I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4278 

To amend the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 to support programs of 

grants to States to address the assistive technology needs of individuals 

with disabilities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 5, 2004 

Mr. MCKEON (for himself and Mr. BOEHNER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 to support 

programs of grants to States to address the assistive 

technology needs of individuals with disabilities, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Access to 

5 Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities Act 

6 of 2004’’. 
2 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACT 

2 OF 1998. 

3 The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 

4 3001 et seq.) is amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

7 ‘Assistive Technology Act of 1998’. 

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

9 for this Act is as follows: 

‘‘Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

‘‘Sec. 2. Findings and purposes. 

‘‘Sec. 3. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 4. Grants to States for purchase of assistive technology devices and assistive technology services. 

‘‘Sec. 5. Grants to States for protection and advocacy related to assistive technology. 

‘‘Sec. 6. Administrative provisions. 

‘‘Sec. 7. National activities. 

‘‘Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

11 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

12 ‘‘(1) Disability is a natural part of the human 

13 experience and in no way diminishes the right of in14 dividuals to— 

15 ‘‘(A) live independently; 

16 ‘‘(B) enjoy self-determination and make 

17 choices; 

18 ‘‘(C) benefit from an education; 

19 ‘‘(D) pursue meaningful careers; and 

20 ‘‘(E) enjoy full inclusion and integration in 

21 the economic, political, social, cultural, and edu-
3 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 cational mainstream of society in the United 

2 States. 

3 ‘‘(2) Technology is one of the primary engines 

4 for economic activity, education, and innovation in 

5 the Nation, and throughout the world. The commit6 ment of the United States to the development and 

7 utilization of technology is one of the main factors 

8 underlying the strength and vibrancy of the economy 

9 of the United States. 

10 ‘‘(3) As technology has come to play an increas11 ingly important role in the lives of all persons in the 

12 United States, in the conduct of business, in the 

13 functioning of government, in the fostering of com14 munication, in the conduct of commerce, and in the 

15 provision of education, its impact upon the lives of 

16 individuals with disabilities in the United States has 

17 been comparable to its impact upon the remainder 

18 of the citizens of the United States. Any develop19 ment in mainstream technology would have profound 

20 implications for individuals with disabilities in the 

21 United States. 

22 ‘‘(4) Over the last 15 years, the Federal Gov23 ernment has invested in the development of state24 wide comprehensive systems to help individuals with 

25 disabilities gain access to assistive technology devices 
4 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 and services. This partnership with States provided 

2 an important service to individuals with disabilities 

3 by strengthening the capacity of each State to assist 

4 individuals with disabilities of all ages with their as5 sistive technology needs. 

6 ‘‘(5) Substantial progress has been made in the 

7 development of assistive technology devices, includ8 ing adaptations to existing devices that facilitate ac9 tivities of daily living, that significantly benefit indi10 viduals with disabilities of all ages. These devices 

11 and adaptations increase the involvement, and re12 duce expenditures associated with, programs and ac13 tivities that facilitate communication, ensure inde14 pendent living and functioning, enable early child15 hood development, support educational achievement, 

16 provide and enhance employment options, and enable 

17 full participation in community living for individuals 

18 with disabilities. 

19 ‘‘(6) Despite the success of the Federal-State 

20 partnership in providing access to assistive tech21 nology and services, there is a continued need to 

22 provide information about the availability of assistive 

23 technology, advances in improving accessibility and 

24 functionality of assistive technology, and appropriate 

25 methods to secure and utilize assistive technology in 
5 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 order to maximize their independence and participa2 tion of individuals with disabilities in society. 

3 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

4 ‘‘(1) to ensure that States provide assistive 

5 technology to individuals with disabilities through 

6 comprehensive statewide programs of technology-re7 lated assistance, for individuals with disabilities of 

8 all ages, that are designed to— 

9 ‘‘(A) increase the availability of, funding 

10 for, access to, provision of, and training about 

11 assistive technology devices and assistive tech12 nology services; 

13 ‘‘(B) increase the ability of individuals 

14 with disabilities of all ages to secure and main15 tain possession of assistive technology devices 

16 as such individuals make the transition between 

17 services offered by human service agencies or 

18 between settings of daily living (for example, 

19 between home and work); 

20 ‘‘(C) increase the capacity of public agen21 cies and private entities to provide and pay for 

22 assistive technology devices and assistive tech23 nology services on a statewide basis for individ24 uals with disabilities of all ages; 
6 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(D) increase the involvement of individ2 uals with disabilities and, if appropriate, their 

3 family members, guardians, advocates, and au4 thorized representatives, in decisions related to 

5 the provision of assistive technology devices and 

6 assistive technology services; 

7 ‘‘(E) increase and promote coordination 

8 among State agencies, between State and local 

9 agencies, among local agencies, and between 

10 State and local agencies and private entities 

11 (such as managed care providers), that are in12 volved or are eligible to be involved in carrying 

13 out activities under this Act; 

14 ‘‘(F) increase the awareness and facilitate 

15 the change of laws, regulations, policies, prac16 tices, procedures, and organizational structures, 

17 that facilitate the availability or provision of as18 sistive technology devices and assistive tech19 nology services; and 

20 ‘‘(G) increase awareness and knowledge of 

21 the benefits of assistive technology devices and 

22 assistive technology services among targeted in23 dividuals; and 

24 ‘‘(2) to provide States with financial assistance 

25 that supports programs designed to maximize the 
7 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ability of individuals with disabilities and their fam2 ily members, guardians, advocates, and authorized 

3 representatives to obtain assistive technology devices 

4 and assistive technology services. 

5 ‘‘SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

6 ‘‘In this Act: 

7 ‘‘(1) ADVOCACY SERVICES.—The term ‘advo8 cacy services’, except as used as part of the term 

9 ‘protection and advocacy services’, means services 

10 provided to assist individuals with disabilities and 

11 their family members, guardians, advocates, and au12 thorized representatives in accessing assistive tech13 nology devices and assistive technology services. 

14 ‘‘(2) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY.—The term ‘as15 sistive technology’ means technology designed to be 

16 utilized in an assistive technology device or assistive 

17 technology service. 

18 ‘‘(3) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY DEVICE.—The 

19 term ‘assistive technology device’ means any item, 

20 piece of equipment, or product system, whether ac21 quired commercially, modified, or customized, that is 

22 used to increase, maintain, or improve functional ca23 pabilities of individuals with disabilities. 

24 ‘‘(4) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SERVICE.—The 

25 term ‘assistive technology service’ means any service 
8 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 that directly assists an individual with a disability in 

2 the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive tech3 nology device. Such term includes— 

4 ‘‘(A) the evaluation of the assistive tech5 nology needs of an individual with a disability, 

6 including a functional evaluation of the impact 

7 of the provision of appropriate assistive tech8 nology and appropriate services to the indi9 vidual in the customary environment of the in10 dividual; 

11 ‘‘(B) services consisting of purchasing, 

12 leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisi13 tion of assistive technology devices by individ14 uals with disabilities; 

15 ‘‘(C) services consisting of selecting, de16 signing, fitting, customizing, adapting, apply17 ing, maintaining, repairing, or replacing assist18 ive technology devices; 

19 ‘‘(D) coordination and use of necessary 

20 therapies, interventions, or services with assist21 ive technology devices, such as therapies, inter22 ventions, or services associated with education 

23 and rehabilitation plans and programs; 

24 ‘‘(E) training or technical assistance for an 

25 individual with disabilities, or, where appro-
9 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 priate, the family members, guardians, advo2 cates, or authorized representatives of such an 

3 individual; and 

4 ‘‘(F) training or technical assistance for 

5 professionals (including individuals providing 

6 education and rehabilitation services), employ7 ers, or other individuals who provide services to, 

8 employ, or are otherwise substantially involved 

9 in the major life functions of individuals with 

10 disabilities. 

11 ‘‘(5) CAPACITY BUILDING AND ADVOCACY AC12 TIVITIES.—The term ‘capacity building and advo13 cacy activities’ means efforts that— 

14 ‘‘(A) result in laws, regulations, policies, 

15 practices, procedures, or organizational struc16 tures that promote consumer-responsive pro17 grams or entities; and 

18 ‘‘(B) facilitate and increase access to, pro19 vision of, and funding for, assistive technology 

20 devices and assistive technology services, 

21 in order to empower individuals with disabilities to 

22 achieve greater independence, productivity, and inte23 gration and inclusion within the community and the 

24 workforce. 
10 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(6) COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE PROGRAM OF

2 TECHNOLOGY-RELATED ASSISTANCE.—The term 

3 ‘comprehensive statewide program of technology-re4 lated assistance’ means a consumer-responsive pro5 gram of technology-related assistance for individuals 

6 with disabilities, implemented by a State, and equal7 ly available to all individuals with disabilities resid8 ing in the State, regardless of their type of dis9 ability, age, income level, or location of residence in 

10 the State, or the type of assistive technology device 

11 or assistive technology service required. 

12 ‘‘(7) CONSUMER-RESPONSIVE.—The term ‘con13 sumer-responsive’— 

14 ‘‘(A) with regard to policies, means that 

15 the policies are consistent with the principles 

16 of— 

17 ‘‘(i) respect for individual dignity, per18 sonal responsibility, self-determination, and 

19 pursuit of meaningful careers, based on in20 formed choice, of individuals with disabil21 ities; 

22 ‘‘(ii) respect for the privacy, rights, 

23 and equal access (including the use of ac24 cessible formats) of such individuals; 
11 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(iii) inclusion, integration, and full 

2 participation of such individuals in society; 

3 ‘‘(iv) support for the involvement in 

4 decisions of a family member, a guardian, 

5 an advocate, or an authorized representa6 tive, if an individual with a disability re7 quests, desires, or needs such involvement; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(v) support for individual and sys10 tems advocacy and community involve11 ment; and 

12 ‘‘(B) with respect to an entity, program, or 

13 activity, means that the entity, program, or ac14 tivity— 

15 ‘‘(i) is easily accessible to, and usable 

16 by, individuals with disabilities and, when 

17 appropriate, their family members, guard18 ians, advocates, or authorized representa19 tives; 

20 ‘‘(ii) responds to the needs of individ21 uals with disabilities in a timely and appro22 priate manner; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) facilitates the full and meaning24 ful participation of individuals with disabil25 ities (including individuals from underrep-
12 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 resented populations and rural popu2 lations) and their family members, guard3 ians, advocates, and authorized representa4 tives, in— 

5 ‘‘(I) decisions relating to the pro6 vision of assistive technology devices 

7 and assistive technology services to 

8 such individuals; and 

9 ‘‘(II) decisions related to the 

10 maintenance, improvement, and eval11 uation of the comprehensive statewide 

12 program of technology-related assist13 ance, including decisions that affect 

14 capacity building and advocacy activi15 ties. 

16 ‘‘(8) DISABILITY.—The term ‘disability’ means 

17 a condition of an individual that is considered to be 

18 a disability or handicap for the purposes of any Fed19 eral law other than this Act or for the purposes of 

20 the law of the State in which the individual resides. 

21 ‘‘(9) INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY; INDIVID22 UALS WITH DISABILITIES.— 

23 ‘‘(A) INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY.— 

24 The term ‘individual with a disability’ means 

25 any individual of any age, race, or ethnicity— 
13 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(i) who has a disability; and 

2 ‘‘(ii) who is or would be enabled by an 

3 assistive technology device or an assistive 

4 technology service to minimize deteriora5 tion in functioning, to maintain a level of 

6 functioning, or to achieve a greater level of 

7 functioning in any major life activity. 

8 ‘‘(B) INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.— 

9 The term ‘individuals with disabilities’ means 

10 more than one individual with a disability. 

11 ‘‘(10) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

12 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

13 meaning given such term in section 101 of the High14 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)), and 

15 includes a community college receiving funding 

16 under the Tribally Controlled Community College 

17 Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.). 

18 ‘‘(11) PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY SERV19 ICES.—The term ‘protection and advocacy services’ 

20 means services that— 

21 ‘‘(A) are described in part C of the Devel22 opmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of 

23 Rights Act (42 U.S.C. 6041 et seq.), the Pro24 tection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individ25 uals Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 10801 et seq.), or 
14 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 section 509 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(B) assist individuals with disabilities 

4 with respect to assistive technology devices and 

5 assistive technology services. 

6 ‘‘(12) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

7 means the Secretary of Education. 

8 ‘‘(13) STATE.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

10 subparagraph (B), the term ‘State’ means each 

11 of the several States of the United States, the 

12 District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 

13 Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, 

14 Guam, American Samoa, and the Common15 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

16 ‘‘(B) OUTLYING AREAS.—In sections 4(c) 

17 and 5(b): 

18 ‘‘(i) OUTLYING AREA.—The term ‘out19 lying area’ means the United States Virgin 

20 Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 

21 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

22 Islands. 

23 ‘‘(ii) STATE.—The term ‘State’ does 

24 not include the United States Virgin Is25 lands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
15 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 

2 Islands. 

3 ‘‘(14) TARGETED INDIVIDUALS.—The term 

4 ‘targeted individuals’ means— 

5 ‘‘(A) individuals with disabilities of all ages 

6 and their family members, guardians, advo7 cates, and authorized representatives; 

8 ‘‘(B) individuals who work for public or 

9 private entities (including insurers or managed 

10 care providers), that have contact with individ11 uals with disabilities; 

12 ‘‘(C) educators and related services per13 sonnel; 

14 ‘‘(D) technology experts (including engi15 neers); 

16 ‘‘(E) health and allied health professionals; 

17 ‘‘(F) employers; and 

18 ‘‘(G) other appropriate individuals and en19 tities. 

20 ‘‘(15) TECHNOLOGY-RELATED ASSISTANCE.— 

21 The term ‘technology-related assistance’ means as22 sistance provided through capacity building and ad23 vocacy activities that accomplish the purposes de24 scribed in any of subparagraphs (A) through (G) of 

25 section 2(b)(1). 
16 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(16) UNDERREPRESENTED POPULATION.— 

2 The term ‘underrepresented population’ means a 

3 population that is typically underrepresented in serv4 ice provision, and includes populations such as per5 sons who have low-incidence disabilities, persons who 

6 are minorities, poor persons, persons with limited7 English proficiency, older individuals, or persons 

8 from rural areas. 

9 ‘‘(17) UNIVERSAL DESIGN.—The term ‘uni10 versal design’ means a concept or philosophy for de11 signing and delivering products and services that are 

12 usable by people with the widest possible range of 

13 functional capabilities, which include products and 

14 services that are directly usable (without requiring 

15 assistive technologies) and products and services 

16 that are made usable with assistive technologies. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATES FOR PURCHASE OF ASSISTIVE 

18 TECHNOLOGY DEVICES AND ASSISTIVE TECH19 NOLOGY SERVICES. 

20 ‘‘(a) GRANTS TO STATES.—The Secretary shall 

21 award grants, in accordance with this section, to States 

22 to support programs that are designed to maximize the 

23 ability of individuals with disabilities and their family 

24 members, guardians, advocates, and authorized represent-
17 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 atives to obtain assistive technology devices and assistive 

2 technology services. 

3 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

5 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED ACTIVITY.—Any State 

6 that receives a grant under this section shall 

7 use the funds made available through the grant 

8 to carry out the activities described in para9 graph (2)(A). 

10 ‘‘(B) DISCRETIONARY ACTIVITIES.—Any 

11 State that receives a grant under this section 

12 may use the funds made available through the 

13 grant to carry out the activities described in 

14 subparagraphs (B), (C), or (D) of paragraph 

15 (2). 

16 ‘‘(2) STATE-LEVEL ACTIVITIES.— 

17 ‘‘(A) STATE FINANCE SYSTEMS.—The 

18 State shall support activities to increase access 

19 to, and funding for, assistive technology devices 

20 and assistive technology services, including the 

21 development of systems to provide assistive 

22 technology devices and assistive technology 

23 services to individuals with disabilities of all 

24 ages, and that pay for such devices and serv25 ices, such as— 
18 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(i) the development of systems for 

2 the purchase, lease, other acquisition, or 

3 payment for the provision of assistive tech4 nology devices and assistive technology 

5 services; or 

6 ‘‘(ii) the establishment of alternative 

7 State or privately funded systems of sub8 sidies for the provision of assistive tech9 nology devices or assistive technology serv10 ices, such as— 

11 ‘‘(I) a low-interest loan fund; 

12 ‘‘(II) an interest buy-down pro13 gram; 

14 ‘‘(III) a revolving loan fund; 

15 ‘‘(IV) a loan guarantee or insur16 ance program; 

17 ‘‘(V) a program operated by a 

18 partnership among private entities for 

19 the purchase, lease, or other acquisi20 tion of assistive technology devices or 

21 assistive technology services; or 

22 ‘‘(VI) another mechanism ap23 proved by the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(B) DEVICE LOAN PROGRAMS.—The 

25 State shall directly, or in collaboration with 
19 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 public or private entities, carry out device loan 

2 programs that support the short-term loan of 

3 assistive technology devices to individuals, em4 ployers, public agencies, public accommodations, 

5 or others seeking to meet the needs of targeted 

6 individuals, in order to comply with the Individ7 uals with Disabilities Education Act, the Ameri8 cans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and section 

9 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

10 ‘‘(C) DEVICE REUTILIZATION PRO11 GRAMS.—The State shall directly, or in collabo12 ration with public or private entities, carry out 

13 assistive technology device reutilization pro14 grams that provide for the exchange, recycling, 

15 or other reutilization of assistive technology de16 vices, which may include redistribution through 

17 device and equipment loans, rentals, or gifts. 

18 ‘‘(D) DEVICE DEMONSTRATION PRO19 GRAM.—The State shall directly, or in collabo20 ration with public or private entities, carry out 

21 assistive technology device demonstration pro22 grams that provide for the ability of targeted 

23 individuals to learn about the use and operation 

24 of assistive technology devices. 

25 ‘‘(3) STATE LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES.— 
20

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Any State that re2 ceives a grant under this section may use up to 

3 25 percent of the funds made available through 

4 the grant to carry out the activities described in 

5 subparagraph (B). 

6 ‘‘(B) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—The State 

7 shall support, including—

8 ‘‘(i) public awareness activities de9 signed to provide information to targeted 

10 individuals relating to the availability and 

11 benefits of assistive technology devices and 

12 assistive technology services, including—

13 ‘‘(I) the development and dis14 semination of information relating 

15 to—

16 ‘‘(aa) the nature of assistive 

17 technology devices and assistive 

18 technology services; 

19 ‘‘(bb) the appropriateness 

20 of, cost of, availability of, evalua21 tion of, and access to, assistive 

22 technology devices and assistive 

23 technology services; and 

24 ‘‘(cc) the benefits of assist25 ive technology devices and assist-
21 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ive technology services with re2 spect to enhancing the capacity 

3 of individuals with disabilities of 

4 all ages to perform activities of 

5 daily living; 

6 ‘‘(II) the development of proce7 dures for providing direct communica8 tion between providers of assistive 

9 technology and targeted individuals, 

10 which may include partnerships with 

11 the State and local workforce invest12 ment system established under the 

13 Workforce Investment Act of 1998, 

14 State vocational rehabilitation centers, 

15 public and private employers, or ele16 mentary and secondary public schools; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(III) the development and dis19 semination, to targeted individuals, of 

20 information about State efforts re21 lated to assistive technology; and 

22 ‘‘(IV) the distribution of mate23 rials to appropriate public and private 

24 agencies that provide social, medical, 

25 educational, employment, and trans-
22 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 portation services to individuals with 

2 disabilities. 

3 ‘‘(ii) technical assistance and training 

4 on— 

5 ‘‘(I) the development of training 

6 materials and the conduct of training 

7 in the use of assistive technology de8 vices and assistive technology services; 

9 ‘‘(II) providing technical assist10 ance, including technical assistance 

11 concerning how— 

12 ‘‘(aa) to consider the needs 

13 of an individual with a disability 

14 for assistive technology devices 

15 and assistive technology services 

16 in developing any individualized 

17 plan or program authorized 

18 under Federal or State law; and 

19 ‘‘(bb) to increase consumer 

20 participation regarding assistive 

21 technology devices and assistive 

22 technology services; and 

23 ‘‘(III) the enhancement of the as24 sistive technology skills and com25 petencies of— 
23 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(aa) individuals who work 

2 for public or private entities (in3 cluding insurers and managed 

4 care providers), who have contact 

5 with individuals with disabilities; 

6 ‘‘(bb) educators and related 

7 services personnel; 

8 ‘‘(cc) technology experts (in9 cluding engineers); 

10 ‘‘(dd) health and allied 

11 health professionals; 

12 ‘‘(ee) employers; and 

13 ‘‘(ff) other appropriate per14 sonnel; and 

15 ‘‘(iii) outreach and support to state16 wide and community-based organizations 

17 that provide assistive technology devices 

18 and assistive technology services to individ19 uals with disabilities or that assist individ20 uals with disabilities in using assistive 

21 technology devices and assistive technology 

22 services, including a focus on organizations 

23 assisting individuals from underrep24 resented populations and rural populations, 

25 and further including support such as out-
24 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 reach to consumer organizations and 

2 groups in the State to coordinate efforts to 

3 assist individuals with disabilities of all 

4 ages and their family members, guardians, 

5 advocates, or authorized representatives, to 

6 obtain funding for, access to, and informa7 tion on evaluation of assistive technology 

8 devices and assistive technology services. 

9 ‘‘(C) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—The State 

10 may support the operation and administration 

11 of the activities in paragraph (2), through inter12 agency coordination to develop and promote the 

13 adoption of policies that improve access to as14 sistive technology devices and assistive tech15 nology services for individuals with disabilities 

16 of all ages in the State and that result in im17 proved coordination among public and private 

18 entities that are responsible or have the author19 ity to be responsible, for policies, procedures, or 

20 funding for, or the provision of assistive tech21 nology devices and assistive technology services 

22 to, such individuals. 

23 ‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

24 ‘‘(1) GRANTS TO OUTLYING AREAS.—From the 

25 funds appropriated under section 8(a) and available 
25 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 under section 8(b)(3) for any fiscal year for grants 

2 under this section, the Secretary shall make a grant 

3 in an amount of not more than $105,000 to each eli4 gible outlying area. 

5 ‘‘(2) GRANTS TO STATES.—From the funds de6 scribed in paragraph (1) that are not used to make 

7 grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

8 make grants to States in accordance with the re9 quirements described in paragraph (3). 

10 ‘‘(3) CALCULATION OF STATE GRANTS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

12 subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall allocate 

13 funds to each State for a fiscal year in an 

14 amount that bears the same ratio as the popu15 lation of the State bears to the population of all 

16 States. 

17 ‘‘(B) MINIMUM ALLOTMENT.—A State 

18 shall receive an amount under a grant for a fis19 cal year that is not less than the amount the 

20 State received under the grant provided under 

21 title I of this Act (as in effect on the day before 

22 the date of the enactment of the Improving Ac23 cess to Assistive Technology for Individuals 

24 with Disabilities Act of 2004) for fiscal year 

25 2004. 
26 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(d) LEAD AGENCY.— 

2 ‘‘(1) DESIGNATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

3 grant under this section, the Governor of the State 

4 shall designate in accordance with paragraph (2) a 

5 lead agency to administer the grant under this sec6 tion. 

7 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—For purposes of 

8 paragraph (1), the Governor of the State may des9 ignate one of the following: 

10 ‘‘(A) the State agency responsible for the 

11 administration of vocational rehabilitation in 

12 the State; 

13 ‘‘(B) a commission, council, or other offi14 cial body appointed by the Governor; 

15 ‘‘(C) a public-private partnership or con16 sortium; 

17 ‘‘(D) a public agency (including the office 

18 of the Governor, a State oversight office, a 

19 State agency, a public institution of higher edu20 cation, or other public entity); 

21 ‘‘(E) a council established under Federal 

22 or State law; 

23 ‘‘(F) an organization described in section 

24 501(c)(3) of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
27 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of 

2 that Act; or 

3 ‘‘(G) another appropriate office, agency, 

4 entity, or organization. 

5 ‘‘(3) DUTIES OF THE LEAD AGENCY.—The du6 ties of the lead agency shall include— 

7 ‘‘(A) submitting the application described 

8 in subsection (e) on behalf of the State; 

9 ‘‘(B) administering and supervising the use 

10 of amounts made available under the grant re11 ceived by the State under this section; 

12 ‘‘(C)(i) coordinating efforts related to, and 

13 supervising the preparation of, the application 

14 described in subsection (e); 

15 ‘‘(ii) coordinating, maintaining, and evalu16 ating the comprehensive statewide program of 

17 technology-related assistance among public 

18 agencies and between public agencies and pri19 vate entities, including coordinating efforts re20 lated to entering into interagency agreements; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(iii) coordinating efforts, especially efforts 

23 carried out with entities that provide protection 

24 and advocacy services described in section 5, re25 lated to the active, timely, and meaningful par-
28 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ticipation by individuals with disabilities and 

2 their family members, guardians, advocates, or 

3 authorized representatives, and other appro4 priate individuals, with respect to activities car5 ried out under the grant; 

6 ‘‘(D) delegating, in whole or in part, any 

7 responsibilities described in subparagraph (A), 

8 (B), or (C) to one or more appropriate offices, 

9 agencies, entities, or individuals; and 

10 ‘‘(E) establishing a partnership or partner11 ships with private providers of social, medical, 

12 educational, employment, and transportation 

13 services to individuals with disabilities. 

14 ‘‘(e) STATE APPLICATION.— 

15 ‘‘(1) SUBMISSION.—Any State that desires to 

16 receive a grant under this section shall submit to the 

17 Secretary an application at such time and in such 

18 manner as the Secretary may specify. 

19 ‘‘(2) CONTENT.—Each application shall con20 tain, at a minimum, the following information: 

21 ‘‘(A) PLANNED ACTIVITIES.—A description 

22 of those activities described in subsection (b)(2) 

23 that the State will carry out under the grant. 

24 ‘‘(B) MEASURABLE GOALS.—A description 

25 of— 
29 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(i) the measurable goals the State 

2 has set for addressing the assistive tech3 nology needs of individuals with disabilities 

4 in the State, including any measurable 

5 goals related to— 

6 ‘‘(I) education, including goals 

7 involving the provision of assistive 

8 technology to individuals with disabil9 ities that receive services under the 

10 Individuals with Disabilities Edu11 cation Act; 

12 ‘‘(II) employment, including 

13 goals involving the State vocational 

14 rehabilitation program carried out 

15 under title I of the Rehabilitation Act 

16 of 1973; 

17 ‘‘(III) telecommunication and in18 formation technology; and 

19 ‘‘(IV) community living; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) how the State will quantifiably 

21 measure the goals to determine whether 

22 the goals have been achieved. 

23 ‘‘(C) INVOLVEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS WITH

24 DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES AND THEIR FAMI-
30 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 LIES.—A description of how individuals with 

2 disabilities of all ages and their families— 

3 ‘‘(i) were involved in selecting— 

4 ‘‘(I) the goals; 

5 ‘‘(II) the activities to be under6 taken in achieving the goals; and 

7 ‘‘(III) the measures to be used in 

8 judging if the goals have been 

9 achieved; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) will be involved in measuring 

11 whether the goals have been achieved. 

12 ‘‘(D) STATE SUPPORT.—A description of 

13 those activities described in subsection (b)(2) 

14 that the State will support under the grant, in15 cluding at a minimum the State’s plans to pro16 vide sufficient administrative support for such 

17 activities. 

18 ‘‘(E) ASSURANCE.—An assurance that the 

19 physical location of the entity responsible for 

20 conducting the State activities under this Act 

21 meets the requirements of the Americans with 

22 Disabilities Act of 1990 regarding accessibility 

23 for individuals with disabilities. 
31 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(F) OTHER INFORMATION.—Such other 

2 information as the Secretary may reasonably 

3 require. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 5. GRANTS TO STATES FOR PROTECTION AND ADVO5 CACY RELATED TO ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY. 

6 ‘‘(a) GRANTS TO STATES.—The Secretary shall make 

7 a grant to an entity in each State to support protection 

8 and advocacy services through the systems established to 

9 provide protection and advocacy services under the Devel10 opmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act 

11 (42 U.S.C. 6000 et seq.) for the purposes of assisting in 

12 the acquisition, utilization, or maintenance of assistive 

13 technology or assistive technology services for individuals 

14 with disabilities. 

15 ‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 

16 ‘‘(1) GRANTS TO OUTLYING AREAS.—From the 

17 funds appropriated under section 8(a) and reserved 

18 under section 8(b)(1) for any fiscal year, the Sec19 retary shall make a grant in an amount of not more 

20 than $30,000 to each eligible system within an out21 lying area. 

22 ‘‘(2) GRANTS TO STATES.—For any fiscal year, 

23 after reserving funds to make grants under para24 graph (1), the Secretary shall make allotments from 

25 the remainder of the funds described in paragraph 
32 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 (1) in accordance with paragraph (3) to eligible sys2 tems within States to support protection and advo3 cacy services as described in subsection (a). The 

4 Secretary shall make grants to the eligible systems 

5 from the allotments. 

6 ‘‘(3) SYSTEMS WITHIN STATES.— 

7 ‘‘(A) POPULATION BASIS.—Except as pro8 vided in subparagraphs (B) and (C), from such 

9 remainder for each fiscal year, the Secretary 

10 shall make an allotment to the eligible system 

11 within a State of an amount bearing the same 

12 ratio to such remainder as the population of the 

13 State bears to the population of all States. 

14 ‘‘(B) MINIMUMS.—Subject to the avail15 ability of appropriations to carry out this sec16 tion, the allotment to any system under sub17 paragraph (A) shall be not less than $50,000, 

18 and the allotment to any system under this 

19 paragraph for any fiscal year that is less than 

20 $50,000 shall be increased to $50,000. 

21 ‘‘(4) REALLOTMENT.—Whenever the Secretary 

22 determines that any amount of an allotment under 

23 paragraph (3) to a system within a State for any fis24 cal year will not be expended by such system in car25 rying out the provisions of this section, the Sec-
33 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 retary shall make such amount available for carrying 

2 out the provisions of this section to one or more of 

3 the systems that the Secretary determines will be 

4 able to use additional amounts during such year for 

5 carrying out such provisions. Any amount made 

6 available to a system for any fiscal year pursuant to 

7 the preceding sentence shall, for the purposes of this 

8 section, be regarded as an increase in the allotment 

9 of the system (as determined under the preceding 

10 provisions of this section) for such year. 

11 ‘‘(c) REPORT TO SECRETARY.—An entity that re12 ceives a grant under this section shall annually prepare 

13 and submit to the Secretary a report that contains such 

14 information as the Secretary may require, including docu15 mentation of the progress of the entity in— 

16 ‘‘(1) conducting consumer-responsive activities, 

17 including activities that will lead to increased access, 

18 for individuals with disabilities, to funding for assist19 ive technology devices and assistive technology serv20 ices; 

21 ‘‘(2) engaging in informal advocacy to assist in 

22 securing assistive technology and assistive tech23 nology services for individuals with disabilities; 

24 ‘‘(3) engaging in formal representation for indi25 viduals with disabilities to secure systems change, 
34 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 and in advocacy activities to secure assistive tech2 nology and assistive technology services for individ3 uals with disabilities; 

4 ‘‘(4) developing and implementing strategies to 

5 enhance the long-term abilities of individuals with 

6 disabilities and their family members, guardians, ad7 vocates, and authorized representatives to advocate 

8 the provision of assistive technology devices and as9 sistive technology services to which the individuals 

10 with disabilities are entitled under law other than 

11 this Act; and 

12 ‘‘(5) coordinating activities with protection and 

13 advocacy services funded through sources other than 

14 this Act, and coordinating activities with the capac15 ity building and advocacy activities carried out by 

16 the lead agency. 

17 ‘‘(d) REPORTS AND UPDATES TO STATE AGEN18 CIES.—An entity that receives a grant under this section 

19 shall prepare and submit to the lead agency the report 

20 described in subsection (c) and quarterly updates con21 cerning the activities described in subsection (c). 

22 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION.—On making a grant under this 

23 section to an entity in a State, the Secretary shall solicit 

24 and consider the opinions of the lead agency of the State 

25 designated under section 4(d) with respect to efforts at 
35 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 coordination, collaboration, and promoting outcomes be2 tween the lead agency and the entity that receives the 

3 grant under this section. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

5 ‘‘(a) REVIEW OF PARTICIPATING ENTITIES.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall assess 

7 the extent to which entities that receive grants pur8 suant to this Act are complying with the applicable 

9 requirements of this Act and achieving the measur10 able goals that are consistent with the requirements 

11 of the grant programs under which the entities ap12 plied for the grants. 

13 ‘‘(2) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.—To assist 

14 the Secretary in carrying out the responsibilities of 

15 the Secretary under this section, the Secretary may 

16 require States to provide relevant information, in17 cluding the information required under subsection 

18 (c). 

19 ‘‘(b) CORRECTIVE ACTION AND SANCTIONS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) CORRECTIVE ACTION.—If the Secretary 

21 determines that an entity fails to substantially com22 ply with the requirements of this Act with respect to 

23 a grant program, the Secretary shall assist the enti24 ty through technical assistance funded under section 
36 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 7 or other means, within 90 days after such deter2 mination, to develop a corrective action plan. 

3 ‘‘(2) SANCTIONS.—An entity that fails to de4 velop and comply with a corrective action plan as de5 scribed in paragraph (1) during a fiscal year shall 

6 be subject to one of the following corrective actions 

7 selected by the Secretary: 

8 ‘‘(A) Partial or complete withholding of 

9 funds under the grant program until such plan 

10 is developed and implemented. 

11 ‘‘(B) Reduction in funding for the fol12 lowing year under the grant program. 

13 ‘‘(C) Required redesignation of the lead 

14 agency designated under section 4(d) or an en15 tity responsible for administering the grant pro16 gram. 

17 ‘‘(3) APPEALS PROCEDURES.—The Secretary 

18 shall establish appeals procedures for entities that 

19 are found to be in noncompliance with the require20 ments of this Act. 

21 ‘‘(4) SECRETARIAL ACTIONS.—The Secretary 

22 shall notify the Committee on Health, Education, 

23 Labor and Pensions of the Senate and the Com24 mittee on Education and the Workforce of the 

25 House of Representatives of each action taken by 
37 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 the Secretary under paragraph (1) or (2). As part 

2 of the annual report required under subsection (c), 

3 the Secretary shall describe each such action taken 

4 under paragraph (1) or (2) and the outcomes of 

5 each such action. 

6 ‘‘(5) PUBLIC NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary 

7 shall notify the public, through publication in the 

8 Federal Register and by posting on the Internet 

9 website of the Department of Education, of each ac10 tion taken by the Secretary under paragraph (1) or 

11 (2). As a part of such notification, the Secretary 

12 shall describe each such action taken under para13 graph (1) or (2) and the outcomes of each such ac14 tion. 

15 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than December 

17 31 of each year, the Secretary shall prepare, and 

18 submit to the President and to the Committee on 

19 Education and the Workforce of the House of Rep20 resentatives and the Committee on Health, Edu21 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a report 

22 on the activities funded under this Act to improve 

23 the access of individuals with disabilities to assistive 

24 technology devices and assistive technology services. 
38 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Such report shall include in2 formation on— 

3 ‘‘(A) the type of alternative financing 

4 mechanisms used by each State and the com5 munity-based organization with which each 

6 State entered into a contract, under the pro7 gram; 

8 ‘‘(B) the amount and type of assistance 

9 given to consumers (who shall be classified by 

10 age, type of disability, type of assistive tech11 nology device or assistive technology service fi12 nanced through the program, geographic dis13 tribution within the State, gender, and whether 

14 the consumers are part of an underrepresented 

15 population or rural population), including— 

16 ‘‘(i) the number of applications for as17 sistance received; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the number of applications ap19 proved and rejected; 

20 ‘‘(iii) the default rate; 

21 ‘‘(iv) the range and average interest 

22 rate; 

23 ‘‘(v) the range and average income of 

24 approved loan applicants; and 
39 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(vi) the types and dollar amounts of 

2 assistive technology financed; 

3 ‘‘(C) the number, type, and length of time 

4 of loans of assistive technology devices provided 

5 to individuals with disabilities, employers, public 

6 agencies, or public accomodations, including an 

7 analysis of the individuals with disabilities who 

8 have benefited from the device loan program; 

9 ‘‘(D) the number, type, estimated value, 

10 and scope of device reutilization programs, in11 cluding an analysis of the individuals with dis12 abilities that have benefited from the device 

13 loan program; 

14 ‘‘(E) the number and type of equipment 

15 demonstrations provided, including an analysis 

16 of individuals with disabilities who have bene17 fited from the program; 

18 ‘‘(F) a summary of the State plans and 

19 annual reports submitted by the States, includ20 ing an analysis of the progress of the States in 

21 meeting their goals established in the State ap22 plication; 

23 ‘‘(G) the number of individuals who re24 ceived training and the topics of such training; 

25 and 
40 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(H) the frequency and nature of technical 

2 assistance provided to State and local govern3 mental agencies and other entities. 

4 ‘‘(d) EFFECT ON OTHER ASSISTANCE.—This Act 

5 may not be construed as authorizing a Federal or a State 

6 agency to reduce medical or other assistance available, or 

7 to alter eligibility for a benefit or service, under any other 

8 Federal law. 

9 ‘‘SEC. 7. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Through grants, contracts, or 

11 cooperative agreements, awarded on a competitive basis, 

12 the Secretary is authorized to provide technical assistance 

13 to entities, principally entities funded under section 4 or 

14 5. 

15 ‘‘(b) INPUT.—In designing the program to be funded 

16 under this section, and in deciding the differences in func17 tion between national and regionally based technical as18 sistance efforts carried out through the program, the Sec19 retary shall consider the input of the directors of com20 prehensive statewide programs of technology-related as21 sistance and other individuals the Secretary determines to 

22 be appropriate, especially— 

23 ‘‘(1) individuals with disabilities who use assist24 ive technology and understand the barriers to the ac-
41 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 quisition of such technology and assistive technology 

2 services; 

3 ‘‘(2) family members, guardians, advocates, and 

4 authorized representatives of such individuals; and 

5 ‘‘(3) individuals employed by protection and ad6 vocacy systems funded under section 5. 

7 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall 

8 support activities designed to maximize the impact and 

9 benefit of assistive technology devices and assistive tech10 nology services for individuals with disabilities, including 

11 the following activities: 

12 ‘‘(1) NATIONAL PUBLIC INTERNET SITE.— 

13 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNET

14 SITE.—The Secretary shall fund the establish15 ment and maintenance of a National Public 

16 Internet Site for the purposes of providing to 

17 individuals with disabilities and the general 

18 public technical assistance and information on 

19 increased access to assistive technology devices, 

20 assistive technology services, and other dis21 ability-related resources. 

22 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—To be eligible to 

23 receive a grant or enter into a contract or coop24 erative agreement under subsection (a) to es25 tablish and maintain the Internet site, an entity 
42 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 shall be an institution of higher education that 

2 emphasizes research and engineering, has a 

3 multidisciplinary research center, and has dem4 onstrated expertise in— 

5 ‘‘(i) working with assistive technology 

6 and intelligent agent interactive informa7 tion dissemination systems; 

8 ‘‘(ii) managing libraries of assistive 

9 technology and disability-related resources; 

10 ‘‘(iii) delivering education, informa11 tion, and referral services to individuals 

12 with disabilities, including technology13 based curriculum development services for 

14 adults with low-level reading skills; 

15 ‘‘(iv) developing cooperative partner16 ships with the private sector, particularly 

17 with private sector computer software, 

18 hardware, and Internet services entities; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(v) developing and designing ad21 vanced Internet sites. 

22 ‘‘(C) FEATURES OF INTERNET SITE.—The 

23 National Public Internet Site described in sub24 paragraph (A) shall contain the following fea25 tures: 
43 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(i) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION

2 AT ANY TIME.—The site shall be designed 

3 so that any member of the public may ob4 tain information posted on the site at any 

5 time. 

6 ‘‘(ii) INNOVATIVE AUTOMATED INTEL7 LIGENT AGENT.—The site shall be con8 structed with an innovative automated in9 telligent agent that is a diagnostic tool for 

10 assisting users in problem definition and 

11 the selection of appropriate assistive tech12 nology devices and assistive technology 

13 services resources. 

14 ‘‘(iii) RESOURCES.— 

15 ‘‘(I) LIBRARY ON ASSISTIVE

16 TECHNOLOGY.—The site shall include 

17 access to a comprehensive working li18 brary on assistive technology for all 

19 environments, including home, work20 place, transportation, and other envi21 ronments. 

22 ‘‘(II) RESOURCES FOR A NUMBER

23 OF DISABILITIES.—The site shall in24 clude resources relating to the largest 

25 possible number of disabilities, includ-
44 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ing resources relating to low-level 

2 reading skills. 

3 ‘‘(iv) LINKS TO PRIVATE SECTOR RE4 SOURCES AND INFORMATION.—To the ex5 tent feasible, the site shall be linked to rel6 evant private sector resources and informa7 tion, under agreements developed between 

8 the institution of higher education and co9 operating private sector entities. 

10 ‘‘(D) MINIMUM LIBRARY COMPONENTS.— 

11 At a minimum, the Internet site shall maintain 

12 updated information on— 

13 ‘‘(i) how to plan, develop, implement, 

14 and evaluate activities to further extend 

15 comprehensive statewide programs of tech16 nology-related assistance, including the de17 velopment and replication of effective ap18 proaches to— 

19 ‘‘(I) providing information and 

20 referral services; 

21 ‘‘(II) promoting interagency co22 ordination of training and service de23 livery among public and private enti24 ties; 
45 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(III) conducting outreach to 

2 underrepresented populations and 

3 rural populations; 

4 ‘‘(IV) mounting successful public 

5 awareness activities; 

6 ‘‘(V) improving capacity building 

7 in service delivery; 

8 ‘‘(VI) training personnel from a 

9 variety of disciplines; and 

10 ‘‘(VII) improving evaluation 

11 strategies, research, and data collec12 tion; 

13 ‘‘(ii) effective approaches to the devel14 opment of consumer-controlled systems 

15 that increase access to, funding for, and 

16 awareness of, assistive technology devices 

17 and assistive technology services; 

18 ‘‘(iii) successful approaches to increas19 ing the availability of public and private 

20 funding for and access to the provision of 

21 assistive technology devices and assistive 

22 technology services by appropriate State 

23 agencies; and 

24 ‘‘(iv) demonstration sites where indi25 viduals may try out assistive technology. 
46 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE EFFORTS.—The 

2 Secretary shall, on a competitive basis, make grants 

3 to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, eligi4 ble entities— 

5 ‘‘(A) to address State-specific information 

6 requests concerning assistive technology from 

7 other entities funded under this Act and public 

8 entities not funded under this Act, including— 

9 ‘‘(i) requests for state-of-the-art, or 

10 model, Federal, State, and local laws, regu11 lations, policies, practices, procedures, and 

12 organizational structures, that facilitate, 

13 and overcome barriers to, funding for, and 

14 access to, assistive technology devices and 

15 assistive technology services; 

16 ‘‘(ii) requests for examples of policies, 

17 practices, procedures, regulations, or 

18 judidical decisions that have enhanced or 

19 may enhance access to funding for assist20 ive technology devices and assistive tech21 nology services for individuals with disabil22 ities; 

23 ‘‘(iii) requests for information on ef24 fective approaches to Federal-State coordi25 nation of programs for individuals with 
47 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 disabilities, related to improving funding 

2 for or access to assistive technology devices 

3 and assistive technology services for indi4 viduals with disabilities of all ages; 

5 ‘‘(iv) requests for information on ef6 fective approaches to the development of 

7 consumer-controlled systems that increase 

8 access to, funding for, and awareness of, 

9 assistive technology devices and assistive 

10 technology services; 

11 ‘‘(v) other requests for technical as12 sistance from other entities funded under 

13 this Act and public entities not funded 

14 under this Act; and 

15 ‘‘(vi) other assignments specified by 

16 the Secretary, including assisting entities 

17 described in section 6(b) to develop correc18 tive action plans; and 

19 ‘‘(B) to assist targeted individuals by dis20 seminating information about— 

21 ‘‘(i) Federal, State, and local laws, 

22 regulations, policies, practices, procedures, 

23 and organizational structures, that facili24 tate, and overcome barriers to, funding for, 

25 and access to, assistive technology devices 
48 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 and assistive technology services, to pro2 mote fuller independence, productivity, and 

3 inclusion in society for individuals with dis4 abilities of all ages; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) technical assistance activities un6 dertaken under subparagraph (A). 

7 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to compete 

8 for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under 

9 this section, entities shall have documented experience 

10 with and expertise in assistive technology service delivery 

11 or systems, interagency coordination, and capacity build12 ing and advocacy activities. 

13 ‘‘(e) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant, 

14 contract, or cooperative agreement under this section, an 

15 entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 

16 time, in such manner, and containing such information as 

17 the Secretary may require. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap20 propriated to carry out this Act such sums as may be nec21 essary for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2010. 

22 ‘‘(b) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—Of the amount appro23 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations 

24 under subsection (a) for a fiscal year— 
49 

•HR 4278 IH 

1 ‘‘(1) up to $4,419,000 shall be reserved to pro2 vide grants under section 5; 

3 ‘‘(2) up to $1,235,000 shall be reserved to pro4 vide grants under section 7; and 

5 ‘‘(3) the remainder shall be used to provide 

6 grants under section (4).’’. 

Æ