Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act
Latest action · May 12, 2020 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 12, 2020
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act
This bill establishes and provides funds for the Emergency Higher Education Connectivity Fund. Specifically, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) must use the fund to support institutions of higher education (IHEs) in providing broadband internet access service, videoconferencing systems and services used for distance learning, and equipment (e.g., computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, and other one-time costs) to enrolled students during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.
The bill requires the NTIA, in consultation with the Department of Education, to promulgate regulations within 14 days related to support for IHEs.
Among other things, the regulations must
- prioritize support for IHEs that receive certain institutional grants, including historically Black colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, and rural-serving institutions;
- require IHEs to prioritize support for students who are eligible for need-based financial aid; and
- establish a schedule of reasonable per-student funding amounts for eligible services and equipment.
Cosponsors 10
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 12, 2020 to Jun 11, 2020, with 3 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Original | May 12, 2020 |
| D-NV | Jacky Rosen | Original | May 12, 2020 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | May 12, 2020 |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | May 19, 2020 | |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | May 19, 2020 | |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | May 19, 2020 | |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | May 19, 2020 | |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | May 19, 2020 | |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | May 21, 2020 | |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Jun 11, 2020 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 12, 2020Introduced in Senate
- May 12, 2020Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 4131 | Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act | Related bill | Jul 1, 2020 |
| HR 6814 | Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act | Identical bill | May 12, 2020 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Education.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Appropriations
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Computers and information technology
- Department of Commerce
- Education
- Education of the disadvantaged
- Education programs funding
- Educational technology and distance education
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Government trust funds
- Higher education
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Minority education
- Rural conditions and development
- Student aid and college costs
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 12, 2020Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.