Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 90 / Monday, May 11, 1998 / Notices 25871

Which H–1B Petitions Will Not Be

Affected by This Notice?

Petitions filed for sequential H–1B

employment, concurrent H–1B

employment, extension of H–1B stay,

and amended H–1B petitions are not

affected by this notice.

Sequential employment is where an

alien assumes one H–1B position after

another. For example, an H–1B chemist

completes his or her assignment with

‘‘Company A’’ and then assumes a new

position the very next day as an H–1B

chemist with ‘‘Company B’’.

Concurrent employment is where an

alien holds two H–1B positions at the

same time. For example, an H–1B

computer system analyst works for

‘‘Company A’’ full-time during the week

and works for ‘‘Company B’’ part-time

on the weekends.

An extension of stay is where the

alien’s current employer submits a

petition to extend the alien’s temporary

stay.

An amended petition is where there

has been a change in the conditions of

the alien’s employment, but the alien

remains employed by the same

petitioner.

How Will H–1B Petitions Submitted For

New or Initial Employment for Fiscal

Year 1998 be Processed?

Based on 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(ii)(E), the

Service will return, with fee, any H–1B

petition filed with the Service on or

after the date of this notice for new or

initial employment in fiscal year 1998.

The petitioner will be advised in a

notice to either resubmit the petition

when numbers are available on October

1, 1998, or to resubmit the petition and

request employment commencing on or

after October 1, 1998.

In the case of those petitions pending

with the Service on the date of this

notice, the Service will contact the

petitioner or the attorney of record and

advise him or her that the 65,000 limit

has been reached. The petitioner will

then be given the option of either

withdrawing the petition or requesting

that the Service change the date of the

beneficiary’s intended employment to

on or after October 1, 1998, the

beginning of fiscal year 1999, when H–

1B numbers will again become

available.

How Will H–1B Petitions Submitted For

New or Initial Employment Beginning in

Fiscal Year 1999 be Processed?

H–1B petitions filed for employment

commencing on or after October 1, 1998,

which is the beginning of fiscal year

1999, are not affected by the procedures

described in this notice and those

petitions will be adjudicated when

received by the Service.

What Will Happen if the Numerical

Limitation is Raised by Congress?

The Congress is currently considering

whether to raise the numerical limit for

fiscal year 1998. The procedures

described in this notice will be modified

if the limit is raised through legislation

enacted by the Congress and signed by

the President.

Dated: May 6, 1998.

Doris Meissner,

Commissioner, Immigration and

Naturalization Service.

[FR Doc. 98–12448 Filed 5–8–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4410–10–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

Susan Harwood Training Grant

Program

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds

and request for grant applications.

SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and

Health Administration (OSHA) awards

funds to nonprofit organizations to

conduct safety and health training and

education in the workplace. This notice

announces grant availability for training

in safety and health programs for

construction, silica in general industry,

food processing, shipyards, logging, and

outreach to workers. The notice

describes the scope of the grant program

and provides information about how to

get detailed grant application

instructions. Applications should not be

submitted without the applicant first

obtaining the detailed grant application

instructions mentioned later in the

notice.

Authority for this program may be

found in section 21(c) of the

Occupational Safety and Health Act of

1970 (29 U.S.C. 670).

DATES: Applications must be received

by June 26, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Grant applications are to be

submitted to the OSHA Office of

Training and Education, Division of

Training and Educational Programs,

1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines, Illinois

60018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ronald Mouw, Chief, Division of

Training and Educational Programs, or

Helen Beall, Training Specialist, OSHA

Office of Training and Education, 1555

Times Drive, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018,

telephone (847) 297–4810, e-mail

helen.beall@oti.osha.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

What is the Purpose of the Program?

Susan Harwood Training Grants

provide funds to train workers and

employers to recognize, avoid, and

prevent safety and health hazards in

their workplaces. The program

emphasizes three areas.

• Educating workers and employers

in small businesses. A small business

has 250 or fewer workers.

• Training workers and employers

about new OSHA standards.

• Training workers and employers

about high risk activities or hazards

identified by OSHA through the priority

planning process or otherwise, or as part

of an OSHA special emphasis program.

Grantees are expected to develop

training and/or educational programs

that address one of the topics named by

OSHA (see below), recruit workers and

employers for the training, and conduct

the training. Grantees will also be

expected to follow-up with people who

have been trained to find out what, if

any, changes were made to reduce

hazards in their workplaces as a result

of the training.

What Are the Training Topics This

Year?

The purpose of this notice is to

announce that funds are available for

grants. Each grant application must

address one of the following topic areas.

1. Construction. Applicants may

address one of the following topics.

• Recognition and avoidance of lead

and silica hazards in bridge repair and

renovation.

• Safety and health hazards in

highway construction with emphasis on

preventing fatalities, particularly those

caused by being struck by vehicles and

equipment.

• Recognition and avoidance of

electrical hazards in construction,

particularly contact with overhead

power lines. Projects will emphasize

developing systems and procedures that

will provide ongoing training programs

for new employees after the grant has

ended.

2. Silica in general industry.

Recognition and avoidance of silica

hazards in industries where

sandblasting is a process, such as metal

finishing, or where silica is part of the

manufacturing process, such as cement.

3. Food processing. Safety and health

hazards in red meat and/or poultry

processing.
25872 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 90 / Monday, May 11, 1998 / Notices

4. Shipyards. Safety and health

hazards in shipbuilding, shipbreaking,

or ship repair.

5. Logging. Logging safety focusing on

the OSHA standard and safe work

practices. Projects must include a

statewide group involved in the logging

industry, such as a state forestry

association.

6. Outreach to workers. Training

workers about their rights under the

OSH Act, how these rights can be

exercised and what protections workers

have. Training is to include sections 8(f)

and 11(c) of the OSH Act, employee

discrimination complaints under 29

CFR Part 24 (environmental laws), and

complaints under the Surface

Transportation Assistance Act of 1982

(29 CFR 1978). Projects will reach out to

workers to inform them of their rights.

Preference will be given to those that

develop programs which will continue

disseminating information after the

grant ends.

Who is Eligible To Apply for a Grant?

Any nonprofit organization that is not

an agency of a State or local government

is eligible to apply. However, State or

local government supported institutions

of higher education are eligible to apply

in accordance with 29 CFR 97.4(a)(1).

Applicants other than State or local

government supported institutions of

higher education will be required to

submit evidence of nonprofit status,

preferably from the IRS.

What Can Grant Funds Be Spent On?

Grant funds can be spent on the

following.

• Conducting training

• Conducting other activities that

reach and inform workers and

employers about occupational safety

and health hazards and hazard

abatement

• Developing educational materials

for use in the training

Are There Restrictions on How Grant

Funds Can Be Spent?

OSHA will not provide funding for

the following activities.

1. Any activity that is inconsistent

with the goals and objectives of the

Occupational Safety and Health Act of

1970.

2. Training involving workplaces that

are not covered by the Occupational

Safety and Health Act. Examples

include state and local government

workers in non-State Plan States and

workers covered by section 4(b)(1) of the

Act.

3. Production, publication,

reproduction or use of training and

educational materials, including

newsletters and instructional programs,

that have not been reviewed by OSHA

for technical accuracy.

4. Activities that address issues other

than recognition, avoidance, and

prevention of unsafe or unhealthy

working conditions. Examples include

workers’ compensation, first aid, and

publication of materials prejudicial to

labor or management.

5. Activities that provide assistance to

workers in arbitration cases or other

actions against employers, or that

provide assistance to employers and/or

workers in the prosecution of claims

against Federal, State or local

governments.

6. Activities that directly duplicate

services offered by OSHA, a State under

an OSHA-approved State Plan, or

consultation programs provided by State

designated agencies under section

7(c)(1) of the Occupational Safety and

Health Act.

7. Activities intended to generate

membership in the grantee’s

organization. This includes activities to

acquaint nonmembers with the benefits

of membership, inclusion of

membership appeals in materials

produced with grant funds, and

membership drives.

What Other Grant Requirements Are

There?

1. OSHA review of educational

materials. Educational materials

produced by the grantee will be

reviewed by OSHA for technical

accuracy during development and

before final publication. OSHA will also

review curriculums and purchased

training materials for accuracy before

they are used.

When grant recipients produce

training materials, they will provide

copies of completed materials to OSHA

before the end of the grant period.

OSHA has a lending program that

circulates grant-produced audiovisual

materials. Grant recipients’ audiovisual

materials will be included in this

lending program. In addition, all

materials produced by grantees may be

placed on the Internet by OSHA.

2. OMB and regulatory requirements.

Grantees will be required to comply

with the following documents.

• 29 CFR part 95, which covers grant

requirements for nonprofit

organizations, including universities

and hospitals. These are the Department

of Labor regulations implementing OMB

Circular A–110.

• OMB Circular A–21, which

describes allowable and unallowable

costs for educational institutions.

• OMB Circular A–122, which

describes allowable and unallowable

costs for other nonprofit organizations.

• OMB Circular A–133, which

provides information about audit

requirements.

3. Certifications. All applicants will

be required to certify to a drug-free

workplace in accordance with 29 CFR

part 98, to comply with the New

Restrictions on Lobbying published at

29 CFR part 93, to make a certification

regarding the debarment rules at 29 CFR

part 98, and to complete a special

lobbying certification.

4. Matching share. The program

requires the grantee to provide a

matching share. Grant recipients are to

provide a minimum of 20% of the total

grant budget. This match may be inkind, rather than a cash contribution.

For example, if the Federal share of the

grant is $80,000 (80% of the grant), then

the matching share will be $20,000

(20% of the grant), for a total grant of

$100,000. The matching share may

exceed 20%.

How Are Applications Reviewed and

Rated?

Grant applications will be reviewed

by OSHA staff and the review results

presented to the Assistant Secretary

who will make the selection of

organizations to be awarded grants.

Preference will be given to

applications that plan to conduct trainthe-trainer programs. Applicants are

encouraged to include managers and/or

supervisors in their training. In general,

applications that propose to serve a

single employer will not be selected,

since OSHA is interested in reaching

multiple employers with each grant

awarded.

The following factors will be

considered in evaluating grant

applications.

1. Program Design

a. The proposed training and

education program addresses one of the

following topics.

i. Construction.

ii. Silica in general industry.

iii. Food processing.

iv. Shipyards.

v. Logging.

vi. Outreach to workers.

b. The proposal plans to train workers

and/or employers and clearly estimates

the numbers to be trained.

c. The proposal contains a train-thetrainer program, and the numbers to be

trained by these trainers are clearly

estimated.

d. The planned activities are

appropriate for the workers and/or

employers to be trained.
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 90 / Monday, May 11, 1998 / Notices 25873

e. There is a plan to recruit trainees

for the program.

f. If the proposal includes developing

educational materials, there is a plan for

OSHA to review the materials during

development.

g. There is a plan to evaluate the

program’s effectiveness and this

includes plans to follow-up with

trainees to see if the training resulted in

workplace change.

h. The planned work can be

accomplished in one year.

2. Program Experience

a. The organization applying for the

grant demonstrates experience with

occupational safety and health.

b. The organization applying for the

grant demonstrates experience training

adults in work-related subjects.

c. The staff to be assigned to the

project have experience in (1)

occupational safety and health, (2) the

specific topic chosen, and (3) training

adults.

d. The organization applying for the

grant demonstrates experience in

recruiting and training the population it

proposes to serve under the grant.

3. Administrative Capability

a. The applicant organization

demonstrates experience managing a

variety of programs.

b. The applicant organization has

administered, or will work with an

organization that has administered, a

number of different Federal and/or State

grants over the past five years.

c. The application is complete,

including forms, budget detail, narrative

and workplan, and required

attachments.

4. Budget

a. The budgeted costs are reasonable.

b. The proposed non-Federal share is

at least 20% of the total budget.

c. The budget complies with Federal

cost principles (which can be found in

applicable OMB Circulars) and with

OSHA budget requirements contained

in the grant application instructions.

d. The cost per trainee is less than

$500 and the cost per training hour is

reasonable.

In addition to the factors listed above,

the Assistant Secretary will take other

items into consideration, such as the

geographical distribution of the grant

programs and the coverage of

populations at risk.

How Much Money Is Available for

Grants?

There is approximately $2,000,000

available for this program. The average

Federal award will be $100,000.

How Long Are Grants Awarded For?

Grants are awarded for twelve-month

periods. Grants may be renewed for

additional twelve-month periods

depending on whether there are funds

available, there is still a need for the

training, and the grantee has performed

satisfactorily.

How Do I Get a Grant Application

Package?

Grant application instructions may be

obtained from the OSHA Office of

Training and Education, Division of

Training and Educational Programs,

1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines, Illinois

60018. The application instructions are

also available at http://www.oshaslc.gov/Training/sharwood/

sharwood.html.

When and Where are Applications To

Be Sent?

The application deadline is 4:30 p.m.

Central Time, June 26, 1998.

Applications are to be mailed to the

Division of Training and Educational

Programs, OSHA Office of Training and

Education, 1555 Times Drive, Des

Plaines, IL 60018. Applications will not

be accepted by fax.

How Will I be Told if My Application

Was Selected?

Organizations selected as grant

recipients will be notified by a

representative of the Assistant

Secretary, usually from an OSHA

Regional Office. An applicant whose

proposal is not selected will be notified

in writing.

Notice that an organization has been

selected as a grant recipient does not

constitute approval of the grant

application as submitted. Before the

actual grant award, OSHA will enter

into negotiations concerning such items

as program components, funding levels,

and administrative systems. If the

negotiations do not result in an

acceptable submittal, the Assistant

Secretary reserves the right to terminate

the negotiation and decline to fund the

proposal.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 5th day of

May 1998.

Charles N. Jeffress,

Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 98–12372 Filed 5–8–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–U

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY

(CFDA No. 84.257F)

NIFL Regional Technology HUB

Project; Notice Inviting Applications

for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1998

AGENCY: The National Institute for

Literacy (NIFL).

ACTION: Notice.

PURPOSE: The purpose of these grants is

to establish a second generation of

regional hubs to extend the Literacy

Information and Communication

System (LINCS) infrastructure

throughout the literacy community in

each region. Each hub will form a

consortium with all states in the

region—‘‘member states’’—and, in

cooperation with member states, a

network of targeted local literacy

programs. Each regional hub will be

expected to build on the achievements

of the region’s previous hub and to

build strong partnerships with other

technology efforts in the region. In the

process of enhancing the technological

capacity of states and local programs,

regional hubs will—

• Increase the literacy field’s

electronic knowledge base by collecting

and exchanging new literacy

information resources, especially locally

developed materials, and creating indepth collections on important literacy

topics.

• Encourage the widespread use of

the NIFL’s systematic procedures and

uniform standards for information

collection and exchange.

• Provide innovative delivery of high

quality, easy-to-access information

resources to the adult education and

literacy community through the use of

variety of tools, including multi-media.

• Enable member states and local

programs to be self-sufficient in their

efforts to enhance the LINCS database

and communication tools.

• Enhance communication and

community-building by connecting

increasingly larger numbers of literacy

stakeholders of all kinds—researchers,

practitioners, administrators, students,

and policymakers—and closing the gap

between information ‘‘haves’’ and ‘‘have

nots.’’

• Integrate the use of technology into

every aspect of learning and teaching in

the adult education and literacy field.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: June 26, 1998.

Eligible Applicants: State, regional,

and national organizations, or consortia

of such organizations, in OVAE Region

I.

Available Funds: This announcement

envisions a two-year cooperative