I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8494 

To provide that certain local parks are eligible for E-Rate support, to provide 

that local parks are eligible for the loan, lease, or transfer of certain 

excess research equipment, and to direct the Secretary of Labor to 

carry out a program to make grants for conducting technology training 

programs in local parks, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2024 

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Science, Space, and Technology, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide that certain local parks are eligible for E-Rate 

support, to provide that local parks are eligible for the 

loan, lease, or transfer of certain excess research equipment, and to direct the Secretary of Labor to carry 

out a program to make grants for conducting technology 

training programs in local parks, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Technology in the 

3 Parks Act of 2024’’. 

4 SEC. 2. E-RATE SUPPORT FOR COVERED LOCAL PARKS. 

5 Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 

6 U.S.C. 254) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (b)(6)— 

8 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AND LI9 BRARIES’’ and inserting ‘‘LIBRARIES, AND COV10 ERED LOCAL PARKS’’; and 

11 (B) by striking ‘‘and libraries’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘libraries, and covered local parks’’; 

13 (2) in subsection (c)(3), by striking ‘‘and health 

14 care providers’’ and inserting ‘‘health care providers, 

15 and covered local parks’’; 

16 (3) in subsection (h)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

18 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AND

19 LIBRARIES’’ and inserting ‘‘, LIBRARIES, 

20 AND COVERED LOCAL PARKS’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘and libraries’’ and in22 serting ‘‘libraries, and covered local 

23 parks’’; 

24 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

25 (i) by inserting ‘‘or a covered local 

26 park’’ after ‘‘telecommunications user’’; 


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1 (ii) by inserting ‘‘or park’’ after ‘‘such 

2 user’’; and 

3 (iii) by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: ‘‘Notwithstanding the preceding 

5 sentence, a covered local park may transfer 

6 telecommunications services and network 

7 capacity to an entity with which such park 

8 has a contract as described in subsection 

9 (m) to enable such entity to conduct a 

10 qualified technology training program as 

11 described in such subsection.’’; 

12 (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘para13 graph (7)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

14 (8)(A)’’; 

15 (D) by redesignating paragraph (7) as 

16 paragraph (8); and 

17 (E) by inserting after paragraph (6) the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(7) INTERNET SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR

20 COVERED LOCAL PARKS.—Not later than 14 days 

21 after the date of the enactment of this paragraph, 

22 the Commission shall promulgate regulations that 

23 provide for internet safety requirements for covered 

24 local parks receiving services at discount rates under 

25 paragraph (1)(B) that are substantially similar to 


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1 the requirements under paragraphs (5) and (6) and 

2 subsection (l) for schools and libraries receiving serv3 ices at discount rates under paragraph (1)(B).’’; and 

4 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(m) COVERED LOCAL PARK DEFINED.—In this sec6 tion, the term ‘covered local park’ means a local park, as 

7 defined in subsection (h) of section 4 of the Technology 

8 in the Parks Act of 2024, that has a contract with an 

9 entity to allow such entity to conduct in such park a quali10 fied technology training program using a grant received 

11 by such entity under such section.’’. 

12 SEC. 3. LOAN, LEASE, OR TRANSFER OF CERTAIN EXCESS 

13 RESEARCH EQUIPMENT. 

14 Subsection (i) of section 11 of the Stevenson-Wydler 

15 Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710) is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) by striking ‘‘The Director’’ and inserting 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director’’; 

20 (2) in paragraph (1), as so inserted, by striking 

21 ‘‘or nonprofit organization’’ and inserting ‘‘, non22 profit organization, or local park’’; and 

23 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

24 paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

2 ‘local park’ means a park owned and maintained by 

3 a local government.’’. 

4 SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR TECHNOLOGY IN THE PARK. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 60 days 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

7 of Labor (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 

8 shall carry out a program under which the Secretary 

9 makes grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to 

10 pay the Federal share of the costs of conducting a quali11 fied technology training program in local parks. 

12 (b) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

13 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 

14 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 

15 and containing such information as the Secretary may re16 quire. 

17 (c) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 

18 a grant under this section shall use the grant to conduct 

19 a qualified technology training program in a local park, 

20 which may include the use of grant funds to— 

21 (1) pay labor costs involved in conducting the 

22 qualified technology training program described in 

23 subsection (d); 


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1 (2) purchase or otherwise obtain necessary 

2 equipment for the qualified technology training pro3 gram described in subsection (d); 

4 (3) create or modify infrastructure to facilitate 

5 the qualified technology training program described 

6 in subsection (d); or 

7 (4) carry out other activities directly related to 

8 the activities needed to conduct the qualified tech9 nology training program described in subsection (d). 

10 (d) QUALIFIED TECHNOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAM

11 DESCRIBED.—A qualified technology training program de12 scribed in this subsection is a program— 

13 (1) the completion of which results in the award 

14 of a recognized postsecondary credential (as defined 

15 in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor16 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)); 

17 (2) that occurs, to the extent practicable— 

18 (A) after school; 

19 (B) as a summer program; or 

20 (C) as a continuing education program; 

21 and 

22 (3) that is designed to train or provide instruc23 tion to covered individuals in— 

24 (A) coding; 

25 (B) cyber security; 


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1 (C) network security; 

2 (D) digital manufacturing; 

3 (E) technology assistance; 

4 (F) software development; 

5 (G) database administration; 

6 (H) web development; 

7 (I) video production; 

8 (J) robotics; 

9 (K) artificial intelligence; 

10 (L) video game design; 

11 (M) reading; 

12 (N) math; or 

13 (O) a combination of the subjects described 

14 in subparagraphs (A) through (N). 

15 (e) GRANT DURATION AND AMOUNT.— 

16 (1) DURATION.—Each grant under this section 

17 shall be made for a period of 2 years. 

18 (2) AMOUNT.—The Secretary shall determine 

19 the maximum amount of each grant under this sec20 tion. 

21 (f) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of a grant 

22 under this section shall not exceed 10 percent of the costs 

23 of carrying out the activities described in subsection (c). 

24 (g) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—An eligible enti25 ty shall use a grant received under this section only to 


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1 supplement funds that would, in the absence of such 

2 grant, be made available from other Federal, State, or 

3 local sources for activities supported by the grant, not to 

4 supplant such funds. 

5 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘covered 

7 individual’’ means an individual who is— 

8 (A) receiving— 

9 (i) unemployment compensation under 

10 any State or Federal law; 

11 (ii) assistance under a State program 

12 for temporary assistance to needy families 

13 funded under part A of title IV of the So14 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

15 (iii) services under a State program 

16 funded by the Social Services Block Grant 

17 program under subtitle A of title XX of 

18 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397 et 

19 seq.); or 

20 (iv) maternal and child health services 

21 under a State program funded by title V of 

22 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701 et 

23 seq.); or 


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1 (B) entitled to monthly insurance benefits 

2 under section 202 or 223 of the Social Security 

3 Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.). 

4 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti5 ty’’ means a non-profit organization. 

6 (3) LOCAL PARK.—The term ‘‘local park’’ 

7 means a park owned and maintained by a local gov8 ernment— 

9 (A) that has a physical structure suitable 

10 for conducting a qualified technology training 

11 program described in subsection (d); or 

12 (B) at which such a physical structure may 

13 be constructed. 

Æ 


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