Enrolled SB 119: Relating to grant programs to support libraries.
00Enrolled SB 119 01 Relating to grant programs to support libraries. 02 _______________ 03 * Section 1. AS 14.56.300 is amended to read: 04 Sec. 14.56.300. Library assistance grant program [FUND]. There is 05 established in the department a library assistance grant program [FUND]. From 06 legislative appropriations [TO THE FUND], the department shall make grants to 07 eligible libraries for public library operations, for interlibrary cooperation, or for 08 regional library services. 09 * Sec. 2. AS 14.56 is amended by adding new sections to article 5 to read: 10 Sec. 14.56.355. Library construction and major expansion matching grant 11 program. (a) There is established in the Department of Commerce, Community, and 12 Economic Development a matching grant program for library construction and major 13 expansion. 14 (b) A person in charge of construction or major expansion of an eligible 15 library may apply to the department for a matching grant under regulations adopted by
01 the department. 02 (c) Subject to appropriation, the department shall award not more than 50 03 percent of the total proposed grant project costs to an eligible applicant. 04 (d) The department shall establish regulations to implement this section and 05 the eligibility standards under AS 14.56.356. The regulations must include 06 consideration for and establishment of an eligibility priority for an application that is 07 submitted by a community that does not have a public library described in 08 AS 14.56.356(a)(2). 09 (e) In this section, 10 (1) "department" means the Department of Commerce, Community, 11 and Economic Development; 12 (2) "major expansion" means an expansion of an existing library to 13 increase the square footage of the structure by not less than 30 percent. 14 Sec. 14.56.356. Eligibility. (a) To be a library eligible for a grant under 15 AS 14.56.355, a library must be 16 (1) publicly owned and operated by a community; and 17 (2) a public library as described in AS 14.56.400 that is not a public 18 school library. 19 (b) An applicant for a grant under AS 14.56.355 must provide matching funds 20 from 21 (1) the local government entity in an amount not less than 20 percent 22 of the total proposed grant project costs; and 23 (2) private donors in an amount not less than the amount remaining of 24 the total proposed grant project costs after the state and local contributions are made 25 toward the project. 26 * Sec. 3. AS 14.56 is amended by adding new sections to read: 27 Article 5A. Public School Library Collection Development Grants. 28 Sec. 14.56.360. Public school library collection development grants. (a) 29 There is established in the department a public school library collection development 30 grant program. 31 (b) The person or division in charge of the state library shall award and
01 administer grants of not more than $3,000 for a fiscal year for use by a public school 02 library eligible under AS 14.56.365 to expand and improve the library collection to 03 include relevant and current reading materials. 04 (c) If money appropriated for the program is insufficient to fund all eligible 05 grant requests submitted under AS 14.56.365, the available funding shall be awarded 06 to the highest ranked applicants, according to criteria established by the department in 07 regulation. 08 Sec. 14.56.365. Eligibility. (a) A library eligible for a grant under 09 AS 14.56.360 must be a public school library established and supported by a school 10 district that 11 (1) provides physical space or, if a correspondence school operated by 12 a school district, resources for use as a library; 13 (2) provides regularly scheduled library hours for all students enrolled 14 in the school; 15 (3) provides designated library personnel to staff the library; 16 (4) provides acceptable evidence of the promotion of library and 17 information literacy standards; 18 (5) maintains an annual library budget that includes library staffing and 19 materials; and 20 (6) contributes, from the school district's budget, an amount that is not 21 less than the grant award that is paid for library collection materials or contributes in- 22 kind value of services. 23 (b) The department shall establish by regulation an application and review 24 procedure, including requirements for submission of adequate documentation to prove 25 eligibility under this section. Documentation must include submission of library class 26 schedules, job descriptions for library staff, and a copy of an annual budget for the 27 library. 28 Sec. 14.56.370. Eligible expenditures. (a) A library collection development 29 grant may be used only to purchase library collection materials by a public school or 30 by a school district if the district operates a correspondence program with an eligible 31 school library. In this subsection, "library collection materials" means books,
01 magazines, reference and audio-visual materials, and electronic subscriptions that 02 support school curriculum and student reading activities. 03 (b) A library collection development grant may not be used to supplant school 04 district expenditures for the library or to purchase classroom materials, textbooks, 05 testing software, library automation software, computer hardware, operating software, 06 or technology support. 07 Sec. 14.56.375. Report. A recipient of a grant awarded under AS 14.56.360 08 shall prepare a brief annual report to the department describing the effects of the grant 09 and whether all conditions of the grant were met or exceeded.