I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7486 

To establish a Library Stabilization Fund to respond to and accelerate the 

recovery from coronavirus. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 2, 2020 

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. LEE of 

California, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. RYAN, Mr. 

BISHOP of Georgia, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. SEWELL

of Alabama, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. MCGOVERN, 

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. 

SOTO, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. COHEN, Mr. GARAMENDI, 

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. NORTON, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, 

Ms. MENG, and Mr. TAKANO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the 

Committee on the Budget, 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 establish a Library Stabilization Fund to respond to 

and accelerate the recovery from coronavirus. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Library Stabilization 

5 Fund Act of 2020’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) CORONAVIRUS.—The term ‘‘coronavirus’’ 

4 means the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19). 

5 (2) DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS.—The term 

6 ‘‘digital literacy skills’’ has the meaning given the 

7 term in section 202 of the Museum and Library 

8 Services Act (20 U.S.C. 9101). 

9 (3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ has the 

10 meaning given the term in section 202 of the Mu11 seum and Library Services Act (20 U.S.C. 9101). 

12 (4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

13 has the meaning given the term in section 202 of the 

14 Museum and Library Services Act (20 U.S.C. 9101). 

15 (5) LIBRARY.—The term ‘‘library’’ has the 

16 meaning given the term in section 213 of the Li17 brary Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 

18 9122). 

19 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean20 ing given the term in section 213 of the Library 

21 Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 9122). 

22 (7) STATE LIBRARY ADMINISTRATIVE AGEN23 CY.—The term ‘‘State library administrative agen24 cy’’ has the meaning given the term in section 213 

25 of the Library Services and Technology Act (20 

26 U.S.C. 9122). 


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1 SEC. 3. LIBRARY STABILIZATION FUND. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—From the amount appro3 priated under section 8, there is established a Library Sta4 bilization Fund to respond to and accelerate the recovery 

5 from the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus and 

6 to address the social inequities that have been exacerbated 

7 during the crisis. 

8 (b) ALLOCATIONS.—From the amount available in 

9 the Library Stabilization Fund, the Director shall allo10 cate— 

11 (1) not less than $1,715,000,000 to the States; 

12 (2) not less than $45,000,000 to Indian Tribes 

13 and to organizations that primarily serve and rep14 resent Native Hawaiians; and 

15 (3) not less than $200,000,000 to carry out ac16 tivities strengthening the ability of libraries to pro17 vide services to communities affected by coronavirus. 

18 (c) USES OF FUNDS.—Funds provided under sub19 section (b) may be used to provide support to libraries— 

20 (1) to continue to provide library services to 

21 their communities, including by supporting general 

22 operations, paying staff, ensuring the ongoing 

23 functionality of libraries (including by purchasing 

24 deep cleaning services and coronavirus response sup25 plies), and supporting the continued development of, 

26 and training of library staff on, best practices for 


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1 the safe handling of library materials and ways to 

2 sustain reopening and operations; 

3 (2) to safely provide access to computers, print4 ers, copiers, and other technology (including new 

5 and emerging technologies) in libraries, to expand 

6 digital network access, purchase and lend internet 

7 accessible devices (such as laptops and hotspots), 

8 and purchase and lend digital resources, and to pro9 vide technical support services for users in the li10 brary and for those using borrowed devices remotely; 

11 (3) to strengthen and expand services and re12 sources relating to early education and literacy, dis13 tance learning and education (including through 

14 partnerships with public schools to ensure continuity 

15 of education and address learning loss), adult edu16 cation, job searches and resume building, workforce 

17 development and skills training, economic and busi18 ness development, health information, digital literacy 

19 skills, and financial literacy; and 

20 (4) to ensure access to government and commu21 nity services, cultural resources, and related func22 tions and activities. 

23 (d) ADMINISTRATION AND OVERSIGHT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—From the amount available 

25 in the Library Stabilization Fund, the Director may 


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1 allocate not more than 2 percent of such amount for 

2 program administration, oversight activities, re3 search, analysis, and data collection related to pre4 venting, preparing for, and responding to 

5 coronavirus. 

6 (2) REPORTS.—From the research, analysis, 

7 and data collection carried out under paragraph (1), 

8 including what is gathered from entities receiving 

9 funding under this Act, the Director shall issue re10 ports to the Committee on Appropriations of the 

11 Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

12 House of Representatives detailing how funding 

13 under this Act has been spent and its impact on im14 proving library services in communities that are 

15 served. 

16 (e) NO MATCHING REQUIREMENT OR NONFEDERAL

17 SHARE.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a 

18 State, Indian Tribe, organization, library, or other entity 

19 that receives a grant under this Act shall not be required 

20 to provide matching funds or a nonfederal share toward 

21 the cost of the activities carried out with the grant funds. 

22 SEC. 4. STATE EMERGENCY LIBRARY RELIEF FUND. 

23 (a) GRANTS.—From the funds allocated under sec24 tion 3(b)(1), the Director shall make Emergency Library 


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1 Relief grants to each State library administrative agency 

2 with an approved 5-year plan. 

3 (b) ALLOTMENTS.—The Director shall make grants 

4 under subsection (a) from allotments to States in the same 

5 manner as the Director makes allotments to States under 

6 section 221(b) of the Library Services and Technology Act 

7 (20 U.S.C. 9131(b)), except that, for purposes of this sec8 tion, the minimum allotment for each State shall be 

9 $10,000,000, except that the minimum allotment shall be 

10 $500,000 in the case of the United States Virgin Islands, 

11 Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the North12 ern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 

13 the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of 

14 Palau. 

15 (c) USES OF FUNDS.—A State library administrative 

16 agency that receives a grant under this section shall— 

17 (1) use the grant funds in accordance with sec18 tion 3(c); and 

19 (2) prioritize support through grants to librar20 ies in communities that the State library administra21 tive agency determines have been most significantly 

22 impacted by the coronavirus. 

23 (d) ADMINISTRATION.—Not more than 4 percent of 

24 the total amount of funds received under this section by 


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1 a State library administrative agency may be used for ad2 ministrative costs. 

3 SEC. 5. NATIVE AMERICAN LIBRARY SERVICES RELIEF 

4 FUND. 

5 From the funds allocated under section 3(b)(2), the 

6 Director shall make Emergency Library Relief grants to 

7 Indian Tribes and to organizations that primarily serve 

8 and represent Native Hawaiians in the same manner as 

9 the Director makes grants under section 261 of the Li10 brary Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 9161) to 

11 enable the Tribes and organizations to carry out the activi12 ties described in section 3(c). 

13 SEC. 6. MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT. 

14 With respect to amounts made available under sec15 tions (4) and (5), the Director shall waive the require16 ment, if requested by the entities funded under these sec17 tions, under section 223(c) of the Museum and Library 

18 Services Act (20 U.S.C. 9133(c)) relating to maintenance 

19 of effort. 

20 SEC. 7. STRENGTHENING THE ABILITY OF LIBRARIES TO 

21 PROVIDE SERVICES TO COMMUNITIES AF22 FECTED BY CORONAVIRUS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—From the funds allocated under 

24 section 3(b)(3), the Director shall carry out activities 

25 strengthening the ability of libraries to provide services to 


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1 communities affected by the coronavirus and in accord2 ance with the support described in section 3(c). 

3 (b) USES OF FUNDS.—The Director may carry out 

4 the activities described in this section by entering into ar5 rangements, including grants, contracts, cooperative 

6 agreements, and other forms of assistance, with libraries, 

7 library consortia and associations, institutions of higher 

8 education, and other entities that the Director determines 

9 appropriate. 

10 (c) PRIORITY.—The Director shall prioritize support 

11 under this section through grants to libraries in commu12 nities that the Director determines have been most signifi13 cantly impacted by coronavirus. 

14 (d) APPLICATIONS.—Not later than 45 days after the 

15 date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue a 

16 notice inviting applications for grants, contracts, coopera17 tive agreements, and other forms of assistance under this 

18 section. 

19 (e) ALLOCATIONS.—The Director— 

20 (1) shall allocate not less than half the funds 

21 made available to carry out this section not later 

22 than 90 days after the date of enactment of this 

23 Act; and 


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1 (2) may make additional allocations on a rolling 

2 basis based on the best available data at the time of 

3 the allocation. 

4 (f) REPORT.—An entity with whom the Director has 

5 entered into an arrangement under this section shall sub6 mit a report to the Director, at such time and in such 

7 manner as the Director may require, that describes the 

8 use of funds provided under this section. 

9 SEC. 8. APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro11 priated, and there is appropriated, $2,000,000,000, to re12 main available through September 30, 2021, to carry out 

13 this Act. 

14 (b) DESIGNATED FOR AN EMERGENCY.—The amount 

15 under subsection (a) is designated by the Congress as 

16 being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 

17 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

18 Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)(i)). 

Æ 


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