Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) introduced the Kids 2000 bill (S-2061). The Act calls for $120 million (between FY 2001 and FY 2006) for Boys and Girls Clubs to develop community technology center programs to provide access to technology and technology training to youth during after-school hours, weekends, and school vacations.

More information is available from: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:SB02061:@@@X

OMB Watch is a nonprofit research, educational, and advocacy organization that focuses on budget issues, regulatory policy, nonprofit advocacy, access to government information, and the effects of technology on nonprofit organizations. To a large extent, we work with and through the nonprofit sector because of its vital place in our communities and our faith that the sector can play a powerful role in revitalizing our democratic principles. Despite the growing ubiquity of the Internet, we have found that there is still a problem with low-income, minority, and rural groups gaining access to both basic and higher-end technology and communications resources. It is often argued that schools and libraries can bridge the gap in access to computers and to the Internet. But this hope is not fully borne out by the current situation. Not surprisingly, access is not distributed randomly, but correlated strongly with income and education. There is, however, growing support and an increase in the number of community technology efforts working to meet the needs of the underserved in America -- minority, low-income, homeless, elderly, people with disabilities, and immigrant populations, in urban and rural areas. These community technology centers are an integral part of the communities they serve. OMB Watch is working with an ad hoc coalition of nonprofit organizations to rectify the problem of inequity by highlighting opportunities for community technology centers to take advantage of federal funding resources, and expressing support for the proposed appropriations of $100 million for Community Technology Centers under the FY 2001 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. OMB Watch seeks to provide opportunities for nonprofits to learn about and utilize newer technologies for public policy activities; improve communication and coordination between technology and public policy professionals in the nonprofit sector; and ways to increase the accessibility to and comfort level with these tools for all citizens. In all our work, we are guided by the belief that improving access to our governmental decision-makers and energizing citizen participation leads to a more just, equitable and accountable government, and a healthier civil society civil society.

OMB Watch will not let the government criminalize "leaked" information. Read our letter to Senator Graham urging him to not include the provision in the upcoming Intelligence Authorization bill. Dear Senator Graham:

President Clinton has proposed a seven part initiative to move "from digital divide to digital opportunity." The objective is to not only accelerate access to computer technology, but also to "promote content and applications of technology that will help empower underserved communities."