Summary SB 185 (Open States or California Legislature) expands access to digital instruction material for schools, allowing districts to negotiate the price of instructional material, forces publishers to offer “unbundled content” for purchase and authorizes school districts to create a district-wide online digital database for classroom use. The bill takes effect January 1, 2014. Legislative…
DLN State Report 7.26.13
Top Highlights The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), launching a review and modernization of the E-rate program with comments due September 16 and Reply Comments due October 16th. The NPRM asks a total of 616 questions and seeks comment on more than 350 ideas. The FCC has also…
26 Jul 2013
DLN State Report 6.27
Top Highlights Michigan Bill: HB 4228/Public Act 60, HB 4328/Public Act 59 Status: 06/13/2013 – Governor signed Relevant Elements: 1, 2, 5, 7, 9 On June 13, Michigan Republican Gov. Rick Snyder signed off on the spending plan that passed the legislature last week signaling the end of the budget process for the fiscal year…
1 Jul 2013
DLN State Report 5.10.13
United States Bill: Executive Order Relevant Elements: 8 President Obama signed an Executive Order making open and machine readable data the new default for government information. A corresponding OMB memo was issued to agencies with specific guidance and a resource website with tools, guides, and schemas was also released. The OMB memo states that “…
10 May 2013
DLN State Report 4.26.13
United States U.S. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel wants to overhaul the E-Rate program to guarantee online access for schools and students as the demand for web use rises, according to Education Week. Commissioner Rosenworcel called for the creation of an “E-rate 2.0.” Rosenworcel cited the mounting pressure on school districts by online common-core assessments and…
3 May 2013
DLN State Report 4.19.13
Alabama Bill: SB 430 Status: 04/11/2013 – Read for the first time and referred to the Senate committee on Education Relevant Elements: 2 Alabama SB 430, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, was read for the first time and referred to the Senate Education Committee on April 11. It would: Allow the state…
19 Apr 2013
DLN State Report 4.5.2013
Alaska Bill: HB 190 Status: 04/05/2013 – (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 Relevant Elements: 4, 8 Alaska HB 190, sponsored by Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, was read a first time March 28 and referred to the House Education Committee, where it is scheduled for a hearing on April 3 at 8 am. It…
5 Apr 2013
Digital Learning Now! State Report: California SB 714
California Bill: SB 714 Status: 02/25/2013 – Read first time Relevant Elements: 4 Sponsored by Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education Chair Marty Block, D-San Diego, was introduced on February 22 in the Senate. The bill as introduced does not contain text; it is a placeholder. The text will come later. The bill states only that…
4 Mar 2013