[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1650 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
1st Session
S. 1650
To establish a digital and wireless network technology program, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 19, 2007
Mr. Kerry (for himself, Mr. Warner, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Webb)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a digital and wireless network technology program, 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 ``Max Cleland Minority Serving
Institution Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE.
(a) In General.--There is established within the National Science
Foundation an Office of Minority Serving Institution Digital and
Wireless Technology to carry out the provisions of this Act.
(b) Purpose.--The Office shall--
(1) strengthen the ability of eligible institutions to
provide capacity for instruction in digital and wireless
network technologies by providing grants to, or executing
contracts or cooperative agreements with, those institutions to
provide such instruction; and
(2) strengthen the national digital and wireless
infrastructure by increasing national investment in
telecommunications and technology infrastructure at eligible
institutions.
SEC. 3. ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.
An eligible institution shall use a grant, contract, or cooperative
agreement awarded under this Act--
(1) to acquire equipment, instrumentation, networking
capability, hardware and software, digital network technology,
wireless technology, and infrastructure;
(2) to develop and provide educational services, including
faculty development, related to science, mathematics,
engineering, or technology;
(3) to provide teacher education, library and media
specialist training, and preschool and teacher aid
certification to individuals who seek to acquire or enhance
technology skills in order to use technology in the classroom
or instructional process;
(4) to implement joint projects and consortia to provide
education regarding technology in the classroom with a State or
State education agency, local education agency, community-based
organization, national non-profit organization, or business,
including minority businesses;
(5) to provide professional development in science,
mathematics, engineering, or technology to administrators and
faculty of eligible institutions with institutional
responsibility for technology education;
(6) to provide capacity-building technical assistance to
eligible institutions through remote technical support,
technical assistance workshops, distance learning, new
technologies, and other technological applications;
(7) to foster the use of information communications
technology to increase scientific, mathematical, engineering,
and technology instruction and research; and
(8) to develop proposals to be submitted under this Act and
to develop strategic plans for information technology
investments.
SEC. 4. APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCEDURE.
(a) In General.--To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement under this Act, an eligible institution shall
submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and
accompanied by such information as the Director may reasonably require.
The Director, in consultation with the advisory council established
under subsection (b), shall establish a procedure by which to accept
and review such applications and publish an announcement of such
procedure, including a statement regarding the availability of funds,
in the Federal Register.
(b) Advisory Council.--The Director shall establish an advisory
council to advise the Director on the best approaches for involving
eligible institutions in the activities described in section 3, and for
reviewing and evaluating proposals submitted to the program. In
selecting the members of the advisory council, the Director may consult
with representatives of appropriate organizations, including
representatives of eligible institutions, to ensure that the membership
of the advisory council reflects participation by technology and
telecommunications institutions, minority businesses, eligible
institution communities, Federal agency personnel, and other
individuals who are knowledgeable about eligible institutions and
technology issues. Any panel assembled to review a proposal submitted
to the program shall include members from minority serving
institutions. Program review criteria shall include consideration of--
(1) demonstrated need for assistance under this Act; and
(2) diversity among the types of institutions receiving
assistance under this Act.
(c) Data Collection.--An eligible institution that receives a
grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under section 2 shall provide
the Office with any relevant institutional statistical or demographic
data requested by the Office.
(d) Information Dissemination.--The Director shall convene an
annual meeting of eligible institutions receiving grants, contracts, or
cooperative agreements under section 2 for the purposes of--
(1) fostering collaboration and capacity-building
activities among eligible institutions; and
(2) disseminating information and ideas generated by such
meetings.
SEC. 5. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.
The Director may not award a grant, contract, or cooperative
agreement to an eligible institution under this Act unless such
institution agrees that, with respect to the costs to be incurred by
the institution in carrying out the program for which the grant,
contract, or cooperative agreement was awarded, such institution will
make available (directly or through donations from public or private
entities) non-Federal contributions in an amount equal to 25 percent of
the amount of the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement awarded by
the Director, or $500,000, whichever is the lesser amount. The Director
shall waive the matching requirement for any institution or consortium
with no endowment, or an endowment that has a current dollar value
lower than $50,000,000.
SEC. 6. LIMITATIONS.
(a) In General.--An eligible institution that receives a grant,
contract, or cooperative agreement under this Act that exceeds
$2,500,000, shall not be eligible to receive another grant, contract,
or cooperative agreement under this Act until every other eligible
institution that has applied for a grant, contract, or cooperative
agreement under this Act has received such a grant, contract, or
cooperative.
(b) Awards Administered by Eligible Institution.--Each grant,
contract, or cooperative agreement awarded under this Act shall be made
to, and administered by, an eligible institution, even when it is
awarded for the implementation of a consortium or joint project.
SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.
(a) Annual Report Required From Recipients.--Each institution that
receives a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this Act
shall provide an annual report to the Director on its use of the grant,
contract, or cooperative agreement.
(b) Evaluation by Director.--The Director, in consultation with the
Secretary of Education, shall--
(1) review the reports provided under subsection (a) each
year; and
(2) evaluate the program authorized by section 3 on the
basis of those reports every 2 years.
(c) Contents of Evaluation.--The Director, in the evaluation, shall
describe the activities undertaken by those institutions and shall
assess the short-range and long-range impact of activities carried out
under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement on the students,
faculty, and staff of the institutions.
(d) Report to Congress.--The Director shall submit a report to the
Congress based on the evaluation. In the report, the Director shall
include such recommendations, including recommendations concerning the
continuing need for Federal support of the program, as may be
appropriate.
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Eligible Institution.--The term ``eligible
institution'' means an institution that is--
(A) a historically Black college or university that
is a part B institution, as defined in section 322(2)
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1061(2));
(B) a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in
section 502(a)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5));
(C) a tribally controlled college or university, as
defined in section 316(b)(3) of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3));
(D) an Alaska Native-serving institution under
section 317(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1059d(b));
(E) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution under
section 317(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1059d(b)); or
(F) an institution determined by the Director, in
consultation with the Secretary of Education, to have
enrolled a substantial number of minority, low-income
students during the previous academic year who received
assistance under subpart I of part A of title IV of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.)
for that year.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Science Foundation.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the
National Science Foundation $250,000,000 for each of the fiscal years
2008 through 2012 to carry out this Act.
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