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1) is amended--
(1) by inserting ''(a) In General.--'' before ''Each
State''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
''(b) Special Requirements Regarding Acceptance of Completed
Ballots.--
''(1) Mandatory minimum period for acceptance of absentee
ballot after date of election.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, a State may not refuse to count an absentee
ballot submitted in an election for Federal office by an absent
uniformed services voter or overseas voter on the grounds that
the ballot was not submitted in a timely manner if--
''(A) the ballot is received by the State not later
than 14 days after the date of the election;
''(B) the ballot is signed and dated by the voter;
and
''(C) the date provided by the voter on the ballot
is not later than the day before the date of the
election.
''(2) Prohibiting refusal of ballot for lack of postmark.--
A State may not refuse to count an absentee ballot submitted in
an election for Federal office by an absent uniformed services
voter or overseas voter on the grounds that the ballot or the
envelope in which the ballot is submitted lacks a postmark if
the ballot is signed and dated by the voter and a witness
within the deadline applicable under State law for the
submission of the ballot (taking into account the requirements
of paragraph (1)).''.

SEC. 5. OTHER REQUIREMENTS TO PROMOTE PARTICIPATION OF OVERSEAS AND
ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS.

Section 102 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting
Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1), as amended by section 4, is amended by adding
at the end the following new subsection:
''(c) Other Requirements and Prohibitions.--
''(1) Response to submitted materials.--
''(A) Applications for voter registration and
absentee ballot request.--With respect to each absent
uniformed services voter and each overseas voter who
submits a voter registration application or an absentee
ballot request, the State--
''(i) shall immediately notify the voter as
to whether or not the State has approved the
application or request; and
''(ii) if the State rejects the application
or request, shall provide the voter with the
reasons for the rejection.
''(B) Absentee ballots.--With respect to each
absent uniformed services voter and each overseas voter
who submits a completed absentee ballot, the State--
''(i) shall immediately notify the voter as
to whether or not the State has received the
ballot; and
''(ii) if the State refuses to accept the
ballot, shall provide the voter with the
reasons for refusal.
''(2) Use of facsimile machines and internet.--Each State
shall make voter registration applications, absentee ballot
requests, and absentee ballots available to absent uniformed
services voters and overseas voters through the use of
facsimile machines and the Internet, and shall permit such
voters to transmit completed applications and requests to the
State through the use of such machines and the Internet.
Nothing in this paragraph may be construed to prohibit a State
from accepting completed absentee ballots from absent uniformed
services voters and overseas voters through the use of
facsimile machines.
''(3) Prohibiting notarization requirements.--A State may
not refuse to accept any voter registration application,
absentee ballot request, or absentee ballot submitted by an
absent uniformed services voter or overseas voter on the
grounds that the document involved is not notarized.
''(4) Compilation of statistics.--
''(A) In general.--For each election for Federal
office held in the State, each State shall compile and
publish the following information with respect to
absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters:
''(i) The number of voter registration
applications received from each such group of
voters, together with the number of such
applications which were rejected by the State
and the reasons for rejection.
''(ii) The number of absentee ballots sent
to each such group of voters.
''(iii) The number of completed absentee
ballots submitted by each such group of voters,
together with the number of such ballots which
were rejected by the State and the reasons for
rejection.
''(B) Breakdown by local jurisdiction and overseas
location.--In compiling and publishing the information
described in subparagraph (A), the State shall break
down each category of such information by county (or
other appropriate local election district) and by the
locations to which and from which the materials
described in such subparagraph were transmitted and
received.
''(C) Transmission to presidential designee.--With
respect to information regarding a Presidential
election year, the State shall transmit the information
compiled under this paragraph to the Presidential
designee at such time and in such manner as the
Presidential designee may require to prepare the report
described in section 102(6).''.

SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL DUTIES OF PRESIDENTIAL DESIGNEE.

(a) Educating Election Officials on Responsibilities Under Act.--
Section 101(b)(1) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee
Voting Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff(b)(1)) is amended by striking the
semicolon at the end and inserting the following: '', and ensuring that
such officials are aware of the requirements of this Act;''.
(b) Development of Standard Oath for Use With Materials.--
(1) In general.--Section 101(b) of such Act (42 U.S.C.
1973ff(b)) is amended--
(A) by striking ''and'' at the end of paragraph
(5);
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph
(6) and inserting ''; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
''(7) prescribe a standard oath for use with any document
under this title affirming that a material misstatement of fact
in the completion of such a document may constitute grounds for
a conviction for perjury.''.
(2) Requiring states to use standard oath.--Section 102(b)
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff-1(b)), as amended by section
3(a), is further amended--
(A) by striking ''and'' at the end of paragraph
(4);
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph
(5) and inserting ''; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
''(6) if the State requires an oath or affirmation to
accompany any document under this title, use the standard oath
prescribed by the Presidential designee under section
101(b)(7).''.
(c) Transmission of Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot Through
Facsimile Machines and Internet.--Section 103 of such Act (42 U.S.C.
1973ff-2) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (b) through (f) as
subsections (c) through (g); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new
subsection:
''(b) Transmission of Ballot Through Facsimile Machines and
Internet.--The Presidential designee shall make the Federal write-in
absentee ballot and the application for such a ballot available to
overseas voters through the use of facsimile machines and the Internet,
and shall permit such voters to transmit completed applications for
such a ballot to the Presidential designee through the use of such
machines and the Internet.''.
(d) Providing Breakdown Between Overseas Voters and Absent
Uniformed Services Voters in Statistical Analysis of Voter
Participation.--Section 101(b)(6) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1973ff(b)(6))
is amended by inserting after ''participation'' the following:
''(listed separately for overseas voters and absent uniformed services
voters)''.

SEC. 7. GRANTING PROTECTIONS GIVEN TO ABSENT UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS
TO RECENTLY SEPARATED UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS.

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (42 U.S.C.
1973ff et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 104 the following
new section:

''SEC. 104A. COVERAGE OF RECENTLY SEPARATED UNIFORMED SERVICES VOTERS.

''(a) In General.--For purposes of this Act, an individual who is a
separated uniformed services voter (or the spouse or dependent of such
an individual) shall be treated in the same manner as an absent
uniformed services voter with respect to any election occurring during
the 60-day period which begins on the date the individual becomes a
separated uniformed services voter.
''(b) Separated Uniformed Services Voter Defined.--
''(1) In general.--In this section, the term 'separated
uniformed services voter' means an individual who--
''(A) is separated from the uniformed services;
''(B) was a uniformed services voter immediately
prior to separation;
''(C) presents to an appropriate election official
Department of Defense Form 214 showing that the
individual meets the requirements of subparagraphs (A)
and (B) (or any other official proof of meeting such
requirements); and
''(D) is otherwise qualified to vote with respect
to the election involved.
''(2) Uniformed services voter.--In paragraph (1), the term
'uniformed services voter' means--
''(A) a member of a uniformed service on active
duty; or
''(B) a member of the merchant marine.''.

SEC. 8. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO STATES FOR COSTS OF COMPLIANCE.

(a) In General.--The Presidential designee under the Uniformed and
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act shall make a payment to each
eligible State for carrying out activities to comply with the
requirements of such Act, including the amendments made to such Act by
this Act.
(b) Eligibility.--A State is eligible to receive a payment under
this section if it submits to the Presidential designee (at such time
and in such form as the Presidential designee may require) an
application containing such information and assurances as the
Presidential designee may require.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated for the first fiscal year which begins after the date of
the enactment of this Act such sums as may be necessary to carry out
this section, to remain available until expended.

SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

The amendments made by sections 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 shall apply with
respect to elections occurring after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
A:
Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Reform Act of 2001 - Amends the Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act to revise voter registration and absentee ballot application procedures for absent uniform services and overseas voters. Establishes a mandatory minimum period for acceptance of absentee ballots after date of election, as well as other specified requirements and prohibitions for the stated purpose of promoting participation of overseas and absent uniformed services voters.Makes it an additional duty of the Presidential designee under such Act to prescribe a standard oath for use with any document affirming that a material misstatement of fact in the completion of such a document may constitute grounds for a conviction for perjury.Provides for coverage of recently separated uniformed services voters.Requires the Presidential designee to make a payment to each eligible State for carrying out activities to comply with the requirements of this Act.