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

Summary: Training for Realtime Writers Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to make competitive grants to eligible entities to promote training and placement of individuals, including individuals who have completed a court reporting training program, as realtime writers providing closed captioning in video programming. Sets forth priorities in making grants. Limits grants to$1.5 million for a two-year period.

Requires grantees to use amounts for purposes relating to the recruitment, training and assistance, and job placement of appropriate individuals. Allows scholarships to be provided, with a required post-education work agreement.

Directs: (1) grantees to report annually to the Secretary on uses of grant funds; and (2) the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce to conduct an annual review of the management, efficiency, and effectiveness of the grants.

Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary for FY2006-FY2009.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Training for Realtime Writers Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) As directed by Congress in section 713 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 in English by 2006 and Spanish by 2010.
            (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 decade, student enrollment in programs 
        that train realtime writers and closed captioners has decreased 
        by 50 percent, even though job placement upon graduation is 100 
        percent.

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

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce 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 713 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;
            (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 Secretary of Commerce at such 
time and in such manner as the Secretary 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) further develop and implement both English and Spanish 
        curriculum to more effectively train realtime writing skills, 
        and education in the knowledge necessary for the delivery of 
        high-quality closed captioning services;
            (5) mentor students to ensure successful completion of the 
        realtime training and provide assistance in job placement;
            (6) encourage 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 
        Secretary of Commerce to provide realtime writing services for 
        a period of time (as determined by the Secretary) that is 
        appropriate (as so determined) for the amount of the 
        scholarship received.
            (3) Coursework and employment.--The Secretary 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 or other material terms under subsection (b)(2). 
        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. 
The Secretary shall use no more than 5 percent of the amount available 
for grants under this Act in any fiscal year for administrative costs 
of the program.
    (d) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grant 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 Secretary of Commerce, 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.
    (c) Annual Review.--The Inspector General of the Department of 
Commerce shall conduct an annual review of the management, efficiency, 
and effectiveness of the grants made under this Act.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
Commerce to carry out this Act $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.

SEC. 8. SUNSET.

    This Act is repealed effective October 1, 2009.

            Passed the Senate July 1, 2005.

            Attest:

                                                             Secretary.
109th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                 S. 268

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 To provide competitive grants for training court reporters and closed 
    captioners to meet requirements for realtime writers under the 
        Telecommunications Act of 1996, and for other purposes.