[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 848 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 848

 To establish digital services in State and local governments, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 14, 2019

  Ms. Harris introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish digital services in State and local governments, 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 ``Digital Service Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the United States Digital Service;
            (2) the term ``digital service grant'' means a grant under 
        section 3(a);
            (3) the term ``digital service team'' means a team of 
        technologists, designers, civil servants, and other relevant 
        experts dedicated to modernizing the delivery of government 
        services to the public through information technology;
            (4) the term ``eligible applicant'' means a State, Indian 
        Tribe, or unit of local government that has received not more 
        than 1 digital service grant;
            (5) the term ``Indian Tribe'' has the meaning given the 
        term ``Indian tribe'' in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-
        Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304(e));
            (6) the term ``State'' has the meaning given that term in 
        section 901 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
        Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251); and
            (7) the term ``unit of local government'' means a city, 
        county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other 
        general purpose political subdivision of a State.

SEC. 3. DIGITAL SERVICE GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator may make a grant to an eligible 
applicant to establish or support a digital service team.
    (b) Application.--An eligible applicant desiring a digital service 
grant shall submit an application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Administrator may specify.
    (c) Initial Grant Preference.--Among eligible applicants that have 
not previously received a digital service grant, the Administrator 
shall give preference to an eligible applicant if--
            (1) the chief executive officer of the eligible entity has 
        publicly demonstrated a commitment to modernizing government 
        technology and service delivery;
            (2) the eligible entity has officially designated an 
        officer of the eligible entity to have responsibility for 
        functions relating to the digital services of the eligible 
        entity, such as a Chief Technology Officer, Chief Innovation 
        Officer, or Chief Digital Services Officer, and such functions 
        are recognized as distinct from management and operations of 
        traditional information technology; or
            (3) the eligible entity demonstrates a rigorous commitment 
        to digital delivery of government services in such manner as 
        the Administrator determines appropriate.
    (d) Continuing Grants.--The Administrator may make not more than 1 
additional digital service grant to an eligible applicant that has 
previously received a digital service grant if the eligible applicant--
            (1) has a demonstrated record of successful digital 
        delivery of government services, including through the use of 
        the first digital service grant; and
            (2) articulates clearly the government service delivery 
        projects the eligible applicant would carry out with the grant.
    (e) Grant Period.--The Administrator shall award digital service 
grants for a period of 2 years.
    (f) Continuity of Funding.--To the maximum extent practicable, the 
Administrator shall award digital service grants described in 
subsection (d) in a manner that ensures that there is not a break in 
funding between the initial digital service grant and the grant 
described in subsection (d).
    (g) Grant Amount.--The annual amount of a digital service grant 
shall be equal to the lesser of--
            (1) in dollars, the amount equal to the sum of--
                    (A) the population served by the eligible 
                applicant; and
                    (B) 200,000; or
            (2) $2,500,000.
    (h) Use of Funds.--Not less than 50 percent of the amount received 
under a digital service grant shall be used for salary and benefits of 
the members of the digital service team.
    (i) Matching Requirement.--The Federal share of an activity carried 
out using a digital service grant shall be not more than 80 percent.

SEC. 4. REPORTING.

    (a) By Recipients.--Not later than the end of the period of a 
digital service grant, the recipient of the digital service grant shall 
submit to the Administrator and make publicly available on the website 
of the recipient a brief report describing--
            (1) the skills and areas of expertise of the members of the 
        digital service team established or supported using amounts 
        made available under the grant;
            (2) projects undertaken using amounts made available under 
        the grant, including a discussion of the impact of those 
        projects;
            (3) lessons learned from implementing the projects 
        described in paragraph (2);
            (4) the information technology projects the recipient 
        intends to implement next; and
            (5) any other information determined appropriate by the 
        Administrator.
    (b) To Congress and Public.--Not later than September 30, 2022, and 
every 2 years thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to Congress 
and make publicly available on the website of the United States Digital 
Service a report that summarizes--
            (1) the digital service grants applied for and made; and
            (2) the uses and impacts of digital service grants, based 
        on the reports received under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Amounts To Carry Out This Act.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2020 through 2027.
    (b) Amounts To Carry Out the Mission of the USDS.--In addition to 
the amounts authorized to be appropriated under subsection (a), there 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out the 
mission of the United States Digital Service $50,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2020 through 2027.
    (c) Availability.--Amounts made available pursuant to subsections 
(a) and (b) shall remain available until expended.
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