[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 7246]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petition or memorial was laid before the Senate and was 
referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-99. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Senate of 
     the State of Louisiana memorializing Congress to utilize the 
     power of technology to boost American productivity and 
     performance by consulting with state legislatures, education, 
     and computer organizations to ensure that every student has 
     access to a low-cost laptop; to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 19

       Whereas, the personal computer is an indispensable twenty-
     first century learning tool; and
        Whereas, the decreasing cost of technology makes it 
     possible to equip every student with a portable, personal 
     computer; and
        Whereas, low-cost laptops are ``twenty-first century 
     textbooks'' due to their capacity to store thousands of books 
     and research materials; and
        Whereas, computer technology has been shown to improve 
     academic performance, attendance, and enthusiasm in 
     classrooms; and
        Whereas, according to a survey by the November 2007 Pew 
     Internet & American Life Project, one-fourth of Americans do 
     not have computers at home; and
        Whereas, the ``digital divide'' most sharply impacts the 
     poor, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, 
     and residents of rural areas; and
        Whereas, attaining universal access to communication 
     technology is a goal spelled out in the 1996 
     Telecommunications Act; and
        Whereas, a nationwide push among state leaders to equip 
     students with laptops promises to fuel a new generation of 
     math, science, and technology innovators; and
        Whereas, computer proficiency is increasingly required by 
     employers and institutions of higher learning; and
       Whereas, previous technology-focused efforts, such as the 
     Technology Opportunities Program and E-Rate, resulted in 
     newfound information and communication access for millions of 
     students and thousands of schools; and
       Whereas, the provision of low-cost laptops for all students 
     would increase learning in core subjects, improve literacy in 
     technology essential for twenty-first century skills, and 
     stimulate creativity, all necessary in reaching the goal of 
     academic excellence in schools as well as developing a 
     technical proficiency at an early age. Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 
     the Congress of the United States to utilize the power of 
     technology to boost American productivity and performance by 
     consulting with state legislatures, education, and computer 
     organizations to ensure that every student has access to a 
     low-cost laptop. Be it further
       Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution shall be 
     transmitted to the secretary of the United States Senate and 
     the clerk of the United States House of Representatives and 
     to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United 
     States.

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