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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Eliminate the Digital Divide Law is amended | ||||||
5 | by changing Sections 5-5 and 5-30 as follows:
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6 | (30 ILCS 780/5-5)
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7 | Sec. 5-5. Definitions; descriptions. As used in this | ||||||
8 | Article:
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9 | "Community-based organization" means
a private | ||||||
10 | not-for-profit organization that is located in an Illinois | ||||||
11 | community
and that provides services to citizens within that | ||||||
12 | community and the
surrounding area.
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13 | "Senior citizen home" means an Illinois-based residential | ||||||
14 | facility for people who are over the age of 65. The term | ||||||
15 | "senior citizen home" includes, but is not limited to, | ||||||
16 | convalescent homes, long-term care facilities, assistive | ||||||
17 | living facilities, and nursing homes.
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18 | "Community technology centers" provide computer access and | ||||||
19 | educational
services
using information technology. Community | ||||||
20 | technology centers are diverse in the
populations they serve | ||||||
21 | and programs they offer, but similar in that they
provide | ||||||
22 | technology access to individuals, communities, and populations | ||||||
23 | that
typically would not otherwise have places to use computer |
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1 | and
telecommunications technologies.
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2 | "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic | ||||||
3 | Opportunity.
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4 | "National school lunch
program" means a program | ||||||
5 | administered by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and state | ||||||
6 | agencies that provides free or reduced price
lunches to | ||||||
7 | economically disadvantaged children. A child whose family
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8 | income is between 130% and 185% of applicable family size
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9 | income levels contained in the nonfarm poverty guidelines | ||||||
10 | prescribed by
the Office of Management and Budget is eligible | ||||||
11 | for a reduced price
lunch. A child whose family income is 130% | ||||||
12 | or less of applicable
family size income levels contained in | ||||||
13 | the nonfarm income poverty
guidelines prescribed by the Office | ||||||
14 | of Management and Budget is eligible
for a free lunch.
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15 | "Telecommunications services" provided by | ||||||
16 | telecommunications carriers
include all commercially
available | ||||||
17 | telecommunications services in addition to all reasonable
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18 | charges that are incurred by taking such services, such as | ||||||
19 | state and
federal taxes.
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20 | "Other special services" provided by telecommunications | ||||||
21 | carriers
include Internet access and
installation and | ||||||
22 | maintenance of internal connections in addition to all
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23 | reasonable charges that are incurred by taking such services, | ||||||
24 | such as
state and federal taxes.
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25 | (Source: P.A. 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)
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1 | (30 ILCS 780/5-30)
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2 | Sec. 5-30. Community Technology Center Grant Program.
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3 | (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall | ||||||
4 | administer
the Community Technology Center Grant Program under | ||||||
5 | which the
Department shall make grants in accordance with this | ||||||
6 | Article
for planning, establishment, administration, and | ||||||
7 | expansion
of Community Technology Centers and for assisting | ||||||
8 | public hospitals,
libraries, and park districts in eliminating | ||||||
9 | the digital divide. The purposes
of the grants shall include, | ||||||
10 | but
not be limited to, volunteer recruitment and management, | ||||||
11 | training and
instruction, infrastructure, and
related goods | ||||||
12 | and services, including case management, administration, | ||||||
13 | personal information management, and outcome-tracking tools | ||||||
14 | and software for the purposes of reporting to the Department | ||||||
15 | and for enabling participation in digital government and | ||||||
16 | consumer services programs, for Community Technology Centers | ||||||
17 | and public
hospitals, libraries, and park districts.
No | ||||||
18 | Community Technology Center may receive a grant of more than | ||||||
19 | $75,000 under
this Section in a particular fiscal year.
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20 | (b) Public hospitals, libraries, park districts, and State | ||||||
21 | educational
agencies, local educational
agencies, institutions | ||||||
22 | of higher education, senior citizen homes, and other public and
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23 | private nonprofit or for-profit agencies and organizations are | ||||||
24 | eligible
to receive grants under this Program, provided that a | ||||||
25 | local educational
agency or public or private educational
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26 | agency or organization must, in order to be eligible to receive |
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1 | grants under
this Program, provide computer access and | ||||||
2 | educational services using
information technology to the | ||||||
3 | public at one or more of its educational
buildings or | ||||||
4 | facilities at least 12 hours each week. A group of eligible
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5 | entities is
also eligible to receive a grant if the group | ||||||
6 | follows the procedures
for group applications in 34 CFR | ||||||
7 | 75.127-129 of the Education Department General
Administrative | ||||||
8 | Regulations.
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9 | To be eligible to apply for a grant, a Community
Technology | ||||||
10 | Center , public hospital, library, or park district must serve a
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11 | community in which not less than 40%
of the
students are | ||||||
12 | eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the national
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13 | school lunch program or in which not less than 30% of the | ||||||
14 | students
are eligible
for a free lunch under the national | ||||||
15 | school lunch program; however, if funding
is insufficient to | ||||||
16 | approve all grant applications for a particular fiscal year,
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17 | the Department may impose a higher minimum percentage threshold | ||||||
18 | for that fiscal
year. Determinations of communities and | ||||||
19 | determinations of the percentage of
students in a community who | ||||||
20 | are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch
under the | ||||||
21 | national school lunch program shall be in accordance with rules
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22 | adopted by the Department.
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23 | Any entities that have received a Community
Technology | ||||||
24 | Center grant under the federal Community Technology Centers | ||||||
25 | Program
are also eligible to apply for grants under this | ||||||
26 | Program.
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1 | The Department shall
provide assistance to Community | ||||||
2 | Technology Centers in making those
determinations for purposes | ||||||
3 | of applying for grants.
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4 | The Department shall encourage Community Technology | ||||||
5 | Centers to participate in public and private computer hardware | ||||||
6 | equipment recycling initiatives that provide computers at | ||||||
7 | reduced or no cost to low-income families, including programs | ||||||
8 | authorized by the State Property Control Act. On an annual | ||||||
9 | basis, the Department must provide the Director of Central | ||||||
10 | Management Services with a list of Community Technology Centers | ||||||
11 | that have applied to the Department for funding as potential | ||||||
12 | recipients of surplus State-owned computer hardware equipment | ||||||
13 | under programs authorized by the State Property Control Act.
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14 | (c) Grant applications shall be submitted to the Department | ||||||
15 | on a schedule of one or more deadlines established by the | ||||||
16 | Department by rule.
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17 | (d) The Department shall adopt rules setting forth the | ||||||
18 | required form
and contents of grant applications.
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19 | (e) There is created
the Digital Divide Elimination | ||||||
20 | Advisory Committee. The advisory committee
shall consist of 7
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21 | members appointed one each by the Governor, the President of
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22 | the Senate, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the | ||||||
23 | House, and the House
Minority Leader, and 2 appointed by the | ||||||
24 | Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, one of whom | ||||||
25 | shall be a representative of the telecommunications industry | ||||||
26 | and one of whom shall represent community technology centers. |
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1 | The members of the advisory committee shall receive no
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2 | compensation for their services as members of the advisory | ||||||
3 | committee but may be
reimbursed for their actual expenses | ||||||
4 | incurred in serving on the advisory
committee. The Digital | ||||||
5 | Divide Elimination Advisory Committee shall advise the
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6 | Department in establishing criteria and priorities for | ||||||
7 | identifying recipients
of
grants under this Act. The advisory | ||||||
8 | committee shall obtain advice from the
technology industry | ||||||
9 | regarding current technological standards. The advisory
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10 | committee shall seek any available federal funding.
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11 | (f) There is created the Digital Divide Elimination Working | ||||||
12 | Group. The Working Group shall consist of the Director of | ||||||
13 | Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, the | ||||||
14 | Director of Central Management Services, or his or her | ||||||
15 | designee, and the Executive Director of the Illinois Commerce | ||||||
16 | Commission, or his or her designee. The Director of Commerce | ||||||
17 | and Economic Opportunity, or his or her designee, shall serve | ||||||
18 | as chair of the Working Group. The Working Group shall consult | ||||||
19 | with the members of the Digital Divide Elimination Advisory | ||||||
20 | Committee and may consult with various groups including, but | ||||||
21 | not limited to, telecommunications providers, | ||||||
22 | telecommunications-related technology producers and service | ||||||
23 | providers, community technology providers, community and | ||||||
24 | consumer organizations, businesses and business organizations, | ||||||
25 | and federal government agencies.
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26 | (g) Duties of the Digital Divide Elimination Working Group |
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1 | include all of the following: | ||||||
2 | (1) Undertaking a thorough review of grant programs | ||||||
3 | available through the federal government, local agencies, | ||||||
4 | telecommunications providers, and business and charitable | ||||||
5 | entities for the purpose of identifying appropriate | ||||||
6 | sources of revenues for the Digital Divide Elimination Fund | ||||||
7 | and attempting to update available grants on a regular | ||||||
8 | basis. | ||||||
9 | (2) Researching and cataloging programs designed to | ||||||
10 | advance digital literacy and computer access that are | ||||||
11 | available through the federal government, local agencies, | ||||||
12 | telecommunications providers, and business and charitable | ||||||
13 | entities and attempting to update available programs on a | ||||||
14 | regular basis. | ||||||
15 | (3) Presenting the information compiled from items (1) | ||||||
16 | and (2) to the Department of Commerce and Economic | ||||||
17 | Opportunity, which shall serve as a single point of contact | ||||||
18 | for applying for funding for the Digital Divide Elimination | ||||||
19 | Fund and for distributing information to the public | ||||||
20 | regarding all programs designed to advance digital | ||||||
21 | literacy and computer access.
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22 | (Source: P.A. 94-734, eff. 4-28-06.)
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