[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3391 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3391

 To provide for public library construction and technology enhancement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 16, 1999

 Mr. Hinchey introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for public library construction and technology enhancement.

    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 ``Andrew Carnegie Libraries for 
Lifelong Learning Act''.

SEC. 2. PUBLIC LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT.

    The Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 9121 et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating chapter 3 as chapter 4; and
            (2) by inserting after chapter 2 the following:

  ``CHAPTER 3--PUBLIC LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT

``SEC. 241. GRANTS TO STATES FOR PUBLIC LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION AND 
              TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT.

    ``(a) In General.--From amounts appropriated under section 244 the 
Director shall carry out a program of awarding grants to States that 
have a State plan approved under section 224 for the construction or 
technology enhancement of public libraries.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this chapter:
            ``(1) Construction.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `construction' means--
                            ``(i) construction of new buildings;
                            ``(ii) the acquisition, expansion, 
                        remodeling, and alteration of existing 
                        buildings;
                            ``(iii) the purchase, lease, and 
                        installation of equipment for any new or 
                        existing buildings; or
                            ``(iv) any combination of the activities 
                        described in clauses (i) through (iii), 
                        including architect' fees and the cost of 
                        acquisition of land.
                    ``(B) Special rule.--Such term includes remodeling 
                to meet standards under the Act entitled `An Act to 
                insure that certain buildings financed with Federal 
                funds are so designed and constructed as to be 
                accessible to the physically handicapped', approved 
                August 12, 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.), commonly 
                known as the `Architectural Barriers Act of 1968', 
                remodeling designed to ensure safe working environments 
                and to conserve energy, renovation or remodeling to 
                accommodate new technologies, and the purchase of 
                historic buildings for conversion to public libraries.
            ``(2) Equipment.--The term `equipment' means--
                    ``(A) information and building technologies, video 
                and telecommunications equipment, machinery, utilities, 
                built-in equipment, and any necessary enclosures or 
                structures to house the technologies, equipment, 
                machinery or utilities; and
                    ``(B) all other items necessary for the functioning 
                of a particular facility as a facility for the 
                provision of library services.
            ``(3) Public library.--The term `public library' means a 
        library that serves free of charge all residents of a 
        community, district, or region, and receives its financial 
        support in whole or in part from public funds. Such term also 
        includes a research library, which, for the purposes of this 
        sentence, means a library, which--
                    ``(A) makes its services available to the public 
                free of charge;
                    ``(B) has extensive collections of books, 
                manuscripts, and other materials suitable for scholarly 
                research which are not available to the public through 
                public libraries;
                    ``(C) engages in the dissemination of humanistic 
                knowledge through services to readers, fellowships, 
                educational and cultural programs, publication of 
                significant research, and other activities; and
                    ``(D) is not an integral part of an institution of 
                higher education.
            ``(4) Technology enhancement.--The term `technology 
        enhancement' means the acquisition, installation, maintenance, 
        or replacement, of substantial technological equipment 
        (including library bibliographic automation equipment) 
        necessary to provide access to information in electronic and 
        other formats made possible by new information and 
        communications technologies.
    ``(c) Applicability.--Except as provided in section 243, the 
provisions of this subtitle (other than this chapter) shall not apply 
to this chapter.

``SEC. 242. USES OF FEDERAL FUNDS.

    ``(a) In General.--A State shall use funds appropriated under 
section 244 to pay the Federal share of the cost of construction or 
technology enhancement of public libraries.
    ``(b) Federal Share.--
            ``(1) In general.--For the purposes of subsection (a), the 
        Federal share of the cost of construction or technology 
        enhancement of any project assisted under this chapter shall 
        not exceed one-half of the total cost of the project.
            ``(2) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the cost 
        of construction or technology enhancement of any project 
        assisted under this chapter may be provided from State, local 
        or private sources, including for-profit and nonprofit 
        organizations.
    ``(c) Special Rule.--If, within 20 years after completion of 
construction of any public library facility that has been constructed 
in part with grant funds made available under this chapter--
            ``(1) the recipient of the grant funds (or its successor in 
        title or possession) ceases or fails to be a public or 
        nonprofit institution, or
            ``(2) the facility ceases to be used as a library facility, 
        unless the Director determines that there is good cause for 
        releasing the institution from its obligation,
the United States shall be entitled to recover from such recipient (or 
successor) an amount which bears the same ratio to the value of the 
facility at that time (or part thereof constituting an approved project 
or projects) as the amount of the Federal grant bore to the cost of 
such facility (or part thereof). The value shall be determined by the 
parties or by action brought in the United States district court for 
the district in which the facility is located.

``SEC. 243. DESCRIPTION INCLUDED IN STATE PLAN.

    ``Any State desiring to receive a grant under this chapter for any 
fiscal year shall submit, as a part of the State plan under section 
224, a description of the public library construction or technology 
enhancement activities to be assisted under this chapter.

``SEC. 244. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this chapter 
$200,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years.''.
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