Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 51 / Friday, March 15, 2013 / Proposed Rules 16447 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

34 CFR Part 75 and Chapter III 

Rehabilitation Continuing Education 

Program (RCEP) for the Technical 

Assistance and Continuing Education 

Centers (TACE Centers); Proposed 

Extension of Project Period and Waiver 

[Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.264A.] 

AGENCY: Rehabilitation Services 

Administration, Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services 

(OSERS), Department of Education. 

ACTION: Proposed extension of project 

period and waiver. 

SUMMARY: For 60-month projects 

initially funded in fiscal year (FY) 2008 

under the Rehabilitation Continuing 

Education Program (RCEP) for the 

Technical Assistance and Continuing 

Education Centers (TACE Centers), the 

Secretary proposes to waive the 

requirements that generally prohibit 

project periods exceeding five years and 

extensions of project periods involving 

the obligation of additional Federal 

funds. The Secretary also proposes to 

extend project periods for one year or 

longer. The proposed extension and 

waiver would enable the currently 

funded TACE Centers to receive funding 

through September 30, 2014. 

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before April 15, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about 

this proposed extension of project 

period and waiver to RoseAnn Ashby, 

U.S. Department of Education, 400 

Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5055, 

Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 

20202–2800. 

If you prefer to send your comments 

by email, use the following address: 

roseann.ashby@ed.gov. You must 

include the phrase ‘‘Proposed extension 

of project period and waiver’’ in the 

subject line of your message. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

RoseAnn Ashby at the address listed in 

the ADDRESSES section of this notice. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7258. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Invitation to Comment: We invite you 

to submit comments about this 

proposed extension of project period 

and waiver. During and after the 

comment period, you may inspect all 

public comments about this proposal in 

room 5055, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 

12th Street SW., Washington, DC, 

between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 

p.m., Washington, DC time, Monday 

through Friday of each week except 

Federal holidays. 

Assistance to Individuals With 

Disabilities in Reviewing the 

Rulemaking Record: On request, we will 

supply 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 notice. If you want to 

schedule an appointment for this type of 

accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Background 

On June 5, 2008, and October 20, 

2008, the Department published notices 

in the Federal Register (73 FR 32006, 73 

FR 62263) inviting applications for new 

awards for FYs 2008 and 2009 for TACE 

Centers to be funded under the 

Rehabilitation Training Program, 

authorized under section 302 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 

(Rehabilitation Act). The Department 

awarded grants to a total of 10 TACE 

Centers—eight in FY 2008, and two in 

early FY 2009—for a period of 60 

months. All 10 projects are scheduled to 

end in calendar year 2013. 

For these projects, the Secretary 

proposes to waive the requirements in 

34 CFR 75.250 and 34 CFR 75.261(c)(2), 

which prohibit project periods 

exceeding five years and project period 

extensions that involve the obligation of 

additional Federal funds. The Secretary 

also proposes to extend the project 

periods for up to 12 months to continue 

operations. 

The purpose of these Centers is to 

improve the quantity and quality of 

employment outcomes for individuals 

with disabilities through enhanced 

technical assistance (TA) and 

continuing education (CE) for State 

vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies 

and agency partners that cooperate with 

State VR agencies in providing VR and 

other rehabilitation services (e.g., 

Centers for Independent Living (CILs), 

Client Assistance Programs (CAPs), and 

Community Rehabilitation Programs 

(CRPs)). 

The TACE Centers contribute to the 

following outcomes: Improved quality 

of VR services, increased effectiveness 

and efficiency of State VR agencies in 

delivering VR services, and improved 

quantity and quality of VR employment 

outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities. The TACE Centers must 

contribute to these outcomes by 

providing, either directly or through 

contract, TA to State VR agencies and 

agency partners. The TACE Centers 

must also provide CE to employees of 

State VR agencies and agency partners 

on topics that are identified jointly by 

the Rehabilitation Services 

Administration (RSA) and each TACE 

Center’s advisory committee, and 

included in the TACE Center’s annual 

work plan. 

At this time, the Department does not 

believe that it would be in the public 

interest to run a competition under this 

program for new TACE Centers. The 

Department is in the process of 

reviewing and analyzing the current 

program to determine future needs, 

strategies, and funding priorities for FY 

2014. 

On November 8, 2012, the Department 

published a request for information in 

the Federal Register (77 FR 66959) to 

allow the Department to gather input on 

grants awarded under the Rehabilitation 

Training Program. One section of this 

notice posed specific questions about 

how the provision of TA and CE to State 

VR agencies would be most effective 

and efficient. The Department is 

currently analyzing responses to these 

questions. The Department also plans to 

conduct several focus groups, meet with 

the representatives of several national 

rehabilitation organizations over the 

next six months, and pose similar 

questions to these groups. The analysis 

of the public input obtained from the 

request for information and the input 

gathered through meeting with groups 

of rehabilitation stakeholders will form 

the basis for future funding priorities. 

Since 2008, when the TACE Centers 

were established, the TA and CE needs 

of the field have changed as a result of 

new issues and economic challenges 

facing State VR agencies. In addition, as 

a result of technological advances, there 

are new modes of service delivery that 

must be fully explored before funding 

new grants to provide TA and CE to 

State VR agencies. The Department will 

need the remainder of FY 2013 to meet 

with groups of stakeholders and to do 

the necessary analysis of the public 

comments received. This will enable the 

Department to develop a TA and CE 

strategy for State VR agencies and their 

partners that maximizes the 

effectiveness and efficiency of the 

services provided and addresses the 

input of a broad spectrum of 

stakeholders. The Department plans to 

publish new funding priorities in FY 

2014. Conducting a competition before 

the Department has had an opportunity 

to seek input from all stakeholders and 

analyze the current and emerging TA 

and CE needs of the VR field could 

result in an ineffective or poorly 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
16448 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 51 / Friday, March 15, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

targeted investment that would not 

serve the needs of State VR agencies, 

their clients, or the public at large. 

The Department has also concluded 

that it would be contrary to the public 

interest to have a lapse in the provision 

of TA and CE currently provided by the 

TACE Centers. Allowing funding to 

lapse before a new TA and CE delivery 

system can be implemented would leave 

State VR agencies and their partners 

without necessary supports in the event 

that critical needs arise. 

For these reasons, the Secretary 

proposes to waive the requirements in 

34 CFR 75.250, which prohibit project 

periods exceeding five years, and the 

requirements in 34 CFR 75.261(c)(2), 

which limits the extension of a project 

period if the extension involves the 

obligation of additional Federal funds, 

and to issue continuation awards to the 

ten current TACE grantees for a total 

amount not to exceed $9,000,000. Under 

this proposal, the eight current TACE 

grantees with project periods ending on 

September 30, 2013, would receive 

funding to operate for an additional 12 

months. The two current TACE grantees 

with project periods ending on 

December 21, 2013, would receive funds 

for an additional nine months. 

Consequently, the expiration date for all 

10 grants would be September 30, 2014. 

Waiving these regulations and issuing 

these continuation awards will ensure 

that TA and CE to State VR agencies and 

their partners will not be interrupted. It 

will also ensure that the Department has 

adequate opportunity to solicit feedback 

and develop a coordinated TA and CE 

strategy that will best meet the needs of 

State VR agencies and their partners. 

With this proposed extension of 

project period and waiver, each TACE 

Center will be required to continue to 

carry out activities during the year of 

the continuation award consistent with 

the scope, goals, and objectives of the 

grantee’s application as approved in the 

2008 competition. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification 

The Secretary certifies that this 

proposed extension of project period 

and waiver would not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities. The only 

entities that would be affected are the 

ten current grantees receiving Federal 

funds to serve as the TACE Centers and 

any other potential applicants. 

The Secretary certifies that the 

proposed waivers and extensions would 

not have a significant economic impact 

on these entities because the proposed 

waivers and extensions impose minimal 

compliance costs to extend projects 

already in existence, 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 extension of 

project period and waiver does not 

contain any information collection 

requirements. 

Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is subject to the requirements 

of 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. 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the contact person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the 

official edition of the Federal Register 

and the Code of Federal Regulations is 

available via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 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 Adobe 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: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Dated: March 12, 2013. 

Michael Yudin, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2013–06077 Filed 3–14–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

ARCHITECTURAL AND 

TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS 

COMPLIANCE BOARD 

36 CFR Part 1195 

[Docket No. ATBCB–2012–0003] 

RIN 3014–AA40 

Medical Diagnostic Equipment 

Accessibility Standards Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Architectural and 

Transportation Barriers Compliance 

Board. 

ACTION: Notice of advisory committee 

meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Medical Diagnostic 

Equipment Accessibility Standards 

Advisory Committee will hold its fifth 

meeting. On July 5, 2012, the 

Architectural and Transportation 

Barriers Compliance Board (Access 

Board) established the advisory 

committee to make recommendations to 

the Board on matters associated with 

comments received and responses to 

questions included in a previously 

published Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (NPRM) on Medical 

Diagnostic Equipment Accessibility 

Standards. 

DATES: The Committee will meet on 

March 26, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 

p.m. and on March 27, 2013 from 9:00 

a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Access Board’s Conference Room, 

1331 F Street NW., Suite 800, 

Washington, DC 20004–1111. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rex 

Pace, Office of Technical and 

Information Services, Architectural and 

Transportation Barriers Compliance 

Board, 1331 F Street NW., Suite 1000, 

Washington, DC 20004–1111. 

Telephone number (202) 272–0023 

(Voice); (202) 272–0052 (TTY). 

Electronic mail address: pace@accessboard.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July 5, 

2012, the Access Board established an 

advisory committee to make 

recommendations to the Board on 

matters associated with comments 

received and responses to questions 

included in a previously published 

NPRM on Medical Diagnostic 

Equipment Accessibility Standards. See 

77 FR 6916 (February 9, 2012). The 

NPRM and information related to the 

proposed standards are available on the 

Access Board’s Web site at: http:// 

www.access-board.gov/medicalequipment.htm. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS