6228 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 27 / Tuesday, February 10, 2004 / Proposed Rules 

between the national government and 

the States.

List of Subjects in 45 CFR Part 2552 

Aged, Grant programs—social 

programs, Volunteers.

For the reasons set forth in the 

preamble, the Corporation for National 

and Community Service proposes to 

amend 45 CFR part 2552 as follows:

PART 2552—FOSTER GRANDPARENT 

PROGRAM 

1. The authority citation for part 2552 

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.

§ 2552.42 [Amended] 

2. In § 2552.42(c), remove the phrase 

‘‘15 percent’’ and add in its place the 

phrase ‘‘50 percent’’.

§ 2552.45 [Amended] 

3. In § 2552.45, add a new paragraph 

(f), as follows:

* * * * *

(f) Other Volunteer Expenses. Foster 

Grandparents may be reimbursed for 

expenses incurred while performing 

their volunteer assignments provided 

these expenses are described in the 

Memorandum of Understanding 

negotiated with the volunteer station to 

which the volunteer is assigned and 

meet all other requirements identified in 

the notice of grant award.

§ 2552.93 [Amended] 

4. In § 2552.93, remove paragraph (d) 

and redesignate paragraphs (e) through 

(i) as (d) through (h) accordingly.

Dated: February 3, 2004. 

Tess Scannell, 

Director, National Senior Service Corps.

[FR Doc. 04–2801 Filed 2–9–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6050–$$–P

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND 

COMMUNITY SERVICE 

45 CFR Part 2553 

RIN 3045–AA39 

The Retired and Senior Volunteer 

Program; Amendments

AGENCY: Corporation for National and 

Community Service.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: These proposed amendments 

to the regulations governing the Retired 

and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) 

modify provisions concerning the 

allowability of certain volunteer 

expense items. The specific 

amendments are as follows: Sections 

2553.43 and 2553.73(d) are modified to 

allow project funds, including the 

required non-federal share, to be used to 

reimburse volunteers for expenses, 

including transportation costs, incurred 

while performing volunteer 

assignments, and for purchase of 

equipment or supplies for volunteers on 

assignment.

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

March 26, 2004.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by the title of the program, by 

any of the following methods: 

(1) By mail sent to: Corporation for 

National and Community Service, 

National Senior Service Corps; 

Attention Peter Boynton, Program 

Officer; 9th Floor, 1201 New York 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20525. 

(2) By hand delivery or by courier to 

the Corporation’s mailroom at Room 

6010 at the mail address given in 

paragraph (1) above, between 9 a.m. and 

4 p.m. Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

(3) By fax to: (202) 565–2743, 

Attention Peter Boynton, Program 

Officer. 

(4) Electronically through the 

Corporation’s e-mail address system: 

Seniorfeedback@cns.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Peter L. Boynton, 202–606–5000, ext. 

554.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background 

A. Program Description 

RSVP, one of the largest volunteer 

efforts in the nation, engages people age 

55 and older in a diverse range of 

volunteer activities. Volunteers organize 

neighborhood watch programs, tutor 

children, renovate homes, teach English 

to immigrants, assist victims of natural 

disasters, and serve their communities 

in a myriad of other ways. Through 

RSVP, more than 480,000 volunteers 

serve a few hours a week to nearly full 

time at an estimated 65,000 local and 

national nonprofit groups, government 

agencies, and small community-based 

organizations, both faith-based and 

secular. Volunteers are not paid, but 

sponsoring organizations may reimburse 

them for some costs incurred during 

service, including meals and 

transportation. 

B. Volunteer Expenses 

The Retired and Senior Volunteer 

Program regulations currently 

distinguish between volunteer expenses 

that may be paid or reimbursed with 

federal and required non-federal grant 

funds and volunteer expenses that must 

be paid by the volunteer station to 

which a RSVP volunteer is assigned. 

Grant funds may be used only to pay for 

volunteer stipends, insurance, 

transportation to and from volunteer 

assignments and official project 

activities, annual physical 

examinations, meals taken on 

assignment, and service recognition 

expenses. With the exception of certain 

meals, volunteer stations must pay for 

all expenses incurred while performing 

volunteer assignments. 

In ‘‘Principles and Reforms for a 

Citizen Service Act,’’ issued by 

President Bush April 9, 2002, the 

Administration proposed to create 

greater flexibility in the use of Federal 

resources by easing requirements that 

govern the activities and support of 

volunteers. The proposed amendment 

would allow Retired and Senior 

Volunteer Program sponsors to 

determine, in consultation with 

volunteer stations, how best to fund 

volunteer expenses. The respective 

responsibilities of the sponsor and 

volunteer station for volunteer expenses 

would be incorporated in the 

memorandum of understanding 

negotiated by the sponsor with each 

station. Sponsors would be free to 

maintain the current division of 

responsibility for volunteer expenses 

but have the flexibility to use federal 

and required non-federal funds to cover 

any volunteer expense when the 

sponsor determines that doing so would 

be in the best interest of the project. The 

provisions of the applicable OMB Cost 

Principles Circulars referenced in 

2553.73(a)(4) would continue to apply 

to all expenses paid with federal or 

required non-federal funds. 

Impact of Various Acts and Executive 

Orders 

After carefully reviewing the changes 

implemented by this amendment, and 

after coordination with the Office of 

Management and Budget, it was 

determined that: 

(1) This was a significant regulatory 

action under section 3(f)(4) of Executive 

Order 12866 ‘‘Regulatory Planning and 

Review’’, and required a review by the 

Office of Management and Budget; 

(2) The Corporation hereby certifies 

that the Regulatory Flexibility Act does 

not apply because there is no 

‘‘significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities’’; 

(3) That the Unfunded Mandates 

Reform Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. chapter 25, 

subchapter II) does not apply because 

the amendment does not result in any 

annual expenditures of $100 million by 

State, local, Indian Tribal governments 

or the private sector; 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 27 / Tuesday, February 10, 2004 / Proposed Rules 6229

(4) That the Paperwork Reduction Act 

does not apply because the amendments 

do not impose any additional reporting 

or record-keeping requirements; 

(5) That the Small Business 

Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 

1996 does not apply because it is not a 

major rule as defined by section 251 of 

the Small Business Regulatory 

Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, and 

would not result in an annual effect on 

the economy of $100 million or more; 

result in an increase in cost or prices; or 

have significant adverse effects on 

competition, employment, investment, 

productivity, innovation, or on the 

ability of United States-based 

companies to compete with foreignbased companies in domestic and 

export markets; and 

(6) That Executive Order 13132, 

‘‘Federalism’’ does not apply because it 

would not have substantial direct effects 

on the States or the relationship 

between the national government and 

the States.

List of Subjects in 45 CFR Part 2553 

Aged, Grant programs—social 

programs, Volunteers.

For the reasons set forth in the 

preamble, the Corporation for National 

and Community Service proposes to 

amend 45 CFR part 2553 as follows:

PART 2553—THE RETIRED AND 

SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM 

1. The authority citation for part 2553 

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4950 et seq.

2. In § 2553.43, add a new paragraph 

(e) to read as follows:

* * * * *

(e) Other Volunteer Expenses. RSVP 

volunteers may be reimbursed for 

expenses incurred while performing 

their volunteer assignments provided 

these expenses are described in the 

Memorandum of Understanding 

negotiated with the volunteer station to 

which the volunteer is assigned.

§ 2553.73 [Amended] 

3. In § 2553.73, remove paragraph (d) 

and redesignate paragraphs (e) through 

(i) as paragraphs (d) through (h).

Dated: February 3, 2004. 

Tess Scannell, 

Director, National Senior Service Corps.

[FR Doc. 04–2803 Filed 2–9–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6050–$$–P

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

47 CFR Part 54

[CC Docket No. 02–6; FCC 03–323] 

Schools and Libraries Universal 

Service Support Mechanism

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY: In this document, the 

Commission addresses several matters 

related to the administration of the 

schools and libraries universal service 

mechanism (also known as the e-rate 

program). The Commission seeks 

comment on several issues, including 

whether we should change the discount 

matrix used to determine the level of 

discounts for which applicants are 

eligible, the current competitive bidding 

process, the definition of ‘‘rural area’’

used in the program, the definition of 

Internet access, current rules relating to 

wide area networks, and current 

procedures for recovery of funds. The 

Commission also seeks comment on 

measures to limit waste, fraud, and 

abuse and improve the Commission’s 

ability to enforce the rules governing the 

program.

DATES: Comments are due on or before 

March 11, 2004. Reply comments are 

due on or before April 12, 2004. Written 

comments on the proposed information 

collection(s) must be submitted by the 

public, Office of Management and 

Budget OMB), and other interested 

parties on or before April 12, 2004.

ADDRESSES: All filings must be sent to 

the Commission’s Secretary, Marlene H. 

Dortch, Office of the Secretary, Federal 

Communications Commission, 445 12th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. In 

addition to filing comments with the 

Secretary, a copy of any Paperwork 

Reduction Act (PRA) comments on the 

information collection(s) contained 

herein should be submitted to Judith B. 

Herman, Federal Communications 

Commission, Room 1–C804, 445 12th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554, or 

via the Internet to JudithB.Herman@fcc.gov, and to Kim A. 

Johnson, OMB Desk Officer, Room 

10236 NEOB, 725 17th Street, NW., 

Washington, DC 20503, or via the 

Internet to 

Kim_A._Johnson@omb.eop.gov or by fax 

to 202–395–5167. Parties should also 

send three paper copies of their filings 

to Sheryl Todd, Telecommunications 

Access Policy Division, Wireline 

Competition Bureau, Federal 

Communications Commission, 445 

Twelfth Street, SW., Room 5–B540, 

Washington, DC 20554. See

Supplemental Information for further 

filing instructions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathy Tofigh, Attorney, at (202) 418–

1553, Karen Franklin, Attorney, at (202) 

418–7706, or Jennifer Schneider, 

Attorney, at (202) 418–0425 in the 

Telecommunications Access Policy 

Division, Wireline Competition Bureau. 

For additional information concerning 

the information collection(s) contained 

in this document, contact Judith B. 

Herman at 202–418–0214, or via the 

Internet at Judith-B.Heman@fc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

summary of the Commission’s Second 

Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

(Second FNPRM) in CC Docket No. 02–

6; FCC 03–323, released on December 

23, 2003. A companion Order was also 

released in CC Docket No. 02–6; FCC 

03–323, on December 23, 2003. The full 

text of this document is available for 

public inspection during regular 

business hours in the FCC Reference 

Center, Room CY–A257, 445 Twelfth 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20554. 

I. Introduction 

1. In this Second Further Notice of 

Proposed Rulemaking, we address 

several matters related to the 

administration of the schools and 

libraries universal service mechanism 

(also known as the e-rate program). In 

the Second FNPRM, we seek comment 

on several issues, including whether we 

should change (1) the discount matrix 

used to determine the level of discounts 

for which applicants are eligible, (2) the 

current competitive bidding process, (3) 

the definition of ‘‘rural area’’ used in the 

program, (4) the definition of Internet 

access, (5) current rules relating to wide 

area networks, and (6) current 

procedures for recovery of funds. We 

also seek comment on measures to limit 

waste, fraud, and abuse and improve the 

Commission’s ability to enforce the 

rules governing the program. Finally, we 

seek additional comment on how to 

ensure the goals of section 254 continue 

to be met. 

II. Second Further Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking 

A. Discount Matrix 

2. Under the Commission’s rules, 

eligible schools and libraries may 

receive discounts ranging from 20 

percent to 90 percent of the prediscount price of eligible services, based 

on indicators of need. We seek comment 

on the effectiveness and efficiency of 

the discount matrix used to determine 

support payments for eligible