Links to sources of Government Information.

Last week the Senate took action to create 1,000 community technology centers (CTCs) to be funded through the Department of Education.

On May 9 the Senate approved, by a vote of 50-49, an amendment by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to the Elementary and Secondary Education bill. The bill authorizes $100 million to go towards creating and expanding 1,000 CTCs. The education bill is expected to pass the Senate. and will await House action before a conference occurs.

On May 10, 2000, the House and Senate Subcommittees on Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations did their markup of the FY 2001 appropriations for the Department of Education, which is where the federal CTC program rests. The House Subcommittee recommended current-level funding for Community Technology Centers at $32.5 million and the Senate subcommittee recommended $62.5 million. This is encourgaing news as it looks like the program will not get less than $32.5 this year. The House mark, however, identifies CTCs as an unauthorized program. Technically, Congress is not supposed to appropriate funds to programs that have no authorization (although this is regularly violated). The budget resolution requires the appropriations committees to provide this information.

The full table showing the House and Senate Subcommittee amounts for the Department of Education programs is available online in Adobe PDF format: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/ 01hs.pdf

On March 9, Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) and Senator Paul S.Sarbanes (D-MD) introduced the National Digital Empowerment Act (NDEA) in the Senate. Representatives Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Congressman Albert Wynn (D- MD) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.