11194 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2001 / Notices

14 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(2).

15 17 CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).

intends to ensure adequate capacity of

its EWN II system.

Nasdaq has requested that the

Commission approve this proposed rule

change on an accelerated basis. Nasdaq

believes that accelerated approval of

this proposal is necessary to ensure that

the costs associated with the expansion

of its network are allocated uniformly

among all NWII subscriber, regardless of

whether they are members or nonmembers. The Commission finds good

cause for approving the proposed rule

change (SR–NASD–01–11) prior to the

thirtieth day after the date of

publication of notice thereof in the

Federal Register in that non-members

have been on notice since October 2000

that Nasdaq was proposing to pass along

the additional costs as described above

and no comments were received by the

Commission on SR–NASD–00–74.

It is Therefore Ordered, pursuant to

section 19(b)(2) of the Act,14 that the

proposed rule change (SR–NASD–01–

11) is hereby approved on an

accelerated basis.

For the Commission, by the Division of

Market Regulation, pursuant to delegated

authority.1

Margaret H. McFarland,

Deputy Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–4355 Filed 2–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8010–01–M

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

[Declaration of Economic Injury Disaster

#9K78]

State of Florida

Citrus County and the contiguous

counties of Hernando, Levy, Marion and

Sumter in the State of Florida constitute

an economic injury disaster loan area as

a result of freezing temperatures

beginning in December 2000 and

continuing. Eligible small businesses

and small agricultural cooperatives

without credit available elsewhere may

file applications for economic injury

assistance as a result of this disaster

until the close of business on November

13, 2001 at the address listed below or

other locally announced locations: U.S.

Small Business Administration, Disaster

Area 2 Office, One Baltimore Place,

Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30308.

The interest rate for eligible small

businesses and small agricultural

cooperatives is 4 percent.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 59002.)

Dated: February 13, 2001.

John Whitmore,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 01–4383 Filed 2–21–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 3578]

Language and Cultural Enhancement

Program; Request for Grant Proposals

AGENCY: Bureau of Educational and

Cultural Affairs; State.

SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen

Exchanges, Youth Programs Division of

the Bureau of Educational and Cultural

Affairs announces an open competition

for a Language and Cultural

Enhancement Program. Public and

private non-profit organizations meeting

the provisions described in IRS

regulation 26 CFR 1.501(c) may submit

proposals to conduct a four-week

homestay-based, English Language and

Cultural Enrichment program from midJuly to mid-August, 2001 for 50 students

from the New Independent States (NIS)

of the former Soviet Union selected for

the Freedom Support Act (FSA) Future

Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program.

Approximately 15 of the participants

will be students with physical

disabilities who were specially recruited

and selected. The remaining 35 students

will be from more isolated regions of the

NIS, where there is less opportunity for

quality English instruction. The purpose

of the program is to raise the English

capability of these students to the level

where they are able to attend regular

classes when their academic program

starts in the fall. Additionally, this

program will ease the acculturation

process when students transit to their

permanent host families and

communities. Only one grant will be

awarded. Funds requested for this

project may not exceed $100,000.

Program Information

Objectives: To prepare a select group

of students with special needs to attend

school in the fall and perform at a level

closer to that of those FSA/FLEX

students who make up the majority of

the program finalists. To provide

students with cultural tools and

strategies that will foster a successful

exchange experience.

Background: Academic year 2001/

2002 will be the ninth year of the FSA/

FLEX program, which now includes

over 8,000 alumni. This component of

the NIS Secondary School Initiative was

originally authorized under the

FREEDOM Support Act of 1992 and is

funded by annual allocations from the

Foreign Operations and Department of

State appropriations. The goals of the

program are to promote mutual

understanding and foster a relationship

between the people of the NIS and the

U.S.; assist the successor generation of

the NIS to develop the qualities it will

need to lead in the transformation of

those countries in the 21st century; and

to promote democratic values and civic

responsibility by giving NIS youth the

opportunity to live in American society

for an academic year.

During the program’s early years,

there was concern that students from

the more remote regions of the NIS

might be underrepresented because the

lack of English competence in those

regions could prevent applicants from

meeting the rigorous English language

requirements of the FLEX recruitment

process, including attaining a

reasonable score on the Secondary Level

English Proficiency (SLEP) examination.

To address this concern, a pre-academic

year English language enrichment

program was developed so that some

students from the remote areas could be

selected whose SLEP scores were

slightly lower than average. In 1996, the

FLEX program added a component

incorporating students with disabilities,

who do have a need for some special

language and cultural training before

initiating their academic year program.

The enhancement program for which

proposals are being solicited here is in

support of both groups of students.

The essential components of the

enhancement program are:

• A four-week course of study in

English, approximately 5.5 hours a day,

to build on the language skills that the

students already have.

• Programming that builds on

cultural issues that will have been

introduced at the pre-departure

orientation for all FSA FLEX students.

• Orientation programming that

addresses the special needs of the

students with disabilities and their

unique adjustment issues.

• Accommodation with volunteer

host families for the period of the

workshop.

• Preparing the students for the

transition to their permanent host

families and communities.

Other Components: Two

organizations have already been

awarded grants to perform the following

functions: recruitment and selection of

all FLEX students; preparation of crosscultural materials; pre-departure

orientation; international travel from

home to host community and return;

facilitation of ongoing communication

between the natural parents and