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[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4180 Introduced in House (IH)]

104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4180

 To provide schools throughout the country with the capability to use 
                new technology to its fullest potential.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 1996

 Mr. Moakley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
          Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To provide schools throughout the country with the capability to use 
                new technology to its fullest potential.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Community On-Line Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) A recent General Accounting Office report entitled 
        ``School Facilities--America's Schools Not Designed or Equipped 
        for the 21st Century'', found that while over 75 percent of the 
        Nation's schools have sufficient computers, most do not have 
        the technology to fully use them, and schools in cities with 
        more than a 50 percent minority population were more likely to 
        have insufficient technology.
            (2) Failure to upgrade technology in our Nation's schools 
        will result in a poorly qualified workforce because students 
        will not become computer literate.
            (3) To become computer literate educators need to be 
        trained to teach children how to use the new technology to its 
        fullest potential.
            (4) A skilled workforce is critical to ensure productivity 
        and competitiveness in the United States.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to provide grants to libraries, local 
educational agencies, and community education centers, to purchase, 
install, and operate the most up-to-date computer systems, access the 
Internet, and train educators to use technology to its fullest 
potential.

SEC. 4. GRANT AWARDS.

    The Secretary of Education may award grants, contracts, or enter 
into cooperative agreements (on a competitive basis) with an eligible 
entity--
            (1) to purchase, install, and operate computers;
            (2) to educate and train teachers, librarians, and others 
        on how to use the latest technology and how to access the 
        information superhighway; and
            (3) to develop teacher and librarian training programs to 
        help all students to use the latest up-to-date technology to 
        its fullest potential.

SEC. 5. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.

    (a) In General.--An eligible entity under this Act is a library, an 
elementary or secondary school, or a local educational agency.
    (b) Partnership.--To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or 
enter into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary, an eligible 
entity shall have formed a partnership with the State, unit of local 
government, or representatives of the local business community in which 
such library, school, or local educational agency is located to 
purchase computers and provide for interconnectivity.

SEC. 6. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.

    A local education agency receiving a grant under this Act shall 
provide either directly or through private contributions or State or 
local contributions, non-Federal matching funds equal to not less than 
50 percent of the amount of the grant.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.
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