[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 134 (Friday, November 19, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11586-S11587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRAINING FOR REALTIME WRITERS ACT OF 2003

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 790, S. 480.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 480) to provide competitive grants for training 
     court reporters and closed captioners to meet requirements of 
     realtime writers under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, 
     and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read a third time, passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statement 
relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 480) was read the third time and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 480

       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 2003''.

     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 adopted rules requiring closed captioning of most 
     television programming, which gradually require new video 
     programming to be fully captioned beginning in 2006.
       (2) More than 28,000,000 Americans, or 8 percent of the 
     population, are considered deaf or hard of hearing, and many 
     require captioning services to participate in mainstream 
     activities.
       (3) More than 24,000 children are born in the United States 
     each year with some form of hearing loss.
       (4) According to the Department of Health and Human 
     Services and a study done by the National Council on Aging--
       (A) 25 percent of Americans over 65 years old are hearing 
     impaired;
       (B) 33 percent of Americans over 70 years old are hearing 
     impaired; and
       (C) 41 percent of Americans over 75 years old are hearing 
     impaired.
       (5) The National Council on Aging study also found that 
     depression in older adults may be directly related to hearing 
     loss and disconnection with the spoken word.
       (6) Empirical research demonstrates that captions improve 
     the performance of individuals learning to read English and, 
     according to numerous Federal agency statistics, could 
     benefit--
       (A) 3,700,000 remedial readers;
       (B) 12,000,000 young children learning to read;
       (C) 27,000,000 illiterate adults; and
       (D) 30,000,000 people for whom English is a second 
     language.
       (7) Over the past 5 years, student enrollment in programs 
     that train court reporters to become realtime writers has 
     decreased significantly, causing such programs to close on 
     many campuses.

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

       (a) In General.--The National Telecommunications and 
     Information Administration 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 of Commerce--
       (1) possess the most substantial capability to increase 
     their capacity to train realtime writers;

[[Page S11587]]

       (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 and job placement 
     assistance efforts with respect to realtime writers.
       (d) Duration of Grant.--A grant under this section shall be 
     for a period of two 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 two-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 National 
     Telecommunications and Information Administration at such 
     time and in such manner as the Administration 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 Administration 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) development of curriculum to more effectively train 
     realtime writing skills, and education in the knowledge 
     necessary for the delivery of high-quality closed captioning 
     services;
       (5) assistance in job placement for upcoming and recent 
     graduates with all types of captioning employers;
       (6) encouragement of individuals with disabilities to 
     pursue a career in realtime writing; and
       (7) the employment and payment of personnel for 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 
     National Telecommunications and Information Administration to 
     provide realtime writing services for a period of time (as 
     determined by the Administration) that is appropriate (as so 
     determined) for the amount of the scholarship received.
       (3) Coursework and employment.--The Administration 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.
       (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 National 
     Telecommunications and Information Administration, 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.

     SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     Act, amounts as follows:
       (1) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 
     2006.
       (2) Such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007.

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, that concludes the unanimous consent 
requests at this time. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, briefly, I wish to thank the Senator from 
Idaho. The bill that was just passed is a bill that provides grants for 
training court reporters for closed caption reporting. In 1996, the 
Congress passed a bill that said by 2006 all television shows have to 
be closed captioned. By 2010, all Spanish-speaking shows have to be 
closed captioned. That is going to take about 3,000 people trained to 
do this. We have less than 500 trained right now. We are not going to 
meet that date, but we have to move ahead and try our best to get these 
people trained in our community colleges all over the country. That is 
what this bill does.
  I especially want to thank Senator McCain, the chairman of the 
Commerce Committee, for his expeditious handling of this bill and 
letting it go through. I am assured the House is going to pass it 
unanimously, so we can get on with the business of training our 
reporters so that they can do realtime closed captioning.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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