; and (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 306 the following new item: Sec. 307. Promoting ability of voters to vote by mail. . (d) Development of biometric verification (1) Development of standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology, in consultation with the Election Assistance Commission, shall develop standards for the use of biometric methods which could be used voluntarily in place of the signature verification requirements of section 307(b) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (as added by subsection (a)) for purposes of verifying the identification of an individual voting by absentee ballot in elections for Federal office. (2) Public notice and comment The National Institute of Standards and Technology shall solicit comments from the public in the development of standards under paragraph (1). (3) Deadline Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall publish the standards developed under paragraph (1). J Absent Uniformed Services Voters and Overseas Voters 1701. Pre-election reports on availability and transmission of absentee ballots Section 102(c) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act ( 52 U.S.C. 20302(c) ) is amended to read as follows: (c) Reports on Availability, transmission, and receipt of absentee ballots (1) Pre-election report on absentee ballot availability Not later than 55 days before any regularly scheduled general election for Federal office, each State shall submit a report to the Attorney General, the Election Assistance Commission (hereafter in this subsection referred to as the Commission ), and the Presidential Designee, and make that report publicly available that same day, certifying that absentee ballots for the election are or will be available for transmission to absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters by not later than 45 days before the election. The report shall be in a form prescribed jointly by the Attorney General and the Commission