Rep. Constance A. Howard

Filed: 4/11/2005

 

 


 

 


 
09400HB3650ham003 LRB094 10275 MKM 44636 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 3650

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 3650, AS AMENDED, by
3 replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4 following:
 
5     "Section 5. The Eliminate the Digital Divide Law is amended
6 by changing Section 5-30 as follows:
 
7     (30 ILCS 780/5-30)
8     Sec. 5-30. Community Technology Grant Program.
9     (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall
10 administer the Community Technology Center Grant Program under
11 which the Department shall make grants in accordance with this
12 Article for planning, establishment, administration, and
13 expansion of Community Technology Centers and for assisting
14 public hospitals, libraries, and park districts in eliminating
15 the digital divide. The purposes of the grants shall include,
16 but not be limited to, volunteer recruitment and management,
17 training and instruction, infrastructure, and related goods
18 and services for Community Technology Centers and public
19 hospitals, libraries, and park districts. The total amount of
20 grants under this Section in fiscal year 2001 shall not exceed
21 $2,000,000, except that this limit on grants shall not apply to
22 grants funded by appropriations from the Digital Divide
23 Elimination Fund. No Community Technology Center may receive a
24 grant of more than $50,000 under this Section in a particular

 

 

09400HB3650ham003 - 2 - LRB094 10275 MKM 44636 a

1 fiscal year.
2     (b) Public hospitals, libraries, park districts, and State
3 educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions
4 of higher education, and other public and private nonprofit or
5 for-profit agencies and organizations are eligible to receive
6 grants under this Program, provided that a local educational
7 agency or public or private educational agency or organization
8 must, in order to be eligible to receive grants under this
9 Program, provide computer access and educational services
10 using information technology to the public at one or more of
11 its educational buildings or facilities at least 12 hours each
12 week. A group of eligible entities is also eligible to receive
13 a grant if the group follows the procedures for group
14 applications in 34 CFR 75.127-129 of the Education Department
15 General Administrative Regulations.
16     To be eligible to apply for a grant, a Community Technology
17 Center, public hospital, library, or park district must serve a
18 community in which not less than 40% of the students are
19 eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the national
20 school lunch program or in which not less than 30% of the
21 students are eligible for a free lunch under the national
22 school lunch program; however, if funding is insufficient to
23 approve all grant applications for a particular fiscal year,
24 the Department may impose a higher minimum percentage threshold
25 for that fiscal year. Determinations of communities and
26 determinations of the percentage of students in a community who
27 are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the
28 national school lunch program shall be in accordance with rules
29 adopted by the Department.
30     Any entities that have received a Community Technology
31 Center grant under the federal Community Technology Centers
32 Program are also eligible to apply for grants under this
33 Program.
34     The Department shall provide assistance to Community

 

 

09400HB3650ham003 - 3 - LRB094 10275 MKM 44636 a

1 Technology Centers in making those determinations for purposes
2 of applying for grants.
3     (c) Grant applications shall be submitted to the Department
4 not later than March 15 for the next fiscal year.
5     (d) The Department shall adopt rules setting forth the
6 required form and contents of grant applications.
7     (e) There is created the Digital Divide Elimination
8 Advisory Committee. The advisory committee shall consist of 7 5
9 members appointed one each by the Governor, the President of
10 the Senate, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the
11 House, and the House Minority Leader, and 2 appointed by the
12 Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, one of whom
13 shall be a representative of the telecommunications industry
14 and one of whom shall represent community technology centers.
15 The members of the advisory committee shall receive no
16 compensation for their services as members of the advisory
17 committee but may be reimbursed for their actual expenses
18 incurred in serving on the advisory committee. The Digital
19 Divide Elimination Advisory Committee shall advise the
20 Department in establishing criteria and priorities for
21 identifying recipients of grants under this Act. The advisory
22 committee shall obtain advice from the technology industry
23 regarding current technological standards. The advisory
24 committee shall seek any available federal funding.
25     (f) There is created the Digital Divide Elimination Working
26 Group. The Working Group shall consist of the Director of
27 Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, the
28 Director of Central Management Services, or his or her
29 designee, and the Executive Director of the Illinois Commerce
30 Commission, or his or her designee. The Director of Commerce
31 and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, shall serve
32 as chair of the Working Group. The Working Group shall consult
33 with the members of the Digital Divide Elimination Advisory
34 Committee and may consult with various groups including, but

 

 

09400HB3650ham003 - 4 - LRB094 10275 MKM 44636 a

1 not limited to, telecommunications providers,
2 telecommunications-related technology producers and service
3 providers, community technology providers, community and
4 consumer organizations, businesses and business organizations,
5 and federal government agencies.
6     (g) Duties of the Digital Divide Elimination Working Group
7 include all of the following:
8         (1) Undertaking a thorough review of grant programs
9     available through the federal government, local agencies,
10     telecommunications providers, and business and charitable
11     entities for the purpose of identifying appropriate
12     sources of revenues for the Digital Divide Elimination Fund
13     and attempting to update available grants on a regular
14     basis.
15         (2) Researching and cataloging programs designed to
16     advance digital literacy and computer access that are
17     available through the federal government, local agencies,
18     telecommunications providers, and business and charitable
19     entities and attempting to update available programs on a
20     regular basis.
21         (3) Presenting the information compiled from items (1)
22     and (2) to the Department of Commerce and Economic
23     Opportunity, which shall serve as a single point of contact
24     for applying for funding for the Digital Divide Elimination
25     Fund and for distributing information to the public
26     regarding all programs designed to advance digital
27     literacy and computer access.
28 (Source: P.A. 91-704, eff. 7-1-00; 92-22, eff. 6-30-01.)
 
29     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
30 becoming law.".