BILL NUMBER: SB 1774 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 24, 2000
INTRODUCED BY Senator Bowen
FEBRUARY 23, 2000
An act to amend Section 348 of the Public Utilities Code,
relating to public utilities. An act to add Section
10910.2, to the Education Code, relating to computer access, and
making an appropriation therefor.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1774, as amended, Bowen. Public utilities:
electrical restructuring Computer access .
Existing law authorizes school districts to organize, promote, and
conduct programs of community recreation as well as contribute to
the attainment of general educational and recreational objectives for
children and adults of the state. Existing law declares that it is
in the interest of the people and of the state that there be a
general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence through the
establishment and operation of public libraries.
This bill would require the State Department of Education to
establish a grant program to encourage schools to keep their computer
facilities open and available to the public on evenings and weekends
and to encourage public libraries that have Internet access to
extend the hours and days during which access is available to the
public. The bill would provide grant funds to cover the additional
costs incurred by the schools and libraries, as well as provide for
the cost of technical assistance at a level determined by the State
Department of Education. The bill would require a school to
implement a program that enlists pupil volunteers to provide
technical support as a condition to receiving the grant.
The bill would appropriate an unspecified sum from the General
Fund to the State Department of Education, according to a specified
schedule, to fund the grant programs.
The Public Utilities Act requires the Independent System Operator
to adopt inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement standards,
on or before September 30, 1997, for the transmission facilities
under its control, and standards for reliability and safety during
periods of emergency and disaster. Existing law requires the
Independent System Operator to report to the Oversight Board, at
those times specified by the Oversight Board, on the development and
implementation of the standards in relation to facilities under the
operational control of the Independent System Operator.
This bill would require the Independent System Operator to report
quarterly to the Oversight Board.
Vote: majority 2/3 .
Appropriation: no yes . Fiscal
committee: no yes . State-mandated
local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 348 of the Public Utilities Code
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) The ability to use a computer and the Internet are becoming
critical skills that are necessary for full participation in modern
society.
(b) The disparate access to computers and the Internet is known as
the "digital divide" and is related to an individual's income,
ethnicity, and geographic location. The digital divide disadvantages
people by denying them an equal opportunity to educate themselves,
avail themselves of economic opportunities, participate in electronic
commerce, and access information.
(c) A cost-effective way of helping to bridge the digital divide
is to provide educational and training opportunities to pupils as
well as provide general access to the public through the extended use
of schools, libraries, and other public access computer centers.
SEC. 2. Section 10910.2 is added to the Education Code, to read:
10910.2. The State Department of Education shall establish a
grant program to encourage schools to keep their computer facilities
open and available to the public on evenings and weekends, and to
encourage public libraries that have Internet access to extend the
hours and days during which access is available to the public. The
grants shall cover the additional costs incurred by a school or
library as well as provide for the cost of technical assistance at a
level determined by the State Department of Education. As a
condition to receiving a grant, a school must implement a program
that enlists pupil volunteers to provide technical support.
SEC. 3. The sum of _____ ($____) is hereby appropriated from the
General Fund to the State Department of Education to be allocated
according to the following schedule:
(a) The sum of ____ dollars ($____) to encourage schools to keep
their computer facilities open and available to the public on
evenings and weekends by providing grant funds to cover the
additional costs incurred by a school as well as provide for the cost
of technical assistance at a level determined by the State
Department of Education.
(b) The sum of ____ ($____) to encourage public libraries that
have Internet access to extend the hours and days during which access
is available to the public by providing grant funding to cover
additional costs incurred by the library as well as provide for the
cost of technical assistance at a level determined by the State
Department of Education. is amended to read:
348. The Independent System Operator shall adopt inspection,
maintenance, repair, and replacement standards for the transmission
facilities under its control no later than September 30, 1997. The
standards, which shall be performance or prescriptive standards, or
both, as appropriate, for each substantial type of transmission
equipment or facility, shall provide for high quality, safe, and
reliable service. In adopting its standards, the Independent System
Operator shall consider all of the following: cost, local geography
and weather, applicable codes, national electric industry practices,
sound engineering judgment, and experience. The Independent System
Operator shall also adopt standards for reliability, and safety
during periods of emergency and disaster. The Independent System
Operator shall report quarterly to the Oversight Board on the
development and implementation of the standards in relation to
facilities under the operational control of the Independent System
Operator. The Independent System Operator shall require each
transmission facility owner or operator to report annually on its
compliance with the standards. That report shall be made available
to the public.