[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1857 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1857

To establish a digital and wireless network technology program, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 23, 2007

  Mr. Warner 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 ``Minority Serving Institutions for 
Advanced Technology and Education Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of the program under this Act are to--
            (1) strengthen the ability of eligible institutions to 
        provide capacity for instruction in digital and wireless 
        network technologies; and
            (2) strengthen the national digital and wireless 
        infrastructure by increasing national investment in 
        telecommunications and technology infrastructure at eligible 
        institutions.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.

    In this Act, the term ``eligible institution'' means an institution 
that is--
            (1) a historically Black college or university that is a 
        part B institution, as defined in section 322 of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061);
            (2) a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in section 
        502(a) of such Act;
            (3) a Tribal College or University, as defined in section 
        316(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b));
            (4) an Alaska Native-serving institution, as defined in 
        section 317(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b));
            (5) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution, as defined in 
        section 317(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)); or
            (6) an institution determined by the Secretary to have 
        enrolled a substantial number of minority, low-income students 
        during the previous academic year who received a Federal Pell 
        Grant for that year.

SEC. 3A. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.

    In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
Education.

SEC. 4. MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND 
              EDUCATION.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to award 
        grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible institutions to 
        enable the eligible institutions to carry out the activities 
        described in subsection (d).
            (2) Grant period.--The Secretary may award a grant to an 
        eligible institution under this Act for a period of not more 
        than 5 years.
    (b) Application and Review Procedure.--
            (1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this Act, an eligible institution shall submit an application 
        to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 
        such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. The 
        application shall include--
                    (A) a program of activities for carrying out 1 or 
                more of the purposes described in section 2; and
                    (B) such other policies, procedures, and assurances 
                as the Secretary may require by regulation.
            (2) Regulations.--After consultation with appropriate 
        individuals with expertise in technology and education, the 
        Secretary 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.
            (3) Application review criteria.--The application review 
        criteria used by the Secretary for grants under this Act shall 
        include consideration of--
                    (A) demonstrated need for assistance under this 
                Act; and
                    (B) diversity among the types of eligible 
                institutions receiving assistance under this Act.
    (c) Matching Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--An eligible institution that receives a 
        grant under this Act shall agree that, with respect to the 
        costs to be incurred by the institution in carrying out the 
        program for which the grant is 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 awarded by the 
        Secretary, or $500,000, whichever is the lesser amount.
            (2) Waiver.--The Secretary shall waive the matching 
        requirement for any eligible institution with no endowment, or 
        an endowment that has a current dollar value as of the time of 
        the application of less than $50,000,000.
    (d) Uses of Funds.--An eligible institution shall use a grant 
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, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics;
            (3) to provide teacher preparation and professional 
        development, library and media specialist training, and early 
        childhood educator and teacher aide certification or licensure 
        to individuals who seek to acquire or enhance technology skills 
        in order to use technology in the classroom or instructional 
        process to improve student achievement;
            (4) to form consortia or collaborative projects with a 
        State, State educational agency, local educational agency, 
        community-based organization, national nonprofit organization, 
        or business, including a minority business, to provide 
        education regarding technology in the classroom;
            (5) to provide professional development in science, 
        technology, engineering, or mathematics 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; and
            (7) to foster the use of information communications 
        technology to increase scientific, technological, engineering, 
        and mathematical instruction and research.
    (e) Data Collection.--An eligible institution that receives a grant 
under this Act shall provide the Secretary with any relevant 
institutional statistical or demographic data requested by the 
Secretary.
    (f) Information Dissemination.--The Secretary shall convene an 
annual meeting of eligible institutions receiving grants under this Act 
for the purposes of--
            (1) fostering collaboration and capacity-building 
        activities among eligible institutions; and
            (2) disseminating information and ideas generated by such 
        meetings.
    (g) Limitation.--An eligible institution that receives a grant 
under this Act that exceeds $2,500,000 shall not be eligible to receive 
another grant under this Act until every other eligible institution 
that has applied for a grant under this Act has received such a grant.

SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.

    (a) Annual Report Required From Recipients.--Each eligible 
institution that receives a grant under this Act shall provide an 
annual report to the Secretary on the eligible institution's use of the 
grant.
    (b) Evaluation by Secretary.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) review the reports provided under subsection (a) each 
        year; and
            (2) evaluate the program authorized under this Act on the 
        basis of those reports every 2 years.
    (c) Contents of Evaluation.--The Secretary, in the evaluation under 
subsection (b), shall--
            (1) describe the activities undertaken by the eligible 
        institutions that receive grants under this Act; and
            (2) assess the short-range and long-range impact of 
        activities carried out under the grant on the students, 
        faculty, and staff of the institutions.
    (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report on the 
program supported under this Act to the authorizing committees that 
shall include such recommendations, including recommendations 
concerning the continuing need for Federal support of the program, as 
may be appropriate.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008 and each of the 5 
succeeding fiscal years.
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