COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, YOUTH AND

CULTURE

BILL NO. 29-0007

Twenty-Ninth Legislature of the Virgin Islands

February 8, 2011

An Act amending title 17 V.I.C., establishing the eBook program

PROPOSED BY: Senators Carlton “Ital” Dowe, Alicia “Chucky” Hansen, Louis
Patrick Hill, Shawn-Michael Malone, Usie R. Richards and
Sammuel Sanes
Co-Sponsors: Ronald E. Russell, Patrick Simeon Sprauve,
Alvin L. Williams and Janette Millin Young

1 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the Virgin Islands:

2 SECTION 1. Title 17 Virgin Islands Code, Chapter 5, section 42 (a) is amended by

3 inserting the words “and any form of electronic books and digital resources” after the word

4 “books”.

5 SECTION 2. Act No. 7126 is amended in Section 1 by striking “2010” and inserting

6 “2011”.

7 SECTION 3. Act No. 7126 is further amended in Section 1, subsection (b) by inserting

8 after the word “Program”, the words, “which must include books for an Electronic Book (ebook)

9 and Digital Resources Pilot Program for elementary, junior, high, and alternative education

10 schools and programs. This sum may be used with any other federal grants to achieve its

11 objective.”
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1 SECTION 4. Act No. 7126 is further amended in Section 1, by adding subsection (b)(1)

2 to read: “The implementation of the Department of Education’s Textbook Adoption Program

3 which includes an Electronic Book (ebook) and Digital Resources Pilot Program shall commence

4 no later than the start of the 2012/2013 academic school year.”

5 SECTION 5. Act No. 7126 is further amended in Section 1, by adding subsection (b)(2)

6 to read: “An assessment of the Department of Education’s Textbook Adoption Program which

7 includes an Electronic Book (ebook) and Digital Resources Pilot Program shall be conducted by

8 the Department of Education no later than one year after its implementation and a report of the

9 assessment shall be submitted to the Legislature’s Committee on Education, Youth and Culture.”

10 SECTION 6. Act No. 7126 is further amended in Section 2 by striking “2010” and

11 inserting “2011”

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13 BILL SUMMARY
14
15 Section 1 of this Bill provides for the establishment of an Electronic Book and Digital
16 Resources Program commonly known as ebook.
17
18 Section 2 and 6 of this Bill provides for an extension of the availability of the funds from
19 2010 to 2011.
20
21 Section 3 of the Bill makes funding available for the ebook program through the monies
22 appropriated to implement the Department of Education’s Textbook Adoption Program.
23
24 Section 4 of this Bill provides that the Department of Education’s Textbook Adoption
25 Program which includes an Electronic Book (ebook) and Digital Resources Pilot Program shall
26 commence no later than the start of the 2012/2013 academic school year.
27
28 Section 5 of this Bill provides for an assessment of the Department of Education’s Textbook
29 Adoption Program which includes an Electronic Book (ebook) and Digital resources Pilot
30 Program to be conducted by the Department of Education no later than one year after its
31 implementation and a report of the assessment submitted to the Legislature’s Committee on
32 Education, Youth and Culture.
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3 BR11-0183T/January 31, 2011/AA