Administrative Law

Big Money for digitization projects one big step forward

By Mary

Digital Promise Legislation Passes the House of Representatives

Legislation embracing the Digital Promise proposal to establish the National Center for Learning Science and Technology Trust Fund as a pilot program (originally labeled ?DO IT?, the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust) was passed by the House of Representatives by a wide margin on Thursday evening, February 7.

The proposal, which establishes the National Center for Learning Science and Technology (originally called DOIT) as an independent 501(c)(3) corporation within the Department of Education, was placed into H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, and passed by the House of Representatives on Feb. 7th! 

The pilot program will have a nine person Board of Directors that will administer a trust fund for precompetitive basic and applied research to help transform education, skills training and lifelong learning for the digital age.  It will assess and research prototypes for innovative digital learning and information technologies; support pilot testing and evaluation, encourage their widespread adoption and use, and introduce digital media education programs for parents, teachers, and children to build technology literacy.  To carry out its activities the Center will award contracts and grants to colleges and universities, museums, libraries, public broadcasting entities and similar nonprofit organizations and public institutions, as well as to for-profit organizations.

Thank yous are in order to Congressmen John Yarmuth of Kentucky, as well as Congressmen Regula, Kennedy, Markey, Pickering, Boucher, Markey, Chandler, Gordon, Eshoo, Sensenbrenner, Lofgren, Lipinski, Courtney, Schakowsky, Shays and many others. 

The House bill will now go to conference with the Senate, where many members have indicated their strong support.

For more information or to view the language of the legislation, see www.digitalpromise.org

Full post as published by LibraryLaw Blog on February 08, 2008 (boomark / email).