[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1525 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1525
To increase the authorization of funds under the Library Services and
Technology Act, to provide funds for construction of libraries under
such Act, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 4, 2001
Mr. Thompson of California (for himself, Mr. Frank, Mr. Filner, Mrs.
Tauscher, Mr. Baldacci, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Frost, and Mr. McGovern)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To increase the authorization of funds under the Library Services and
Technology Act, to provide funds for construction of libraries under
such Act, and for other purposes.
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 ``Public Libraries Enhancement Act of
2001.''
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
Section 213 of the Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C.
9122) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(7) Construction.--The term `construction' includes
construction of new buildings and acquisition, expansion,
remodeling, and alteration of existing buildings, and for the
purchase, lease, and installation of equipment of any such
buildings, or any combination of such activities (including
architects' fees and the cost of acquisition of land). Such
term includes remodeling to meet standards under the Act of
August 12, 1968, commonly known as the `Architectural Barriers
Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.), remodeling designed to
ensure safe working environments and to conserve energy,
renovation or remodeling to accommodate new technologies, and
the purchase of existing historic buildings for conversion to
public libraries. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term
``equipment'' includes information and building technologies,
video and telecommunications equipment, machinery, utilities,
and built-in equipment and any necessary enclosures or
structures to house them; and such term includes all other
items necessary for the functioning of a particular facility as
a facility for the provision of library services.
``(8) Reference materials.--The term `reference materials'
includes any books, videotapes and audiotapes, magazines,
newspapers, software, and other library and media materials,
regardless of format, that are made available for public
reference.
``(9) Rural area.--The term `rural area' when used with
respect to the location of any library means that the library
is located in a non-metropolitan county, as designated by the
Bureau of the Census using the metropolitan statistical area
method, except that a portion of an urban metropolitan county
may be classified as rural area for such purpose if its census
block or tract number is identified by the `Goldsmith
Modification' methodology as a rural `pocket' areas within a
larger urban metropolitan county.''.
SEC. 3. INCREASE IN AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 214(a) of the Library Services and Technology Act (20
U.S.C. 9123(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ``or (2)'' after
``paragraph (1)'';
(2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new
paragraph:
``(2) Construction; acquisition; operations.--In addition
to the amounts authorized to be appropriated by paragraph (1),
there are authorized to be appropriated $300,000,000 for fiscal
year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the
fiscal years 2003 through 2006 to carry out section 232 of this
subtitle.''.
SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO USE FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION, ACQUISITION, AND
OPERATION.
Chapter 2 of the Library Services and Technology Act is amended--
(1) in section 231(a) (20 U.S.C. 9141(a))--
(A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph
(1);
(B) by striking the period at the end of paragraph
(2) and inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(3) conducting library construction, acquiring reference
materials, and operating public libraries during hours of
library service to the public, in accordance with section 232.'';
(2) in section 231(b)--
(A) by striking ``(1) and (2)'' and inserting
``(1), (2) and (3)''; and
(B) by inserting before the period at the end the
following: ``, subject to the limitations in section
232(a)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 232. USE OF FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION, ACQUISITION, AND OPERATION.
``(a) Identification of Amounts Available for Construction.--From
the amount allotted to any State under section 221, the Secretary shall
identify the portion of the allotment that is attributable to
appropriations pursuant to section 214(a)(2). A State may, in
accordance with this section, use not more than that portion of such
allotment for the Federal share of the cost of any one or more of the
following purposes:
``(1) library construction;
``(2) acquisition of reference materials; and
``(3) operation of public libraries during hours of library
service to the public.
Any amounts of that portion that are not used for such purposes shall
be used for purposes described in paragraph (1) or (2) of section
231(a).
``(b) Matching Requirement.--For the purposes of subsection (a),
the Federal share of the cost of any activity under subsection (a)
shall not exceed, as a percentage the total cost of the activity, the
percentage specified in section 223(b)(1).
``(c) Requirements for Use of Funds for Construction.--Any State
that intends to use a portion of its allotment for the purposes of
construction shall revise its State plan under section 224--
``(1) to revise the goals and priorities specified pursuant
to section 224(b)(1) consistent with the purposes of this
section;
``(2) to describe, consistent with the requirements of
section 224(b)(2), the activities that the agency will carry
out under this section; and
``(3) to specify the procedures by which the State library
administrative agency will competitively award grants for
library construction under this section.
Such revisions shall be subject to approval or disapproval by the
Director.
``(d) Minimum and Maximum Awards.--Of the amount of funds provided
under this section that are used by any State for library construction,
acquisition of reference materials, or library operation in any fiscal
year--
``(1) not less than 35 percent shall be used in rural
areas; and
``(2) not more than $1,000,000 may be used for the
construction or benefit of any single library facility.
``(e) Labor Standards.--It shall be a condition of the receipt of
any grant under this section that the State library administrative
agency and any recipient of any grant under this section for purposes
of construction furnish adequate assurances to the Secretary of Labor
that all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or
subcontractors on construction projects assisted under this section
shall be paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing on similar
construction in the locality as determined by the Secretary of Labor in
accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act, as amended (40 U.S.C. 276a et
seq.). The Secretary of Labor shall have with respect to the labor
standards specified in this subsection the authority and functions set
forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 and section 2 of the
Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. 276c).
``(f) Continued Use for Library Purposes.--If, within 20 years
after completion of construction of any library facility which has been
constructed in part with funds made available under this title--
``(1) the recipient (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 Secretary 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.''.
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