[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 675 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 675

 To provide competitive grants for training court reporters and closed 
    captioners to meet requirements for realtime writers under the 
        Telecommunications Act of 1996, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 16, 2007

   Mr. Harkin (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Dodd, Mr. 
 Durbin, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Rockefeller, Ms. Snowe, 
 and Ms. Stabenow) introduced the following bill; which was read twice 
 and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide competitive grants for training court reporters and closed 
    captioners to meet requirements for realtime writers under the 
        Telecommunications Act of 1996, 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 ``Training for Realtime Writers Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) As directed by Congress in section 723 of the 
        Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 613), as added by section 
        305 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104; 
        110 Stat. 126), the Federal Communications Commission began 
        enforcing rules requiring full closed captioning of most 
        English television programming on January 1, 2006.
            (2) The Federal Communications Commission rules also 
        require that video programming be fully captioned in Spanish by 
        2010.
            (3) More than 30,000,000 Americans are considered deaf or 
        hard of hearing, and many require captioning services to 
        participate in mainstream activities.
            (4) The National Institute on Deafness and other 
        Communication Disorders estimates that 1 in 3 Americans over 
        the age of 60 has already experienced hearing loss. The 
        79,000,000 Americans who are identified as ``baby boomers'' 
        represent 39 percent of the population of the United States and 
        most baby boomers began to reach age 60 just in the last few 
        years.
            (5) Closed captioning is a continuous source of emergency 
        information for people in mass transit and other congregate 
        settings.
            (6) Empirical research studies since 1988 demonstrate that 
        captions improve the performance of individuals learning to 
        read English.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF GRANT PROGRAM TO PROMOTE TRAINING AND JOB 
              PLACEMENT OF REALTIME WRITERS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce shall make competitive 
grants to eligible entities under subsection (b) to promote training 
and placement of individuals, including individuals who have completed 
a court reporting training program, as realtime writers in order to 
meet the requirements for closed captioning of video programming set 
forth in section 723 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 613) 
and the rules prescribed thereunder.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--For purposes of this Act, an eligible 
entity is a court reporting program that--
            (1) can document and demonstrate to the Secretary of 
        Commerce that it meets minimum standards of educational and 
        financial accountability, with a curriculum capable of training 
        realtime writers qualified to provide captioning services;
            (2) is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by 
        the Department of Education; and
            (3) is participating in student aid programs under title IV 
        of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
    (c) Priority in Grants.--In determining whether to make grants 
under this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall give a priority to 
eligible entities that, as determined by the Secretary--
            (1) possess the most substantial capability to increase 
        their capacity to train realtime writers;
            (2) demonstrate the most promising collaboration with local 
        educational institutions, businesses, labor organizations, or 
        other community groups having the potential to train or provide 
        job placement assistance to realtime writers; or
            (3) propose the most promising and innovative approaches 
        for initiating or expanding training or job placement 
        assistance efforts with respect to realtime writers.
    (d) Duration of Grant.--A grant under this section shall be for a 
period of 2 years.
    (e) Maximum Amount of Grant.--The amount of a grant provided under 
subsection (a) to an entity eligible may not exceed $1,500,000 for the 
2-year period of the grant under subsection (d).

SEC. 4. APPLICATION.

    (a) In General.--To receive a grant under section 3, an eligible 
entity shall submit an application to the Secretary of Commerce at such 
time and in such manner as the secretary may require. The application 
shall contain the information set forth under subsection (b).
    (b) Information.--Information in the application of an eligible 
entity under subsection (a) for a grant under section 3 shall include 
the following:
            (1) A description of the training and assistance to be 
        funded using the grant amount, including how such training and 
        assistance will increase the number of realtime writers.
            (2) A description of performance measures to be utilized to 
        evaluate the progress of individuals receiving such training 
        and assistance in matters relating to enrollment, completion of 
        training, and job placement and retention.
            (3) A description of the manner in which the eligible 
        entity will ensure that recipients of scholarships, if any, 
        funded by the grant will be employed and retained as realtime 
        writers.
            (4) A description of the manner in which the eligible 
        entity intends to continue providing the training and 
        assistance to be funded by the grant after the end of the grant 
        period, including any partnerships or arrangements established 
        for that purpose.
            (5) A description of how the eligible entity will work with 
        local workforce investment boards to ensure that training and 
        assistance to be funded with the grant will further local 
        workforce goals, including the creation of educational 
        opportunities for individuals who are from economically 
        disadvantaged backgrounds or are displaced workers.
            (6) Additional information, if any, of the eligibility of 
        the eligible entity for priority in the making of grants under 
        section 3(c).
            (7) Such other information as the Secretary may require.

SEC. 5. USE OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under section 
3 shall use the grant amount for purposes relating to the recruitment, 
training and assistance, and job placement of individuals, including 
individuals who have completed a court reporting training program, as 
realtime writers, including--
            (1) recruitment;
            (2) subject to subsection (b), the provision of 
        scholarships;
            (3) distance learning;
            (4) further developing and implementing both English and 
        Spanish curriculum to more effectively train realtime writing 
        skills, and education in the knowledge necessary for the 
        delivery of high-quality closed captioning services;
            (5) mentoring students to ensure successful completion of 
        the realtime training and provide assistance in job placement;
            (6) encouraging individuals with disabilities to pursue a 
        career in realtime writing; and
            (7) the employment and payment of personnel for all such 
        purposes.
    (b) Scholarships.--
            (1) Amount.--The amount of a scholarship under subsection 
        (a)(2) shall be based on the amount of need of the recipient of 
        the scholarship for financial assistance, as determined in 
        accordance with part F of title IV of the Higher Education Act 
        of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087kk).
            (2) Agreement.--Each recipient of a scholarship under 
        subsection (a)(2) shall enter into an agreement with the school 
        in which the recipient is enrolled to provide realtime writing 
        services for a period of time appropriate (as determined by the 
        Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary's designee) for the 
        amount of the scholarship received.
            (3) Coursework and employment.--The Secretary of Commerce 
        or the Secretary's designee shall establish requirements for 
        coursework and employment for recipients of scholarships under 
        subsection (a)(2), including requirements for repayment of 
        scholarship amounts in the event of failure to meet such 
        requirements for coursework and employment. Requirements for 
        repayment of scholarship amounts shall take into account the 
        effect of economic conditions on the capacity of scholarship 
        recipients to find work as realtime writers.
    (c) Administrative Costs.--The recipient of a grant under section 3 
may not use more than 5 percent of the grant amount to pay 
administrative costs associated with activities funded by the grant. 
The Secretary shall use not more than 5 percent of the amount available 
for grants under this Act in any fiscal year for administrative costs 
of the program.
    (d) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grants amounts under this Act shall 
supplement and not supplant other Federal or non-Federal funds of the 
grant recipient for purposes of promoting the training and placement of 
individuals as realtime writers.

SEC. 6. REPORTS.

    (a) Annual Reports.--Each eligible entity receiving a grant under 
section 3 shall submit to the Secretary of Commerce, at the end of each 
year of the grant period, a report on the activities of such entity 
with respect to the use of grant amounts during such year.
    (b) Report Information.--
            (1) In general.--Each report of an entity for a year under 
        subsection (a) shall include a description of the use of grant 
        amounts by the entity during such year, including an assessment 
        by the entity of the effectiveness of activities carried out 
        using such funds in increasing the number of realtime writers. 
        The assessment shall utilize the performance measures submitted 
        by the entity in the application for the grant under section 
        4(b).
            (2) Final report.--The final report of an entity on a grant 
        under subsection (a) shall include a description of the best 
        practices identified by the entity as a result of the grant for 
        increasing the number of individuals who are trained, employed, 
        and retained in employment as realtime writers.
    (c) Annual Review.--The Inspector General of the Department of 
Commerce shall conduct an annual review of the management, efficiency, 
and effectiveness of the grants made under this Act.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce 
to carry out this Act $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008, 2009, 
2010, 2011, and 2012.

SEC. 8. SUNSET.

    This Act is repealed effective the last day of the fifth fiscal 
year in which funds are appropriated to carry out this Act.
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