Title: HOTSPOTS Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
The Hotspots and Online Technology and Services Procurement for our Tribes and States Act or the HOTSPOTS Act
This bill establishes a two-year pilot program through which the Institute of Museum and Library Services must award grants to states, territories, and Indian tribes to purchase and distribute internet-connected devices to libraries in rural and low-income areas.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4285 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4285

To establish a pilot program through which the Institute of Museum and 
 Library Services shall allocate funds to States for the provision of 
                internet-connected devices to libraries.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 22, 2020

   Mr. Manchin (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Crapo, and Mr. Tester) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a pilot program through which the Institute of Museum and 
 Library Services shall allocate funds to States for the provision of 
                internet-connected devices to libraries.

    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 Hotspots and Online Technology and 
Services Procurement for our Tribes and States Act'' or the ``HOTSPOTS 
Act''.

SEC. 2. INTERNET HOTSPOT PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act, the terms ``library'', ``State'', 
and ``State library administrative agency'' have the meanings given 
those terms in section 213 of the Museum and Library Services Act (20 
U.S.C. 9122).
    (b) Pilot Program Authorized.--
            (1) Grants to states and indian tribes.--Not later than 21 
        days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 
        the Institute of Museum and Library Services shall establish a 
        2-year pilot program, through which the Director shall--
                    (A) reserve 2.5 percent of the amounts appropriated 
                to carry out this section to make grants to Indian 
                Tribes and to organizations that primarily serve and 
                represent Native Hawaiians (as the term is defined in 
                section 6207 of the Native Hawaiian Education Act) to 
                enable such tribes and organizations to carry out the 
                activities described in subsection (c); and
                    (B) allocate grant funds to States in accordance 
                with paragraph (2) to enable States, through the State 
                library administrative agency, as appropriate, to carry 
                out the activities described in subsection (c).
            (2) Allotments to states.--
                    (A) Minimum allotments.--
                            (i) In general.--For purposes of this 
                        subsection, the minimum allotment for each 
                        State shall be $1,600,000, except that the 
                        minimum allotment shall be $160,000 in the case 
                        of the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, 
                        American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
                        Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the 
                        Marshall Islands, the Federated States of 
                        Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
                            (ii) Ratable reduction.--Notwithstanding 
                        clause (i), if the sum appropriated to carry 
                        out this section is insufficient to fully 
                        satisfy the requirement of clause (i), each of 
                        the minimum allotments under such clause shall 
                        be reduced ratably.
                    (B) Remainder.--
                            (i) In general.--From the remainder of any 
                        sums not reserved or allotted under 
                        subparagraph (A), the Director shall award 
                        grants to each State in an amount that bears 
                        the same relation to such remainder as the 
                        population of the State bears to the population 
                        of all States.
                            (ii) Data.--The population of each State 
                        and of all the States shall be determined by 
                        the Director on the basis of the most recent 
                        data available from the Bureau of the Census.
            (3) Grants for indian tribes.--An Indian tribe that is 
        eligible for support under section 261 of the Library Services 
        and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 9161) may designate a tribal 
        library or tribal library consortium as a library or consortium 
        that is eligible for grant funds under this section, without 
        regard to whether the library or library consortium is eligible 
        for assistance from a State Library Administrative Agency under 
        the Library Services and Technology Act (20 U.S.C. 9121 et 
        seq.), if the library or library consortium is eligible for 
        support from an Indian tribe under such section 261.
    (c) Use of Grant Funds.--Each State, Indian Tribe, or other entity 
receiving a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this 
section shall use funding under this section to--
            (1) expand digital network access by purchasing and 
        distributing internet-connected devices, such as hotspots, to 
        libraries in low-income and rural areas so that those libraries 
        can allow individuals to borrow internet-connected devices for 
        home use and install or upgrade public wi-fi access points for 
        use on or near library grounds;
            (2) provide libraries with funds to pay the other expenses 
        associated with such devices and services, such as processing, 
        training, associated connectivity, hardware and support, and 
        other necessary expenses related to the retention of these 
        devices and provision of these services; and
            (3) encourage existing and new partnerships between State 
        and local governments, libraries, nonprofit entities, agencies 
        including the Federal Communications Commission, and 
        telecommunication, broadband, and internet service providers to 
        coordinate the distribution of hotspots and other internet-
        connected devices and services.
    (d) Grants, Contracts, or Cooperative Agreements.--From amounts 
appropriated to carry out this section, $1,000,000 shall be made 
available for the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library 
Services for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements with Federal 
agencies, public and private organizations, and other entities 
determined to be eligible by the Director to enable those agencies, 
organizations, and entities to carry out the activities described in 
subsection (c).
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $160,000,000.
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