The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has set a hearing for 2 p.m. Monday April 11 on legislation (S 241) that would permanently exempt the E-rate program from coverage under the Anti-Deficiency Act.
The law, which requires federal agencies to have funding in hand before it is authorized for disbursement, had forced the Schools and Libraries Division to suspend issuing new funding commitments for a period of time last fall. In the closing hours of the 108th Congress, lawmakers passed a measure that exempted the program from coverage under the law for a year, to give Congress time to implement a permanent solution.
The Senate bill is sponsored by Sens. John D. Rockefeller IV, D-WV, and Olympia Snowe, R-ME, the original congressional sponsors of the E-rate program, and the chairman and ranking minority members of the Senate committee.
The hearing will be held in SR 385 and will be webcast.
