II 
Calendar No. 582 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3544 
[Report No. 117–224] 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 13, 2022 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
DECEMBER 5, 2022 
Reported by Mr. PETERS, with an amendment and an amendment to the title 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
AN ACT 
To require the Administrator of General Services to transfer 
certain surplus computers and technology equipment to 
nonprofit computer refurbishers for repair, distribution, 
and return, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Computers for Vet-
erans and Students Act of 2022’’ or the ‘‘COVS Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Access to computers and computer tech-
nology is indispensable for success in the 21st cen-
tury. Millions of Americans do not regularly use a 
computer and research shows that substantial dis-
parities remain in both internet use and the quality 
of access with the digital divide concentrated among 
older, less educated, less affluent populations, espe-
cially veterans, low-income students, and senior citi-
zens. 
(2) The COVID–19 pandemic has highlighted 
the gap between those with computer access and 
those without. Millions of students, their families, 
and workers from across the economy were unable to 
do schoolwork, work remotely from home, or connect 
to loved ones and their communities because of the 
digital divide. 
(3) Any Federal program that distributes sur-
plus Federal computers to a public school, an edu-
cational nonprofit, or a nonprofit computer refur-
bisher for repair and distribution would benefit from 
a partnership with a nonprofit organization, whose 
mission is bridging the digital divide. 
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SEC. 3. REFURBISHMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF SURPLUS 
COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT. 
(a) GSA TRANSFER.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after 
State agencies for surplus property have been given 
an opportunity to review surplus computer or tech-
nology equipment that has been determined to be re-
pairable, the Administrator shall transfer to partici-
pating nonprofit computer refurbishers such equip-
ment with full title to such equipment, for repair 
and
distribution
in
accordance
with
subsection 
(c)(1). 
(2)
INFORMATION
ON
EQUIPMENT
REFUR-
BISHED.—A nonprofit computer refurbisher that re-
ceives surplus computer or technology equipment 
under this subsection shall provide the Adminis-
trator with any information the Administrator deter-
mines to be necessary for required reporting, includ-
ing information about the distribution of such equip-
ment. 
(b) PARTNERSHIP.—The Administrator may estab-
lish a partnership with non-governmental entities, at no 
cost, to— 
(1) facilitate the identification of nonprofit com-
puter refurbishers and the distribution of surplus 
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computer or technology equipment under this sec-
tion; and 
(2) facilitate the participation of nonprofit com-
puter refurbishers under this section. 
(c) REPAIR AND DISTRIBUTION.— 
(1) DISTRIBUTION TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DI-
VIDE.—A nonprofit computer refurbisher that re-
ceives equipment under subsection (a) shall repair 
and distribute such equipment to an educational in-
stitution, a veteran, an individual with a disability, 
a low-income individual, a student, or a senior in 
need that is residing or based in the United States. 
(2) TRAINING PROGRAMS.—Any nonprofit com-
puter refurbisher that receives any equipment under 
subsection (a) shall offer training programs on the 
use of computers and technology equipment for any 
of the following: 
(A) Educational institutions. 
(B) Veterans. 
(C) Individuals with disabilities. 
(D) Low-income individuals. 
(E) Students. 
(F) Seniors. 
(d) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 2 
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years thereafter for the next 4 years, the Administrator 
shall submit to Congress a report on the efforts of the 
Administrator under this Act. 
(e) AGENCY REPORTS.—Not later than 5 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there-
after, the head of each Federal agency shall make a report 
available to the public on the number of repairable com-
puters that were sent to recycling, abandoned, or de-
stroyed. 
(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed to supersede the requirements of 
the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 
(Public Law 96–480; 15 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.). 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1)
ADMINISTRATOR.—The
term
‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of General Serv-
ices. 
(2) DIGITAL
DIVIDE.—The term ‘‘digital di-
vide’’ means the gap between those who have an 
internet-connected computer and the skills to use the 
computer and those who do not. 
(3)
EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTION.—The
term 
‘‘educational institution’’ means— 
(A) any public or private child care center, 
preschool, elementary school, secondary school, 
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accredited institution of vocational or profes-
sional education, or institution of higher edu-
cation; 
(B) in the case of an accredited institution 
of vocational or professional education or an in-
stitution of higher education composed of more 
than one school, college, or department that is 
administratively a separate unit, each such 
school, college, or department; and 
(C) a home school (whether treated as a 
home school or a private school for purposes of 
applicable State law). 
(4) FEDERAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
agency’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘federal 
agency’’ in section 102 of title 40, United States 
Code. 
(5) DISABILITY.—The term ‘‘disability’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 3 of the Ameri-
cans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
12102). 
(6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term
‘‘institution
of
higher
education’’
has
the 
meaning given that term in section 101 of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
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(7) LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS.—The term ‘‘low 
income individual’’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 351 of the Small Business Investment Act 
of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 689). 
(8) NONPROFIT
COMPUTER
REFURBISHER.— 
The term ‘‘nonprofit computer refurbisher’’ means a 
nonprofit organization that primarily works to im-
prove access to information and communication 
technology in their mission to bridge the digital di-
vide. 
(9)
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.—The
term 
‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 
is described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation 
under section 501(a) of such Code. 
(10)
REPAIRABLE.—The
term
‘‘repairable’’ 
means property that is unusable in its current state 
but can be economically repaired. 
(11) SECONDARY
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec-
ondary school’’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965. 
(12) SENIOR.—The term ‘‘senior’’ means an in-
dividual who is 65 years of age or older. 
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(13) SENIOR IN NEED.—The term ‘‘senior in 
need’’ means a senior who experiences cultural, so-
cial, or geographical isolation that— 
(A) restricts the ability of the senior to 
perform normal daily tasks; or 
(B) threatens the capacity of the senior to 
live independently. 
(14)
STATE
AGENCY
FOR
SURPLUS
PROP-
ERTY.—The term ‘‘State agency for surplus prop-
erty’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘state agen-
cy’’ under section 549 of title 40, United States 
Code. 
(15) STUDENT.—The term ‘‘student’’ means 
any individual enrolled in an educational institution, 
but not a public or private child care center. 
(16)
SURPLUS
COMPUTER
OR
TECHNOLOGY 
EQUIPMENT.—The term ‘‘surplus computer or tech-
nology equipment’’ means computer or technology 
equipment that is property described under section 
549(b)(2) of title 40, United States Code. 
(17)
TECHNOLOGY
EQUIPMENT.—The
term 
‘‘technology equipment’’ means any physical asset 
related to a computer or information technology, in-
cluding any peripheral component, tablet, commu-
nication device (such as a router, server, or cell 
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phone),
printer,
scanner,
uninterruptible
power 
source, cable, or connection. 
(18) VETERAN.—The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, 
United States Code. 
(h) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator may issue 
regulations that are necessary and appropriate to imple-
ment this section. 
SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Computers for Veterans 
and Students Act of 2022’’ or the ‘‘COVS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Access to computers and computer technology 
is indispensable for success in the 21st century. Mil-
lions of Americans do not regularly use a computer 
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