Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 7, 2000 / Notices 36213

DDSs HOs

Old Post Office Bldg.,

815 Olive St., Rm.

220, St. Louis, MO

63101.

901 E. St. Louis St.,

Suite 210, Springfield, MO 65806.

New Hampshire ........ Daniel Webster Hwy.

North, 207

Hooksett Rd., Manchester, NH 03104.

New York—Brooklyn * 111 Livingston Street,

18th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Pennsylvania ............. 8380 Old York Rd.,

Suite 250, Elkins

Park, PA 19027.

Penn National Office

Bldg., 2 N. 2nd St.,

8th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101.

334 Washington St.,

Suite 200, Johnstown, PA 15901.

1601 Market St., 9th

Floor, Philadelphia,

PA 19103.

601 Grant St., Suite

500, Pittsburgh, PA

15219.

7 N. Wilkes-Barre

Blvd., Suite 210,

Wilkes-Barre, PA

18702.

* Prototype cases processed at New York—

Albany will not be included in the test

becasuse of Albany’s later start date.

As stated in the Federal Register of

August 30, 1999 (64 FR 47218) it is

estimated that annually on a national

level approximately 20 percent of

applicants for disability benefits would

potentially participate in the prototype.

Since those applications covered under

the provisions of this notice include just

over half a year, we estimate that

approximately 10–12% of applicants for

disability benefits (effective filings

between 1/1/00 and 7/31/00) would

potentially participate in at least one

aspect of the prototype. Based on past

case experience, those actually included

in the RRE II cohort would be well

below 1 percent of the national

applicant workload.

Selection of test and control cases will

be done on a random basis. For those

selected as test cases, the right to

request review by the Appeals Council

will be eliminated and the right of the

claimant to appeal, in the case of an

unfavorable ALJ decision, will be

directly to Federal District Court.

Claimants who could potentially be

included in this retest of the RRE will

be supplied notice of their appeal rights.

Case outcome and appeals

information about both Request for

Review Retained (RRR) (control) and

RRE II (test) cases will be collected and

analyzed. Before making any decisions

on the merits of the RRE, SSA must

obtain valid and reliable data on the

effects of such elimination—including

the impact it may have on agency

operations, notices and other

procedures, rates of filing to Federal

District Courts, and quality and

timeliness of service to the public.

Dated: May 31, 2000.

Rita S. Geier,

Associate Commissioner for Hearings and

Appeals.

[FR Doc. 00–14216 Filed 6–6–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4191–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3332]

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs; U.S.-China Youth Exchange

Initiative: Pilot Project; Notice:

Request for Proposals

SUMMARY: The Youth Programs Division,

Office of Citizen Exchanges, of the

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs announces an open competition

to award one grant for the U.S.-China

Youth Exchange Initiative: Pilot Project.

Public and private non-profit

organizations meeting the provisions

described in IRS regulation 26 CFR

1.501(c) may submit proposals for the

recruitment and screening of schools, an

assessment of communication

technology, and the implementation of

a pilot project of a reciprocal youth

exchange program between secondary

schools in the United States and in

China. This program will develop

linkages between schools and

communities in the U.S. and China for

the purpose of mutual education and

the development of student

participation in community affairs.

Program Information

Overview

During a June 1998 visit to China,

President Clinton announced a youth

exchange program that would link

schools and communities in China and

the United States. The program has been

projected to span three years and to

provide funding for the reciprocal

exchange of students and teachers from

the paired schools. It is in anticipation

of this program being enacted in fiscal

year 2001 that the Office of Citizen

Exchanges offers this opportunity for

organizations to apply for an assistance

award to pilot a modest school exchange

project this year. Expansion beyond the

pilot phase is subject to the availability

of funding in subsequent fiscal years, as

well as to assessments by the Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)

and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing of the

desired pace of expansion. The goal is

to expand the program incrementally

over the next few years.

The focus of the principal program is

to link schools and communities in as

many provinces of China as possible

with schools and communities across

the United States and to foster

interaction and lasting relationships

between these partnered schools

through Internet connections and

reciprocal student and educator

exchanges with strong academic

content. Each one-to-one school

partnership will choose a theme

relevant to their communities; students

will work together to complete a joint

project related to this theme. Support

for Internet connectivity and computer

training is also an important component

of the program so that the paired

schools can communicate throughout

the school year and work on these joint

projects. The three-to four-week

exchange visits to the partner

community will involve studying at the

host school, working on the thematic

project, participating in cultural

activities, and spending time with host

families. The overarching goals of this

program are to support student

participation in community affairs and

to advance mutual understanding

between the youth and teachers of the

U.S. and China.

This competition is intended to allow

the Youth Programs Division to select

the organization that will best be able to

establish these linkages and facilitate

the joint projects and exchanges. The

objectives of this project are (1) to plan

for the principal program by recruiting

and screening schools, (2) to assess the

opportunities for establishing Internet

access in the schools, and (3) to develop

and implement a pilot partnership that

will serve as a model for future

development.

The components of the program are as

follows:

(1) Planning and Selection

(a) Announce the program to recruit a

strong pool of candidate schools and

communities in the U.S. and China.

Communities should represent the great

geographic diversity of each country.

(b) Conduct an open, merit-based

competition to screen secondary schools

for participation in the principal

program. Applicants should be prepared

to select approximately 50 schools, or

25 partnerships.

(c) Determine the capacity of the

schools to develop lines of

36214 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 7, 2000 / Notices

communication, especially through the

use of the Internet.

(2) Pilot Project

(a) Select a partnership to conduct a

pilot exchange program (this will be

selected outside of the larger

competitive process noted above).

(b) Oversee the communications and

project activity between the two

schools.

(c) Manage the exchange of 22

participants: nine students and two

educators (or one educator and one

community member chaperone) from

each school will visit the partner school

for three to four weeks while the host

school is in session.

(d) Monitor and evaluate the pilot

project.

Guidelines

The grant will begin on or about

November 1, 2000, and conclude 14

months later. The pilot project activity

should begin as soon as possible. The

exchanges should take place in Fall

2001.

This pilot project will create the

foundation for the follow-on program.

This project should be designed to best

prepare the organization for the

implementation of the full program.

However, all applicants should be aware

that there are no assurances of a specific

level of funding for a follow-on

program. As is the case with all Bureau

exchange programs, actual funding for

future activities is contingent upon the

Congressional Appropriation and

Authorization Process and final

availability of funds. Funding to support

the initial phase of this project is

$98,900. Upon successful

implementation of the pilot phase and

pending the availability of funds, ECA

reserves the right to amend the grant to

support future program activities.

As ECA and the U.S. Embassy in

Beijing will need to carefully gauge the

appropriate rate of growth of this

program (in terms of the number of

states or provinces, schools, and

participants) and future funding is

indefinite, ECA requests that applicants

create a rank ordered list of the schools

that they recruit and screen so that the

schools can be approached to

participate once the FY–2001 funding

level has been determined. ECA expects

to work up to the participation of as

many as 50 schools over the course of

the initiative.

Eligible applicant organizations will

have the following:

• Experience working in China;

• A demonstrated track record of

conducting youth exchange;

• Experience with managing

international institutional linkages and/

or experience developing the program

content for short-term exchanges;

• An established partnership with an

individual or organization based in

China or own branch office or

representative there; and

• Access to schools in both the

United States and China through the

partner organization.

Programs must comply with J–1 visa

regulations. Please refer to the complete

Solicitation Package, which includes the

Project Objectives, Guidelines, and

Implementation (POGI) and the

Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI),

for further information.

Budget Guidelines

An initial assistance award for no

more than $98,900 will be awarded.

Organizations with less than four years

of experience in conducting

international exchange programs are not

eligible for this competition. Applicants

must submit a comprehensive budget

for the entire program. There must be a

summary budget as well as breakdowns

reflecting both administrative and

program budgets. Applicants may

provide separate sub-budgets for each

program component, phase, location, or

activity to provide clarification.

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidelines

and formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number

All correspondence with the Bureau

concerning this RFP should reference

the above title and number ECA/PE/C–

00–58.

For Further Information Contact: The

Youth Programs Division, ECA/PE/C/

PY, Room 568, U.S. Department of State,

301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC

20547, telephone (202) 619–6299; fax

(202) 619–5311; e-mail address:

clantz@pd.state.gov to request a

Solicitation Package. The Solicitation

Package contains detailed award

criteria, required application forms,

specific budget instructions, and

standard guidelines for proposal

preparation. Please specify Bureau

Program Officer Carolyn Lantz on all

other inquiries and correspondence.

Please read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFP deadline has passed, Bureau

staff may not discuss this competition

with applicants until the proposal

review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package

Via Internet

The entire Solicitation Package may

be downloaded from the Bureau’s

website at http://exchanges.state.gov/

education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

Deadline for Proposals

All proposal copies must be received

at the Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs by 5:00 p.m.

Washington, DC time on Friday, July 28,

2000. Faxed documents will not be

accepted at any time. Documents

postmarked the due date but received

on a later date will not be accepted.

Each applicant must ensure that the

proposals are received by the above

deadline.

Applicants must follow all

instructions in the Solicitation Package.

The original proposal and eight copies

of the application should be sent to:

U.S. Department of State, Bureau of

Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.:

ECA/PE/C–00–58, Program

Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 336,

301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC

20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5′′ diskette, formatted for DOS. These

documents must be provided in ASCII

text (DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. The Bureau will

transmit these files electronically to the

Public Affairs Section at the U.S.

Embassy in Beijing for its review.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy

Guidelines

Pursuant to the Bureau’s authorizing

legislation, programs must maintain a

non-political character and should be

balanced and representative of the

diversity of American political, social,

and cultural life. ‘‘Diversity’’ should be

interpreted in the broadest sense and

encompass differences including, but

not limited to ethnicity, race, gender,

religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, and physical

challenges. Applicants are strongly

encouraged to adhere to the

advancement of this principle both in

program administration and in program

content. Please refer to the review

criteria under the ‘‘Support for

Diversity’’ section for specific

suggestions on incorporating diversity

into the total proposal. Public Law 104–

319 provides that ‘‘in carrying out

programs of educational and cultural

exchange in countries whose people do

not fully enjoy freedom and

democracy,’’ the Bureau ‘‘shall take

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 7, 2000 / Notices 36215

appropriate steps to provide

opportunities for participation in such

programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

Proposals should reflect advancement of

this goal in their program contents, to

the full extent deemed feasible.

Year 2000 Compliance Requirement

(Y2K Requirement)

The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad

operational and accounting problem

that could potentially prohibit

organizations from processing

information in accordance with Federal

management and program specific

requirements including data exchange

with the Bureau. The inability to

process information in accordance with

Federal requirements could result in

grantees being required to return funds

that have not been accounted for

properly.

The Bureau therefore requires all

organizations use Y2K compliant

systems including hardware, software,

and firmware. Systems must accurately

process data and dates (calculating,

comparing and sequencing) both before

and after the beginning of the year 2000

and correctly adjust for leap years.

Additional information addressing the

Y2K issue may be found at the General

Services Administration’s Office of

Information Technology website at

http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov.

Review Process

The Bureau will acknowledge receipt

of all proposals and will review them

for technical eligibility. Proposals will

be deemed ineligible if they do not fully

adhere to the guidelines stated herein

and in the Solicitation Package. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the Public

Diplomacy section overseas, where

appropriate. Eligible proposals will be

forwarded to panels of Bureau officers

for advisory review. Proposals may also

be reviewed by the Office of the Legal

Adviser or by other Department

elements. Final funding decisions are at

the discretion of the Department of

State’s Under Secretary for Public

Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Final

technical authority for assistance

awards (grants or cooperative

agreements) resides with the Bureau’s

Grants Officer.

Authority

Overall grant making authority for

this program is contained in the Mutual

Educational and Cultural Exchange Act

of 1961, Public Law 87–256, as

amended, also known as the FulbrightHays Act. The purpose of the Act is ‘‘to

enable the Government of the United

States to increase mutual understanding

between the people of the United States

and the people of other

countries * * * ; to strengthen the ties

which unite us with other nations by

demonstrating the educational and

cultural interests, developments, and

achievements of the people of the

United States and other

nations*** and thus to assist in the

development of friendly, sympathetic

and peaceful relations between the

United States and the other countries of

the world.’’ The funding authority for

the program above is provided through

legislation.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any Bureau representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Bureau that contradicts published

language will not be binding. Issuance

of the RFP does not constitute an award

commitment on the part of the

Government. The Bureau reserves the

right to reduce, revise, or increase

proposal budgets in accordance with the

needs of the program and the

availability of funds. Awards made will

be subject to periodic reporting and

evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal Bureau procedures.

Dated: May 30, 2000.

Evelyn S. Lieberman,

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and

Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

[FR Doc. 00–14361 Filed 6–6–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG–2000–7465]

Recreational Boating Safety Projects,

Programs and Activities Funded Under

Provisions of the Transportation

Equity Act for the 21st Century;

Accounting of

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: Subsection (c) of section 7405

of the Transportation Equity Act for the

21st Century makes $5,000,000 available

each of five fiscal years to the Secretary

of Transportation for personnel and

activities directly related to

coordinating and carrying out the

national recreational boating safety

program. The Act also requires that the

Secretary publish annually in the

Federal Register a detailed accounting

of the projects, programs, and activities

under this subsection. This is the first

report.

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of

this notice by calling the U. S. Coast

Guard Infoline at 1–800–368–5647. This

notice is available on the Internet at

http://dms.dot.gov or at the Web Site for

the Office of Boating Safety at URL

address www.uscgboating.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Captain Michael F. Holmes, USCG,

Chief, Office of Boating Safety,

telephone 202–267–1077, fax 202–267–

4285, or Mr. Albert J. Marmo, Chief,

Program Management Division,

telephone 202–267–0950, fax 202–267–

4285.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st

Century became law on June 9, 1998.

The Act requires that of the $5 million

made available to carry out the national

recreational boating safety program,

$2,000,000 shall be available only to

ensure compliance with chapter 43 of

title 46, U.S. Code—Recreational

Vessels. This responsibility is delegated

to the Commandant of the United States

Coast Guard. The statute directs that no

funds available to the Secretary under

this subsection may be used to replace

funding traditionally provided through

general appropriations, nor for any

purposes except those purposes

authorized by this section. Amounts

made available each fiscal year, 1999–

2003, shall remain available until

expended. Upon passage of the Act the

U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating

Safety began the process of developing

basic spending plans for this new source

of revenue. For accounting purposes,

funding was divided into two program

elements: Boat Safety Compliance and

National Recreational Boating Safety

Program. Use of these funds entails

compliance with standard Federal

contracting rules with associated lead

and processing times resulting in a lag

time between available funds and

spending. An accounting of the use of

the funds to date follows, including a

narrative summary and a table that

reflects commitment, obligation, or

expenditure of fiscal years 1999 and

2000 funds.

Boat Safety Compliance

Factory Visit Program

A contract was awarded to establish a

national recreational boat factory visit

program using contractor personnel.

The contract includes the development