HB3650eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB3650 Engrossed LRB094 10275 MKM 42023 b

AN ACT concerning telecommunications.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Eliminate the Digital Divide Law is amended by changing Section 5-30 as follows:

(30 ILCS 780/5-30)

Sec. 5-30. Community Technology Grant Program.

(a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall administer the Community Technology Center Grant Program under which the Department shall make grants in accordance with this Article for planning, establishment, administration, and expansion of Community Technology Centers and for assisting public hospitals, libraries, and park districts in eliminating the digital divide. The purposes of the grants shall include, but not be limited to, volunteer recruitment and management, training and instruction, infrastructure, and related goods and services for Community Technology Centers and public hospitals, libraries, and park districts. The total amount of grants under this Section in fiscal year 2001 shall not exceed $2,000,000, except that this limit on grants shall not apply to grants funded by appropriations from the Digital Divide Elimination Fund. No Community Technology Center may receive a grant of more than $50,000 under this Section in a particular fiscal year.

(b) Public hospitals, libraries, park districts, and State educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other public and private nonprofit or for-profit agencies and organizations are eligible to receive grants under this Program, provided that a local educational agency or public or private educational agency or organization must, in order to be eligible to receive grants under this Program, provide computer access and educational services using information technology to the public at one or more of its educational buildings or facilities at least 12 hours each week. A group of eligible entities is also eligible to receive a grant if the group follows the procedures for group applications in 34 CFR 75.127-129 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations.

To be eligible to apply for a grant, a Community Technology Center, public hospital, library, or park district must serve a community in which not less than 40% of the students are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the national school lunch program or in which not less than 30% of the students are eligible for a free lunch under the national school lunch program; however, if funding is insufficient to approve all grant applications for a particular fiscal year, the Department may impose a higher minimum percentage threshold for that fiscal year. Determinations of communities and determinations of the percentage of students in a community who are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the national school lunch program shall be in accordance with rules adopted by the Department.

Any entities that have received a Community Technology Center grant under the federal Community Technology Centers Program are also eligible to apply for grants under this Program.

The Department shall provide assistance to Community Technology Centers in making those determinations for purposes of applying for grants.

(c) Grant applications shall be submitted to the Department not later than March 15 for the next fiscal year.

(d) The Department shall adopt rules setting forth the required form and contents of grant applications.

(e) There is created the Digital Divide Elimination Advisory Committee. The advisory committee shall consist of 7 5 members appointed one each by the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader, and 2 appointed by the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, one of whom shall be a representative of the telecommunications industry and one of whom shall represent community technology centers. The members of the advisory committee shall receive no compensation for their services as members of the advisory committee but may be reimbursed for their actual expenses incurred in serving on the advisory committee. The Digital Divide Elimination Advisory Committee shall advise the Department in establishing criteria and priorities for identifying recipients of grants under this Act. The advisory committee shall obtain advice from the technology industry regarding current technological standards. The advisory committee shall seek any available federal funding.

(f) There is created the Digital Divide Elimination Working Group. The Working Group shall consist of the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, the Director of Central Management Services, or his or her designee, and the Executive Director of the Illinois Commerce Commission, or his or her designee. The Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, shall serve as chair of the Working Group. The Working Group shall consult with the members of the Digital Divide Elimination Advisory Committee and may consult with various groups including, but not limited to, telecommunications providers, telecommunications-related technology producers and service providers, community technology providers, community and consumer organizations, businesses and business organizations, and federal government agencies.

(g) Duties of the Digital Divide Elimination Working Group include all of the following:

(1) Undertaking a thorough review of grant programs available through the federal government, local agencies, telecommunications providers, and business and charitable entities for the purpose of identifying appropriate sources of revenues for the Digital Divide Elimination Fund and attempting to update available grants on a regular basis.

(2) Researching and cataloging programs designed to advance digital literacy and computer access that are available through the federal government, local agencies, telecommunications providers, and business and charitable entities and attempting to update available programs on a regular basis.

(3) Presenting the information compiled from items (1) and (2) to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which shall serve as a single point of contact for applying for funding for the Digital Divide Elimination Fund and for distributing information to the public regarding all programs designed to advance digital literacy and computer access.

(Source: P.A. 91-704, eff. 7-1-00; 92-22, eff. 6-30-01.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.