[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8494 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8494

To provide that certain local parks are eligible for E-Rate support, to 
provide that local parks are eligible for the loan, lease, or transfer 
 of certain excess research equipment, and to direct the Secretary of 
 Labor to carry out a program to make grants for conducting technology 
       training programs in local parks, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2024

Mr. Davis of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the 
Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Science, Space, and Technology, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide that certain local parks are eligible for E-Rate support, to 
provide that local parks are eligible for the loan, lease, or transfer 
 of certain excess research equipment, and to direct the Secretary of 
 Labor to carry out a program to make grants for conducting technology 
       training programs in local parks, 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 ``Technology in the Parks Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. E-RATE SUPPORT FOR COVERED LOCAL PARKS.

    Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(6)--
                    (A) in the heading, by striking ``and libraries'' 
                and inserting ``libraries, and covered local parks''; 
                and
                    (B) by striking ``and libraries'' and inserting 
                ``libraries, and covered local parks'';
            (2) in subsection (c)(3), by striking ``and health care 
        providers'' and inserting ``health care providers, and covered 
        local parks'';
            (3) in subsection (h)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(B)--
                            (i) in the heading, by striking ``and 
                        libraries'' and inserting ``, libraries, and 
                        covered local parks''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``and libraries'' and 
                        inserting ``libraries, and covered local 
                        parks'';
                    (B) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) by inserting ``or a covered local 
                        park'' after ``telecommunications user'';
                            (ii) by inserting ``or park'' after ``such 
                        user''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following: 
                        ``Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, a 
                        covered local park may transfer 
                        telecommunications services and network 
                        capacity to an entity with which such park has 
                        a contract as described in subsection (m) to 
                        enable such entity to conduct a qualified 
                        technology training program as described in 
                        such subsection.'';
                    (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ``paragraph 
                (7)(A)'' and inserting ``paragraph (8)(A)'';
                    (D) by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph 
                (8); and
                    (E) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
            ``(7) Internet safety requirements for covered local 
        parks.--Not later than 14 days after the date of the enactment 
        of this paragraph, the Commission shall promulgate regulations 
        that provide for internet safety requirements for covered local 
        parks receiving services at discount rates under paragraph 
        (1)(B) that are substantially similar to the requirements under 
        paragraphs (5) and (6) and subsection (l) for schools and 
        libraries receiving services at discount rates under paragraph 
        (1)(B).''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) Covered Local Park Defined.--In this section, the term 
`covered local park' means a local park, as defined in subsection (h) 
of section 4 of the Technology in the Parks Act of 2024, that has a 
contract with an entity to allow such entity to conduct in such park a 
qualified technology training program using a grant received by such 
entity under such section.''.

SEC. 3. LOAN, LEASE, OR TRANSFER OF CERTAIN EXCESS RESEARCH EQUIPMENT.

    Subsection (i) of section 11 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Director'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) In general.--The Director'';
            (2) in paragraph (1), as so inserted, by striking ``or 
        nonprofit organization'' and inserting ``, nonprofit 
        organization, or local park''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `local 
        park' means a park owned and maintained by a local 
        government.''.

SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR TECHNOLOGY IN THE PARK.

    (a) In General.--Beginning not later than 60 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor (referred to in this 
section as the ``Secretary'') shall carry out a program under which the 
Secretary makes grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to 
pay the Federal share of the costs of conducting a qualified technology 
training program in local parks.
    (b) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.
    (c) Uses of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
this section shall use the grant to conduct a qualified technology 
training program in a local park, which may include the use of grant 
funds to--
            (1) pay labor costs involved in conducting the qualified 
        technology training program described in subsection (d);
            (2) purchase or otherwise obtain necessary equipment for 
        the qualified technology training program described in 
        subsection (d);
            (3) create or modify infrastructure to facilitate the 
        qualified technology training program described in subsection 
        (d); or
            (4) carry out other activities directly related to the 
        activities needed to conduct the qualified technology training 
        program described in subsection (d).
    (d) Qualified Technology Training Program Described.--A qualified 
technology training program described in this subsection is a program--
            (1) the completion of which results in the award of a 
        recognized postsecondary credential (as defined in section 3 of 
        the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102));
            (2) that occurs, to the extent practicable--
                    (A) after school;
                    (B) as a summer program; or
                    (C) as a continuing education program; and
            (3) that is designed to train or provide instruction to 
        covered individuals in--
                    (A) coding;
                    (B) cyber security;
                    (C) network security;
                    (D) digital manufacturing;
                    (E) technology assistance;
                    (F) software development;
                    (G) database administration;
                    (H) web development;
                    (I) video production;
                    (J) robotics;
                    (K) artificial intelligence;
                    (L) video game design;
                    (M) reading;
                    (N) math; or
                    (O) a combination of the subjects described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (N).
    (e) Grant Duration and Amount.--
            (1) Duration.--Each grant under this section shall be made 
        for a period of 2 years.
            (2) Amount.--The Secretary shall determine the maximum 
        amount of each grant under this section.
    (f) Federal Share.--The Federal share of a grant under this section 
shall not exceed 10 percent of the costs of carrying out the activities 
described in subsection (c).
    (g) Supplement, Not Supplant.--An eligible entity shall use a grant 
received under this section only to supplement funds that would, in the 
absence of such grant, be made available from other Federal, State, or 
local sources for activities supported by the grant, not to supplant 
such funds.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered individual.--The term ``covered individual'' 
        means an individual who is--
                    (A) receiving--
                            (i) unemployment compensation under any 
                        State or Federal law;
                            (ii) assistance under a State program for 
                        temporary assistance to needy families funded 
                        under part A of title IV of the Social Security 
                        Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
                            (iii) services under a State program funded 
                        by the Social Services Block Grant program 
                        under subtitle A of title XX of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.); or
                            (iv) maternal and child health services 
                        under a State program funded by title V of the 
                        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701 et seq.); or
                    (B) entitled to monthly insurance benefits under 
                section 202 or 223 of the Social Security Act (42 
                U.S.C. 401 et seq.).
            (2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        non-profit organization.
            (3) Local park.--The term ``local park'' means a park owned 
        and maintained by a local government--
                    (A) that has a physical structure suitable for 
                conducting a qualified technology training program 
                described in subsection (d); or
                    (B) at which such a physical structure may be 
                constructed.
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