HB3650 Enrolled LRB094 10275 MKM 42023 b

1     AN ACT concerning telecommunications.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Eliminate the Digital Divide Law is amended
5 by changing Sections 5-30 and 5-45 as follows:
 
6     (30 ILCS 780/5-30)
7     Sec. 5-30. Community Technology Center Grant Program.
8     (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall
9 administer the Community Technology Center Grant Program under
10 which the Department shall make grants in accordance with this
11 Article for planning, establishment, administration, and
12 expansion of Community Technology Centers and for assisting
13 public hospitals, libraries, and park districts in eliminating
14 the digital divide. The purposes of the grants shall include,
15 but not be limited to, volunteer recruitment and management,
16 training and instruction, infrastructure, and related goods
17 and services, including case management, administration,
18 personal information management, and outcome-tracking tools
19 and software for the purposes of reporting to the Department
20 and for enabling participation in digital government and
21 consumer services programs, for Community Technology Centers
22 and public hospitals, libraries, and park districts. The total
23 amount of grants under this Section in fiscal year 2001 shall
24 not exceed $2,000,000, except that this limit on grants shall
25 not apply to grants funded by appropriations from the Digital
26 Divide Elimination Fund. No Community Technology Center may
27 receive a grant of more than $75,000 $50,000 under this Section
28 in a particular fiscal year.
29     (b) Public hospitals, libraries, park districts, and State
30 educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions
31 of higher education, and other public and private nonprofit or
32 for-profit agencies and organizations are eligible to receive

 

 

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1 grants under this Program, provided that a local educational
2 agency or public or private educational agency or organization
3 must, in order to be eligible to receive grants under this
4 Program, provide computer access and educational services
5 using information technology to the public at one or more of
6 its educational buildings or facilities at least 12 hours each
7 week. A group of eligible entities is also eligible to receive
8 a grant if the group follows the procedures for group
9 applications in 34 CFR 75.127-129 of the Education Department
10 General Administrative Regulations.
11     To be eligible to apply for a grant, a Community Technology
12 Center, public hospital, library, or park district must serve a
13 community in which not less than 40% of the students are
14 eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the national
15 school lunch program or in which not less than 30% of the
16 students are eligible for a free lunch under the national
17 school lunch program; however, if funding is insufficient to
18 approve all grant applications for a particular fiscal year,
19 the Department may impose a higher minimum percentage threshold
20 for that fiscal year. Determinations of communities and
21 determinations of the percentage of students in a community who
22 are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the
23 national school lunch program shall be in accordance with rules
24 adopted by the Department.
25     Any entities that have received a Community Technology
26 Center grant under the federal Community Technology Centers
27 Program are also eligible to apply for grants under this
28 Program.
29     The Department shall provide assistance to Community
30 Technology Centers in making those determinations for purposes
31 of applying for grants.
32     (c) Grant applications shall be submitted to the Department
33 on a schedule of one or more deadlines established by the
34 Department by rule not later than March 15 for the next fiscal
35 year.
36     (d) The Department shall adopt rules setting forth the

 

 

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1 required form and contents of grant applications.
2     (e) There is created the Digital Divide Elimination
3 Advisory Committee. The advisory committee shall consist of 7 5
4 members appointed one each by the Governor, the President of
5 the Senate, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the
6 House, and the House Minority Leader, and 2 appointed by the
7 Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, one of whom
8 shall be a representative of the telecommunications industry
9 and one of whom shall represent community technology centers.
10 The members of the advisory committee shall receive no
11 compensation for their services as members of the advisory
12 committee but may be reimbursed for their actual expenses
13 incurred in serving on the advisory committee. The Digital
14 Divide Elimination Advisory Committee shall advise the
15 Department in establishing criteria and priorities for
16 identifying recipients of grants under this Act. The advisory
17 committee shall obtain advice from the technology industry
18 regarding current technological standards. The advisory
19 committee shall seek any available federal funding.
20     (f) There is created the Digital Divide Elimination Working
21 Group. The Working Group shall consist of the Director of
22 Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, the
23 Director of Central Management Services, or his or her
24 designee, and the Executive Director of the Illinois Commerce
25 Commission, or his or her designee. The Director of Commerce
26 and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, shall serve
27 as chair of the Working Group. The Working Group shall consult
28 with the members of the Digital Divide Elimination Advisory
29 Committee and may consult with various groups including, but
30 not limited to, telecommunications providers,
31 telecommunications-related technology producers and service
32 providers, community technology providers, community and
33 consumer organizations, businesses and business organizations,
34 and federal government agencies.
35     (g) Duties of the Digital Divide Elimination Working Group
36 include all of the following:

 

 

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1         (1) Undertaking a thorough review of grant programs
2     available through the federal government, local agencies,
3     telecommunications providers, and business and charitable
4     entities for the purpose of identifying appropriate
5     sources of revenues for the Digital Divide Elimination Fund
6     and attempting to update available grants on a regular
7     basis.
8         (2) Researching and cataloging programs designed to
9     advance digital literacy and computer access that are
10     available through the federal government, local agencies,
11     telecommunications providers, and business and charitable
12     entities and attempting to update available programs on a
13     regular basis.
14         (3) Presenting the information compiled from items (1)
15     and (2) to the Department of Commerce and Economic
16     Opportunity, which shall serve as a single point of contact
17     for applying for funding for the Digital Divide Elimination
18     Fund and for distributing information to the public
19     regarding all programs designed to advance digital
20     literacy and computer access.
21 (Source: P.A. 91-704, eff. 7-1-00; 92-22, eff. 6-30-01.)
 
22     (30 ILCS 780/5-45)
23     Sec. 5-45. Statewide Community Technology Center Network.
24     (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall expend
25 not more than $100,000 in fiscal year 2001 to establish and
26 administer a Statewide Community Technology Center Network to
27 assist in local and regional planning under this Article.
28     (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department may expend not
29 more than $100,000 in fiscal year 2006 and each fiscal year
30 thereafter to establish and administer a Statewide Community
31 Technology Center Network to assist in local and regional
32 planning and revenue development and outreach under this
33 Article.
34 (Source: P.A. 91-704, eff. 7-1-00.)
 

 

 

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