I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1525
To increase the authorization of funds under the Library Services and Tech-
nology Act, to provide funds for construction of libraries under such
Act, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 4, 2001
Mr. THOMPSON of California (for himself, Mr. FRANK, Mr. FILNER, Mrs.
TAUSCHER, Mr. BALDACCI, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. FROST, and Mr.
MCGOVERN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To increase the authorization of funds under the Library
Services and Technology Act, to provide funds for con-
struction of libraries under such Act, and for other pur-
poses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Libraries En-
hancement Act of 2001.’’
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
Section 213 of the Library Services and Technology
Act (20 U.S.C. 9122) is amended by adding at the end
the following new paragraphs:
‘‘(7) CONSTRUCTION.—The term ‘construction’
includes construction of new buildings and acquisi-
tion, expansion, remodeling, and alteration of exist-
ing buildings, and for the purchase, lease, and in-
stallation of equipment of any such buildings, or any
combination of such activities (including architects’
fees and the cost of acquisition of land). Such term
includes remodeling to meet standards under the Act
of August 12, 1968, commonly known as the ‘Archi-
tectural Barriers Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et
seq.), remodeling designed to ensure safe working
environments and to conserve energy, renovation or
remodeling to accommodate new technologies, and
the purchase of existing historic buildings for con-
version to public libraries. For the purposes of this
paragraph, the term ‘‘equipment’’ includes informa-
tion and building technologies, video and tele-
communications equipment, machinery, utilities, and
built-in equipment and any necessary enclosures or
structures to house them; and such term includes all
other items necessary for the functioning of a par-
ticular facility as a facility for the provision of li-
brary services.
‘‘(8) REFERENCE MATERIALS.—The term ‘ref-
erence materials’ includes any books, videotapes and
audiotapes, magazines, newspapers, software, and
other library and media materials, regardless of for-
mat, that are made available for public reference.
‘‘(9) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ when
used with respect to the location of any library
means that the library is located in a non-metropoli-
tan county, as designated by the Bureau of the Cen-
sus using the metropolitan statistical area method,
except that a portion of an urban metropolitan coun-
ty may be classified as rural area for such purpose
if its census block or tract number is identified by
the ‘Goldsmith Modification’ methodology as a rural
‘pocket’ areas within a larger urban metropolitan
county.’’.
SEC. 3. INCREASE IN AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA-
TIONS.
Section 214(a) of the Library Services and Tech-
nology Act (20 U.S.C. 9123(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ‘‘or (2)’’
after ‘‘paragraph (1)’’;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para-
graph (3); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing new paragraph:
‘‘(2) 
CONSTRUCTION; 
ACQUISITION; 
OPER-
ATIONS.—In addition to the amounts authorized to
be appropriated by paragraph (1), there are author-
ized to be appropriated $300,000,000 for fiscal year
2002 and such sums as may be necessary for each
of the fiscal years 2003 through 2006 to carry out
section 232 of this subtitle.’’.
SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO USE FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION,
ACQUISITION, AND OPERATION.
Chapter 2 of the Library Services and Technology
Act is amended—
(1) in section 231(a) (20 U.S.C. 9141(a))—
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (1);
(B) by striking the period at the end of
paragraph (2) and inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
‘‘(3) conducting library construction, acquiring
reference materials, and operating public libraries
during hours of library service to the public, in ac-
cordance with section 232.’’;
(2) in section 231(b)—
(A) by striking ‘‘(1) and (2)’’ and inserting
‘‘(1), (2) and (3)’’; and
(B) by inserting before the period at the
end the following: ‘‘, subject to the limitations
in section 232(a)’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sec-
tion:
‘‘SEC. 232. USE OF FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION, ACQUISI-
TION, AND OPERATION.
‘‘(a) IDENTIFICATION OF AMOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR
CONSTRUCTION.—From the amount allotted to any State
under section 221, the Secretary shall identify the portion
of the allotment that is attributable to appropriations pur-
suant to section 214(a)(2). A State may, in accordance
with this section, use not more than that portion of such
allotment for the Federal share of the cost of any one or
more of the following purposes:
‘‘(1) library construction;
‘‘(2) acquisition of reference materials; and
‘‘(3) operation of public libraries during hours
of library service to the public.
‘‘(d) MINIMUM
AND MAXIMUM AWARDS.—Of the
amount of funds provided under this section that are used
by any State for library construction, acquisition of ref-
erence materials, or library operation in any fiscal year—
‘‘(1) not less than 35 percent shall be used in
rural areas; and
‘‘(2) not more than $1,000,000 may be used for
the construction or benefit of any single library facil-
ity.
‘‘(e) LABOR STANDARDS.—It shall be a condition of
the receipt of any grant under this section that the State
library administrative agency and any recipient of any
grant under this section for purposes of construction fur-
nish adequate assurances to the Secretary of Labor that
all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or
subcontractors on construction projects assisted under
this section shall be paid wages at rates not less than those
prevailing on similar construction in the locality as deter-
mined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the
Davis-Bacon Act, as amended (40 U.S.C. 276a et seq.).
The Secretary of Labor shall have with respect to the
labor standards specified in this subsection the authority
and functions set forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered
14 of 1950 and section 2 of the Davis-Bacon Act (40
U.S.C. 276c).
‘‘(f) CONTINUED USE FOR LIBRARY PURPOSES.—If,
within 20 years after completion of construction of any
library facility which has been constructed in part with
funds made available under this title—
‘‘(1) the recipient (or its successor in title or
possession) ceases or fails to be a public or nonprofit
institution, or
‘‘(2) the facility ceases to be used as a library
facility, unless the Secretary determines that there is
good cause for releasing the institution from its obli-
gation,
the United States shall be entitled to recover from such
recipient (or successor) an amount which bears the same
ratio to the value of the facility at that time (or part there-
of constituting an approved project or projects) as the
amount of the Federal grant bore to the cost of such facil-
ity (or part thereof). The value shall be determined by the
parties or by action brought in the United States district
court for the district in which the facility is located.’’.
Æ