1826 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 8 / Monday, January 13, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education;

State Student Incentive Grant Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of the closing date for

receipt of State applications for fiscal

year 1997.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education

(Secretary) gives notice of the closing

date for receipt of State applications for

fiscal year 1997 funds under the State

Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) Program.

This program, through matching

formula grants to States for student

awards, provides grants to students with

substantial financial need. The SSIG

Program supports Goals 2000, the

President’s strategy for moving the

Nation toward the National Education

Goals, by enhancing opportunities for

postsecondary education. The National

Education Goals call for increasing the

rate at which students graduate from

high school and pursue high quality

postsecondary education.

A State that desires to receive SSIG

funds for this fiscal year must have an

agreement with the Secretary as

provided under section 1203(a) of the

Higher Education Act of 1965, as

amended (HEA). The State must submit

an application through the State agency

that administered its SSIG Program as of

July 1, 1985, unless the Governor has

subsequently designated, and the

Secretary has approved, a different State

agency.

The Secretary is authorized to accept

applications from the 50 States, the

District of Columbia, the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,

American Samoa, Guam, the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Islands, the Virgin Islands, and the

Republic of Palau. Authority for this

program is contained in sections 415A

through 415E of the HEA. (20 U.S.C.

1070c–1070c–4.)

CLOSING DATE FOR TRANSMITTAL OF

APPLICATIONS: An application for fiscal

year 1997 SSIG funds must be mailed or

hand-delivered by March 31, 1997.

APPLICATION FORM: The required

application form for receiving SSIG

funds will be mailed to officials of the

appropriate State agency in each State at

least 30 days before the closing date.

Applications must be prepared and

submitted in accordance with the HEA

and the program regulations cited in

this notice. The Secretary strongly urges

that applicants only submit information

that is requested.

APPLICATIONS DELIVERED BY MAIL: An

application sent by mail must be

addressed to: Mr. Fred Sellers, Chief,

Grants Branch, Room 3045, ROB–3, U.S.

Department of Education, Student

Financial Assistance Programs, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20202–5447.

The Secretary will accept the

following proof of mailing: (1) a legibly

dated U.S. Postal Service postmark; (2)

a legible mail receipt with the date of

mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal

Service; (3) a dated shipping label,

invoice, or receipt from a commercial

carrier; or (4) any other proof of mailing

acceptable to the Secretary of Education.

If an application is sent through the

U.S. Postal Service, the Secretary does

not accept either of the following as

proof of mailing: (1) a private metered

postmark; or (2) a mail receipt that is

not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

The Department of Education

encourages applicants to use certified or

at least first-class mail.

A late applicant cannot be assured

that its application will be considered

for fiscal year 1997 funding.

APPLICATIONS DELIVERED BY HAND: An

application that is hand-delivered must

be taken to Mr. Fred Sellers, U.S.

Department of Education, Student

Financial Assistance Programs, 7th and

D Streets, S.W., Room 3045, General

Service Administration Regional Office

Building #3, Washington, D.C. Handdelivered applications will be accepted

between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily

(Eastern time), except Saturdays,

Sundays, and Federal holidays.

An application that is hand-delivered

will not be accepted after 4:30 p.m. on

the closing date.

PROGRAM INFORMATION: Section 415C(a)

of the HEA requires that an annual

application be submitted for a State to

receive SSIG funds. In preparing the

application, each State agency should be

guided by the table of allotments

provided in the application package.

State allotments are determined

according to the statutorily mandated

formula under section 415B of the HEA

and are not negotiable. A State may also

request its share of reallotment, in

addition to its basic allotment, which is

contingent upon the availability of such

additional funds.

In fiscal year 1996, 49 States, the

District of Columbia, the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the

Virgin Islands, Guam, the Trust

Territory of the Pacific Island (Palau),

and the Commonwealth of the Northern

Mariana Islands received funds under

the SSIG Program.

APPLICABLE REGULATIONS: The following

regulations are applicable to the SSIG

Program:

(1) The SSIG Program regulations in

34 CFR Part 692.

(2) The Education Department

General Administrative Regulations

(EDGAR) in 34 CFR Part 75.60 through

75.62 (Ineligibility of Certain

Individuals to Receive Assistance), Part

76 (State-Administered Programs), Part

77 (Definitions that Apply to

Department Regulations), Part 79

(Intergovernmental Review of

Department of Education Programs and

Activities), Part 80 (Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Cooperative Agreements to State

and Local Governments), Part 82 (New

Restrictions on Lobbying), Part 85

(Governmentwide Debarment and

Suspension (Nonprocurement), and

Governmentwide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)), and Part

86 (Drug-Free Schools and Campuses).

(3) The regulations in 34 CFR Part 604

that implement section 1203 of the HEA

(Federal-State Relationship

Agreements).

(4) The Student Assistance General

Provisions in 34 CFR Part 668.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

further information contact Mrs. Jackie

Butler, Pell and State Grant Section,

U.S. Department of Education, Student

Financial Assistance Programs,

Washington, D.C. 20202–5447;

telephone (202) 708–4607. Individuals

who use a telecommunications device

for the deaf may call the Federal

Information Relay Service at 1–800–

730–8913 between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.,

Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

(20 U.S.C. 1070c–1070c–4.)

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number 84.069, State Student Incentive

Grant Program.)

Dated: January 7, 1997.

David A. Longanecker,

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary

Education.

[FR Doc. 97–736 Filed 1–10–97; 8:45 am]

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