[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2918 Referred in House (RFH)]
109th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2918
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 12, 2006
Referred to the Committee on House Administration
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AN ACT
To provide access to newspapers for blind or other persons with
disabilities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Free Newspaper Access for Blind and
Other Persons with Disabilities Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAM.
(a) Program Authorized.--
(1) In general.--The Librarian of Congress is authorized,
subject to the availability of appropriations, to pay
telecommunications costs for blind and other persons with
disabilities to have interstate free access to electronic
editions of periodicals and newspapers, disseminated in
specialized audio and electronic text formats and available
contemporaneously with their print editions, from a multi-State
nonprofit source described in paragraph (2).
(2) Multi-state nonprofit source.--The multi-State
nonprofit source referred to in paragraph (1) shall be an
entity that obtains content from publishers for free
distribution of 1 or more periodicals or newspapers to blind
and other persons with disabilities in each State in which
eligible persons receive books and other publications supplied
by the Librarian of Congress under the Act entitled ``An Act to
provide books for the adult blind'', approved March 3, 1931 (2
U.S.C. 135a).
(b) Definition of Blind and Other Persons With Disabilities.--In
this section, the term ``blind and other persons with disabilities''
means individuals who are eligible or who may qualify, in accordance
with the Act entitled ``An Act to provide books for the adult blind'',
approved March 3, 1931 (2 U.S.C. 135a), to receive books and other
publications produced in specialized formats.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Library of Congress
to carry out this Act $750,000 for fiscal year 2007 and such sums as
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2011.
Passed the Senate July 11, 2006.
Attest:
EMILY J. REYNOLDS,
Secretary.