752 
‘‘(i) in accordance with a written, pub-
lished policy of the institution relating to 
repaying or providing forbearance, respec-
tively, for students who perform public serv-
ice; and 
‘‘(ii) under the same terms and condi-
tions as are available under such policy to 
other students of the institution who are 
performing public service and who qualify 
for such repayment or forbearance; and 
‘‘(2) an officer or employee of the executive 
branch of the United States Government, of any inde-
pendent agency of the United States, or of the District 
of Columbia from receiving repayment or forbearance 
permitted under paragraph (1).’’. 
PART E—STEVENSON-WYDLER TECHNOLOGY 
INNOVATION ACT OF 1980 
SEC. 961. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. 
Section 5 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innova-
tion Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3704) is amended by inserting 
the following after subsection (b): 
‘‘(c) MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTION DIGITAL AND 
WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a Minority Serving Institution Digital and Wireless 
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Technology Opportunity Program to assist eligible in-
stitutions in acquiring, and augmenting their use of, 
digital and wireless networking technologies to im-
prove the quality and delivery of educational services 
at eligible institutions. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—An eligible in-
stitution may use a grant, cooperative agreement, or 
contract awarded under this subsection— 
‘‘(A) to acquire equipment, instrumenta-
tion, networking capability, hardware and soft-
ware, digital network technology, wireless tech-
nology, and infrastructure to further the objective 
of the Program described in paragraph (1); 
‘‘(B) to develop and provide training, edu-
cation, and professional development programs, 
including faculty development, to increase the 
use of, and usefulness of, digital and wireless 
networking technology; 
‘‘(C) to provide teacher education, including 
the provision of preservice teacher training and 
in-service professional development at eligible in-
stitutions, library and media specialist training, 
and preschool and teacher aid certification to in-
dividuals who seek to acquire or enhance tech-
nology skills in order to use digital and wireless 
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networking technology in the classroom or in-
structional process, including instruction in 
science, mathematics, engineering, and tech-
nology subjects; 
‘‘(D) to obtain capacity-building technical 
assistance, including through remote technical 
support, technical assistance workshops, and dis-
tance learning services; and 
‘‘(E) to foster the use of digital and wireless 
networking technology to improve research and 
education, including scientific, mathematics, en-
gineering, and technology instruction. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCEDURES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract 
under this subsection, an eligible institution 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require. Such 
application, at a minimum, shall include a de-
scription of how the funds will be used, including 
a description of any digital and wireless net-
working technology to be acquired, and a de-
scription of how the institution will ensure that 
digital and wireless networking will be made ac-
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cessible to, and employed by, students, faculty, 
and administrators. The Secretary, consistent 
with subparagraph (C) and in consultation with 
the advisory council established under subpara-
graph (B), shall establish procedures to review 
such applications. The Secretary shall publish 
the application requirements and review criteria 
in the Federal Register, along with a statement 
describing the availability of funds. 
‘‘(B) ADVISORY
COUNCIL.—The Secretary 
shall establish an advisory council to advise the 
Secretary on the best approaches to encourage 
maximum participation by eligible institutions 
in the program established under paragraph (1), 
and on the procedures to review proposals sub-
mitted to the program. In selecting the members 
of the advisory council, the Secretary shall con-
sult with representatives of appropriate organi-
zations, including representatives of eligible in-
stitutions, to ensure that the membership of the 
advisory council includes representatives of mi-
nority businesses and eligible institution commu-
nities. The Secretary shall also consult with ex-
perts in digital and wireless networking tech-
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nology to ensure that such expertise is rep-
resented on the advisory council. 
‘‘(C) REVIEW
PANELS.—Each application 
submitted under this subsection by an eligible in-
stitution shall be reviewed by a panel of individ-
uals selected by the Secretary to judge the qual-
ity and merit of the proposal, including the ex-
tent to which the eligible institution can effec-
tively and successfully utilize the proposed grant, 
cooperative agreement, or contract to carry out 
the program described in paragraph (1). The 
Secretary shall ensure that the review panels in-
clude representatives of minority serving institu-
tions and others who are knowledgeable about el-
igible institutions and technology issues. The 
Secretary shall ensure that no individual as-
signed under this subsection to review any appli-
cation has a conflict of interest with regard to 
that application. The Secretary shall take into 
consideration the recommendations of the review 
panel in determining whether to award a grant, 
cooperative agreement, or contract to an eligible 
institution. 
‘‘(D) INFORMATION
DISSEMINATION.—The 
Secretary shall convene an annual meeting of el-
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igible institutions receiving grants, cooperative 
agreements, or contracts under this subsection to 
foster collaboration and capacity-building activi-
ties among eligible institutions. 
‘‘(E) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The Sec-
retary may not award a grant, cooperative 
agreement, or contract to an eligible institution 
under this subsection unless such institution 
agrees that, with respect to the costs incurred by 
the institution in carrying out the program for 
which the grant, cooperative agreement, or con-
tract was awarded, such institution shall make 
available, directly, or through donations from 
public or private entities, non-Federal contribu-
tions in an amount equal to one-quarter of the 
grant, cooperative agreement, or contract award-
ed by the Secretary, or $500,000, whichever is 
the lesser amount. The Secretary shall waive the 
matching requirement for any institution or con-
sortium with no endowment, or an endowment 
that has a current dollar value lower than 
$50,000,000. 
‘‘(F) AWARDS.— 
‘‘(i) LIMITATION.—An eligible institu-
tion that receives a grant, cooperative agree-
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ment, or contract under this subsection that 
exceeds $2,500,000 shall not be eligible to re-
ceive another grant, cooperative agreement, 
or contract. 
‘‘(ii) CONSORTIA.—Grants, cooperative 
agreements, and contracts may only be 
awarded to eligible institutions. Eligible in-
stitutions may seek funding under this sub-
section for consortia which may include 
other eligible institutions, a State or a State 
education agency, local education agencies, 
institutions of higher education, commu-
nity-based organizations, national nonprofit 
organizations, or businesses, including mi-
nority businesses. 
‘‘(iii) PLANNING
GRANTS.—The Sec-
retary may provide funds to develop stra-
tegic plans to implement such grants, coop-
erative agreements, or contracts. 
‘‘(iv) INSTITUTIONAL
DIVERSITY.—In 
awarding grants, cooperative agreements, 
and contracts to eligible institutions, the 
Secretary shall ensure, to the extent prac-
ticable, that awards are made to all types 
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of institutions eligible for assistance under 
this subsection. 
‘‘(v) NEED.—In awarding funds under 
this subsection, the Secretary shall give pri-
ority to the institution with the greatest 
demonstrated need for assistance. 
‘‘(G) ANNUAL REPORT AND EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(i) ANNUAL REPORT REQUIRED FROM 
RECIPIENTS.—Each institution that receives 
a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract 
awarded under this subsection shall provide 
an annual report to the Secretary on its use 
of the grant, cooperative agreement, or con-
tract. 
‘‘(ii) INDEPENDENT
ASSESSMENT.— 
Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 
shall enter into a contract with the Na-
tional Academy of Public Administration to 
conduct periodic assessments of the pro-
gram. The Assessments shall be conducted 
once every 3 years during the 10-year pe-
riod following the enactment of this sub-
section. The assessments shall include an 
evaluation of the effectiveness of the pro-
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gram in improving the education and 
training of students, faculty and staff at eli-
gible institutions that have been awarded 
grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts 
under the program; an evaluation of the ef-
fectiveness of the program in improving ac-
cess to, and familiarity with, digital and 
wireless networking technology for students, 
faculty, and staff at all eligible institutions; 
an evaluation of the procedures established 
under paragraph (3)(A); and recommenda-
tions for improving the program, including 
recommendations concerning the continuing 
need for Federal support. In carrying out 
its assessments, the National Academy of 
Public Administration shall review the re-
ports submitted to the Secretary under 
clause (i). 
‘‘(iii) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—Upon 
completion of each independent assessment 
carried out under clause (ii), the Secretary 
shall transmit the assessment to Congress 
along with a summary of the Secretary’s 
plans, if any, to implement the rec-
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ommendations of the National Academy of 
Public Administration. 
‘‘(H) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(i) DIGITAL
AND
WIRELESS
NET-
WORKING TECHNOLOGY.—The term ‘digital 
and wireless networking technology’ means 
computer and communications equipment 
and software that facilitates the trans-
mission of information in a digital format. 
‘‘(ii) 
ELIGIBLE
INSTITUTION.—The 
term ‘eligible institution’ means an institu-
tion that is— 
‘‘(I) a historically Black college or 
university that is a part B institution, 
as defined in section 322(2) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1061(2)), an institution de-
scribed in section 326(e)(1)(A), (B), or 
(C) 
of 
that 
Act 
(20 
U.S.C. 
1063b(e)(1)(A), (B), or (C)), or a con-
sortium of institutions described in 
this subparagraph; 
‘‘(II) a Hispanic-serving institu-
tion, as defined in section 502(a)(5) of 
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the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)); 
‘‘(III) a tribally controlled college 
or university, as defined in section 
316(b)(3) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)); 
‘‘(IV) an Alaska Native-serving 
institution under section 317(b) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1059d(b)); 
‘‘(V) a Native Hawaiian-serving 
institution under section 317(b) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1059d(b)); or 
‘‘(VI) an institution of higher 
education (as defined in section 365 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1067k)) with an enrollment of 
needy students (as defined in section 
312(d) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(d))). 
‘‘(iii) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDU-
CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher 
education’ has the meaning given the term 
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in section 101 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
‘‘(iv) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.— 
The term ‘local educational agency’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 9101 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(v) MINORITY
BUSINESS.—The term 
‘minority 
business’ 
includes 
HUBZone 
small business concerns (as defined in sec-
tion 3(p) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 632(p))). 
‘‘(vi) 
MINORITY
INDIVIDUAL.—The 
term ‘minority individual’ means an Amer-
ican Indian, Alaskan Native, Black (not of 
Hispanic origin), Hispanic (including per-
sons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban and 
Central or South American origin), or Pa-
cific Islander individual. 
‘‘(vii) STATE.—The term ‘State’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 9101 
of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(viii) STATE
EDUCATIONAL
AGEN-
CY.—The term ‘State educational agency’ 
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