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

Example input: SECTION 1. LIABILITY OF BUSINESS ENTITIES PROVIDING USE OF FACILITIES
TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Business entity.--The term ''business entity'' means a
firm, corporation, association, partnership, consortium, joint
venture, or other form of enterprise.
(2) Facility.--The term ''facility'' means any real
property, including any building, improvement, or appurtenance.
(3) Gross negligence.--The term ''gross negligence'' means
voluntary and conscious conduct by a person with knowledge (at
the time of the conduct) that the conduct is likely to be
harmful to the health or well-being of another person.
(4) Intentional misconduct.--The term ''intentional
misconduct'' means conduct by a person with knowledge (at the
time of the conduct) that the conduct is harmful to the health
or well-being of another person.
(5) Nonprofit organization.--The term ''nonprofit
organization'' means--
(A) any organization described in section 501(c)(3)
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from
tax under section 501(a) of such Code; or
(B) any not-for-profit organization organized and
conducted for public benefit and operated primarily for
charitable, civic, educational, religious, welfare, or
health purposes.
(6) State.--The term ''State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern
Mariana Islands, any other territory or possession of the
United States, or any political subdivision of any such State,
territory, or possession.
(b) Limitation on Liability.--
(1) In general.--Subject to subsection (c), a business
entity shall not be subject to civil liability relating to any
injury or death occurring at a facility of the business entity
in connection with a use of such facility by a nonprofit
organization if--
(A) the use occurs outside of the scope of business
of the business entity;
(B) such injury or death occurs during a period
that such facility is used by the nonprofit
organization; and
(C) the business entity authorized the use of such
facility by the nonprofit organization.
(2) Application.--This subsection shall apply--
(A) with respect to civil liability under Federal
and State law; and
(B) regardless of whether a nonprofit organization
pays for the use of a facility.
(c) Exception for Liability.--Subsection (b) shall not apply to an
injury or death that results from an act or omission of a business
entity that constitutes gross negligence or intentional misconduct,
including any misconduct that--
(1) constitutes a crime of violence (as that term is
defined in section 16 of title 18, United States Code) or act
of international terrorism (as that term is defined in section
2331 of title 18) for which the defendant has been convicted in
any court;
(2) constitutes a hate crime (as that term is used in the
Hate Crime Statistics Act (28 U.S.C. 534 note));
(3) involves a sexual offense, as defined by applicable
State law, for which the defendant has been convicted in any
court; or
(4) involves misconduct for which the defendant has been
found to have violated a Federal or State civil rights law.
(d) Superseding Provision.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2) and subsection
(e), this Act preempts the laws of any State to the extent that
such laws are inconsistent with this Act, except that this Act
shall not preempt any State law that provides additional
protection from liability for a business entity for an injury
or death with respect to which conditions under subparagraphs
(A) through (C) of subsection (b)(1) apply.
(2) Limitation.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to
supersede any Federal or State health or safety law.
(e) Election of State Regarding Nonapplicability.--This Act shall
not apply to any civil action in a State court against a business
entity in which all parties are citizens of the State if such State
enacts a statute--
(1) citing the authority of this subsection;
(2) declaring the election of such State that this Act
shall not apply to such civil action in the State; and
(3) containing no other provision.
Example output: Shields a business entity from civil liability relating to any injury or death occurring at a facility of that entity in connection with a use of such facility by a nonprofit organization if: (1) the use occurs outside the scope of business of the business entity; (2) such injury or death occurs during a period that such facility is used by such organization; and (3) the business entity authorized the use of such facility by the organization.
Makes this Act inapplicable to an injury or death that results from an act or omission of a business entity that constitutes gross negligence or intentional misconduct, including misconduct that: (1) constitutes a hate crime or a crime of violence or act of international terrorism for which the defendant has been convicted in any court; or (2) involves a sexual offense for which the defendant has been convicted in any court or misconduct for which the defendant has been found to have violated a Federal or State civil rights law.
Preempts State laws to the extent that such laws are inconsistent with this Act, except State law that provides additional protection from liability. Specifies that this Act shall not be construed to supersede any Federal or State health or safety law.
Makes this Act inapplicable to any civil action in a State court against a business entity in which all parties are citizens of the State if such State, citing this Act's authority and containing no other provision, enacts a statute declaring the State's election that this Act shall not apply to such action in the State.
Example explanation: This Bill focuses on shielding business entities from civil liability relating to an injury or death depending on the conditions of injury, hence the generated summary is correct.
Q: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Vote by Mail Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Supreme Court declared in Reynolds v. Sims that
''[i]t has been repeatedly recognized that all qualified voters
have a constitutionally protected right to vote . . . and to
have their votes counted.''.
(2) In the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, voting
technology failures and procedural irregularities deprived some
Americans of their fundamental right to vote.
(3) In 2000, faulty punch card ballots and other equipment
failures prevented accurate vote counts nationwide. A report by
the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project estimates that
approximately 1,500,000 votes for president were intended to be
cast but not counted in the 2000 election because of equipment
failures.
(4) In 2004, software errors, malfunctioning electronic
voting systems, and long lines at the polls prevented accurate
vote counts and prevented some people from voting. For
instance, voters at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio waited in
line for up to 12 hours because there were only 2 machines
available for 1,300 voters.
(5) Under the Oregon Vote by Mail system, election
officials mail ballots to all registered voters at least 2
weeks before election day. Voters mark their ballots, seal the
ballots in both unmarked secrecy envelopes and signed return
envelopes, and return the ballots by mail or to secure drop
boxes. Once a ballot is received, election officials scan the
bar code on the ballot envelope, which brings up the voter's
signature on a computer screen. The election official compares
the signature on the screen and the signature on the ballot
envelope. Only if the signature on the ballot envelope is
determined to be authentic is the ballot forwarded on to be
counted.
(6) Oregon's Vote by Mail system has resulted in an
extremely low rate of voter fraud because the system includes
numerous security measures such as the signature authentication
system. Potential misconduct is also deterred by the power of
the State to punish those who engage in voter fraud with up to
five years in prison, $100,000 in fines, and the loss of their
vote.
(7) Vote by Mail is one factor making voter turnout in
Oregon consistently higher than the average national voter
turnout. For example, Oregon experienced a record voting-age-
eligible population turnout of 70.6 percent in the 2004
presidential election, compared to 58.4 percent nationally.
Oregon's turnout of registered voters for that election was
86.48 percent.
(8) Women, younger voters, and homemakers also report that
they vote more often using Vote by Mail.
(9) Vote by Mail reduces election costs by eliminating the
need to transport equipment to polling stations and to hire and
train poll workers. Oregon has reduced its election-related
costs by 30 percent since implementing Vote by Mail.
(10) Vote by Mail allows voters to educate themselves
because they receive ballots well before election day, which
provides them with ample time to research issues, study
ballots, and deliberate in a way that is not possible at a
polling place.
(11) Vote by Mail is accurate--at least 2 studies comparing
voting technologies show that absentee voting methods,
including Vote by Mail systems, result in a more accurate vote
count.
(12) Vote by Mail results in more up-to-date voter rolls,
since election officials use forwarding information from the
post office to update voter registration.
(13) Vote by Mail allows voters to visually verify that
their votes were cast correctly and produces a paper trail for
recounts.
(14) In a survey taken 5 years after Oregon implemented the
Vote by Mail system, more than 8 in 10 Oregon voters said they
preferred voting by mail to traditional voting.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Election.--The term ''election'' means any general,
special, primary, or runoff election.
(2) Participating state.--The term ''participating State''
means a State receiving a grant under the Vote by Mail grant
program under section 4.
(3) State.--The term ''State'' means a State of the United
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, or a territory or possession of the United States.
(4) Voting system.--The term ''voting system'' has the
meaning given such term under section 301(b) of the Help
America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15481(b)).

SEC. 4. VOTE BY MAIL GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) Establishment.--Not later than 270 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Election Assistance Commission shall
establish a Vote by Mail grant program (in this section referred to as
the ''program'').
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the program is to make implementation
grants to participating States solely for the implementation of
procedures for the conduct of all elections by mail at the State or
local government level.
(c) Limitation on Use of Funds.--In no case may grants made under
this section be used to reimburse a State for costs incurred in
implementing mail-in voting for elections at the State or local
government level if such costs were incurred prior to the date of
enactment of this Act.
(d) Application.--A State seeking to participate in the program
under this section shall submit an application to the Election
Assistance Commission containing such information, and at such time as,
the Election Assistance Commission may specify.
(e) Amount and Number of Implementation Grants; Duration of
Program.--
(1) Amount of grants.--
(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the
amount of an implementation grant made to a
participating State shall be, in the case of a State
that certifies that it will implement all elections by
mail in accordance with the requirements of subsection
(f), with respect to--
(i) the entire State, $2,000,000; or
(ii) any single unit or multiple units of
local government within the State, $1,000,000.
(B) Excess funds.--
(i) In general.--The Election Assistance
Commission shall establish a process to
distribute excess funds to participating
States. The process shall ensure that such
funds are allocated among participating States
in an equitable manner, based on the number of
registered voters in the area in which the
State certifies that it will implement all of
its elections by mail under subparagraph (A).
(ii) Excess funds defined.--For purposes of
clause (i), the term ''excess funds'' means any
amounts appropriated pursuant to the
authorization under subsection (h)(1) with
respect to a fiscal year that are not awarded
to a participating State under an
implementation grant during such fiscal year.
(C) Continuing availability of funds after
appropriation.--An implementation grant made to a
participating State under this section shall be
available to the State without fiscal year limitation.
(2) Number of implementation grants.--
(A) In general.--The Election Assistance Commission
shall award an implementation grant to up to 18
participating States under this section during each
year in which the program is conducted.
(B) One grant per state.--The Election Assistance
Commission shall not award more than 1 implementation
grant to any participating State under this section
over the duration of the program.
(3) Duration.--The program shall be conducted for a period
of 3 years.
(f) Requirements.--
(1) Required procedures.--A participating State shall
establish and implement procedures for conducting all elections
by mail in the area with respect to which it receives an
implementation grant to conduct such elections, including the
following:
(A) A process for recording electronically each
voter's registration information and signature.
(B) A process for mailing ballots to all eligible
voters.
(C) The designation of places for the deposit of
ballots cast in an election.
(D) A process for ensuring the secrecy and
integrity of ballots cast in the election.
(E) Procedures and penalties for preventing
election fraud and ballot tampering, including
procedures for the verification of the signature of the
voter accompanying the ballot through comparison of
such signature with the signature of the voter
maintained by the State in accordance with subparagraph
(A).
(F) Procedures for verifying that a ballot has been
received by the appropriate authority.
(G) Procedures for obtaining a replacement ballot
in the case of a ballot which is destroyed, spoiled,
lost, or not received by the voter.
(H) A plan for training election workers in
signature verification techniques.
(I) Plans and procedures to ensure that voters who
are blind, visually-impaired, or otherwise disabled
have the opportunity to participate in elections
conducted by mail and to ensure compliance with the
Help America Vote Act of 2002. Such plans and
procedures shall be developed in consultation with
disabled and other civil rights organizations, voting
rights groups, State election officials, voter
protection groups, and other interested community
organizations.
(g) Best Practices, Technical Assistance, and Reports.--The
Election Assistance Commission shall--
(1) develop, periodically issue, and, as appropriate,
update best practices for conducting elections by mail;
(2) provide technical assistance to participating States
for the purpose of implementing procedures for conducting
elections by mail; and
(3) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress--
(A) annual reports on the implementation of such
procedures by participating States during each year in
which the program is conducted; and
(B) upon completion of the program conducted under
this section, a final report on the program, together
with recommendations for such legislation or
administrative action as the Election Assistance
Commission determines to be appropriate.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) Grants.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
award grants under this section, for each of fiscal years 2007
through 2009, $36,000,000, to remain available without fiscal
year limitation until expended.
(2) Administration.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to administer the program under this section,
$2,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2007 through 2009, to
remain available without fiscal year limitation until expended.
(i) Rule of Construction.--In no case shall any provision of this
section be construed as affecting or replacing any provisions or
requirements under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, or any other laws
relating to the conduct of Federal elections.

SEC. 5. STUDY ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MAIL-IN VOTING FOR ELECTIONS.

(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United
States (in this section referred to as the ''Comptroller
General'') shall conduct a study evaluating the benefits of
nationwide implementation of mail-in voting in elections,
taking into consideration the annual reports submitted by the
Election Assistance Commission under section 4(f)(3)(A) before
November 1, 2009.
(2) Specific issues studied.--The study conducted under
paragraph (1) shall include a comparison of traditional voting
methods and mail-in voting with respect to--
(A) the likelihood of voter fraud and misconduct;
(B) accuracy of voter rolls;
(C) accuracy of election results;
(D) voter participation in urban and rural
communities and by minorities, language minorities (as
defined in section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
(42 U.S.C. 1973aa-1a)), and individuals with
disabilities; and
(E) public confidence in the election system.
(b) Report.--Not later than November 1, 2009, the Comptroller
General shall prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a), together
with such recommendations for legislation or administrative action as
the Comptroller General determines to be appropriate.
A:
Vote by Mail Act of 2006 - Directs the Election Assistance Commission to establish a Vote by Mail program of grants to participating states solely for implementation of procedures for the conduct of all elections by mail at the state or local level.

Directs the Comptroller General to evaluate and report to Congress on the benefits of nationwide implementation of mail-in voting in elections.