,i #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fdjg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #ag1 #bjah,mr4 ,garrett 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,peterson1 ,mr4 ,donovan1 ,mr4 ,wittman1 ,mr4 ,walz1 ,mr4 ,perlmutter1 and ,ms4 ,stefanik7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,oversight and ,government ,reform ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,administrator of ,general ,services to transfer certain surplus computers and technology equipment to nonprofit computer refurbishers for repair and distribution1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,computers for ,veterans and ,students ,act of #bjah or the ,,covs ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,access to computers and computer technology are indispensable for success in the #bast century4 ,millions of ,americans do not regularly use a computer and research shows that substantial disparities remain in both internet use and the quality of access with the digital divide concentrated among older1 less educated1 less affluent populations1 especially veterans1 low-income students1 and senior citizens4 7#b7 ,in #aiif1 the ,president issued ,executive ,order #abiii instructing the ,general ,services ,administration 7,,gsa7 to allow schools and nonprofits the ability to receive ,federal surplus computers for educational purposes4 7#c7 ,,gsa created the ,computers for ,learning ,program1 which distributes approximately #cj1jjj computers and computer-related equipment annually to public schools and nonprofits for reuse4 7#d7 ,as a ,federal program1 ,computers for ,learning has lagged in fulfilling its mission just as the need for computer access for basic services and education has skyrocketed4 7#e7 ,computers for ,learning has failed on three fronts through waste 7computers going to schools and nonprofits that are not equipped to refurbish them71 abuse 7multiple cases of theft or fraud in recent years71 and inefficiency 7schools and nonprofits that lack the capacity to refurbish on a regional or national scale74 7#f7 ,computers for ,learning would benefit from increased coordination by working directly with certified nonprofit computer refurbishers1 the majority of which are allied together under the ,alliance for ,technology ,reuse and ,refurbishing 7,,aftrr74 7#g7 ,,aftrr members collectively refurbish and put over #ij1jjj computers back into the community annually from public and privately donated equipment1 closing the digital divide and diverting millions of pounds of potential e-waste from landfills4 7#h7 ,each ,,aftrr member has bridging the digital divide at the core of their respective missions4 ,collectively1 they have decades of experience1 capacity1 and knowledge in not only refurbishing computers1 but also1 distributing them to people in need1 with many providing low-cost internet access and digital literacy training4 ,,aftrr members have led the ,nation in bridging the digital divide for years1 and in some cases1 decades4 #c4 ,transfer of certain surplus computers and technology equipment to nonprofit computer refurbishers 7a7 ,in general ,the head of a ,federal agency1 through the ,administrator of ,general ,services1 shall offer to transfer any surplus computer or technology equipment that is not being used internally by the ,federal agency1 or has not been requested for use by another ,federal agency1 to a nonprofit computer refurbisher for repair and distribution to an educational institution1 a veteran1 an individual with a disability1 a low-income individual1 a student1 or a senior in need 7as determined by the nonprofit computer refurbisher74 7b7 ,collaboration with ,alliance for ,technology ,refurbishing and ,reuse ,in carrying out subsection 7a71 the ,administrator of ,general ,services shall work directly with the ,alliance for ,technology ,refurbishing and ,reuse to establish a process through which surplus computers and technology equipment will be transferred to nonprofit computer refurbishers4 ,such process shall be established not later than #fj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7c7 ,return of certain computers and equipment ,in the case in which the ,administrator of ,general ,services is not able to transfer a surplus computer or technology equipment to a nonprofit computer refurbisher within #cj days after offering to transfer such computer or equipment1 the head of the ,federal agency on whose behalf the ,administrator of ,general ,services acted shall dispose of such computer or equipment in accordance with the procedures of such agency regarding the disposal of ,federal electronic assets4 7d7 ,duties of nonprofit computer refurbishers 7#a7 ,training programs ,each nonprofit computer refurbisher to whom the ,administrator of ,general ,services transfers a surplus computer or technology equipment under subsection 7a7 shall offer training programs for educational institutions1 veterans1 individuals with disabilities1 low-income individuals1 students1 and seniors in need on the use of computers and technology equipment4 7#b7 ,legal compliance ,each nonprofit computer refurbisher to whom the ,administrator of ,general ,services transfers a surplus computer or technology equipment under subsection 7a7 shall comply with any ,federal1 ,state1 or local law relating to the disposition of e-waste4 7#c7 ,annual reports to ,,aftrr ,each nonprofit computer refurbisher to whom the ,administrator of ,general ,services transfers a surplus computer or technology equipment under subsection 7a7 shall submit an annual report to the ,alliance for ,technology ,refurbishing and ,reuse on any surplus computer or technology equipment repaired or distributed by such refurbisher4 7e7 ,prohibition against tracking and time limits ,due to the unique condition of each surplus computer or technology equipment1 the ,administrator of ,general ,services may not require a nonprofit computer refurbisher to repair and distribute any surplus computer or technology equipment within a specific timeframe4 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,educational institution ,the term educational institution means-- 7,a7 any public or private child care center1 preschool1 elementary school1 secondary school1 or accredited institution of vocational1 professional1 or higher education2 and 7,b7 in the case of an accredited institution of vocational1 professional1 or higher education composed of more than one school1 college1 or department that is administratively a separate unit1 each such school1 college1 or department4 7#b7 ,nonprofit computer refurbisher ,the term nonprofit computer refurbisher means a nonprofit organization-- 7,a7 whose primary mission and activity is to bridge the digital divide2 7,b7 that is exempt from taxation under section #eja of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf2 and 7,c7 that is a member of the ,alliance for ,technology ,refurbishing and ,reuse4 7#c7 ,senior ,the term senior means any individual who is #fe years of age or older4 7#d7 ,student ,the term student means any individual enrolled in an educational institution1 excluding a public or private child care center4 7#e7 ,technology equipment ,the term technology equipment means physical assets related to computers and information technology1 including peripheral components1 tablets1 communication devices 7such as routers1 servers1 and cell phones71 printers1 scanners1 uninterruptible power sources1 and cables and connections4 7#f7 ,veteran ,the term veteran has the meaning given that term in section #aja of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4