[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5510-S5511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     DIGITAL AND WIRELESS NETWORK TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 2003--Continued

  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent we now proceed to 
the vote on S. 196.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the 
question is, Shall the bill, as amended, pass? The yeas and nays have 
been ordered. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I announce that the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Inhofe) 
is necessarily absent.
  Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from Florida (Mr. Graham) and 
the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) are necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sununu). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 97, nays 0, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 136 Leg.]

                                YEAS--97

     Akaka
     Alexander
     Allard
     Allen
     Baucus
     Bayh
     Bennett
     Biden
     Bingaman
     Bond
     Boxer
     Breaux
     Brownback
     Bunning
     Burns
     Byrd
     Campbell
     Cantwell
     Carper
     Chafee
     Chambliss
     Clinton
     Cochran
     Coleman
     Collins
     Conrad
     Cornyn
     Corzine
     Craig
     Crapo
     Daschle
     Dayton
     DeWine
     Dodd
     Dole
     Domenici
     Dorgan
     Durbin
     Edwards
     Ensign
     Enzi
     Feingold
     Feinstein
     Fitzgerald
     Frist
     Graham (SC)
     Grassley
     Gregg
     Hagel
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Hollings
     Hutchison
     Inouye
     Jeffords
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kerry
     Kohl
     Kyl
     Landrieu
     Lautenberg
     Leahy
     Levin
     Lieberman
     Lincoln
     Lott
     Lugar
     McCain
     McConnell
     Mikulski
     Miller
     Murkowski
     Murray
     Nelson (FL)
     Nelson (NE)
     Nickles
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Santorum
     Schumer
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Smith
     Snowe
     Specter
     Stabenow
     Stevens
     Sununu
     Talent
     Thomas
     Voinovich
     Warner
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Graham (FL)
     Inhofe
     Sarbanes
  The bill (S. 196), as amended, was passed, as follows:

                                 S. 196

       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 Institution 
     Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE.

       (a) In General.--There is established within the National 
     Science Foundation an Office of Minority Serving Institution 
     Digital and Wireless Technology to carry out the provisions 
     of this Act.
       (b) Purpose.--The Office shall--
       (1) strengthen the ability of eligible institutions to 
     provide capacity for instruction in digital and wireless 
     network technologies by providing grants to, or executing 
     contracts or cooperative agreements with, those institutions 
     to provide such instruction; and
       (2) strengthen the national digital and wireless 
     infrastructure by increasing national investment in 
     telecommunications and technology infrastructure at eligible 
     institutions.

     SEC. 3. ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.

       An eligible institution shall use a grant, contract, or 
     cooperative agreement awarded under this Act--
       (1) to acquire the 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, mathematics, 
     engineering, or technology;
       (3) to provide teacher education, library and media 
     specialist training, and preschool and teacher aid 
     certification to individuals who seek to acquire or enhance 
     technology skills in order to use technology in the classroom 
     or instructional process;
       (4) to implement joint projects and consortia to provide 
     education regarding technology in the classroom with a State 
     or State education agency, local education agency, community-
     based organization, national non-profit organization, or 
     business, including minority businesses;
       (5) to provide professional development in science, 
     mathematics, engineering, or technology 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;
       (7) to foster the use of information communications 
     technology to increase scientific, mathematical, engineering, 
     and technology instruction and research; and
       (8) to develop proposals to be submitted under this Act and 
     to develop strategic plans for information technology 
     investments.

     SEC. 4. APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCEDURE.

       (a) In General.--To be eligible to receive a grant, 
     contract, or cooperative agreement under this Act, an 
     eligible institution shall submit an application to the 
     Director at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 
     such information as the Director may reasonably require. The 
     Director, in consultation with the advisory council 
     established under subsection (b), 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.
       (b) Advisory Council.--The Director shall establish an 
     advisory council to advise the Director on the best 
     approaches for involving eligible institutions in the 
     activities described in section 3, and for reviewing and 
     evaluating proposals submitted to the program. In selecting 
     the members of the advisory council, the Director may consult 
     with representatives of appropriate organizations, including 
     representatives of eligible institutions, to ensure that the 
     membership of the advisory council reflects participation by 
     technology and telecommunications institutions, minority 
     businesses, eligible institution communities, Federal agency 
     personnel, and other individuals who are knowledgeable about 
     eligible institutions and technology issues. Any panel 
     assembled to review a proposal submitted to the program shall 
     include members from minority serving institutions. Program 
     review criteria shall include consideration of--
       (1) demonstrated need for assistance under this Act; and
       (2) diversity among the types of institutions receiving 
     assistance under this Act.
       (c) Data Collection.--An eligible institution that receives 
     a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under section 2 
     shall provide the Office with any relevant institutional 
     statistical or demographic data requested by the Office.
       (d) Information Dissemination.--The Director shall convene 
     an annual meeting of eligible institutions receiving grants, 
     contracts, or cooperative agreements under section 2 for the 
     purposes of--
       (1) fostering collaboration and capacity-building 
     activities among eligible institutions; and
       (2) disseminating information and ideas generated by such 
     meetings.

     SEC. 5. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.

       The Director may not award a grant, contract, or 
     cooperative agreement to an eligible institution under this 
     Act unless such institution agrees that, with respect to the 
     costs to be incurred by the institution in carrying out the 
     program for which the grant, contract, or cooperative 
     agreement was awarded, such institution will make available 
     (directly or through donations from public or private 
     entities) non-Federal contributions in an amount equal to \1/
     4\ of the

[[Page S5511]]

     amount of the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 
     awarded by the Director, or $500,000, whichever is the lesser 
     amount. The Director shall waive the matching requirement for 
     any institution or consortium with no endowment, or an 
     endowment that has a current dollar value lower than 
     $50,000,000.

     SEC. 6. LIMITATIONS.

       (a) In General.--An eligible institution that receives a 
     grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this Act that 
     exceeds $2,500,000, shall not be eligible to receive another 
     grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this Act 
     until every other eligible institution that has applied for a 
     grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this Act has 
     received such a grant, contract, or cooperative.
       (b) Awards Administered by Eligible Institution.--Each 
     grant, contract, or cooperative agreement awarded under this 
     Act shall be made to, and administered by, an eligible 
     institution, even when it is awarded for the implementation 
     of a consortium or joint project.

     SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.

       (a) Annual Report Required From Recipients.--Each 
     institution that receives a grant, contract, or cooperative 
     agreement under this Act shall provide an annual report to 
     the Director on its use of the grant, contract, or 
     cooperative agreement.
       (b) Evaluation by Director.--The Director, in consultation 
     with the Secretary of Education, shall--
       (1) review the reports provided under subsection (a) each 
     year; and
       (2) evaluate the program authorized by section 3 on the 
     basis of those reports every 2 years.
       (c) Contents of Evaluation.--The Director, in the 
     evaluation, shall describe the activities undertaken by those 
     institutions and shall assess the short-range and long-range 
     impact of activities carried out under the grant, contract, 
     or cooperative agreement on the students, faculty, and staff 
     of the institutions.
       (d) Report to Congress.--The Director shall submit a report 
     to the Congress based on the evaluation. In the report, the 
     Director shall include such recommendations, including 
     recommendations concerning the continuing need for Federal 
     support of the program, as may be appropriate.

     SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Eligible institution.--The term ``eligible 
     institution'' means an institution that is--
       (A) a historically Black college or university that is a 
     part B institution, as defined in section 322(2) of the 
     Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)), an 
     institution described in section 326(e)(1)(A), (B), or (C) of 
     that Act (20 U.S.C. 1063b(e)(1)(A), (B), or (C)), or a 
     consortium of institutions described in this subparagraph;
       (B) a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in section 
     502(a)(5) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1101a(a)(5));
       (C) a tribally controlled college or university, as defined 
     in section 316(b)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3));
       (D) an Alaska Native-serving institution under section 
     317(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1059d(b));
       (E) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution under section 
     317(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1059d(b)); or
       (F) an institution determined by the Director, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Education, to have 
     enrolled a substantial number of minority, low-income 
     students during the previous academic year who received 
     assistance under subpart I of part A of title IV of the 
     Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.) for 
     that year.
       (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the National Science Foundation.
       (3) Minority business.--The term ``minority business'' 
     includes HUBZone small business concerns (as defined in 
     section 3(p) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(p)).

     SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of 
     the National Science Foundation $250,000,000 for each of the 
     fiscal years 2004 through 2008 to carry out this Act.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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