II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2229

To provide for digital empowerment, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 9, 2000

Ms. MILULSKI (for herself, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mr. LEVIN, Mr.

SARBANES, Mrs. MURRAY, Mrs. LINCOLN, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. JOHNSON,

Mr. KERRY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. HOLLINGS, Mr. REID, Mr. ROCKEFELLER,

Mr. BREAUX, Mr. DORGAN, Mr. TORRICELLI, Mr. BAUCUS, Mr. DODD,

Mr. CLELAND, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) introduced the following bill; which

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A BILL

To provide for digital empowerment, 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,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the

5 ‘‘Digital Empowerment Act’’.

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of

7 this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Purposes.

Sec. 3. Findings.

Sec. 4. Definitions.

TITLE I—ONE-STOP SHOP FOR TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
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Sec. 101. One-stop shop for technology education.

Sec. 102. National repository of effective uses of educational technology.

TITLE II—DIGITAL EDUCATION

Sec. 201. National challenge grants for technology in education.

Sec. 202. Local uses of funds.

Sec. 203. Additional requirement for local applications.

Sec. 204. Teacher training.

TITLE III—EXPANSION OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE ASSISTANCE

Sec. 301. Additional uses of universal service assistance by educational providers.

Sec. 302. Eligibility for universal service assistance of head start agencies and

organizations that receive Federal job training funds.

TITLE IV—E-CORPS PROGRAMS

Sec. 401. E-corps.

TITLE V—COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY CENTERS

Sec. 501. Community technology centers.

TITLE VI—NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKS FOR PUBLIC HOUSING

Sec. 601. Computer access for public housing residents.

TITLE VII—INCENTIVES FOR TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE

Sec. 701. Enhanced deduction for corporate donations of computer technology.

TITLE VIII—DEMONSTRATION PROJECT IN K-12 EDUCATION

TECHNOLOGY

Sec. 801. Demonstration project.

1 SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

2 The purposes of this Act are the following:

3 (1) To enable every child in America to cross

4 the digital divide by ensuring that all children have

5 access to technology and technology education.

6 (2) To ensure that every child is computer lit7 erate by the time the child finishes 8th grade, re8 gardless of the child’s race, ethnicity, gender, in9 come, geography, or disability.
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1 SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

2 Congress makes the following findings:

3 (1) A digital divide exists in America. Low-in4 come, urban, and rural families are less likely to

5 have access to the Internet and computers. Black

and Hispanic families are only 2 6 ⁄5 as likely to have

7 Internet access as white families.

8 (2) The Digital divide for the poorest Ameri9 cans has grown by 29% since 1997.

10 (3) Over 50 percent of schools lack the infra11 structure needed to support new technology.

12 (4) While 51 percent of classrooms nationally

13 are wired to the Internet, only 39 percent of class14 rooms with high levels of poverty are connected to

15 the Internet.

16 (5) Predominantly white schools are almost

17 twice as likely to be linked to the Internet than are

18 schools that have predominately minority children.

19 (6) Approximately 4 out of 10 teachers have

20 had no training in using the Internet.

21 (7) Hispanics and African-Americans rely less

22 on home or work sites and more on schools and li23 braries for Internet access.

24 (8) Regardless of income level, Americans living

25 in rural areas are lagging behind in Internet access.

26 At the lowest income levels, those in urban areas are
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1 more than twice as likely to have Internet access

2 than those in rural areas.

3 (9) In the digital economy, access to technology

4 is a fundamental civil right.

5 (10) To ensure that no child is left behind, all

6 children must have access to computers, the Inter7 net, and teachers trained in the use of computers

8 and the Internet in their schools, libraries, and com9 munities.

10 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

11 The terms used in this Act have the meanings given

12 the terms in section 14101 of the Elementary and Sec13 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).

14 TITLE I—ONE-STOP SHOP FOR

15 TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

16 SEC. 101. ONE-STOP SHOP FOR TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION.

17 Section 216 of the Department of Education Organi18 zation Act (as added by Public Law 103–227) (20 U.S.C.

19 3425) is amended—

20 (1) in subsection (a)—

21 (A) by striking ‘‘Director’’ each place the

22 term appears and inserting ‘‘Assistant Sec23 retary’’; and

24 (B) by adding at the end the following:

25 ‘‘The Office shall be a one-stop shop for all
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1 technology education programs within the De2 partment, provide schools and community

3 groups with information with respect to tech4 nology education programs and sources of

5 funds, and serve as a clearinghouse with respect

6 to information on public and private efforts to

7 bring technology to areas underserved by tech8 nology.’’;

9 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Director’’

10 each place the term appears and inserting ‘‘Assist11 ant Secretary’’;

12 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Director’’

13 and inserting ‘‘Assistant Secretary’’; and

14 (4) by redesignating such section (as so amend15 ed) as section 218 of such Act.

16 SEC. 102. NATIONAL REPOSITORY OF EFFECTIVE USES OF

17 EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY.

18 Section 3122(c) of the Elementary and Secondary

19 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6832(c)) is amended—

20 (1) in paragraph (15), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the

21 end;

22 (2) by redesignating paragraph (16) as para23 graph (17); and

24 (3) by inserting after paragraph (15) the fol25 lowing:
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1 ‘‘(16) the development of a national repository

2 of information on the effective uses of educational

3 technology and the dissemination of that information

4 nationwide; and’’.

5 TITLE II—DIGITAL EDUCATION

6 SEC. 201. NATIONAL CHALLENGE GRANTS FOR TECH7 NOLOGY IN EDUCATION.

8 Section 3132 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu9 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6842) is amended—

10 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by adding at the end

11 the following:

12 ‘‘(C) In awarding grants under subparagraph

13 (A), each State educational agency shall give priority

14 to local educational agencies that have—

15 ‘‘(i) the highest numbers or percent16 ages of children in poverty; and

17 ‘‘(ii) a substantial need for assistance

18 in acquiring and using technology.’’; and

19 (2) by adding at the end the following:

20 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

21 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section

22 $850,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such sums as may

23 be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.’’.
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1 SEC. 202. LOCAL USES OF FUNDS.

2 Section 3134 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu3 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6844) is amended—

4 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the

5 end;

6 (2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period and

7 inserting a semicolon; and

8 (3) by adding at the end the following:

9 ‘‘(7) providing intensive training in the use of

10 technology to school librarians and library media

11 specialists; and

12 ‘‘(8) providing technical support and services to

13 assist schools in maintaining their educational tech14 nology.’’.

15 SEC. 203. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR LOCAL APPLI16 CATIONS.

17 Section 3135 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu18 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6845) is amended—

19 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the

20 end;

21 (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period and

22 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and

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

24 ‘‘(5) describe how the local educational agency

25 will ensure that school libraries and media centers

26 possess equipment and trained personnel that en-
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1 ables them to provide access to information in for2 mats made possible by new information and commu3 nication technologies.’’.

4 SEC. 204. TEACHER TRAINING.

5 (a) TEACHER TECHNOLOGY PREPARATION ACAD6 EMIES.—

7 (1) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of

8 Education is authorized to award grants under sub9 section (b) to State educational agencies to enable

10 the State educational agencies to establish Teacher

11 Technology Preparation Academies within the State

12 that—

13 (A) provide teachers, librarians, and li14 brary media specialists with training to acquire

15 or upgrade technology skills in order to use

16 technology effectively in the classroom;

17 (B) have training plans developed by a

18 local educational agency; and

19 (C) encourage teachers, librarians, and li20 brary media specialists trained at the academies

21 to return to their schools and act as technology

22 instructors for other teachers, librarians, and li23 brary media specialists.

24 (2) FORMULA.—The Secretary of Education

25 shall award grants to State educational agencies
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1 under subsection (a) in the same manner as the Sec2 retary awards grants to State educational agencies

3 under sections 3131 and 3132 of the Elementary

4 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.

5 6841, 6842).

6 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

7 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out

8 this subsection $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2001

9 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the

10 4 succeeding fiscal years.

11 (b) NEW TEACHER TRAINING.—

12 (1) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of

13 Education is authorized to award grants, on a com14 petitive basis, to institutions of higher education to

15 enable the institutions to train students entering the

16 teaching workforce to use technology effectively in

17 the classroom.

18 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

19 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out

20 this subsection $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2001

21 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the

22 4 succeeding fiscal years.

23 (c) LIBRARIES.—

24 (1) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of

25 Education is authorized to award grants to State
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1 educational agencies to enable the State educational

2 agencies to provide school library technology and

3 training for school librarians and library media spe4 cialists.

5 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

6 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out

7 this subsection $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2001

8 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the

9 4 succeeding fiscal years.

10 TITLE III—EXPANSION OF UNI11 VERSAL SERVICE ASSIST12 ANCE

13 SEC. 301. ADDITIONAL USES OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE AS14 SISTANCE BY EDUCATIONAL PROVIDERS.

15 (a) STRUCTURED AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES.—Sub16 paragraph (B) of section 254(h)(1) of the Communica17 tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h)(1)) is amended by

18 inserting ‘‘(including structured after-school activities)’’

19 after ‘‘for educational purposes’’.

20 (b) MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF TECHNOLOGY.—

21 Section 254(h)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47

22 U.S.C. 254(h)(1)) is amended—

23 (1) by designating the third sentence of sub24 paragraph (B) as subparagraph (E) and inserting at
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1 the beginning of such subparagraph (E) the fol2 lowing:

3 ‘‘(E) OFFSET.—’’; and

4 (2) in subparagraph (B)—

5 (A) by striking ‘‘(B) EDUCATIONAL PRO6 VIDERS AND LIBRARIES.—All telecommuni7 cations carriers’’ and inserting the following:

8 ‘‘(B) EDUCATIONAL PROVIDERS AND LI9 BRARIES.—

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—All telecommuni11 cations carriers’’;

12 (B) by designating the second sentence as

13 clause (ii) and inserting at the beginning of

14 such clause the following:

15 ‘‘(ii) AMOUNT OF DISCOUNT.—’’; and

16 (C) by adding after clause (ii), as des17 ignated by subparagraph (B), the following:

18 ‘‘(iii) MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF

19 TECHNOLOGY.—An elementary school or

20 secondary school that receives funds under

21 this subparagraph in lieu (whether in

22 whole or in part) of discounts under this

23 subparagraph may use such funds for pur24 poses of the maintenance and repair of

25 technology necessary for the utilization of
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1 services for which discounts are available

2 under this subparagraph.’’.

3 SEC. 302. ELIGIBILITY FOR UNIVERSAL SERVICE ASSIST4 ANCE OF HEAD START AGENCIES AND ORGA5 NIZATIONS THAT RECEIVE FEDERAL JOB

6 TRAINING FUNDS.

7 (a) ELIGIBILITY OF HEAD START AGENCIES.—Sec8 tion 254(h)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47

9 U.S.C. 254(h)(1)), as amended by section 301 of this Act,

10 is amended by inserting after subparagraph (B) the fol11 lowing:

12 ‘‘(C) HEAD START AGENCIES.—A Head

13 Start agency shall be provided services under

14 this paragraph to the same extent, and subject

15 to the same conditions and limitations, as ele16 mentary schools, secondary schools, and librar17 ies are provided services under subparagraph

18 (B).’’.

19 (b) ELIGIBILITY OF ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING

20 FEDERAL JOB TRAINING FUNDS.—Section 254(h)(1) of

21 the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254(h)(1))

22 is amended by inserting after subparagraph (C), as in23 serted by subsection (a) of this section, the following:

24 ‘‘(D) ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING FEDERAL

25 JOB TRAINING FUNDS.—An organization that
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1 receives Federal funds to provide job training

2 services shall be provided services under this

3 paragraph the same extent, and subject to the

4 same conditions and limitations, as elementary

5 schools, secondary schools, and libraries are

6 provided services under subparagraph (B).’’.

7 (c) HEAD START AGENCY DEFINED.—Section

8 254(h)(5) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.

9 254(h)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

10 ‘‘(D) HEAD START AGENCY.—The term

11 ‘Head Start agency’ means an agency des12 ignated under section 641 of the Head Start

13 Act (42 U.S.C. 9836).’’.

14 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 254 of the

15 Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 254) is

16 amended—

17 (1) in subsection (b)(6)—

18 (A) in the paragraph heading by striking

19 ‘‘AND LIBRARIES’’ and inserting ‘‘LIBRARIES,

20 HEAD START AGENCIES, AND CERTAIN OTHER

21 ORGANIZATIONS’’; and

22 (B) by striking ‘‘and libraries’’ and insert23 ing ‘‘libraries, Head Start agencies, and organi24 zations that receive Federal job training

25 funds’’;
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1 (2) in subsection (c)(3), by striking ‘‘and health

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

3 Head Start agencies, and organizations that receive

4 Federal job training funds’’; and

5 (3) in subsection (h)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘and li6 braries’’ and inserting ‘‘libraries, Head Start agen7 cies, and organizations that receive Federal job

8 training funds’’.

9 TITLE IV—E-CORPS PROGRAMS

10 SEC. 401. E-CORPS.

11 (a) PROGRAMS.—Section 122(a) of the National and

12 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12572(a)) is

13 amended—

14 (1) by redesignating paragraph (15) as para15 graph (16); and

16 (2) by inserting after paragraph (14) the fol17 lowing new paragraph:

18 ‘‘(15) An E-Corps program that involves par19 ticipants who are proficient in technology and who

20 provide service in a community by developing and

21 assisting in carrying out technology programs in ele22 mentary schools, secondary schools, and community

23 centers.’’.
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1 (b) RULES.—Section 122 of the National and Com2 munity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12572) is amended

3 by adding at the end the following:

4 ‘‘(d) IMPLEMENTATION.—In carrying out this title,

5 and in particular in establishing priorities as described in

6 subsection (c), in distributing funding as described in sec7 tion 129, and in applying the criteria, considerations, and

8 rules of emphasis described in subsections (c) through (e)

9 of section 133, the Corporation shall ensure that none of

10 the funds described in section 501(a)(2)(B) is used for

11 a purpose other than carrying out programs described in

12 subsection (a)(15).’’.

13 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section

14 501(a)(2)(B) of the National and Community Service Act

15 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(2)(B)) is amended—

16 (1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year, up to 15’’ and in17 serting the following: ‘‘fiscal year—

18 ‘‘(i) up to 15’’;

19 (2) by striking the period and inserting ‘‘;

20 and’’; and

21 (3) by adding at the end the following:

22 ‘‘(ii) $25,000,000 shall be made avail23 able to carry out programs described in

24 section 122(a)(15) and provide national

25 service educational awards under subtitle
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1 D of title I to participants in such pro2 grams.’’.

3 TITLE V—COMMUNITY

4 TECHNOLOGY CENTERS

5 SEC. 501. COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY CENTERS.

6 Part A of title III of Elementary and Secondary Edu7 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6811–6871) is amended

8 by adding at the end the following:

9 ‘‘Subpart 5—Community Technology Centers

10 ‘‘SEC. 3161. ‘‘PURPOSE; PROGRAM AUTHORITY.

11 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subpart is to

12 assist eligible applicants to—

13 ‘‘(1) create or expand community technology

14 centers that will provide disadvantaged residents of

15 economically distressed urban and rural communities

16 with access to information technology and related

17 training; and

18 ‘‘(2) provide technical assistance and support to

19 community technology centers.

20 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is author22 ized, through the Office of Educational Technology,

23 to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agree24 ments on a competitive basis to eligible applicants in

25 order to assist them in—
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1 ‘‘(A) creating or expanding community

2 technology centers; or

3 ‘‘(B) providing technical assistance and

4 support to community technology centers.

5 ‘‘(2) PERIOD OF AWARD.—The Secretary may

6 award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements

7 under this subpart for a period of not more than 3

8 years.

9 ‘‘SEC. 3162. ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION REQUIRE10 MENTS.

11 ‘‘(a) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—In order to be eligible

12 to receive an award under this subpart, an applicant

13 shall—

14 ‘‘(1) have the capacity to expand significantly

15 access to computers and related services for dis16 advantaged residents of economically distressed

17 urban and rural communities (who would otherwise

18 be denied such access); and

19 ‘‘(2) be—

20 ‘‘(A) an entity such as a foundation, mu21 seum, library, for-profit business, public or pri22 vate nonprofit organization, or community23 based organization;

24 ‘‘(B) an institution of higher education;

25 ‘‘(C) a State educational agency;
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1 ‘‘(D) a local education agency; or

2 ‘‘(E) a consortium of entities described in

3 subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D).

4 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—In order to re5 ceive an award under this subpart, an eligible applicant

6 shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time,

7 and containing such information, as the Secretary may re8 quire. Such application shall include—

9 ‘‘(1) a description of the proposed project, in10 cluding a description of the magnitude of the need

11 for the services and how the project would expand

12 access to information technology and related services

13 to disadvantaged residents of an economically dis14 tressed urban or rural community;

15 ‘‘(2) a demonstration of—

16 ‘‘(A) the commitment, including the finan17 cial commitment, of entities such as institu18 tions, organizations, businesses, and other

19 groups in the community that will provide sup20 port for the creation, expansion, and continu21 ation of the proposed project; and

22 ‘‘(B) the extent to which the proposed

23 project establishes linkages with other appro24 priate agencies, efforts, and organizations pro25 viding services to disadvantaged residents of an
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1 economically distressed urban or rural commu2 nity;

3 ‘‘(3) a description of how the proposed project

4 would be sustained once the Federal funds awarded

5 under this subpart are expended; and

6 ‘‘(4) a plan for the evaluation of the program,

7 which shall include benchmarks to monitor progress

8 toward specific project objectives.

9 ‘‘(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.—The Federal

10 share of the cost of any project funded under this subpart

11 shall not exceed 50 percent. The non-Federal share of

12 such project may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated,

13 including services.

14 ‘‘SEC. 3163. USES OF FUNDS.

15 ‘‘(a) REQUIRED USES.—A recipient shall use funds

16 awarded under this subpart for—

17 ‘‘(1) creating or expanding community tech18 nology centers that expand access to information

19 technology and related training for disadvantaged

20 residents of distressed urban or rural communities;

21 and

22 ‘‘(2) evaluating the effectiveness of the project.

23 ‘‘(b) PERMISSIBLE USES.—A recipient may use funds

24 awarded under this subpart for activities described in its
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1 application that carry out the purposes of this subpart,

2 such as—

3 ‘‘(1) supporting a center coordinator, and staff,

4 to supervise instruction and build community part5 nerships;

6 ‘‘(2) acquiring equipment, networking capabili7 ties, and infrastructure to carry out the project;

8 ‘‘(3) developing and providing services and ac9 tivities for community residents that provide access

10 to computers, information technology, and the use of

11 such technology in support of preschool preparation,

12 academic achievement, lifelong learning, and work13 force development, such as—

14 ‘‘(A) after-school activities in which chil15 dren and youths use software that provides aca16 demic enrichment and assistance with home17 work, develops their technical skills, and allows

18 them to explore the Internet and participate in

19 multimedia activities, including webpage design

20 and creation;

21 ‘‘(B) adult education and family literacy

22 activities through technology and the Internet,

23 including—
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1 ‘‘(i) General Education Development,

2 English as a Second Language, and adult

3 basic education classes or programs;

4 ‘‘(ii) introduction to computers;

5 ‘‘(iii) intergenerational activities; and

6 ‘‘(iv) lifelong learning opportunities;

7 ‘‘(C) career development and job prepara8 tion activities, such as—

9 ‘‘(i) training in basic and advanced

10 computer skills;

11 ‘‘(ii) resume writing workshops; and

12 ‘‘(iii) access to databases of employ13 ment opportunities, career information,

14 and other online materials.

15 ‘‘(D) small business activities, such as—

16 ‘‘(i) computer-based training for basic

17 entrepreneurial skills and electronic com18 merce; and

19 ‘‘(ii) access to information on business

20 startup programs that is available online,

21 or from other sources;

22 ‘‘(E) activities that provide home access to

23 computers and technology, such as assistance

24 and services to promote the acquisition, instal25 lation, and use of information technology in the
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1 home through low-cost solutions such as

2 networked computers, web-based television de3 vices, and other technology.

4 ‘‘SEC. 3164. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

5 ‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out

6 this subpart, $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such

7 sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding

8 fiscal years.’’.

9 TITLE VI—NEIGHBORHOOD NET10 WORKS FOR PUBLIC HOUSING

11 SEC. 601. COMPUTER ACCESS FOR PUBLIC HOUSING RESI12 DENTS.

13 (a) USE OF PUBLIC HOUSING CAPITAL AND OPER14 ATING FUNDS.—Section 9 of the United States Housing

15 Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g) is amended—

16 (1) in subsection (d)(1)(E), by inserting before

17 the semicolon the following: ‘‘, including the estab18 lishment and initial operation of computer centers in

19 and around public housing through a Neighborhood

20 Networks initiative, for the purpose of enhancing the

21 self-sufficiency, employability, and economic self-reli22 ance of public housing residents by providing them

23 with onsite computer access and training resources’’;

24 (2) in subsection (e)(1)—
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1 (A) in subparagraph (I), by striking the

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end;

3 (B) in subparagraph (J), by striking the

4 period and inserting’’; and’’; and

5 (C) by adding after subparagraph (J) the

6 following:

7 ‘‘(K) the costs of operating computer cen8 ters in public housing through a Neighborhood

9 Networks initiative described in subsection

10 (d)(1)(E), and of activities related to that ini11 tiative.’’; and

12 (3) in subsection (h)—

13 (A) in paragraph (6), by striking the

14 ‘‘and’’ at the end;

15 (B) in paragraph (7), by striking the pe16 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and

17 (C) by inserting after paragraph (7) the

18 following:

19 ‘‘(8) assistance in connection with the establish20 ment and operation of computer centers in public

21 housing through a Neighborhood Networks initiative

22 described in subsection (d)(1)(E).’’.

23 (b) DEMOLITION, SITE REVITALIZATION, REPLACE24 MENT HOUSING, AND TENANT-BASED ASSISTANCE
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1 GRANTS FOR PROJECTS.—Section 24 of the United States

2 Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v) is amended—

3 (1) in subsection (d)(1)(G), by inserting before

4 the semicolon the following: ‘‘, including a Neighbor5 hood Networks initiative for the establishment and

6 operation of computer centers in public housing for

7 the purpose of enhancing the self-sufficiency, em8 ployability, and economic self-reliance of public hous9 ing residents by providing them with onsite com10 puter access and training resources’’; and

11 (2) in subsection (m)(2), in the first sentence,

12 by inserting before the period the following: ‘‘, in13 cluding assistance in connection with the establish14 ment and operation of computer centers in public

15 housing through the Neighborhoods Networks initia16 tive described in subsection (d)(1)(G)’’.

17 TITLE VII—INCENTIVES FOR

18 TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE

19 SEC. 701. ENHANCED DEDUCTION FOR CORPORATE DONA20 TIONS OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY.

21 (a) EXPANSION OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY DONA22 TIONS TO HEAD START CENTERS, STRUCTURED AFTER23 SCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND CERTAIN PUBLIC LIBRARIES

24 AND COMMUNITY CENTERS.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (6) of section

2 170(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relat3 ing to special rule for contributions of computer

4 technology and equipment for elementary or sec5 ondary school purposes) is amended by striking

6 ‘‘qualified elementary or secondary educational con7 tribution’’ each place it occurs in the headings and

8 text and inserting ‘‘qualified computer contribution’’.

9 (2) EXPANSION OF ELIGIBLE DONEES.—Sub10 clause (II) of section 170(e)(6)(B)(i) of such Code

11 (relating to qualified elementary or secondary edu12 cational contribution) is amended by striking ‘‘or’’ at

13 the end of subclause (I) and by inserting after sub14 clause (II) the following new subclauses:

15 ‘‘(III) a Head Start agency des16 ignated under section 641 of the

17 Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836),

18 ‘‘(IV) a structured after-school

19 program,

20 ‘‘(V) a public library (within the

21 meaning of section 213(2)(A) of the

22 Library Services and Technology Act

23 (20 U.S.C. 9122(2)(A)), as in effect

24 on the date of the enactment of the

25 New Millennium Classrooms Act, es-
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1 tablished and maintained by an entity

2 described in subsection (c)(1) and lo3 cated in an empowerment zone or en4 terprise community designated under

5 part I of subchapter U or a popu6 lation census tract within which the

7 poverty rate is not less than 20 per8 cent (as determined under part I of

9 subchapter U), or

10 ‘‘(VI) a community center located

11 in such a zone, community, or census

12 tract,’’.

13 (b) DONATIONS OF COMPUTER TRAINING AND MAIN14 TENANCE ALLOWED.—Subparagraph (B) of section

15 170(e)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amend16 ed by inserting ‘‘(including training or maintenance serv17 ices with respect to such technology or equipment)’’ after

18 ‘‘computer technology or equipment’’.

19 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—

20 (1) Section 170(e)(6)((B)(iv) of the Internal

21 Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ‘‘in

22 any grades K–12’’.

23 (2) The heading of paragraph (6) of section

24 170(e) of such Code is amended by striking ‘‘ELE-
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1 MENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL PURPOSES’’ and

2 inserting ‘‘EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES’’.

3 (d) EXTENSION OF DEDUCTION.—Section

4 170(e)(6)(F) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relat5 ing to termination) is amended by striking ‘‘during any

6 taxable year beginning after December 31, 2000’’ and in7 serting ‘‘after June 30, 2004’’.

8 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

9 this section shall apply to contributions made after De10 cember 31, 2000.

11 TITLE VIII—DEMONSTRATION

12 PROJECT IN K–12 EDUCATION

13 TECHNOLOGY

14 SEC. 801. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.

15 (a) REQUIREMENT TO UNDERTAKE PROJECT.—

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education

17 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall

18 conduct a demonstration project that—

19 (A) delivers a highly flexible educational

20 system designed for kindergarten through grade

21 12, or a component thereof, that includes hard22 ware, software, training and ongoing support

23 and professional development;

24 (B) implements an Internet-based, one-to25 one pilot project that specifically targets the
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1 educational needs of students in grade 3

2 through grade 12 who reside in low-income

3 school districts; and

4 (C) is conducted by an organization with

5 proven expertise in the research and develop6 ment of education technology designed for kin7 dergarten through grade 12.

8 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The demonstration

9 project shall provide for the following:

10 (A) A rugged notebook computer for every

11 student participating in the project.

12 (B) An infrared wireless connection to the

13 school’s local area network.

14 (C) A low-cost, high-speed Internet connec15 tion.

16 (D) Customized, professional development

17 for technical and instructional staff.

18 (E) An academic information system that

19 provides alignment between curricula, state

20 standards, assessment, and teacher resources.

21 (F) A parental training component.

22 (3) USE OF EXISTING PROGRAMS.—The Sec23 retary may contract with a private company or orga24 nization to carry out a demonstration under this sec25 tion.
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1 (4) COORDINATION WITH LOCAL EDUCATIONAL

2 AGENCIES.—Where practicable, the Secretary shall

3 coordinate project implementation and oversight

4 with a local educational agency and a private com5 pany, if such a company is used in the project.

6 (5) PREFERENCE FOR LOCATION.—To maxi7 mize results, but only to the extent practicable, the

8 demonstration project should be conducted in a loca9 tion where a similar program is already at least par10 tially underway.

11 (6) REPORT.—

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the

14 Secretary shall submit a report to the Com15 mittee on Education and the Workforce of the

16 House of Representatives that describes the re17 sults of the pilot project, the feasibility and

18 costs of implementing the pilot project in the

19 entire public school system, and recommenda20 tions for the further deployment of similar edu21 cational technology.

22 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—The report shall in23 clude a description of—

24 (i) any agreement entered into by the

25 Secretary with other Federal agencies,
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1 local educational agencies, or private orga2 nizations to complete the project;

3 (ii) the number and location of similar

4 programs;

5 (iii) data on student improvement in

6 meeting state standards and assessment

7 exams; and

8 (iv) the number, if any, of lost or sto9 len laptops during the pilot project, and

10 causes thereof, as reported by the local

11 educational agency.

12 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

13 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary not

14 more than $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 to carry out

15 the demonstration project required under this section.

Æ