[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 26, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-18073]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: July 26, 1994]
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Part IV
Department of Education
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Special Demonstrations; Projects With Industry; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
RIN 1820-ZA00
Special Demonstrations; Projects With Industry
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of Proposed Priorities.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes priorities under the following programs
administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services (OSERS): (1) Special Projects and Demonstrations for Providing
Vocational Rehabilitation Services to Individuals with Disabilities,
(2) Special Projects and Demonstrations for Providing Transitional
Rehabilitation Services to Youth with Disabilities, and (3) Projects
with Industry (PWI). The proposed priorities are intended to expand
employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities through the
provision of vocational rehabilitation services. In addition, the
proposed priorities provide for a competitive preference to be given to
projects providing program services in an Empowerment Zone or
Enterprise Community designated under section 1391 of the Internal
Revenue Code, as amended by title XIII of the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1993.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 25, 1994.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be
addressed to Thomas Finch, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, S.W., Room 3038 MES, Washington, D.C. 20202-2740.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Finch. Telephone: (202) 205-
9796. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) 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: This notice contains proposed priorities
under the following programs:
Special Projects and Demonstrations for Providing Vocational
Rehabilitation Services to Individuals with Disabilities.
Special Projects and Demonstrations for Providing Transitional
Rehabilitation Services to Youth with Disabilities.
Projects With Industry.
The Secretary is soliciting public comments on (1) The proposed
competitive priority for providing program services in an Empowerment
Zone or Enterprise Community under all three programs and (2) the
proposed absolute priority for Transitional Rehabilitation Services for
Youths and Young Adults with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) or
Serious Mental Illness (SMI).
The purpose of each program is stated separately under the title of
that program.
The Secretary will announce the final priorities in a notice in the
Federal Register. The final priorities will be determined by responses
to this notice, available funds, and other considerations of the
Department. Funding of particular projects depends on the availability
of funds, the nature of the final priorities, and the quality of the
applications received. The publication of these proposed priorities
does not preclude nor limit the Secretary from proposing additional
priorities, nor does it limit the Secretary to funding only these
priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit
applications. A notice inviting applications under these
competitions will be published in the Federal Register concurrent
with or following publication of the notice of final priorities.
Priority Relating To Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), the Secretary proposes to give a
competitive preference to applications that are otherwise eligible for
funding under the three programs and that meet the following priority.
The Secretary may implement this priority for fiscal year 1995 and for
any later fiscal year. The Secretary proposes to award 10 bonus points
to an application that meets this competitive priority. These bonus
points would be in addition to any points the application earns under
the selection criteria for the program:
Proposed Competitive Priority--Providing Program Services in an
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community Background
The Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community program is a critical
element of the Administration's community revitalization strategy. The
program is a first step in rebuilding communities in America's poverty-
stricken inner cities and rural heartlands. It is designed to empower
people and communities by inspiring Americans to work together to
create jobs and opportunity.
Under this program, the Federal Government will designate up to 9
areas as Empowerment Zones and up to 95 areas as Enterprise Communities
in accordance with Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 1391, as amended
by title XIII of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (Pub. L.
103-66). To be eligible for designation, an area must be nominated by
one or more local governments and the State or States in which it is
located or by a State-Chartered Economic Development Corporation. A
nominated area must be one of pervasive poverty, unemployment, and
general distress, and must have a poverty rate of not less than the
level specified in section 1392 of the IRC.
In the Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community program,
communities are invited to submit strategic plans that comprehensively
address how the community would link economic development with
education and training as well as how community development, public
safety, human services, and environmental initiatives will together
support sustainable communities. Empowerment Zones and Enterprise
Communities will be designated by the Department of Agriculture and the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) based on the quality
of their strategic plans. Designated areas will receive Federal grant
funds and substantial tax benefits and will have access to other
Federal programs. (For additional information on the Empowerment Zone
and Enterprise Community program, contact HUD at 1-800-998-9999.)
The Department of Education is supporting the Empowerment Zone and
Enterprise Community initiative in a variety of ways. It is encouraging
Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities to use funds they already
receive from Department of Education programs (including Chapter 1 of
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Drug-Free
Schools and Community Act, the Adult Education Act, and the Carl D.
Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act) to support the
comprehensive vision of their strategic plans. In addition, the
Department of Education intends to give preferences to Empowerment
Zones and Enterprise Communities in a number of discretionary grant
programs that are well-suited for inclusion in a comprehensive approach
to economic and community development. In addition to the Projects With
Industry program and the Special Demonstrations programs under the
Rehabilitation Act, the Department intends to give preferences to
Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities in the National Workplace
Literacy program, the Urban Community Service program, the Parent
Training program and Early Childhood Education program under the
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, and a variety of
discretionary programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act.
Relationship of the PWI and Special Demonstrations Programs to the
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community Program
The Special Demonstrations program for providing vocational
rehabilitation services makes grants to expand or otherwise improve
vocational and other rehabilitation services to individuals with
disabilities, especially those with the most severe disabilities.
Vocational rehabilitation services may include training with a view
toward career advancement, training (including on-the-job training) in
occupational skills, and rehabilitation technology services.
The Special Demonstrations program for providing transitional
services to youths with disabilities focuses on the delivery of job
training services. The goal of the services is to facilitate a smooth
transition of youths from school to work or to higher education.
Services under both of these Special Demonstrations programs are
designed to assist individuals with disabilities to live and function
as contributing members of society by enhancing their opportunities for
employment. Minorities with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS,
and youths and young adults with serious emotional disturbance or
serious mental illness are among the populations with a high incidence
of unemployment and poverty.
The purpose of the PWI program is to create and expand job and
career opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the
competitive labor market by engaging the talent and leadership of
private industry as partners in the rehabilitation process; to identify
competitive job and career opportunities and the skills needed to
perform those jobs; to create practical settings for job readiness and
training programs; and to provide job placements and career
advancement. In order to support the purpose of the program, all PWI
projects are required to have a Business Advisory Council comprised of
representatives of private industry, business concerns, organized
labor, and individuals with disabilities and their representatives.
The PWI and Special Demonstrations programs under the
Rehabilitation Act are ideally suited to play a key role in the
Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community program because studies have
shown strong correlations between disability and unemployment and
between disability and poverty. These rehabilitation programs serve a
common purpose: to provide assistance to individuals with disabilities
in obtaining gainful employment. Employment is achieved by providing
job training, job placement, transition services, and related
vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.
Just as Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities link economic
development and education and training efforts, the Rehabilitation
Special Demonstrations and PWI programs support projects that
strengthen communities by preparing individuals with disabilities for
employment in local businesses.
Provision of rehabilitation services in an urban or rural high-
poverty area that has developed a strategic plan to link economic
development to education, training, public safety, and human services
will also help achieve the purpose of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,
as amended (Act), to empower individuals with disabilities to maximize
employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence, and inclusion and
integration into society. Moreover, providing services in a zone or
community will help support the purpose of section 21 of the Act to
ensure that the needs of individuals with disabilities from minority
backgrounds and from other traditionally underserved populations are
addressed.
Communities receiving designations as Empowerment Zones or
Enterprise Communities already have demonstrated a capacity for the
type of cooperative planning that is critical to successful
rehabilitation partnerships. Projects funded under these programs will
provide models for partnerships in other distressed areas and will
further the National Education Goal that, by the year 2000, every adult
American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills
necessary to compete in the global economy and exercise the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
Accordingly, the Secretary has determined that it would serve the
purposes of the three programs in this notice to award a competitive
preference to applications that propose projects that serve these zones
and communities.
Proposed Priority
Under each of the following programs, competitive preference will
be given to applications that--(1) Propose the provision of substantial
services in Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities, as described
under each program listed in this notice; and (2) propose projects that
contribute to the strategic plan of the Empowerment Zone or Enterprise
Community and that are made an integral component of the Empowerment
Zone or Enterprise Community activities. The ten bonus points will be
assigned to applications determined to be approvable on the basis of
their evaluation under the applicable program selection criteria.
Special Projects and Demonstrations For Providing Vocational
Rehabilitation Services To Individuals With Disabilities
Purpose of Program
This program is designed to provide financial assistance to
projects for expanding or otherwise improving vocational rehabilitation
and other rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities,
especially individuals with the most severe disabilities.
Proposed Competitive Priority
Competitive preference of 10 bonus points will be given to
applications that meet the 2 requirements described previously under
the proposed competitive priority for providing program services in an
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community.
Under this program a project is considered to be providing
substantial services if a minimum of 51 percent of the persons served
by the project reside within the Empowerment Zone or Enterprise
Community.
Proposed Invitational Priorities
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) the Secretary is particularly interested
in applications that meet one or more of the following invitational
priorities. However, an application that meets one or more of these
invitational priorities does not receive competitive or absolute
preference over the other applications:
Proposed Invitational Priority 1--Services to Minorities
The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that
propose to provide culturally sensitive vocational rehabilitation
services and that propose to make significant efforts to identify and
serve individuals with disabilities form minority backgrounds.
Proposed Invitational Priority 2--Services to People Living with HIV/
AIDS
The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that
propose to provide vocational rehabilitation services to people living
with HIV/AIDS.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR Parts 369 and 373.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 777a(a)(1)
Special Projects and Demonstrations For Providing Transitional
Rehabilitation Services To Youth With Disabilities
Purpose of Program:
This program is designed to provide job training for youths with
disabilities to prepare them for entry into the labor force, including
competitive or supported employment.
Competition I
The Secretary is conducting a general competition under section
311(b) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, to provide
transitional rehabilitation services to youths with disabilities. Under
that competition the following competitive priority will apply:
Proposed Competitive Priority
Competitive preference of 10 bonus points will be given to
applications that meet the 2 requirements described previously under
the proposed competitive priority for providing program services in an
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community.
Under this program a project is considered to be providing
substantial services if a minimum of 51 percent of the persons served
by the project reside within the Empowerment Zone or Enterprise
Community.
Competition II
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and section 311(b) of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, as amended, the Secretary proposes to give an absolute
preference to applications that meet the following priority. The
Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only applications
that meet this absolute priority:
Proposed Absolute Priority--Transitional Rehabilitation Services For
Youths and Young Adults With Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) or
Serious Mental Illness (SMI) Background
Young adults, between the ages of 17 and 26, with serious emotional
disturbance or serious mental illness are perhaps the most underserved
individuals with disabilities. It is estimated that 4 to 9 percent of
the total population of young adults exhibit these disorders, but fewer
than 1.5 percent are provided services (Kauffman 1989). Youth with SED
or SMI display inappropriate behaviors or feelings that seriously
impair their abilities to work, live, and function successfully and
effectively in society. The outcome of successful integrated community
employment appears to be facilitated by a well-coordinated, multi-
dimensional service approach that uses community-based vocational
services, the peer group as a supportive setting, job training combined
with other training services that address work-related topics, such as
stress management, substance abuse, and medication issues, and
individualized long-term supportive services (Cook 1991).
Priority
The purpose of this priority is to support demonstration projects
that develop model systems of comprehensive service delivery to youths
and young adults, ages 17 through 26. Projects must provide job
training services to youths and young adults with SED or SMI to prepare
them for entry into the labor force.
Proposed Competitive Priority
Competitive preference of 10 bonus points will be given to
applications that, in addition to meeting the absolute priority
described under this competition, meet the 2 requirements described
previously under the proposed competitive priority for providing
program services in an Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community.
Under this program a project is considered to be providing
substantial services if a minimum of 51 percent of the persons served
by the project reside within the Empowerment Zone or Enterprise
Community.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR Parts 369 and 376.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 777a(b).
Projects With Industry (PWI)
Purpose of Program
Projects With Industry projects create and expand job and career
opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the competitive
labor market by engaging the talent and leadership of private industry
as partners in the rehabilitation process. PWI projects identify
competitive job and career opportunities and the skills needed to
perform those jobs, create practical settings for job readiness and
training programs, and provide job placement and career advancement
services.
Eligibility Requirement
Under section 621(e)(2) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
amended, new grant awards under this program can be made only to
eligible entities identified in the program regulations in 34 CFR 379.2
that propose to provide services to individuals with disabilities in
States, portions of States, Indian tribes, or tribal organizations that
are currently unserved or underserved by the PWI program. Each
applicant is required to explain in its application why the geographic
area in which it proposes to provide services is currently unserved or
underserved by the PWI program.
Proposed Competitive Priority
Competitive preference of 10 bonus points will be given to
applications that meet the 2 requirements described previously under
the proposed competitive priority for providing program services in an
Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community.
A PWI project may provide services at one or more sites. Under this
program a PWI project is considered to be providing substantial
services in a zone or community if a minimum of 51 percent of the total
number of persons served by the project, irrespective of the number of
sites, reside in a zone or community and at least 1 of the project
sites is located within the boundaries of a zone or community. If there
is only one project site, it must be located within the boundaries of a
zone or community.
Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR Parts 369 and 379.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 795g.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priorities has been reviewed in accordance
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order the Secretary
has assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory
action.
The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed
priorities are those resulting from statutory requirements and those
determined by the Secretary as necessary for administering this program
effectively and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed priorities, the Secretary
has determined that the benefits of the proposed priorities justify the
costs.
The Secretary has also determined that this regulatory action does
not unduly interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the
exercise of their governmental functions.
To assist the Department in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866, the Secretary invites comment on
whether there may be further opportunities to reduce any potential
costs or increase potential benefits resulting from these proposed
priorities without impeding the effective and efficient administration
of the program.
Intergovernmental Review
These programs are 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
these programs.
Invitation To Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding these proposed priorities.
All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in room
3038, Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C Street, SW., Washington, DC,
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday of
each week except Federal holidays.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: 84.235 Special
Projects and Demonstrations for Providing Vocational Rehabilitation
Services to Individuals with Disabilities; 84.235 Special Projects
and Demonstrations for Providing Transitional Rehabilitation
Services to Youth with Disabilities; and 84.234 Projects With
Industry)
Dated: June 17, 1994.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 94-18073 Filed 7-25-94; 8:45 am]
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