19152 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 72 / Friday, April 14, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Training Personnel for the Education

of Individuals With Disabilities

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed waiver.

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to

waive the requirements in EDGAR at 34

CFR 75.261(a) that generally prohibit

project extensions that involve the

additional obligation of Federal funds.

The Secretary proposes to waive this

EDGAR requirement for the National

Center for Minority Special Education

Research and Outreach, and the

Outreach Alliance 2000 Project. The

Secretary proposes to issue continuation

awards to both Centers in order to

ensure the most efficient use of Federal

funds.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before May 15, 1995.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning

this proposed waiver should be

addressed to Linda Glidewell or Victoria

Ware, U.S. Department of Education,

600 Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC 20202–2641.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Linda Glidewell, telephone: (202) 205–

9099, or Victoria Ware, telephone: (202)

205–8687. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

may call the Federal Information Relay

Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July

19, 1991, the Department issued a

Notice Inviting Applications for New

Awards under the Training Personnel

for the Education of Individuals with

Disabilities for Fiscal Year 1991. In this

notice, the Department announced that

it would make two awards for up to 48

months pursuant to section 610(j)(2)(C)

of the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA), which directed

the Secretary to develop and implement

a plan for providing outreach services to

minority entities and underrepresented

populations to assist them in

participating more fully in the

discretionary grant programs authorized

in Parts C through G of IDEA.

Specifically, the Secretary advised

that the Department would fund two

Centers, one to provide technical

assistance to the agencies, institutions,

organizations, and populations

identified by Congress seeking grant

support for personnel preparation (Part

D of the Act). The other Center was

designed to provide technical assistance

to the targeted entities and populations

seeking support for research and the

other activities authorized in Parts C, E,

F, and G of the Act. The EDGAR

selection criteria were used in making

the selection.

The grant periods have ended for the

two Centers, which are currently

expending the balance of their fiscal

year 1994 funds to carry out approved

project activities. In order to conduct

the section 610(j)(2)(C) plan activities

with fiscal year 1995 support, it is

necessary to either recompete the

projects for one year or to issue

continuation awards to the existing

grantees.

Based upon following the factors, the

Department believes it makes the most

programmatic sense and is the most

efficient use of Federal funds to issue

continuation awards. However, to do so,

the Department must waive the

requirements in EDGAR at 34 CFR

75.261(a) that generally prohibit project

extensions that involve the additional

obligation of Federal funds. The

Department is therefore soliciting public

comment on the proposed waiver.

Reasons

If the Department had to recompete

these multi-year outreach Centers this

year, the Department would wastefully

expend resources for a program that

might not be reauthorized. If the

program is reauthorized, it may contain

substantially different programmatic

requirements. Such changes would

require the Department to recompete the

projects one year later based on the new

statute.

Therefore, the Department proposes to

issue continuation awards to the current

grantees for one year, with a maximum

of two years, to take into account the

possibility of a delayed reauthorization

cycle.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

The Secretary certifies that this

proposed waiver would not have a

significant economic impact on a

substantial number of small entities.

The small entities that would be

affected by this proposed waiver are the

two Centers currently receiving Federal

funds. However, the waiver would not

have a significant economic impact on

the Centers because the waiver would

not impose excessive regulatory burdens

or require unnecessary Federal

supervision. The waiver would impose

minimal requirements to ensure the

proper expenditure of program funds—

requirements that are those standard to

continuation awards.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980

This proposed waiver has been

examined under the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1980 and has been

found to contain no information

collection requirements.

Intergovernmental Review

This program is subject to the

requirements of Executive Order 12372

and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79.

The objective of the Executive order is

to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and a strengthened

federalism by relying on processes

developed by State and local

governments for coordination and

review of proposed Federal financial

assistance.

In accordance with the order, this

document is intended to provide early

notification of the Department’s specific

plans and actions for this program.

Invitation to Comment

Interested persons are invited to

submit comments and recommendations

regarding this proposed waiver.

All comments submitted in response

to this proposed waiver will be available

for public inspection, during and after

the comment period, in room 3521, 300

‘‘C’’ Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.,

between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00

p.m., Monday through Friday of each

week except Federal holidays.

To assist the department in complying

with the specific requirements of

Executive Order 12291 and the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 and

their overall requirement of reducing

regulatory burden, the Secretary invites

comment on whether there may be

further opportunities to reduce any

regulatory burdens found in this

proposed waiver.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number 84.029, Training Personnel for the

Education of Individuals with Disabilities)

Dated: April 10, 1995.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 95–9195 Filed 4–13–95; 8:45 am]

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