[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 89 (Tuesday, July 11, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7359-S7360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FREE NEWSPAPER ACCESS FOR BLIND AND OTHER PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Rules and Administration be discharged from further consideration of 
S. 2918 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will state the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2918) to provide access to newspapers for blind 
     or other persons with disabilities.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table, and that any statements relating to the measure be printed 
in the Record as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 2918) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 2918

       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 ``Free Newspaper Access for 
     Blind and Other Persons with Disabilities Act''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAM.

       (a) Program Authorized.--
       (1) In general.--The Librarian of Congress is authorized, 
     subject to the availability of appropriations, to pay 
     telecommunications costs for blind and other persons with 
     disabilities to have interstate free access to electronic 
     editions of periodicals and newspapers, disseminated in 
     specialized audio and electronic text formats and available 
     contemporaneously with their print editions, from a multi-
     State nonprofit source described in paragraph (2).
       (2) Multi-state nonprofit source.--The multi-State 
     nonprofit source referred to in paragraph (1) shall be an 
     entity that obtains content from publishers for free 
     distribution of 1 or more periodicals or newspapers to blind 
     and other persons with disabilities in each State in which 
     eligible persons receive books and other publications 
     supplied by the Librarian of Congress under the Act entitled 
     ``An Act to provide books for the adult blind'', approved 
     March 3, 1931 (2 U.S.C. 135a).
       (b) Definition of Blind and Other Persons With 
     Disabilities.--In this section, the

[[Page S7360]]

     term ``blind and other persons with disabilities'' means 
     individuals who are eligible or who may qualify, in 
     accordance with the Act entitled ``An Act to provide books 
     for the adult blind'', approved March 3, 1931 (2 U.S.C. 
     135a), to receive books and other publications produced in 
     specialized formats.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Library of 
     Congress to carry out this Act $750,000 for fiscal year 2007 
     and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal 
     years 2008 through 2011.

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