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LATEST NEWS
GOOD NEWS ON THE UPCOMING DIGITAL PROMISE BUDGET
March 2008
Hard on the heels of the House's passage of the Digital Promise proposal for a National Center for Learning Science and Technology Trust Fund, comes encouraging news about the Center's proposed budget.
The House has now also included specific language supporting the Digital Promise proposal in its Concurrent Budget Resolution Report (H.Rpt. 110-543), a measure that paves the way to acquire appropriations for the Trust Fund. That Report provides the blueprint for budget negotiations coming up. Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), the principal House sponsor of our legislation, the following language was included in the House Budget Report:
"Increased funding could be used to enhance funding for the Workforce Investment Act programs, which provide important job training and assistance. It could also support training for green collar jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency fields. Other aspects of the Democratic leadership's innovation agenda could also be supported, including math and science education, development of basic and applied research, as well as demonstrations of effective approaches to innovative learning such as those in HR 3631, the Revolutionizing Education Through Digital Investment Act of 2007." (Emphasis added)
Meanwhile, the House and Senate are currently meeting in Conference to work out the differences between their respective versions of the Higher Education Act. The House version of the Higher Ed authorization bill incorporates our legislation, H.R. 3631, which we are hopeful will appear in the final version to be passed by both Houses.
HOUSE PASSES DIGITAL PROMISE LEGISLATION
February 2008
We are thrilled to report that legislation embracing the Digital Promise proposal to establish the National Center for Learning Science and Technology Trust Fund as a pilot program (we had originally labeled the Center “DO IT”, the Digital Opportunity Investment Trust) was passed by the House of Representatives by a wide margin on Thursday evening, February 7.
The College Opportunity and Affordability Act (HR 4137), authorizes the establishment of the Center as an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation within the Department of Education. Under the legislation, the Center will have its own distinguished nine member board of directors. It 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.
The outstanding and inspired leadership of Congressman John Yarmuth of Kentucky and his staff was instrumental in making this happen. With the help of the dedicated support of our nationwide coalition, and a host of Congressional co-sponsors, Congressman Yarmuth led the effort to bring our long-standing work to this important step toward final passage.
The House-Senate Conference on HR 4137 is expected to be completed by the end of this month, with the bill’s final passage due in early March. To review the actual language creating the center as included in HR 4137 that was passed on February 7.
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