Bill Summary & Status for the 106th Congress

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H.R.4473
Sponsor: Rep Wynn, Albert Russell (introduced 5/16/2000)
Latest Major Action: 6/28/2000 Referred to House subcommittee
Title: To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to establish a program to distribute funds to State educational agencies to advance the use of technology to effectively teach our students computer skills and improve the general educational performance of students, and for other purposes.
Jump to: Titles, Status, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments, Cosponsors, Summary
TITLE(S):  (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)
STATUS: (color indicates Senate actions)
5/16/2000:
Referred to the Committee on Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Education and the Workforce, 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.
5/16/2000:
Referred to House Commerce
6/7/2000:
Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.
5/16/2000:
Referred to House Ways and Means
5/16/2000:
Referred to House Education and the Workforce
6/28/2000:
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families.
COMMITTEE(S):
RELATED BILL DETAILS:

***NONE***

AMENDMENT(S):

***NONE***

COSPONSORS(3), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Rep Meek, Carrie P. - 6/19/2000 Rep Rush, Bobby L. - 5/16/2000
Rep Sandlin, Max - 6/19/2000

SUMMARY AS OF:
5/16/2000--Introduced.

Computers in Our Community Act - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to establish a Computers in Our Community Program.

(Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary), acting through the Assistant Secretary, to make grants to participating SEAs for allocation among local educational agencies (LEAs). Allows such funds to be used for: (1) purchase of computers that meet a minimum standard as determined by the Secretary; (2) the electrical wiring that schools may require to connect computers to each other and to the Internet; and (3) hiring technological assistants to ensure that each school has access to a trained computer professional to provide technology training for teachers and perform maintenance of computer systems. Allows the use of such funds to pay a maximum of one technological assistant per: (1) five elementary schools; (2) three middle schools; and (3) two high schools.

Directs the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, to award competitive grants to the following entities for the following programs: (1) nonprofit organizations, to establish job training programs for preparing low-income individuals for computer and technology related jobs (digital divide workforce training initiative); (2) community centers and libraries, to provide greater access to, instruction on, and assistance with computers and the Internet (technology access); (3) institutions of higher education (IHEs) that create successful partnerships between their education and computer departments to create software or Internet applications to train teachers in using computers, and using computers to teach students or to use in the classroom to teach students (computer curriculum partnership). Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Education to develop a clearinghouse to make available to other schools throughout the Nation information derived from activities of IHE recipients of curriculum partnership grants.

Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 4) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish the Computers in Our Communities Trust Fund. Transfers to such Fund amounts equivalent to certain taxes on communications. Makes amounts in such fund available for appropriations to carry out the Computers in Our Communities Program.

(Sec. 5) Reduces an excise tax on telephone and other communications services.