H. R. 1385—177
‘‘(b) The Commissioner shall collect information to determine
whether the purposes of this Act are being met and to assess
the performance of programs carried out under this Act. The
Commissioner shall take whatever action is necessary to assure
that the identity of each individual for which information is supplied
under this section is kept confidential, except as otherwise required
by law (including regulation).
‘‘(c) In preparing the report, the Commissioner shall annually
collect and include in the report information based on the informa-
tion submitted by States in accordance with section 101(a)(10),
including information on administrative costs as required by section
101(a)(10)(D). The Commissioner shall, to the maximum extent
appropriate, include in the report all information that is required
to be submitted in the reports described in section 136(d) of the
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and that pertains to the employ-
ment of individuals with disabilities.
‘‘EVALUATION
‘‘SEC. 12. (a) For the purpose of improving program manage-
ment and effectiveness, the Secretary, in consultation with the
Commissioner, shall evaluate all the programs authorized by this
Act, their general effectiveness in relation to their cost, their impact
on related programs, and their structure and mechanisms for deliv-
ery of services, using appropriate methodology and evaluative
research designs. The Secretary shall establish and use standards
for the evaluations required by this subsection. Such an evaluation
shall be conducted by a person not immediately involved in the
administration of the program evaluated.
‘‘(b) In carrying out evaluations under this section, the Sec-
retary shall obtain the opinions of program and project participants
about the strengths and weaknesses of the programs and projects.
‘‘(c) The Secretary shall take the necessary action to assure
that all studies, evaluations, proposals, and data produced or devel-
oped with Federal funds under this Act shall become the property
of the United States.
‘‘(d) Such information as the Secretary may determine to be
necessary for purposes of the evaluations conducted under this
section shall be made available upon request of the Secretary,
by the departments and agencies of the executive branch.
‘‘(e)(1) To assess the linkages between vocational rehabilitation
services and economic and noneconomic outcomes, the Secretary
shall continue to conduct a longitudinal study of a national sample
of applicants for the services.
‘‘(2) The study shall address factors related to attrition and
completion of the program through which the services are provided
and factors within and outside the program affecting results. Appro-
priate comparisons shall be used to contrast the experiences of
similar persons who do not obtain the services.
‘‘(3) The study shall be planned to cover the period beginning
on the application of individuals with disabilities for the services,
through the eligibility determination and provision of services for
the individuals, and a further period of not less than 2 years
after the termination of services.
‘‘(f )(1) The Commissioner shall identify and disseminate
information 
on 
exemplary 
practices 
concerning 
vocational
rehabilitation.
H. R. 1385—178
‘‘(2) To facilitate compliance with paragraph (1), the Commis-
sioner shall conduct studies and analyses that identify exemplary
practices concerning vocational rehabilitation, including studies in
areas relating to providing informed choice in the rehabilitation
process, promoting consumer satisfaction, promoting job placement
and retention, providing supported employment, providing services
to particular disability populations, financing personal assistance
services, providing assistive technology devices and assistive tech-
nology services, entering into cooperative agreements, establishing
standards and certification for community rehabilitation programs,
converting from nonintegrated to integrated employment, and
providing caseload management.
‘‘(g) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
section such sums as may be necessary.
‘‘INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE
‘‘SEC. 13. (a) The Secretary shall establish a central clearing-
house for information and resource availability for individuals with
disabilities which shall provide information and data regarding—
‘‘(1) the location, provision, and availability of services and
programs for individuals with disabilities, including such
information and data provided by State workforce investment
boards regarding such services and programs authorized under
title I of such Act;
‘‘(2) research and recent medical and scientific develop-
ments bearing on disabilities (and their prevention, ameliora-
tion, causes, and cures); and
‘‘(3) the current numbers of individuals with disabilities
and their needs.
The clearinghouse shall also provide any other relevant information
and data which the Secretary considers appropriate.
‘‘(b) The Commissioner may assist the Secretary to develop
within the Department of Education a coordinated system of
information and data retrieval, which will have the capacity and
responsibility to provide information regarding the information and
data referred to in subsection (a) of this section to the Congress,
public and private agencies and organizations, individuals with
disabilities and their families, professionals in fields serving such
individuals, and the general public.
‘‘(c) The office established to carry out the provisions of this
section shall be known as the ‘Office of Information and Resources
for Individuals with Disabilities’.
‘‘(d) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
section such sums as may be necessary.
‘‘TRANSFER OF FUNDS
‘‘SEC. 14. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section,
no funds appropriated under this Act for any program or activity
may be used for any purpose other than that for which the funds
were specifically authorized.
‘‘(b) No more than 1 percent of funds appropriated for discre-
tionary grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements authorized by
this Act may be used for the purpose of providing non-Federal
panels of experts to review applications for such grants, contracts,
or cooperative agreements.
H. R. 1385—179
‘‘STATE ADMINISTRATION
‘‘SEC. 15. The application of any State rule or policy relating
to the administration or operation of programs funded by this
Act (including any rule or policy based on State interpretation
of any Federal law, regulation, or guideline) shall be identified
as a State imposed requirement.
‘‘REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
‘‘SEC. 16. Applications for grants in excess of $100,000 in the
aggregate authorized to be funded under this Act, other than grants
primarily for the purpose of conducting dissemination or con-
ferences, shall be reviewed by panels of experts which shall include
a majority of non-Federal members. Non-Federal members may
be provided travel, per diem, and consultant fees not to exceed
the daily equivalent of the rate of pay for level 4 of the Senior
Executive Service Schedule under section 5382 of title 5, United
States Code.
‘‘CARRYOVER
‘‘SEC. 17. (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection
(b), and notwithstanding any other provision of law—
‘‘(1) any funds appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out
any grant program under part B of title I, section 509 (except
as provided in section 509(b)), part B of title VI, part B or
C of chapter 1 of title VII, or chapter 2 of title VII (except
as provided in section 752(b)), including any funds reallotted
under any such grant program, that are not obligated and
expended by recipients prior to the beginning of the succeeding
fiscal year; or
‘‘(2) any amounts of program income, including reimburse-
ment payments under the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301
et seq.), received by recipients under any grant program speci-
fied in paragraph (1) that are not obligated and expended
by recipients prior to the beginning of the fiscal year succeeding
the fiscal year in which such amounts were received,
shall remain available for obligation and expenditure by such recipi-
ents during such succeeding fiscal year.
‘‘(b) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—Such funds shall remain available
for obligation and expenditure by a recipient as provided in sub-
section (a) only to the extent that the recipient complied with
any Federal share requirements applicable to the program for the
fiscal year for which the funds were appropriated.
‘‘CLIENT ASSISTANCE INFORMATION
‘‘SEC. 18. All programs, including community rehabilitation pro-
grams, and projects, that provide services to individuals with
disabilities under this Act shall advise such individuals who are
applicants for or recipients of the services, or the applicants’ rep-
resentatives or individuals’ representatives, of the availability and
purposes of the client assistance program under section 112, includ-
ing information on means of seeking assistance under such program.
H. R. 1385—180
‘‘TRADITIONALLY UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
‘‘SEC. 19. (a) FINDINGS.—With respect to the programs
authorized in titles II through VII, the Congress finds as follows:
‘‘(1) RACIAL PROFILE.—The racial profile of America is rap-
idly changing. While the rate of increase for white Americans
is 3.2 percent, the rate of increase for racial and ethnic minori-
ties is much higher: 38.6 percent for Latinos, 14.6 percent
for African-Americans, and 40.1 percent for Asian-Americans
and other ethnic groups. By the year 2000, the Nation will
have 260,000,000 people, one of every three of whom will be
either African-American, Latino, or Asian-American.
‘‘(2) RATE OF DISABILITY.—Ethnic and racial minorities tend
to have disabling conditions at a disproportionately high rate.
The rate of work-related disability for American Indians is
about one and one-half times that of the general population.
African-Americans are also one and one-half times more likely
to be disabled than whites and twice as likely to be significantly
disabled.
‘‘(3) INEQUITABLE
TREATMENT.—Patterns of inequitable
treatment of minorities have been documented in all major
junctures of the vocational rehabilitation process. As compared
to white Americans, a larger percentage of African-American
applicants to the vocational rehabilitation system are denied
acceptance. Of applicants accepted for service, a larger percent-
age of African-American cases are closed without being rehabili-
tated. Minorities are provided less training than their white
counterparts. Consistently, less money is spent on minorities
than on their white counterparts.
‘‘(4) RECRUITMENT.—Recruitment efforts within vocational
rehabilitation at the level of preservice training, continuing
education, and in-service training must focus on bringing larger
numbers of minorities into the profession in order to provide
appropriate practitioner knowledge, role models, and sufficient
manpower to address the clearly changing demography of voca-
tional rehabilitation.
‘‘(b) OUTREACH TO MINORITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year, the Commissioner
and the Director of the National Institute on Disability and
Rehabilitation Research (referred to in this subsection as the
‘Director’) shall reserve 1 percent of the funds appropriated
for the fiscal year for programs authorized under titles II,
III, VI, and VII to carry out this subsection. The Commissioner
and the Director shall use the reserved funds to carry out
one or more of the activities described in paragraph (2) through
a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement.
‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—The activities carried out by the Commis-
sioner and the Director shall include one or more of the
following:
‘‘(A) Making awards to minority entities and Indian
tribes to carry out activities under the programs authorized
under titles II, III, VI, and VII.
‘‘(B) Making awards to minority entities and Indian
tribes to conduct research, training, technical assistance,
or a related activity, to improve services provided under
this Act, especially services provided to individuals from
minority backgrounds.