I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3008
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide
up-to-date school library media resources and well-trained, professionally
certified school library media specialists for elementary schools and sec-
ondary schools, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 4, 1999
Mr. OWENS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 to provide up-to-date school library media re-
sources and well-trained, professionally certified school
library media specialists for elementary schools and sec-
ondary schools, 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 ‘‘Elementary and Sec-
ondary School Library Media Resources, Training, and
Advanced Technology Assistance Act’’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to improve academic achievement of stu-
dents by providing students with increased access to
up-to-date school library materials, a well-equipped,
technologically advanced school library media center,
and well-trained, professionally certified school li-
brary media specialists;
(2) to support the acquisition of up-to-date
school library media resources for the use of stu-
dents, school library media specialists, and teachers
in elementary schools and secondary schools;
(3) to provide school library media specialists
with the tools and training opportunities necessary
for the specialists to facilitate the development and
enhancement of the information literacy, information
retrieval, and critical thinking skills of students; and
(4)(A) to ensure the effective coordination of
resources for library, technology, and professional
development activities for elementary schools and
secondary schools; and
(B) to ensure collaboration between school li-
brary media specialists, and elementary school and
secondary school teachers and administrators, in de-
veloping curriculum-based instructional activities for
students so that school library media specialists are
partners in the learning process of students.
SEC. 3. SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA RESOURCES.
Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6801 et seq.) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following:
‘‘PART F—ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA RESOURCES
‘‘Subpart 1—Library Media Resources
‘‘SEC. 3701. STATE ALLOTMENTS.
‘‘The Secretary shall allot to each eligible State edu-
cational agency for a fiscal year an amount that bears the
same relation to the amount appropriated under section
3710 and not reserved under section 3709 for the fiscal
year as the amount the State educational agency received
under part A of title I for the preceding fiscal year bears
to the amount all State educational agencies received
under part A of title I for the preceding fiscal year.
‘‘SEC. 3702. STATE APPLICATIONS.
‘‘To be eligible to receive an allotment under section
3701 for a State for a fiscal year, the State educational
agency shall submit to the Secretary an application at
such time, in such manner, and containing such informa-
tion as the Secretary shall require. The application shall
contain a description of—
‘‘(1) the manner in which the State educational
agency will use the needs assessment described in
section 3705 and poverty data to allocate funds
made available through the allotment to the local
educational agencies in the State with the greatest
need for school library media improvement;
‘‘(2) the manner in which the State educational
agency will effectively coordinate all Federal and
State funds available for library, technology, and
professional development activities to assist local
educational agencies, elementary schools, and sec-
ondary schools in—
‘‘(A) acquiring up-to-date school library
media resources in all formats, including books
and advanced technology such as Internet con-
nections;
‘‘(B) providing training for school library
media specialists; and
‘‘(C) facilitating resource-sharing among
schools and school library media centers;
‘‘(3) the manner in which the State educational
agency will develop standards for the incorporation
of new technologies into the curricula of elementary
schools and secondary schools through school library
media programs to develop and enhance the infor-
mation literacy, information retrieval, and critical
thinking skills of students; and
‘‘(4) the manner in which the State educational
agency will evaluate the quality and impact of activi-
ties carried out under this subpart by local edu-
cational agencies to make determinations regarding
the need of the agencies for technical assistance and
whether to continue funding the agencies under this
subpart.
‘‘SEC. 3703. STATE RESERVATION.
‘‘A State educational agency that receives an allot-
ment under section 3701 may reserve not more than 3
percent of the funds made available through the allotment
to provide technical assistance, disseminate information
about effective school library media programs, and pay ad-
ministrative costs, relating to this subpart.
‘‘SEC. 3704. LOCAL ALLOCATIONS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency that
receives an allotment under section 3701 for a fiscal year
shall use the funds made available through the allotment
and not reserved under section 3703 to make allocations
to local educational agencies.
‘‘(b) AGENCIES.—The State educational agency shall
allocate the funds to the local educational agencies in the
State that have—
‘‘(1) the greatest need for school library media
improvement according to the needs assessment de-
scribed in section 3705; and
‘‘(2) the highest percentages of poverty, as
measured in accordance with section 1113(a)(5).
‘‘SEC. 3705. LOCAL APPLICATION.
‘‘To be eligible to receive an allocation under section
3704 for a fiscal year, a local educational agency shall sub-
mit to the State educational agency an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the State educational agency shall require. The application
shall contain—
‘‘(1) a needs assessment relating to need for
school library media improvement, based on the age
and condition of school library media resources (in-
cluding book collections), access of school library
media centers to advanced technology, including
Internet connections, and the availability of well-
trained, professionally certified school library media
specialists, in schools served by the local educational
agency;
‘‘(2) a description of the manner in which the
local educational agency will use the needs assess-
ment to assist schools with the greatest need for
school library media improvement;
‘‘(3) a description of the manner in which the
local educational agency will use the funds provided
through the allocation to carry out the activities de-
scribed in section 3706;
‘‘(4) a description of the manner in which the
local educational agency will develop and carry out
the activities described in section 3706 with the ex-
tensive participation of school library media special-
ists, elementary school and secondary school teach-
ers and administrators, and parents;
‘‘(5) a description of the manner in which the
local educational agency will effectively coordinate—
‘‘(A) funds provided under this subpart
with the Federal, State, and local funds re-
ceived by the agency for library, technology,
and professional development activities; and
‘‘(B) activities carried out under this sub-
part with the Federal, State, and local library,
technology, and professional development activi-
ties carried out by the local educational agency;
and
‘‘(6) a description of the manner in which the
local educational agency will collect and analyze data
on the quality and impact of activities carried out
under this subpart by schools served by the local
educational agency.
‘‘SEC. 3706. LOCAL ACTIVITIES.
‘‘A local educational agency that receives a local allo-
cation under section 3704 may use the funds made avail-
able through the allocation—
‘‘(1) to acquire up-to-date school library media
resources, including books, for the use of students,
school library media specialists, and teachers in ele-
mentary schools and secondary schools;
‘‘(2) to acquire and utilize advanced technology,
incorporated into the curricula of the schools, to de-
velop and enhance the information literacy, informa-
tion retrieval, and critical thinking skills of students;
‘‘(3) to acquire and utilize advanced technology,
including Internet links, to facilitate resource-shar-
ing among schools and school library media centers,
and public and academic libraries, where possible;
‘‘(4) to provide professional development oppor-
tunities for school library media specialists; and
‘‘(5) to foster increased collaboration between
school library media specialists and elementary
school and secondary school teachers and adminis-
trators.
‘‘SEC. 3707. ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTINUATION OF
FUNDS.
‘‘Each local educational agency that receives funding
under this subpart for a fiscal year shall be eligible to con-
tinue to receive the funding—
‘‘(1) for each of the 2 following fiscal years; and
‘‘(2) for each fiscal year subsequent to the 2
following fiscal years, if the local educational agency
demonstrates that the agency has increased—
‘‘(A) the availability of, and the access of
students, school library media specialists, and
elementary and secondary teachers to, up-to-
date school library media resources, including
books and advanced technology, in elementary
schools and secondary schools served by the
local educational agency;
‘‘(B) the number of well-trained, profes-
sionally certified school library media specialists
in those schools; and
‘‘(C) collaboration between school library
media specialists and elementary school and
secondary school teachers and administrators
for those schools.
‘‘SEC. 3708. SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.
‘‘Funds made available under this subpart shall be
used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State,
and local funds expended to carry out activities relating
to library, technology, or professional development activi-
ties.
‘‘SEC. 3709. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
‘‘The Secretary shall reserve not more than 3 percent
of the amount appropriated under section 3710 for a fiscal
year—
‘‘(1) for an annual, independent, national eval-
uation of the activities assisted under this subpart,
to be conducted not later than 3 years after the date
of enactment of this subpart; and
‘‘(2) to broadly disseminate information to help
States, local educational agencies, school library
media specialists, and elementary and secondary
teachers and administrators learn about effective
school library media programs.
‘‘SEC. 3710. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this subpart $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and such
sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2001
through 2004.
‘‘Subpart 2—School Library Access Program
‘‘SEC. 3721. PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants
to local educational agencies to provide students with ac-
cess to libraries in elementary schools and secondary
schools during non-school hours, including the hours be-
fore and after school, weekends, and summer vacation pe-
riods.
‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a
grant under subsection (a), a local educational agency
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time,
in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require.
‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In making grants under subsection
(a), the Secretary shall give priority to local educational
agencies that demonstrate, in applications submitted
under subsection (b), that the agencies—
‘‘(1) seek to provide activities that will increase
reading skills and student achievement;
‘‘(2) have effectively coordinated services and
funding with entities involved in other Federal,
State, and local efforts, to provide programs and ac-
tivities for students during the non-school hours de-
scribed in subsection (a); and
‘‘(3) have a high level of community support.
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subpart
$25,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may
be necessary for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2004.’’.
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