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| [ House Amendment 001 ] |
92_HB5809
LRB9216089AGmb
1 AN ACT concerning technology.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
5 Section 5.570 as follows:
6 (30 ILCS 105/5.570 new)
7 Sec. 5.570. The Digital Divide Computer Fund.
8 Section 10. The Eliminate the Digital Divide Law is
9 amended by changing Section 5-30 and adding Section 5-50 as
10 follows:
11 (30 ILCS 780/5-30)
12 Sec. 5-30. Community Technology Grant Program.
13 (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall
14 administer the Community Technology Center Grant Program
15 under which the Department shall make grants in accordance
16 with this Article for planning, establishment,
17 administration, and expansion of Community Technology Centers
18 and for assisting public hospitals, libraries, and park
19 districts in eliminating the digital divide. The purposes of
20 the grants shall include, but not be limited to, volunteer
21 recruitment and management, training and instruction,
22 infrastructure, and related goods and services for Community
23 Technology Centers and public hospitals, libraries, and park
24 districts. The total amount of grants under this Section in
25 fiscal year 2001 shall not exceed $2,000,000, except that
26 this limit on grants shall not apply to grants funded by
27 appropriations from the Digital Divide Elimination Fund. No
28 Community Technology Center may receive a grant of more than
29 $50,000 under this Section in a particular fiscal year.
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1 (b) Public hospitals, libraries, park districts, and
2 State educational agencies, local educational agencies,
3 institutions of higher education, and other public and
4 private nonprofit or for-profit agencies and organizations
5 are eligible to receive grants under this Program, provided
6 that a local educational agency or public or private
7 educational agency or organization must, in order to be
8 eligible to receive grants under this Program, provide
9 computer access and educational services using information
10 technology to the public at one or more of its educational
11 buildings or facilities at least 12 hours each week. A group
12 of eligible entities is also eligible to receive a grant if
13 the group follows the procedures for group applications in 34
14 CFR 75.127-129 of the Education Department General
15 Administrative Regulations.
16 To be eligible to apply for a grant, a Community
17 Technology Center, public hospital, library, or park district
18 must serve a community in which not less than 40% of the
19 students are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch
20 under the national school lunch program or in which not less
21 than 30% of the students are eligible for a free lunch under
22 the national school lunch program; however, if funding is
23 insufficient to approve all grant applications for a
24 particular fiscal year, the Department may impose a higher
25 minimum percentage threshold for that fiscal year.
26 Determinations of communities and determinations of the
27 percentage of students in a community who are eligible for a
28 free or reduced price lunch under the national school lunch
29 program shall be in accordance with rules adopted by the
30 Department.
31 Any entities that have received a Community Technology
32 Center grant under the federal Community Technology Centers
33 Program are also eligible to apply for grants under this
34 Program.
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1 The Department shall provide assistance to Community
2 Technology Centers in making those determinations for
3 purposes of applying for grants.
4 (c) Grant applications shall be submitted to the
5 Department not later than March 15 for the next fiscal year.
6 (d) The Department shall adopt rules setting forth the
7 required form and contents of grant applications.
8 (e) There is created the Digital Divide Elimination
9 Advisory Committee. The advisory committee shall consist of
10 5 members appointed one each by the Governor, the President
11 of the Senate, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the
12 House, and the House Minority Leader. The members of the
13 advisory committee shall receive no compensation for their
14 services as members of the advisory committee but may be
15 reimbursed for their actual expenses incurred in serving on
16 the advisory committee. The Digital Divide Elimination
17 Advisory Committee shall advise the Department in
18 establishing criteria and priorities for identifying
19 recipients of grants under this Act. The advisory committee
20 shall obtain advice from the technology industry regarding
21 current technological standards. The advisory committee
22 shall seek any available federal funding. The advisory
23 committee shall oversee the implementation and administration
24 of this Law and the programs created pursuant to this Law.
25 The advisory committee shall assist the Department of Central
26 Management Services in the creation of the Internet training
27 website required under Section 5-50 of this Act. The advisory
28 committee shall report annually to the Governor and the
29 General Assembly upon its activities and oversight findings.
30 (Source: P.A. 91-704, eff. 7-1-00; 92-22, eff. 6-30-01.)
31 (30 ILCS 780/5-50 new)
32 Sec. 5-50. Provision of computers.
33 (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall
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1 establish and administer a program to provide 100,000
2 computers to persons throughout the State. The Department may
3 accept computers and other equipment with which to implement
4 this program. To be eligible for a computer, a person (i)
5 must reside in a household that includes a student who is
6 eligible to receive a free lunch under the national school
7 lunch program and (ii) must lack the computer skills that the
8 grants awarded under Section 5-30 are designed to facilitate.
9 The Department shall establish additional eligibility
10 criteria it deems necessary.
11 (b) The Digital Divide Computer Fund is created as a
12 special fund within the State treasury. The Fund may be
13 appropriated only for the provision of computers in
14 accordance with subsection (a). The Fund may accept moneys
15 from any source, including public and private entities.
16 (c) The Department of Central Management Services shall
17 create and maintain a website at which recipients of
18 computers under this Section may train in the use of
19 computers.
20 (d) The Department shall track the progress of computer
21 recipients in the development of computer skills. Three years
22 after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd
23 General Assembly, the Department shall report to the General
24 Assembly and the Governor upon its activities under this
25 Section and its assessment of the development of computer
26 skills by computer recipients.
27 (e) The Department shall adopt rules necessary for the
28 implementation of this Section.
29 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
30 becoming law.