1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; providing students with 
  1.3             additional opportunities to learn to read; 
  1.4             appropriating money.  
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [READING PROGRAM GRANTS; APPROPRIATION.] 
  1.7      (a) $5,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund in 
  1.8   fiscal year 2002 to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  1.9   learning for grants to school districts for the purchase of 
  1.10  Internet-delivered reading courseware for each student whose 
  1.11  reading ability, based on a state or district-wide reading 
  1.12  assessment, is determined to be below that of other students for 
  1.13  the same grade.  A school district interested in obtaining a 
  1.14  grant under this section must submit information to the 
  1.15  commissioner on the number of students whose assessed reading 
  1.16  ability is below that of other students for the same grade.  The 
  1.17  commissioner must distribute grants based on the number of 
  1.18  students in a district whose reading ability is below that of 
  1.19  other students for the same grade and on a first-come, 
  1.20  first-served basis.  The amount of a district grant must not 
  1.21  exceed $200 per eligible student per fiscal year.  A district 
  1.22  receiving a grant is prohibited from using the grant funds to 
  1.23  purchase hardware or equipment or to provide inservice staff 
  1.24  development training.  A district's Internet-delivered 
  1.25  courseware under this section must be Internet-accessible from a 
  2.1   student's school and home and from local public libraries. 
  2.2      (b) This appropriation is available until June 30, 2003. 
  2.3      <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective July 1, 2001.