[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1614 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1614

To provide grants to community colleges to improve the accessibility of 
   computer labs and to provide information technology training for 
 students and members of the public seeking to improve their computer 
              literacy and information technology skills.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 6, 2009

  Mr. Schumer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide grants to community colleges to improve the accessibility of 
   computer labs and to provide information technology training for 
 students and members of the public seeking to improve their computer 
              literacy and information technology skills.

    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 ``Community College Technology Access 
Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Community college.--The term ``community college'' 
        means an educational institution in any State that--
                    (A) admits as regular students only persons 
                having--
                            (i) a certificate of graduation from a 
                        school providing secondary education or the 
                        recognized equivalent of such a certificate; or
                            (ii) completed a secondary school education 
                        in a home school setting that is treated as a 
                        home school or private school under State law;
                    (B) is legally authorized within such State to 
                provide a program of education beyond secondary 
                education;
                    (C) provides not less than a 2-year program that is 
                acceptable for full credit toward an associate's 
                degree;
                    (D) is a public or other nonprofit institution; and
                    (E) is accredited by a nationally recognized 
                accrediting agency or association, or if not so 
                accredited, is an institution that has been granted 
                preaccreditation status by such an agency or 
                association that has been recognized by the Secretary 
                for the granting of preaccreditation status, and the 
                Secretary has determined that there is satisfactory 
                assurance that the institution will meet the 
                accreditation standards of such an agency or 
                association within a reasonable time.
            (2) Computer lab.--The term ``computer lab'' means a 
        dedicated community college facility that provides onsite 
        computer software, hardware, and technical support for 
        students, faculty, and staff.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1003).
    (b) Authorization of Grant Program.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts appropriated under section 4, 
        the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to 
        community colleges eligible under subsection (d) to enable the 
        community colleges--
                    (A) to improve the accessibility of computer labs; 
                and
                    (B) to provide information technology training for 
                students and members of the public seeking to improve 
                their computer literacy and information technology 
                skills.
            (2) Use of funds.--
                    (A) Mandatory.--A community college receiving a 
                grant award under this Act shall use the grant funds 
                for the maintenance, administration, and improvement of 
                computer labs, which shall include--
                            (i) staffing facilities;
                            (ii) purchasing computer equipment, 
                        including hardware and software;
                            (iii) maintaining, repairing, and replacing 
                        technology equipment;
                            (iv) maintaining and securing facilities; 
                        or
                            (v) providing utilities for the facilities 
                        and computer equipment.
                    (B) Additional uses with authorization.--A 
                community college receiving a grant award under this 
                Act may use the grant funds to expand or build a 
                computer lab by submitting an application for such use 
                to the Secretary and receiving authorization for such 
                use from the Secretary.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--A community college seeking a grant award 
        under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
        such time, in such manner, and containing such information and 
        assurances as the Secretary may require.
            (2) Proposed use.--A community college shall include in the 
        application the community college's proposed use of the grant 
        funds.
    (d) Eligibility.--A community college is eligible for a grant award 
under this Act if the community college's application under subsection 
(c) demonstrates that the community college will--
            (1) keep a computer lab open not less than 10 hours on 
        weekends to members of the public;
            (2) keep a computer lab open not less than 20 hours on 
        weekday evenings to members of the public, except that if the 
        computer lab is open more than 10 hours on weekends as required 
        under paragraph (1), then each additional hour above 10 hours 
        on weekends shall reduce by 1 hour the 20 hours required under 
        this paragraph;
            (3) provide computer lab instruction (by an employee of the 
        community college who is capable of providing basic computer 
        instruction) to members of the public for hours that the 
        computer lab is open under paragraphs (1) and (2); and
            (4) offer computer-related training at no charge to members 
        of the public for hours that the computer lab is open under 
        paragraphs (1) and (2).
    (e) Grant Amounts.--The Secretary shall determine the amount of a 
grant award under this Act based on the applications received under 
subsections (b)(2)(B) and (c).

SEC. 3. REPORTS.

    (a) Annual Report by a Community College.--For each fiscal year 
that a community college receives a grant award under this Act, the 
community college shall submit to the Secretary, by a date determined 
by the Secretary, a report that contains a review and evaluation of the 
computer lab, including the computer lab's costs, hours of operation, 
and amount of users.
    (b) Report by Secretary.--The Secretary shall submit annually to 
Congress a report on the grant program assisted under this Act, 
including the number of grant awards made and the approximate number of 
persons served by each computer lab receiving funds under this Act.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$125,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 to 2014.
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