House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson is slated to introduce the Community College Technology Access Act on Thursday, which will provide free computer training through the nation's community colleges so that workers can improve their IT skills and become more competitive during tough economic times. The Connecticut lawmaker's bill would give the Secretary of Education the authority to distribute grants to eligible community colleges that have computer labs and commit to opening their labs for 30 hours each week on weeknights and weekends, according to a summary of the legislation. It would also require that an instructor is present to provide training during those hours and that lab instruction is free and open to the public.

About $125 million would be authorized annually with grant amounts to be determined by the secretary. Each recipient school would have to report on the costs, hours of operation and number of individuals utilizing the service. Larson's legislation is based on a proposal developed by Dr. Rob Shapiro, chair of the New Democrat Network's Globalization Initiative, to use community colleges as technology hubs and efficient, cost-effective training grounds for the U.S. workforce. In July 2007, NDN and Shapiro released a major report, "Tapping the Resources of Community Colleges: A Modest Proposal to Provide Universal Computer Training." Larson and Shapiro will host a briefing on the bill at 3 p.m. on the terrace of the Cannon House Office Building at the corner of Independence Avenue and New Jersey Avenue.