BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 1774
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 23, 2000

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                              Carole Migden, Chairwoman

                    SB 1774 (Bowen) - As Amended:  August 7, 2000 

          Policy Committee:                               
          EducationVote:14-1

          Urgency:     Yes                  State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill provides funding to encourage schools, libraries, and  
          public access centers to extend their hours of operation.   
          Specifically, this bill:

          1)Requires the State Department of Education (SDE) and the State  
            Librarian to establish a grant program to encourage schools  
            and public access centers to keep their computer facilities  
            open to pupils and their families.

          2)Specifies that each grant cannot exceed $100,000.

          3) Defines a public access center as a nonprofit community-based  
            center located in a low-income neighborhood that provides  
            Internet access and technology skills training to under-served  
            populations.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Unknown GF (Prop 98) costs, likely more than $3 million to the  
            SDE, to provide a $50,000 grant to one school in each of the  
            58 counties.  The bill contains a blank appropriation to  
            encourage schools to extend their hours. 

          2)Unknown GF (non-Prop 98) costs, likely more than $1 million to  
            the State Librarian, to provide grants to extend library hours  
            of operation.  This bill contains a blank appropriation for  
            libraries.

          3)Unknown GF (non-Prop 98) costs, likely more than $1 million,  
            to provide grants to public access centers to extend their  








                                                                  SB 1774
                                                                  Page  2

            hours.  The bill contains a blank appropriation for public  
            access centers.

          4)GF (non-Prop 98) costs of about $150,000 each to the SDE and  
            the State Librarian to administer these grant programs.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  .  This bill and its companion bill (SB 1634) are  
            intended to increase access to the Internet and computer  
            technology to low-income communities. 

           2)Related Legislation  . SB 1634 (Bowen) requires the State  
            Department of Education (SDE) to establish a program for the  
            creation of Internet Access centers throughout the state. The  
            principal purpose of these Internet centers is to provide  
            opportunities for the general public to become knowledgeable  
            in the use of computers and provide access to computer  
            programs and the Internet.  Each center is eligible to receive  
            up to $25,000 for operation and staffing.  The bill is  
            currently on this committee's Suspense file

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jai Sookprasert / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081