64252 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 233 / Thursday, December 4, 1997 / Notices

Reinsurance Company, U.S. Branch,

was last listed as an acceptable

reinsuring company on Federal bonds at

62 FR 35581, July 1, 1997.

With respect to any bonds currently

in force with both these companies,

bond-approving officers may let such

bonds run to expiration and need not

secure new bonds. However, no new

bonds should be accepted. In addition,

bonds that are continuous in nature

should not be renewed.

The Treasury Department Circular

570 may be viewed and downloaded

through the Internet (http://

www.fms.treas.gov/c570.html) or

through our computerized public

bulletin board system (FMS Inside Line)

at (202) 874–6887. A hard copy may be

purchased from the Government

Printing Office (GPO), Subscription

Service, Washington, DC, telephone

(202) 512–1800. When ordering the

Circular from GPO, use the following

stock number: 048–000–00509–8.

Questions concerning this notice may

be directed to the U.S. Department of

the Treasury, Financial Management

Service, Funds Management Division,

Surety Bond Branch, 3700 East-West

Highway, Room 6A11, Hyattsville, MD

20782.

Dated: November 20, 1997.

Charles F. Schwan III,

Director, Funds Management Division,

Financial Management Service.

[FR Doc. 97–31807 Filed 12–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810–35–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Internal Revenue Service

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request for Form 8498

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS),

Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: The Department of the

Treasury, as part of its continuing effort

to reduce paperwork and respondent

burden, invites the general public and

other Federal agencies to take this

opportunity to comment on proposed

and/or continuing information

collections, as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.

3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is

soliciting comments concerning Form

8498, Program Sponsor Agreement for

Continuing Education for Enrolled

Agents.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before February 2, 1998

to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Garrick R. Shear, Internal Revenue

Service, room 5571, 1111 Constitution

Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the form and instructions

should be directed to Carol Savage,

(202) 622–3945, Internal Revenue

Service, room 5569, 1111 Constitution

Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Program Sponsor Agreement for

Continuing Education for Enrolled

Agents.

OMB Number: 1545–1459.

Form Number: Forms 8498.

Abstract: Form 8498 is used by the

Director of Practice to determine the

qualifications of those individuals or

organizations seeking to present

continuing professional educational

programs for persons enrolled to

practice before the Internal Revenue

Service.

Current Actions: There are no changes

being made to the form at this time.

Type of Review: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Individuals and

business or other for-profit

organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

500.

Estimated Time Per Respondent: 36

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 300.

The following paragraph applies to all

of the collections of information covered

by this notice:

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor, and a person is not required to

respond to, a collection of information

unless the collection of information

displays a valid OMB control number.

Books or records relating to a collection

of information must be retained as long

as their contents may become material

in the administration of any internal

revenue law. Generally, tax returns and

tax return information are confidential,

as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.

REQUEST FOR COMMENTS: Comments

submitted in response to this notice will

be summarized and/or included in the

request for OMB approval. All

comments will become a matter of

public record. Comments are invited on:

(a) Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information shall have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate

of the burden of the collection of

information; (c) ways to enhance the

quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on respondents, including

through the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology; and (e) estimates of capital

or start-up costs and costs of operation,

maintenance, and purchase of services

to provide information.

Approved: November 26, 1997.

Garrick R. Shear,

IRS Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–31805 Filed 12–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4830–01–P

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

Regional Scholar Exchange Program

With the New Independent States and

Freedom Support Act Fellowships in

Contemporary Issues

ACTION: Notice—request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Office of Academic

Programs, Academic Exchanges

Division, European Programs Branch of

the United States Information Agency’s

Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs announces an open competition

for an assistance award. Public and

private non-profit organizations with at

least four years of experience in

conducting international exchange

programs with the New Independent

States and meeting the provisions

described in IRS regulation 26 CFR

1.501(c) may apply to develop and

administer the recruitment, selection,

orientation, placement, monitoring,

evaluation, and alumni activities for two

programs:

The Regional Scholar Exchange

Program with the new Independent

States: Research fellowships for four

months and six months at host

institutions in the United States for

approximately 130 highly qualified

advanced graduate students pursuing

dissertation research and university

faculty and scholars at the early stages

of their careers in one of twenty-five

designated fields of the social sciences

and humanities who are citizens of

Armenia, Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the

Russian Federation, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan

and for research fellowships for four

months and six months at host

institutions in the New Independent

States for approximately twenty

advanced graduate student pursuing

dissertation research or special projects
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 233 / Thursday, December 4, 1997 / Notices 64253

and university faculty in one of twentyfive designated fields of the social

sciences and humanities who are

citizens of the United States.

The Freedom Support Act

Fellowships in Contemporary Issues:

Research fellowships for four months at

host institutions in the United States for

approximately 75 highly qualified

practitioners in diverse professions in

the public, private, and not-for-profit

sectors who are citizens of Armenia,

Azerbaijan*, Belarus, Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the

Russian Federation, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and

Uzebekistan and who are shaping public

policy or otherwise contributing to the

transformation of their societies in one

of five designated areas: Sustainable

Growth and Economic Development;

Democratization, Human Rights and the

Rule of Law; Political, Military,

Security, and Public Policy Issues;

Strengthening Civil Society; Internet,

the Communications Revolution, and

Intellectual Property Rights.

Interested organizations should read

the complete Federal Register

Announcement and request a

Solicitation Package from USIA prior to

preparing a proposal.

• Please note: Programs with Azerbaijan

are subject to the restrictions of Section 907

of the Freedom Support Act of 1992:

Employees of the Government of Azerbaijan

or any of its instrumentalities are excluded

from participation and no U.S. participant

overseas may work for the Government of

Azerbaijan or any of its instrumentalities.

Both programs are merit-based open

competitions that must be conducted

nationally in the home countries of the

applicants. Applicants who have

participated in a USIA-sponsored

academic program of more than six

weeks after March 1, 1997 are not

eligible to receive fellowships.

Each program has separate conditions

and requirements which are stated in

this announcement and detailed in the

full Solicitation Package. Organizations

should apply for an assistance award for

both programs and should submit a

single proposal and a single budget to

address the administration of both

programs. Applicant organizations may

apply to administer the programs

individually, or via a subcontract

arrangement as long as one organization

is designated to be the recipient of the

grant, or as a consortia in partnership

with other organizations where each

applicant organization submits a

separate proposal and separate budget

that cites the division of labor and

duties among the members. USIA

anticipates awarding one or two

assistance awards for the administration

of the programs cited in this

announcement. Awards are expected to

begin no earlier than May 1, 1998 and

must be completed by October 31, 2000.

Applicant organizations must

demonstrate the ability to administer all

aspects of both programs, including

publicity, advertisement, recruitment,

selection, placement, orientation,

Fellow monitoring and support,

logistics, financial management,

evaluation, and alumni tracking and

programming.

Overall grant making authority for the

Regional Scholar Exchange Program is

contained in the mutual Educational

and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961,

Public Law 87–256, as amended, also

known as the Fulbright-Hays 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 cited above is provided

through the Mutual Educational and

Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public

Law 87–256, as amended. Programs

shall also maintain their scholarly

integrity and shall meet the highest

standards of academic excellence.

Overall grant making authority for the

Freedom Support Act Fellowships in

Contemporary Issues is made possible

through legislation sponsored by the

U.S. Congress and incorporated in the

Foreign Relations Authorization Act of

FY 1993. The legislation was

established to assist the economic and

democratic development of the New

Independent States of the former Soviet

Union. The funding authority for the

program cited above is provided

through the Freedom Support Act.

Programs and projects must conform

with Agency requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation

Package. USIA projects and programs

are subject to the availability of funds.

USIA reserves the right to reduce,

revise, or increase the proposal budgets

in accordance with the needs of the

programs.

ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE AND NUMBER: All

communications with USIA concerning

this RFP should refer to the

announcement’s title and reference

number E/AEE–98–07.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: All copies

must be received at the U.S. Information

Agency by 5 p.m. Washington, D.C. time

on Thursday, February 12, 1998. Faxed

documents will not be accepted at any

time. Documents postmarked by the due

date but received at a later date will not

be accepted. It is the responsibility of

the applicant to ensure that proposals

are received by the above deadline.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

Office of Academic Programs, Division

of Academic Exchanges, European

Programs Branch, E/AEE, Room 246,

U.S. Information Agency, 301 4th Street,

S.W., Washington, D.C. 20547;

telephone number (202) 205–0525; fax:

(202) 260–7985; Internet address

treed@usia.gov to request a Solicitation

Package containing more detailed award

criteria. Please request required

application forms, and standard

guidelines for preparing proposals,

including specific criteria for

preparation of the proposal budget.

TO DOWNLOAD A SOLICITATION PACKAGE

VIA INTERNET: The entire Solicitation

Package may be downloaded from

USIA’s website at http://www.usia.gov/

education/rfps. Please read all

information before downloading.

TO RECEIVE A SOLICITATION PACKAGE VIA

FAX ON DEMAND: The entire Solicitations

Package may be received via the

Bureau’s ‘‘Grants Information Fax on

Demand System’’, which is accessed by

calling 202/401–7616. Please request a

‘‘Catalog’’ of available documents and

order numbers when first entering the

system.

Please specify USIA Program Manager

Rhonda E. Boris on all inquiries and

correspondences. Interested applicants

should read the complete Federal

Register announcement before sending

inquiries or submitting proposals. Once

the RFP deadline has passed, Agency

staff may not discuss this competition in

any way with applicants until the

Bureau proposal review process has

been completed.

SUBMISSIONS: Applicants must follow all

instructions given in the Solicitation

Package. The original and 14 copies of

the application should be sent to: U.S.

Information Agency, Ref.: E/AEE–98–07,

Office of Grants Management, E/XE,

Room 326, 301 4th Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20547.

Applicants must also submit the

‘‘Executive Summary’’ and ‘‘Proposal

Narrative’’ sections of the proposal on a

3.5’’ diskette, formatted for DOS. This

material must be provided in ASCII text

(DOS) format with a maximum line

length of 65 characters. USIA will

transmit these files electronically to

USIS posts overseas for their review,
64254 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 233 / Thursday, December 4, 1997 / Notices

with the goal of reducing the time it

takes to get posts’ comments for the

Agency’s grants review process.

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, socio-economic 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’’, USIA ‘‘shall take

appropriate steps to provide

opportunities for participation in such

programs to human rights and

democracy leaders of such countries.’’

Proposals should account for

advancement of this goal in their

program contents, to the full extent

deemed feasible.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Regional Scholar Exchange Program

empowers outstanding citizens of the

NIS and the U.S. who are committed to

careers in academia to obtain access to

the resource materials and specialists of

the host country in order to conduct

research and consult with colleagues on

specific topics in one of twenty-five

designated fields of the social sciences

and humanities, write scholarly articles,

dissertations, and books, audit classes,

deliver occasional lectures, and

participate in academic conferences

with the goal of contributing to the

advancement of higher education,

scholarship, and university teaching in

their academic fields in their home

countries. NIS participants will be

expected to begin their fellowships in

the U.S. as a group at a program

orientation in Washington, D.C. in late

August 1999 and attend a pre-departure

orientation in their home countries in

February 1999. However, in some cases

where it is necessary, a limited number

of NIS participants may begin their U.S.

programs at other appropriate times

during the academic year. U.S.

participants will be expected to begin

their fellowships in the NIS at

appropriate times in summer and fall

1999 and attend a program orientation

in their host countries. At the end of

their fellowships, all participants must

return immediately to their home

countries.

The Freedom Support Act

Fellowships in Contemporary Issues

empower outstanding citizens of the

New Independent States who are

practitioners in diverse fields to obtain

access to the resource materials and

specialists of the U.S. in order to

conduct research and policy analysis on

specific topics in one of five designated

areas, write reports, articles, and

studies, deliver lectures, and engage

counterparts in the United States with

the goal of framing the terms of debate

in their fields and playing a more active

role in consolidating the transition to

democracy, free markets, and civil

society in their home countries.

Participants will be expected to begin

their fellowships in the U.S. as a group

at a program orientation in Washington,

D.C. in March 1999 and attend a predeparture orientation in their home

countries in February 1999. At the end

of their fellowships, all NIS participants

must return immediately to their home

countries.

Further details about specific program

requirements and additional

information can be found in the Project

Objectives, Goals, and Implementation

(POGI) Statement which are part of the

full Solicitation Package.

Guidelines

Visa/Health Insurance/Tax

Requirements: Programs must comply

with J–1 visa regulations. Exchange

program regulations require that all J

visa holders carry health and accident

insurance. Please refer to program

specific guidelines (POGI) in the

Solicitation Package for further details.

Administration of the program must be

in compliance with reporting and

withholding regulations for federal,

state, and local taxes as applicable.

Recipient organizations should

demonstrate tax regulation adherence in

the proposal.

Proposed Budget

Funding for the FY 1998 Regional

Scholar Exchange Program is

anticipated at $2,000,000. Funding for

the FY 1998 Freedom Support Act

Fellowships in Contemporary Issues is

anticipated at $955,000.

Applicant organizations must submit

a comprehensive line item budget

request for general program costs,

participant program costs, and

administrative costs based on the

specific guidance in the Solicitation

Package. There must be a summary

budget as well as a break-down

reflecting both the administrative

budget and the program budget and a

budget narrative demonstrating how

costs were derived. Organizations

whose proposals include an

administrative budget that is less than

20% of the grant amount requested from

the USIA will be given preference.

Allowable costs for each category

include the following:

(1) General Program Costs

(2) Participant Program Costs

(3) U.S. Administrative Costs

(4) NIS Administrative Costs

(5) Start Up for FY 1999 Recruitment

Please refer to the Solicitation

Package for complete budget guidelines

and formatting instructions.

Review Process

USIA 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. Eligible

proposals will be forwarded to panels of

USIA officers for advisory review. All

eligible proposals will be reviewed by

the program office, as well as the USIA

Office of East European and NIS Affairs

and the USIA post overseas, where

appropriate. Proposals may be reviewed

by the Office of the General Counsel or

by other Agency elements. Funding

decisions are at the discretion of the

USIA Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs. Final technical

authority for assistance awards (grants

or cooperative agreements) resides with

the USIA grants officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will

be competitively reviewed according to

the criteria stated below. These criteria

are not rank ordered and all carry equal

weight in the proposal evaluation.

1. Quality of the program plan:

Proposals should include academic

rigor, thorough conception of program,

demonstration of meeting participants’

needs, contributions to understanding

the partner country, specific details of

recruitment, selection, placement,

monitoring, alumni activities, alumni

tracking, and relevance to USIA’s

mission.

2. Program planning and

organizational capacity: A detailed

work plan citing all critical program

components and timeline should

demonstrate the organization’s logistical

and administrative capacity to

implement both programs. Proposals

must demonstrate how the organization
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 233 / Thursday, December 4, 1997 / Notices 64255

and its staff will meet both programs’

objectives. Proposed personnel and

organizational resources must be

adequate and appropriate to implement

the program in each country.

3. Organization’s track record:

Relevant USIA and outside assessments

of the organization’s experience with

academic exchanges with the NIS,

including responsible fiscal

management and full compliance with

all reporting requirements for past

grants as determined by USIA’s Office of

Contracts.

4. Multiplier effect/impact: Proposed

programs must demonstrate an impact

on the wider community through the

sharing of information and the

establishment of long-term institutional

and individual linkages.

5. Cost-effectiveness: A key measure

of cost-effectiveness is USIA’s cost per

participant. This is the total funds

requested from USIA divided by the

number of participant-months (number

of participants multiplied by the

number of program months). Overhead

and administrative costs, including

salaries and honoraria, should be kept

as low as possible. All other items

should be necessary and appropriate.

6. Cost-sharing: Preference will be

given to proposals that seek to maximize

cost-sharing through other private sector

support as well as institutional direct

funding contributions.

7. Value of U.S.-partner country

relations: The assessment by USIA’s

geographic area office of the need

potential impact, and significance of the

project with the partner country.

8. Support of diversity and pluralism:

Proposals should demonstrate

substantive support of the Bureau’s

policy on diversity through the

recruitment, selection and placement of

participants, to the extent feasible for

organizations.

9. Follow-on activities: Proposals

should provide a plan for alumni

activities and other follow on programs

(without USIA support) which ensures

that USIA supported programs are not

isolated events. Proposals should

include a plan for alumni tracking that

demonstrates the willingness to provide

data to and coordinate tracking with

USIA and USIS posts.

10. Program evaluation: Proposals

should include a plan to evaluate the

program’s success. A draft survey

questionnaire plus a description of a

methodology to be used to link

outcomes to original project objectives

is required.

Notice

The terms and conditions published

in this RFP are binding and may not be

modified by any USIA representative.

Explanatory information provided by

the Agency 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 Agency 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.

Options for Renewals

Subject to the availability of funding

for FY 1999 and FY 2000, and the

satisfactory performance of grant

programs, USIA may invite grantee

organizations to submit proposals for

renewal assistance awards for two fiscal

year cycles.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until

funds have been appropriated by

Congress, allocated and committed

through internal USIA procedures.

Dated: December 1, 1997.

Robert L. Earle,

Deputy Associate Director for Educational

and Cultural Affairs.

[FR Doc. 97–31787 Filed 12–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8230–01–M

UNITED STATES INFORMATION

AGENCY

FY 1998 Ron Brown Fellowship

Program

ACTION: Request for proposals.

SUMMARY: Subject to the availability of

funds for FY 1998, the Office of

Academic Programs, Academic

Exchanges Division, European Branch of

the United States Information Agency’s

Bureau of Education and Cultural

Affairs announces an open competition

for an assistance award. American

public or private nonprofit

organizations with at least four years of

experience in conducting international

academic exchange programs and

meeting the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may apply to

develop and administer the FY 1998

Ron Brown Fellowship Program.

Preference will be given to organizations

that have placement experience at the

graduate level and a demonstrated

ability to conduct academic exchange

programs in Central and Eastern Europe.

Organizations are invited to submit a

proposal with a budget not to exceed

$2,000,000 to develop and administer

the final selection (from a pool of

applicants), placement, orientation,

monitoring, evaluation and follow-on/

alumni activities of at least 42 Fellows

from the following countries: Albania,

Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary,

Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia

and Solvenia. Participants will be

enrolled in two-year degree programs, or

in one-year non-degree professional

development programs (except for the

one-year degree programs in law) at

accredited U.S. academic institutions

for study at the Masters’ level in the

fields of business administration,

economics, education administration/

civic education, environmental policy/

resource management, journalism/mass

communication, law, public

administration and public policy.

Please Note: This program will not support

Ph.D. studies.

Overall grant making authority for the

Ron Brown Fellowship Program is

contained in the Mutual Educational

and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961,

Public Law 87–256, as amended, also

known as the Fulbright-Hays 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

cited above is provided through the

Support for East European Democracies

(SEED) Act of 1989, targeted to advance

the democratic and economic transition

of Central and Eastern Europe. In order

to comply with mandates for this

program, grantee organization is

required to keep track of the spending

for each of the ten countries under the

FY98 Ron Brown Fellowship Program.

Specific country allocations will be

provided at the time of the award.

Funds allocated for one country should

not be used to support Fellows from

other countries.

Programs and projects must conform

with Agency requirements and

guidelines outlined in the Solicitation

Package. USIA projects and programs

are subject to the availability of funds.

ANNOUNCEMENT NAME AND NUMBER: All

communications with USIA concerning

this announcement should refer to: The

Ron Brown Fellowship Program,

reference number E/AEE–98–05.