Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 225 / Tuesday, November 23, 2004 / Notices 68125

Building, 12th and Independence 

Avenues, SW., Washington, DC 20250.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Schechtman, Designated 

Federal Official, Office of the Deputy 

Secretary, USDA, Telephone (202) 720–

3817; Fax (202) 690–4265; E-mail 

mschechtman@ars.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

seventh meeting of the AC21 has been 

scheduled for December 9–10, 2004. 

The AC21 consists of 18 members 

representing the biotechnology industry, 

the seed industry, international plant 

genetics research, farmers, food 

manufacturers, commodity processors 

and shippers, environmental and 

consumer groups, and academic 

researchers. In addition, representatives 

from the Departments of Commerce, 

Health and Human Services, and State, 

and the Environmental Protection 

Agency, the Council on Environmental 

Quality, and the Office of the United 

States Trade Representative serve as ‘‘ex 

officio’’ members. The AC21 at this 

meeting will continue its work to 

develop a report examining the impacts 

of agricultural biotechnology on 

American agriculture and USDA over 

the next 5 to 10 years. In particular, the 

AC21 will review the progress of four 

work groups developing portions of the 

report, specifically: A work group 

developing the two introductory report 

chapters; a work group on key 

definitions; a work group on potential 

issues to consider; and a work group on 

preparing for the future. In this review, 

the AC21 will provide comments and 

suggestions for how the Committee can 

develop the reports and move them 

toward completion. The AC21 will seek 

to achieve consensus on the contents of 

the report. The AC21 will also discuss, 

with a view to finalizing, a second draft 

report developed by another work group 

on the issue of the proliferation of 

traceability and mandatory labeling 

regimes for biotechnology-derived 

products in other countries, the 

implications of those regimes, and what 

industry is doing to attempt to address 

those requirements for products shipped 

to those countries. Background 

information regarding the work of the 

AC21 will be available on the USDA 

Web site at http://www.usda.gov/

agencies/biotech/ac21.html. On 

December 9, 2004, if time permits, 

reasonable provision will be made for 

oral presentations of no more than five 

minutes each in duration. 

The meeting will be open to the 

public, but space is limited. If you 

would like to attend the meetings, you 

must register by contacting Ms. Dianne 

Harmon at (202) 720–4074, by fax at 

(202) 720–3191 or by E-mail at 

dharmon@ars.usda.gov at least 5 days 

prior to the meeting. Please provide 

your name, title, business affiliation, 

address, and telephone and fax numbers 

when you register. If you require a sign 

language interpreter or other special 

accommodation due to disability, please 

indicate those needs at the time of 

registration.

Dated: November 16, 2004. 

Joseph J. Jen, 

Under Secretary, Research, Education, and 

Economics.

[FR Doc. 04–25982 Filed 11–22–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Docket No. 000817241–4320–03] 

Notice of Funding Availability for 

Postsecondary Internship Program

AGENCY: Office of Human Resources 

Management, U.S. Department of 

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice and request for 

proposals. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce 

(DOC) established a postsecondary 

internship program to aid and promote 

experiential training activities which 

foster future employment in DOC or the 

Federal Government in general. United 

States citizens enrolled as students in 2- 

and 4-year accredited educational 

institutions will participate in onsite 

work experiences in DOC bureaus and 

office in order to integrate academic 

theory and workplace requirements, 

gain relevant skills and knowledge, 

explore federal career options, develop 

professional networks, and develop a 

greater awareness of the role of federal 

agencies. The program will be 

administered through a partnership 

between the DOC and nonprofit and/or 

educational institution(s) of higher 

education and funded by cooperative 

agreement(s). There will be no 

employer-employee relationship 

between DOC and its hosted interns. 

The recipient will be the supervisor of 

record for the interns and shall control 

the means and manner of the interns’

activities. This notice solicits proposals 

from eligible institutions that desire to 

collaborate with the DOC on this 

initiative.

DATES: Proposals must be received by 

the DOC no later than 12 noon Eastern 

Standard Time (EST), December 23, 

2004.

ADDRESSES: Proposals must be 

submitted to the U.S. Department of 

Commerce, Office of Human Resources 

Management, ATTN: Carin Otero, 1401 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 5004, 

Washington DC 20230. Note: If the 

application is hand-delivered by the 

applicant or its representative to the 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Herbert 

C. Hoover Building, the application 

must be delivered to Room 1874, which 

is located at Entrance #10, 15th Street, 

NW., between Pennsylvania and 

Constitution Avenues. The application 

should be addressed as specified above. 

Applications delivered on the date of 

the application deadline must be 

delivered by 12 noon EST. Applications 

will not be accepted electronically or 

via facsimile.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

a copy of the full funding opportunity 

announcement for this request for 

proposals and/or an application kit, 

please note the Web site below listed 

under ‘‘Electronic Access.’’ For a paper 

copy of the full funding opportunity 

announcement and/or an application 

kit, contact Carin Otero, U.S. 

Department of Commerce, Office of 

Human Resources Management, 1401 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 5004, 

Washington DC 20230, or via Internet at 

Cotero1@doc.gov, or via telephone at 

(202) 482–1445.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access: The full funding 

opportunity announcement for the 

Postsecondary Internship Program is 

available via the Internet at:

http://ohrm.doc.gov/Intern/

internprogram.htm. This announcement 

will also be available through 

Grants.gov at: http://www.Grants.gov.

Funding Availability: Projections 

based upon previous programs indicate 

an average availability of between 

$230,000–$950,000 to support from 25 

to 100 interns. However, the exact level 

of funding is not yet known until DOC 

and other agency host offices project 

their participation levels. Proposals 

should be based upon the cost of 

administering a summer program for 25 

student interns and five interns for each 

academic year session. 

Statutory Authority: Authority for the 

Postsecondary Internship Program is 

provided by 5 U.S.C. 7201, which 

requires that each Executive agency 

conduct a continuing program for the 

recruitment of members of minorities to 

address under representation of 

minorities in various categories of 

Federal employment. Executive Order 

13256 provides for Executive 

departments to enter into, among other 

things, cooperative agreements with 

Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities (HBCUs) to further the 

68126 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 225 / Tuesday, November 23, 2004 / Notices 

goals of the Executive Order, principally 

that of strengthening the capacity of 

HBCUs to provide quality education, 

and to increase opportunities to 

participate in and benefit from Federal 

programs. Executive Order 13230 calls 

for increasing opportunities for 

Hispanic Americans to participate in 

and benefit from Federal education 

programs. Executive Order 13270 helps 

ensure that greater Federal resources are 

available to the tribal colleges. 

Executive Order 13216 directs Federal 

agencies to increase participation of 

Asian and Pacific Islanders in Federal 

programs. Applications will be accepted 

from any eligible institution, and 

applications for internships shall be 

accepted from all students meeting 

program eligibility criteria and will not 

be limited only to minority students. 

Application, referral, and selection 

processes shall be conducted without 

any consideration of race, ethnicity, 

gender, or other personal factors. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance: 11.702—Internship Program 

for Postsecondary Students. 

Eligibility: Accredited universities, 

colleges and nonprofit organizations are 

eligible to apply. Eligible institutions 

may form joint ventures to submit a 

joint application to share costs and 

administration roles and 

responsibilities. In such cases, one of 

the institutions must be designated as 

the lead organization for purposes of 

receipt and overall accountability for 

any financial assistance award received 

under this program. 

Cost Sharing or Matching 

Requirement: Cost sharing is not 

required for the internship program. 

Intergovernmental Review:

Applications under this program are not 

subject to Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’

Evaluation and Selection Procedures:

Prior to the formal paneling process, 

each application will receive an initial 

review to ensure that all required forms, 

signatures, and documentation are 

present. Each application will receive 

an independent, objective review by a 

panel qualified to evaluate the 

applications submitted. The 

Independent Review Panel, consisting 

of at least three individuals (who are 

federal employees), will review all 

applications based on the criteria stated 

below. The Independent Review Panel 

will evaluate and rank the proposals. 

Each reviewer will evaluate and provide 

a score for each proposal. After all 

proposals are assigned a score, each 

proposal will be ranked according to the 

average total score given by the 

reviewers. The final decision on awards 

will be based upon the proposal 

ranking, availability of funding, and the 

Selecting Official’s (DOC Program 

Officer) determination of which 

proposals best meet the objectives of the 

program, specifically relating to who 

will best reach the targeted audience of 

intern candidates. The amount of funds 

awarded to each recipient will be 

determined in pre-award negotiations 

between the applicant, the Grants Office 

and the DOC Program Officer. 

Evaluation Criteria:

(1) Quality of Program Plan (30 

percent). Includes, but is not limited to, 

strategy for outreach and publicity, 

procedures for collecting and evaluating 

applications, comprehensiveness of 

program to include plans for onsite 

orientation for summer sessions, and 

practicality of approach. 

(2) Proposed Costs (20 percent). The 

proposed budget must be 

comprehensive and should include all 

costs for program personnel, fringe 

benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, 

and other associated items. The stipend 

level and other benefits (i.e., housing, 

local transportation, etc.) proposed for 

students should be stated in the budget 

and the budget narrative. 

(3) Key Personnel Qualifications (20 

percent). Includes an assessment of the 

number, qualifications, and proposed 

roles of staff who will administer the 

internship program. Resumes of 

proposed personnel will facilitate the 

evaluation of the competency and 

experience of the proposed staff.

(4) Capabilities of the Applicant 

Organization (20 percent). Considers, 

among other things, previous experience 

and success administering similar 

programs, and staff and resources to 

assure adequate development, 

supervision, and execution of the 

proposed program. Additionally, an 

organization’s commitment to educate/

advance the education of women, 

minorities, and people with disabilities 

will be a consideration in evaluating 

this factor. 

Limitation of Liability: Funding for 

the program listed in this notice is 

contingent upon the availability of 

Fiscal Year 2005 appropriations. DOC 

issues this notice subject to the 

appropriations made available under the 

current Continuing Resolution, H.J. Res. 

107, ‘‘making continuing appropriations 

for the Fiscal Year 2005, and for other 

purposes,’’ Public Law 108–309. DOC 

anticipates making awards for this 

program provided that funding for the 

program is continued beyond November 

20, 2005, the expiration of the current 

Continuing Resolution. In no event will 

the DOC be responsible for proposal 

preparation costs if this program fails to 

receive funding or is cancelled because 

of other agency priorities. Publication of 

this announcement does not oblige the 

DOC to award any specific project or to 

obligate any available funds. 

The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements:

The Department of Commerce PreAward Notification Requirements for 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements 

contained in the Federal Register notice 

of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917), as 

amended by the Federal Register notice 

published on October 30, 2002 (67 FR 

66109), are applicable to this 

solicitation. 

Paperwork Reduction Act: This 

document contains collection-ofinformation requirements subject to the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The 

use of Standard Forms 424, 424A, 424B, 

SF–LLL, and CD–346 has been approved 

by the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) under the respective 

control numbers 0348–0043, 0348–0044, 

0348–0040, 0348–0046, and 0605–0001. 

Notwithstanding any other provision of 

law, no person is required to respond to, 

nor shall any person be subject to a 

penalty for failure to comply with, a 

collection of information subject to the 

requirements of the PRA unless that 

collection of information displays a 

currently valid OMB control number. 

Executive Order 12866: This notice 

has been determined to be not 

significant for purposes of Executive 

Order 12866. 

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism):

It has been determined that this notice 

does not contain policies with 

Federalism implications as that term is 

defined in Executive Order 13132. 

Administrative Procedure Act/

Regulatory Flexibility Act: Prior notice 

and an opportunity for public comments 

are not required by the Administrative 

Procedure Act or any other law for this 

notice concerning grants, benefits, and 

contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). Because 

notice and opportunity for comment are 

not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 or 

any other law, the analytical 

requirements of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq) are 

inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory 

flexibility analysis has not been 

prepared.

Dated: November 17, 2004. 

Deborah A. Jefferson, 

Director for Human Resources Management.

[FR Doc. 04–25901 Filed 11–22–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–BS–P