[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 70 (Tuesday, June 6, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5504-S5505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SANTORUM:
  S. 3455. A bill to establish a program to transfer surplus computers 
of Federal agencies to schools, nonprofit community-based educational 
organizations, and families of members of the Armed Forces who are 
deployed, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill which 
is intended to ensure that more surplus government computers are put to 
good use in our schools and by families of deployed service members.
  Each year, it is becoming more and more evident that, especially for 
our youth, computer knowledge is essential for success. While many 
Americans have computers at home, there are still many Americans who do 
not have that easy access to computer technology. In addition, not all 
of our schools have or can afford up-to-date computer technology to aid 
their students in their learning. This bill is intended to bridge this 
gap.
  It has been estimated that each week, the Federal Government disposes 
of 10,000 computers. Thanks in part to Executive Order 12999, which was 
issued in 1996, some of these computers are placed in schools that 
would otherwise not have access to this technology. The Executive order 
directs that federal agencies shall safeguard and identify potentially 
educationally useful federal equipment that is no longer needed or 
declared surplus. This equipment shall then be transferred directly or 
through the Government Services Administration Computers for Learning 
program to public and private schools and nonprofit organizations, 
including community-based educational organizations. Schools and 
nonprofits in enterprise communities or empowerment zones are 
prioritized in receiving these computers.
  I have been pleased to be able to work through the related program in 
the Senate to place excess computers in several Pennsylvania schools 
where

[[Page S5505]]

they are being put to good use. Unfortunately, I have heard from those 
working in Pennsylvania to obtain such computers that not enough of 
them are getting through to schools. They are experiencing increased 
difficulty in maintaining the number and quality of computers they were 
previously able to get from the government for refurbishment and 
donation. In some cases, hard drives are being needlessly destroyed 
before they are turned over.
  One of the problems that has prevented schools from getting and using 
these computers is that many times they are not able to be immediately 
put into use by the school. Schools may not have the technical ability 
or storage space to take computers directly from the government if they 
need maintenance before they can be placed into service. It has been 
estimated that if schools get the computers directly from the 
government, only 10 percent can be put into use. However, if they are 
first refurbished, 40 percent can be used.
  The hope is that this legislation would result in federal agencies 
making more surplus computers available for schools by codifying the 
previous Executive order. The bill would also allow computers to go 
directly to nonprofits for refurbishing before going to the school, 
making is easier for more schools to participate in the program. 
Currently, a school has to take title to the computer and then can 
transfer it to a nonprofit refurbisher to be fixed up, an additional 
step for them. This bill would allow nonprofit organizations like 
Computers for Schools that can refurbish computers at low-cost to 
participate in the process, getting computers ready to use and sending 
them out to schools where they last three more years, enabling more 
children to learn and profit by them. To prevent the needless 
destruction of hard drives, the bill also references federal standards 
on how to completely and securely erase hard drives without destroying 
them.
  Lastly, this bill includes language that would make it possible to 
distribute these computers to the families of deployed service men and 
women who do not have a computer in their homes so that they can stay 
in better touch with their family members while they are fighting for 
our country.
  I believe this legislation is an important step to help ensure that 
surplus federal computers are put to good use by allowing more of our 
youth to have access to computers in school. I am hopeful that this 
legislation will be enacted into law.
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