Teacher:In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
Teacher: Now, understand the problem? Solve this instance: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ''Civic Participation and
Rehabilitation Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The right to vote is the most basic constitutive act of
citizenship and regaining the right to vote reintegrates
offenders into free society. The right to vote may not be
abridged or denied by the United States or by any State on
account of race, color, gender or previous condition of
servitude. Basic constitutional principles of fairness and
equal protection require an equal opportunity for Americans to
vote in Federal elections. Congress has ultimate supervisory
power over Federal elections, an authority which has repeatedly
been upheld by the Supreme Court.
(2) Congress finds three areas where discrepancies in State
laws regarding felony convictions lead to unfairness in Federal
elections: (A) there is no uniform standard for voting in
Federal elections which leads to an unfair disparity and
unequal participation in Federal elections based solely on
where a person lives; (B) laws governing the restoration of
voting rights after a felony conviction are unequal throughout
the country and persons in some States can easily regain their
voting rights while in other States persons effectively lose
their right to vote permanently; and (C) State
disenfranchisement laws disproportionately impact ethnic
minorities.
(3) Although State law determines the qualifications for
voting, Congress must ensure that those laws are in accordance
with the Constitution. Current laws vary throughout the country
resulting in discrepancies regarding which citizens may vote in
Federal elections.
(4) An estimated 4,700,000 Americans, or one in 44 adults,
currently cannot vote as a result of a felony conviction. Women
represent 676,730 of this total. Disenfranchisement results
from varying State laws that restrict voting while under some
form of criminal justice supervision or after the completion of
a felony sentence in some States. Two States do not
disenfranchise felons at all (Maine and Vermont). Forty-eight
States and the District of Columbia have disenfranchisement
laws that deprive convicted offenders of the right to vote
while they are in prison. In thirty-five States, convicted
offenders may not vote while they are on parole and in thirty-
one States probationers may not vote. Six States disenfranchise
ex-offenders who have fully served their sentences, regardless
of the nature or seriousness of the offense. 1,700,000 of the
4,700,000 disqualified voters are not in prison, but are on
probation, parole or are ex-offenders.
(5) In those States that disenfranchise ex-offenders, the
right to vote can be regained in theory, but in practice this
possibility is often illusory. In fourteen States, a pardon or
order from the Governor or a parole or pardon board is
required. Offenders convicted of a Federal offense often have
additional barriers to regaining voting rights. In some States,
Federal offenders cannot use the State procedure for restoring
their civil rights. The only method provided by Federal law for
restoring voting rights to ex-offenders is a Presidential
pardon. Few persons who seek to have their right to vote
restored have the financial and political resources needed to
succeed.
(6) Thirteen percent of the African American adult male
population, or 1,400,000 African American men, are
disenfranchised. Given current rates of incarceration, three in
ten of the next generation of black men will be disenfranchised
at some point during their lifetime. Hispanic citizens are also
disproportionately disenfranchised since they are
disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system.
(7) These discrepancies should be addressed by Congress.
Basic concepts of fundamental fairness and equal protection
require an equal opportunity for Americans to vote in Federal
elections. This Act will restore fairness in the Federal
election process and promote reintegration of former offenders
into a life as law abiding citizens of the United States.

SEC. 3. RIGHTS OF CITIZENS.

The right of an individual who is a citizen of the United States
to vote in any election for Federal office shall not be denied or
abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal
offense unless such individual is serving a felony sentence in a
correctional institution or facility at the time of the election.

SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT.

(a) Attorney General.--The Attorney General may, in a civil action,
obtain such declaratory or injunctive relief as is necessary to remedy
a violation of this Act.
(b) Private Right of Action.--(1) A person who is aggrieved by a
violation of this Act may provide written notice of the violation to
the chief election official of the State involved.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), if the violation is not
corrected within 90 days after receipt of a notice under paragraph (1),
or within 20 days after receipt of the notice if the violation occurred
within 120 days before the date of an election for Federal office, the
aggrieved person may, in a civil action obtain declaratory or
injunctive relief with respect to the violation.
(3) If the violation occurred within 30 days before the date of an
election for Federal office, the aggrieved person need not provide
notice to the chief election official of the State under paragraph (1)
before bringing a civil action to obtain declaratory or injunctive
relief with respect to the violation.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

For purposes of this Act--
(1) the term ''correctional institution or facility'' means
any prison, penitentiary, jail, or other institution or
facility for the confinement of individuals convicted of
criminal offenses, whether publicly or privately operated,
except that such term does not include any residential
community treatment center (or similar public or private
facility);
(2) the term ''election'' means--
(A) a general, special, primary, or runoff
election;
(B) a convention or caucus of a political party
held to nominate a candidate;
(C) a primary election held for the selection of
delegates to a national nominating convention of a
political party; or
(D) a primary election held for the expression of a
preference for the nomination of persons for election
to the office of President; and
(3) the term ''Federal office'' means the office of
President or Vice President of the United States, or of Senator
or Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to,
the Congress of the United States.

SEC. 6. RELATION TO OTHER LAWS.

(a) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the States
enacting any State law which affords the right to vote in any election
for Federal office on terms less restrictive than those established by
this Act.
(b) The rights and remedies established by this Act are in addition
to all other rights and remedies provided by law, and neither rights
and remedies established by this Act shall supersede, restrict, or
limit the application of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 1973
et seq.) or the National Voter Registration Act (42 U.S.C. 1973-gg).

SEC. 7. FEDERAL PRISON FUNDS.

No State, unit of local government, or other person may receive or
use, to construct or otherwise improve a prison, jail, or other place
of incarceration, any Federal grant amounts unless that person has in
effect a program under which each individual incarcerated in that
person's jurisdiction who is a citizen of the United States is
notified, upon release from such incarceration, of that individual's
rights under section 3.
Student:
Civic Participation and Rehabilitation Act of 2005 - States that the right of an individual who is a citizen of the United States to vote in any election for Federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless such individual is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institute or facility at the time of the election.

Authorizes the Attorney General, in a civil action, to obtain declaratory or injunctive relief to remedy a violation of this Act.

Provides for a private right of action.

Prohibits any State, unit of local government, or other person from receiving or using any Federal grant amount, to construct or otherwise improve a prison, jail, or other place of incarceration, unless that person has in effect a program under which each U.S. citizen incarcerated in that person's jurisdiction is notified, upon release, of that citizen's rights.