Title: Public Library Innovation Space Act
Policy area: Arts, Culture, Religion

Summary:
Public Library Innovation Space Act
This bill requires the National Museum and Library Services Board to carry out a program for making competitive grants to eligible partnerships (composed of a public library and an economic development corporation, a local government, a state government, an elementary or secondary school, a museum, an institution of higher education, a nonprofit organization, a corporation, and/or other entities identified by the Board) to establish makerspaces at public libraries.
A makerspace is a facility (which may be at a fixed location or a mobile unit) that is open to the public and provides individuals with access to: (1) tools, technology, and educational resources designed to enable such individuals to create physical goods, including prototypes; and (2) educational opportunities, including vocational training and assistance with early-stage business ventures.
A partnership must contribute, for the activities for which the grant was awarded, nonfederal matching funds equal to the grant amount.
Each eligible partnership that receives a grant may not use its grant funds, or the matching funds contributed by it, for construction activities at a public library that would provide extra square footage to house a makerspace.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3496 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3496

  To amend the Museum and Library Services Act to authorize grants to 
support the use of public libraries for community economic development.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 27, 2017

Mr. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico (for himself, Mr. Takano, and Mr. Ryan 
   of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the 
Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
        fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Museum and Library Services Act to authorize grants to 
support the use of public libraries for community economic development.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Public Library Innovation Space 
Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Subsection (a) of section 214 of the Museum and Library Services 
Act (20 U.S.C. 9123(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) to carry out chapter 5, $10,000,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2018 through 2022.''.

SEC. 3. PUBLIC LIBRARY MAKERSPACE GRANTS.

    Subtitle B of title II of the Museum and Library Services Act (20 
U.S.C. 9101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

          ``CHAPTER 5--PUBLIC LIBRARY MAKERSPACE GRANT PROGRAM

``SEC. 265. PUBLIC LIBRARY MAKERSPACE GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--From the amounts provided under section 
214(a)(3), the Director shall carry out a program under which the 
Director makes grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships 
to establish makerspaces at public libraries.
    ``(b) Applications.--To be considered for a grant under this 
section, an eligible partnership shall submit an application to the 
Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
and assurances as the Director may require.
    ``(c) Selection of Grantees.--In selecting eligible partnerships to 
receive grants under this section, the Director shall consider--
            ``(1) the viability of the partnership making the 
        application;
            ``(2) the ability of the partnership to meet the matching 
        requirement described in subsection (d);
            ``(3) the potential of the project to provide social and 
        economic benefits to the local community;
            ``(4) the support of local communities, government, and 
        partners for the project;
            ``(5) the project's potential for strengthening the 
        involvement of diverse and underserved communities in 
        entrepreneurship and economic development; and
            ``(6) the ability of the project to continue after the end 
        of the grant period.
    ``(d) Matching Requirement.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), an 
        eligible partnership shall contribute, for the activities for 
        which the grant was awarded under this section, non-Federal 
        matching funds in an amount equal to the amount of the grant.
            ``(2) Waiver.--The Director may waive the requirement of 
        paragraph (1) for any eligible partnership that the Director 
        determines does not have adequate resources to meet such 
        requirement.
    ``(e) Reports.--Not less frequently than once annually, the 
Director shall submit to Congress a report that includes--
            ``(1) a description of the activities carried out with 
        grants under this section; and
            ``(2) an assessment of the effect of the grant program on 
        community economic development.
    ``(f) Treatment of Makerspaces.--The use of a makerspace supported 
by a grant under this section shall not be treated as a private 
business use under section 141(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
    ``(g) Prohibition on Construction Activities.--An eligible 
partnership that receives a grant under this section may not use grant 
funds, or matching funds contributed by the partnership under 
subsection (d), for construction activities at a public library that 
would provide extra square footage to house a makerspace.
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible partnership.--The term `eligible 
        partnership' means a partnership that includes a public library 
        and--
                    ``(A) an economic development corporation;
                    ``(B) a local government;
                    ``(C) a State government;
                    ``(D) an elementary school or secondary school (as 
                such terms are defined in section 8101 of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 7801));
                    ``(E) a museum;
                    ``(F) an institution of higher education (as such 
                term is defined in section 102 of the Higher Education 
                Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002));
                    ``(G) a nonprofit organization;
                    ``(H) a corporation;
                    ``(I) other entities identified by the Director; or
                    ``(J) a combination of entities described in any of 
                subparagraphs (A) through (I).
            ``(2) Makerspace.--The term `makerspace' means a facility 
        (which may be a facility at a fixed location or a mobile unit) 
        that is open to the public and provides individuals with access 
        to--
                    ``(A) tools, technology, and educational resources 
                that are designed to enable such individuals to create 
                physical goods, including prototypes; and
                    ``(B) educational opportunities, including 
                vocational training and assistance with early-stage 
                business ventures.''.
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