Rule2023-21853
Proposed Waiver and Extension of the Project Period with Funding for Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Grants
Primary source
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Published
October 3, 2023
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
The Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations that generally prohibit project periods exceeding five years and project period extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. The proposed waiver and extension would enable 51 projects under Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN) 84.129B, 84.129H, 84.129P, and 84.129Q to receive funding for an additional period, not to exceed September 30, 2025.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 190 (Tuesday, October 3, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 3, 2023)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 67953-67955]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21853]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
34 CFR Chapter III
[ED-2023-OSERS-0175]
Proposed Waiver and Extension of the Project Period with Funding
for Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Grants
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
(OSERS), Department of Education.
ACTION: Proposed waiver and extension of project period with funding.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in the
Education Department General Administrative Regulations that generally
prohibit project periods exceeding five years and project period
extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. The
proposed waiver and extension would enable 51 projects under Assistance
Listing Numbers (ALN) 84.129B, 84.129H, 84.129P, and 84.129Q to receive
funding for an additional period, not to exceed September 30, 2025.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before November 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Comments must be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. However, if you require an accommodation
or cannot otherwise submit your comments via <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>,
please contact the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. The Department will not accept comments submitted
after the comment period. To ensure that we do not receive duplicate
copies, please submit your comments only once. In addition, please
include the Docket ID at the top of your comments.
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> to
submit your comments electronically. Information on using
<a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>, including instructions for accessing agency documents,
submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site
under ``FAQ.''
Privacy Note: OSERS's policy is generally to make comments received
from members of the public available for public viewing in their
entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
Therefore, commenters should be careful to include in their comments
only information that they wish to make publicly available.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Holliday Young, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, room 4A111, Washington, DC 20202.
Telephone: 202-245-7318. Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4902283b2c276701262525202d2830092c2d672e263f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8ac1ebf8efe4a4c2e5e6e6e3eeebf3caefeea4ede5fc">[email protected]</span></a>.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment: We invite you to submit comments regarding
this proposed waiver and extension. To ensure that your comments have
maximum effect in developing the notice of final waiver and extension,
we urge you to identify clearly the specific grantee or grantees
(listed in the table under the Background section) that each comment
addresses.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Orders 12866, 13563, and 14094 and their
overall requirement of reducing regulatory burden that might result
from these proposed waivers and extensions. Please let us know of any
further ways we could reduce potential costs or increase potential
benefits while preserving the effective and efficient administration of
the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect public
comments about this proposed waiver and extension of the project period
by accessing <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a>.
Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the
Rulemaking Record: On request, we will provide an appropriate
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the
public rulemaking record for this proposed waiver and extension. If you
want to schedule an appointment for this type of aid, please contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Background:
On July 5, 2019, the Department of Education (Department) published
in the Federal Register (84 FR 32144) a notice inviting applications in
four specialty areas of the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training program.
Applications specifically were sought under Assistance Listing Number
(ALN) 84.129B (Rehabilitation Counseling), 84.129H (Rehabilitation of
Individuals Who Are Mentally Ill), 84.129P (Rehabilitation of
Individuals Who Are Blind or Have Vision Impairments), and 84.129Q
(Rehabilitation of Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing). In the
notice inviting applications, the Rehabilitation Services
Administration included two absolute priorities and one invitational
priority. The first absolute priority addressed programs leading to a
master's degree in rehabilitation counseling. The goal of this priority
is to increase the skills of vocational rehabilitation counseling
scholars so that upon successful completion they are prepared to
effectively meet the needs and demands of consumers with disabilities
and employers. The second absolute priority addressed programs leading
to a master's degree or certificate in one of three specialty areas:
(1) Rehabilitation of Individuals Who Are Mentally Ill; (2) Specialized
Personnel for Rehabilitation of Individuals Who Are Blind or Have
Vision Impairments; and (3) Rehabilitation of Individuals Who Are Deaf
or Hard of Hearing. The goal of this priority is to increase the skills
of scholars in these rehabilitation specialty areas so that upon
successful completion of their master's degree or certificate programs
they are prepared to effectively meet the needs and demands of
consumers with disabilities. The invitational priority noted the
Department's interest in applications that demonstrate that the
training to VR counselors includes information related to providing VR
services to individuals with disabilities pursuing self-employment,
business ownership, and telecommuting. The funds were awarded to
colleges and universities that in turn award scholarships to students
enrolled in rehabilitation training programs.
A table listing the FY 2019 grantees follows along with their
geographical location.
[[Page 67954]]
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Grantee name
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FY 2019 Awards under ANL 84.129B
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H129B190001.......................... South Dakota State University,
Brookings, SD.
H129B190003.......................... The Board of Regents of the
University of Wisconsin System,
Madison, WI.
H129B190004.......................... Springfield College, Springfield,
MA.
H129B190005.......................... Georgia State University Research
Foundation, Inc., Atlanta, GA.
H129B190007.......................... The University of Texas Rio
Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX.
H129B190008.......................... San Diego State University
Foundation, San Diego, CA.
H129B190009.......................... Utah State University, Logan, UT.
H129B190011.......................... The Corporation of Mercer
University, Atlanta, GA.
H129B190012.......................... St. Cloud State University, St.
Cloud, MN.
H129B190013.......................... University of Iowa, Iowa City,
IA.
H129B190014.......................... University of Memphis, Memphis,
TN.
H129B190015.......................... University of Massachusetts
Boston, Boston, MA.
H129B190019.......................... Western Washington University,
Everett, WA.
H129B190021.......................... The Florida International Board
of Trustees, Miami, FL.
H129B190022.......................... Portland State University,
Portland, OR.
H129B190023.......................... University of Hawaii, Honolulu,
HI.
H129B190026.......................... Western Oregon University,
Monmouth, OR.
H129B190028.......................... Virginia Commonwealth University,
Richmond, VA.
H129B190032.......................... Drake University, Des Moines, IA.
H129B190034.......................... Winston Salem State University,
Winston-Salem, NC.
H129B190035.......................... The University of Texas at El
Paso, El Paso, TX.
H129B190036.......................... The Pennsylvania State
University, University Park, PA.
H129B190039.......................... The University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
H129B190041.......................... Rutgers, The State University of
New Jersey, RBHS-SHP,
Piscataway, NJ.
H129B190045.......................... University of Puerto Rico-Rio
Piedras, San Juan, PR.
H129B190046.......................... Michigan State University, East
Lansing, MI.
H129B190047.......................... The Research Foundation for SUNY
on behalf of U. at Buffalo,
Buffalo, NY.
H129B190051.......................... University of North Texas,
Denton, TX.
H129B190052.......................... Hofstra University, Hempstead,
NY.
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FY 2019 Awards under ANL 84.129H
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H129H190001.......................... Thomas University, Thomasville,
GA.
H129H190002.......................... Georgia State University Research
Foundation, Inc., Atlanta, GA.
H129H190003.......................... Arizona Board of Regents,
University of Arizona, Tucson,
AZ.
H129H190004.......................... San Diego State University
Foundation, San Diego, CA.
H129H190005.......................... Virginia Commonwealth University,
Richmond, VA.
H129H190006.......................... The George Washington University,
Washington, DC.
H129H190008.......................... The University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill ,Chapel Hill, NC.
H129H190012.......................... University of Massachusetts,
Boston, MA.
H129H190015.......................... University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville, AR.
H129H190016.......................... San Francisco State University,
San Francisco, CA.
H129H190018.......................... Marquette University, Milwaukee,
WI.
H129H190019.......................... Illinois Institute of Technology,
Chicago, IL.
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FY 2019 Awards under ANL 84.129P
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H129P190002.......................... Louisiana Tech University,
Ruston, LA.
H129P190005.......................... Mississippi State University,
Mississippi State, MS.
H129P190012.......................... Northern Illinois University,
DeKalb, IL.
H129P190009.......................... Salus University, Elkins Park,
PA.
H129P190011.......................... San Francisco State University,
San Francisco, CA.
H129P190004.......................... University of Massachusetts
Boston, Boston, MA.
H129P190001.......................... Western Michigan University,
Kalamazoo, MI.
H129P190007.......................... Western Michigan University,
Kalamazoo, MI.
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FY 2019 Awards under ANL 84.129Q
------------------------------------------------------------------------
H129Q190001.......................... Emporia State University,
Emporia, KS.
H129Q190003.......................... Winston-Salem State University,
Winston-Salem, NC.
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Waivers and Extensions:
The Department proposes to extend these 51 projects to align with
the 33 ALN 84.129B grant projects funded in FY 2020. Like the FY 2019
84.129 grant projects, the FY 2020 84.129B projects were funded to
provide academic training in areas of personnel shortages as identified
by the Secretary to increase the number of personnel trained in
providing Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services to individuals with
disabilities. The FY 2020 84.129B grantees will receive their final
year of funding in FY 2024 with a September 30, 2025 performance period
ending date. The Department does not believe that it would be in the
public interest to run a competition for ALNs 84.129B, 84.129H, 84.129P
and 84.129Q in FY 2024. Rather, aligning the projects' period of
performance end dates for all four ALNs would allow the Department to
reduce the financial and
[[Page 67955]]
administrative burden by conducting a single competition for 84.129B,
84.129H, 84.129P and 84.129Q grants in FY 2025, with a five-year
performance period that would run from October 1, 2025, through
September 30, 2030.
For this reason, the Secretary proposes to waive the requirements
in 34 CFR 75.250, which prohibit project periods exceeding five years,
as well as the requirements in 34 CFR 75.261(a) and (c)(2), which allow
the extension of a project period only if the extension does not
involve the obligation of additional Federal funds. This waiver would
allow the Department to issue a one-year FY 2024 continuation award to
each of the 51 currently funded FY 2019 84.129B, 84.129H, 84.129P and
84.129Q projects up to the amount awarded to the projects in FY 2023
and subject to the ability of the projects to use the funds.
Any activities carried out during the year of this continuation
award must be consistent with, or a logical extension of, the scope,
goals, and objectives of the grantees' applications as approved in the
FY 2019 competition. The requirements for continuation awards are set
forth in 34 CFR 75.253.
Intergovernmental Review
These programs are subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
The Secretary certifies that the proposed waiver and extension of
the project period would not have a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities. The only entities that would be
affected by the proposed waiver and extension of the project period are
the 51 grants that were awarded in FY 2019 under ALN 84.129B, 84.129H,
84,129P, and 84.129Q.
The Secretary certifies that the proposed waiver and extension
would not have a significant economic impact on these entities, because
the extension of an existing project period imposes minimal compliance
costs, and the activities required to support the additional year of
funding would not impose additional regulatory burdens or require
unnecessary Federal supervision.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This notice of proposed waiver and extension of the project period
does not contain any information collection requirements.
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file,
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible
format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at <a href="http://www.govinfo.gov">www.govinfo.gov</a>. At this site you can view this
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at
<a href="http://www.federalregister.gov">www.federalregister.gov</a>. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Glenna Wright-Gallo,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-21853 Filed 9-29-23; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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