Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of Public Act 095-0740
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Public Act 095-0740


 

Public Act 0740 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY



 


 
Public Act 095-0740
 
HB0314 Enrolled LRB095 04839 HLH 24900 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    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 Sections 5-5 and 5-30 as follows:
 
    (30 ILCS 780/5-5)
    Sec. 5-5. Definitions; descriptions. As used in this
Article:
    "Community-based organization" means a private
not-for-profit organization that is located in an Illinois
community and that provides services to citizens within that
community and the surrounding area.
    "Senior citizen home" means an Illinois-based residential
facility for people who are over the age of 65. The term
"senior citizen home" includes, but is not limited to,
convalescent homes, long-term care facilities, assistive
living facilities, and nursing homes.
    "Community technology centers" provide computer access and
educational services using information technology. Community
technology centers are diverse in the populations they serve
and programs they offer, but similar in that they provide
technology access to individuals, communities, and populations
that typically would not otherwise have places to use computer
and telecommunications technologies.
    "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic
Opportunity.
    "National school lunch program" means a program
administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state
agencies that provides free or reduced price lunches to
economically disadvantaged children. A child whose family
income is between 130% and 185% of applicable family size
income levels contained in the nonfarm poverty guidelines
prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget is eligible
for a reduced price lunch. A child whose family income is 130%
or less of applicable family size income levels contained in
the nonfarm income poverty guidelines prescribed by the Office
of Management and Budget is eligible for a free lunch.
    "Telecommunications services" provided by
telecommunications carriers include all commercially available
telecommunications services in addition to all reasonable
charges that are incurred by taking such services, such as
state and federal taxes.
    "Other special services" provided by telecommunications
carriers include Internet access and installation and
maintenance of internal connections in addition to all
reasonable charges that are incurred by taking such services,
such as state and federal taxes.
(Source: P.A. 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)
 
    (30 ILCS 780/5-30)
    Sec. 5-30. Community Technology Center 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, including case management, administration,
personal information management, and outcome-tracking tools
and software for the purposes of reporting to the Department
and for enabling participation in digital government and
consumer services programs, for Community Technology Centers
and public hospitals, libraries, and park districts. No
Community Technology Center may receive a grant of more than
$75,000 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, senior citizen homes, 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.
    The Department shall encourage Community Technology
Centers to participate in public and private computer hardware
equipment recycling initiatives that provide computers at
reduced or no cost to low-income families, including programs
authorized by the State Property Control Act. On an annual
basis, the Department must provide the Director of Central
Management Services with a list of Community Technology Centers
that have applied to the Department for funding as potential
recipients of surplus State-owned computer hardware equipment
under programs authorized by the State Property Control Act.
    (c) Grant applications shall be submitted to the Department
on a schedule of one or more deadlines established by the
Department by rule.
    (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
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. 94-734, eff. 4-28-06.)

Effective Date: 1/1/2009