[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2934 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2934

To amend the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to provide for the 
establishment of a National Youth Technology Corps Program, using VISTA 
   volunteers who are highly proficient in computer technologies to 
 recruit and organize youth to implement and maintain computer systems 
   for public schools, community centers, public senior centers, and 
 libraries and to teach students, teachers, senior citizens, and other 
           persons how to use these technologies and systems.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 23, 1999

Mr. Larson (for himself, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Bonior, Mr. Frost, 
Mr. Dooley of California, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Capuano, Ms. Woolsey, Ms. 
 DeLauro, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Wu, Mr. Romero-Barcelo, Mr. Costello, 
   Mr. Owens, and Mr. Holt) introduced the following bill; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 to provide for the 
establishment of a National Youth Technology Corps Program, using VISTA 
   volunteers who are highly proficient in computer technologies to 
 recruit and organize youth to implement and maintain computer systems 
   for public schools, community centers, public senior centers, and 
 libraries and to teach students, teachers, senior citizens, and other 
           persons how to use these technologies and systems.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Youth Technology Corps 
Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL YOUTH TECHNOLOGY CORPS.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--The Domestic Volunteer Service Act 
of 1973 is amended by inserting after section 109 (42 U.S.C. 4959) the 
following new section:

``SEC. 109A. NATIONAL YOUTH TECHNOLOGY CORPS.

    ``(a) Establishment.--As part of the Volunteers in Service to 
America program established under this part, the Director shall 
establish a National Youth Technology Corps for the purpose of using 
volunteers serving under this part who are highly proficient in 
computer and other information technologies--
            ``(1) to recruit and organize youth--
                    ``(A) to implement and maintain computer systems 
                for public schools, community centers, public senior 
                centers, libraries, and related entities; and
                    ``(B) to teach students, teachers, senior citizens, 
                and other persons how to use computer and other 
                information technologies and systems;
            ``(2) to promote the involvement of such youth in community 
        service through the provision of services involving the use of 
        technology;
            ``(3) to promote entrepreneurship among, and employment 
        opportunities for, such youth in technology-related fields; and
            ``(4) to provide recognition, on an annual basis and 
        otherwise, to the youth and organizations affiliated with the 
        program that demonstrate outstanding efforts and achievements 
        in accordance with the programs.
    ``(b) Assignment.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director shall assign volunteers to 
        projects and programs that meet the antipoverty criteria of 
        this part and that provide assistance to persons who are 
        unserved or underserved by computer education programs.
            ``(2) Assignment priorities.--In the assignment of 
        volunteers, the Director shall give priority consideration to--
                    ``(A) programs and projects that assist individuals 
                residing in unserved or underserved areas with the 
                highest concentrations of low income individuals and 
                families;
                    ``(B) projects and programs focusing on providing 
                computer training to high risk populations;
                    ``(C) projects and programs operating in areas with 
                the highest concentration of individuals and families 
                living at or below the poverty level;
                    ``(D) projects and programs providing computer 
                training to parents of disadvantaged children between 
                the ages of 2 and 8, who may be educationally at risk; 
                and
                    ``(E) Statewide programs and projects that 
                encourage the creation of new computer training 
                efforts, encourage the coordination of intra-State 
                computer training efforts, and provide technical 
                assistance to local computer training efforts.
    ``(c) Administration.--Programs and projects under this section may 
be administered by--
            ``(1) public or private nonprofit agencies and 
        organizations;
            ``(2) community-based nonprofit organizations;
            ``(3) local and State education agencies;
            ``(4) local and State agencies administering adult basic 
        education programs;
            ``(5) educational institutions;
            ``(6) libraries;
            ``(7) antipoverty organizations;
            ``(8) local, municipal, and State governmental entities; 
        and
            ``(9) eligible providers of employment and training 
        activities under subtitle B of title I of the Workforce 
        Investment Act of 1998.
    ``(d) Equitable Distribution of Volunteers.--The Director shall 
ensure an equitable distribution of volunteers under this section in 
accordance with the equitable distribution requirement of section 414 
of this Act.
    ``(e) Extent of Program.--The National Youth Technology Corps shall 
consist of all volunteers serving under part A who are working on 
projects and programs of the type described in subsection (a).
    ``(f) Effect of Funding Reduction.--In any fiscal year in which the 
funding provided under part A is reduced, the funding provided under 
this section shall be proportionately reduced.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 109 the following new item:

``Sec. 109A. National Youth Technology Corps.''.
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