To require two reports on operation of the Federal Voting Assistance Program and the military postal system together with certain actions to improve the military postal system.

SA 3245. Mr. BOND (for himself and Mrs. Dole) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2400, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2005 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Services, and for other purposes; which was ordered tolie on the table; as follows:

On page 247, between lines 13 and 14, insert the following:

SEC. 1022. OPERATION OF THE FEDERAL VOTING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND THE MILITARY POSTAL SYSTEM.

(a) Requirement for Reports.--(1) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress two reports on the actions that the Secretary has taken to ensure that--

(A) the Federal Voting Assistance Program functions effectively to support absentee voting by members of the Armed Forces deployed outside the United States in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and all other contingency operations; and

(B) the military postal system functions effectively to support the morale of the personnel described in subparagraph (A) and absentee voting by such members.

(2)(A) The first report under paragraph (1) shall be submitted not later than August 1, 2004.

(B) The second report under paragraph (1) shall be submitted not later than October 1, 2004.

(3) In this subsection, the term “Federal Voting Assistance Program” means the program referred to in section 1566(b)(1) of title 10, United States Code.

(b) Implementation of Recommended Postal System Improvements.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall--

(1) implement the recommendations for improvement of the military postal system that were made in 2000 by the Military Postal Service Agency Task Force established by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Army in 1998; or

(2) submit to Congress a report setting forth the actions taken to implement those recommendations together with, in the case of each recommendation not implemented or not fully implemented before the date of report, the reasons for not implementing or not fully implementing such recommendation, as the case may be.