[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 6, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62698-62699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-29698]




[[Page 62697]]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part V

Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration

Department of Education
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
_______________________________________________________________________



Proposed Priority for School-to-Work Urban/Rural Opportunities Grants 
for Fiscal Year 1995; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 6, 1995 / 
Notices   

[[Page 62698]]


DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Vocational and Adult Education


ACTION: Notice of Proposed Priority for School-to-Work Urban/
Rural Opportunities Grants for Fiscal Year (FY) 1995.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Secretaries of Education and Labor (the Secretaries) 
propose a priority for FY 1995 under the Urban/Rural Opportunities 
Grants authorized by Title III of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act 
of 1994 (the Act). The Secretaries intend to use this priority, along 
with the selection criteria published in the November 14, 1995, issue 
of the Federal Register, to select applications for funding under the 
FY 1995 Urban/Rural Opportunities Grants competition. The Secretaries 
propose to take this action to focus Federal financial assistance on 
implementing School-to-Work Opportunities initiatives in urban or rural 
areas of high poverty. This proposed priority provides for a preference 
to be given to applications from local partnerships proposing to 
implement a School-to-Work Opportunities initiative for youth residing 
in or attending school in an Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community 
(EZ/EC) designated under section 1391 of the Internal Revenue Code 
(IRC), as amended by Title XIII of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation 
Act of 1993.

    Note: This notice is an invitation for comment upon the proposed 
priority as described; it is not a solicitation for applications for 
Urban/Rural Opportunities Grants.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 5, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Karen Clark, National 
School-to-Work Office, 400 Virginia Avenue, SW, Room 210, Washington, 
DC 20024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Clark, National School-to-Work 
Office, Telephone: (202) 401-6222 (this is not a toll-free number). 
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:

Section A. Background

    The Secretaries intend to award grants to local partnerships to 
implement School-to-Work Opportunities initiatives serving youth 
residing or attending school in urban or rural high poverty areas, as 
discussed in the solicitation for grant applications published in the 
November 14, 1995, issue of the Federal Register. As discussed in the 
solicitation on pages 57276-57282, the Secretaries recognize the 
particular challenges faced by local partnerships serving youth in 
urban and rural high poverty areas in preparing them for first jobs in 
high-skill, high-wage careers and in increasing their opportunities for 
further education and training. Similarly, the Empowerment Zone and 
Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) initiative is aimed at rebuilding 
communities in America's poverty-stricken inner cities and rural 
heartlands. Under the EZ/EC initiative, the Federal Government has 
designated certain geographic areas as EZs and as ECs 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). The 
selected areas were designated as EZs or ECs based on the quality of 
their strategic plans addressing how each zone or community would link 
economic development with education and training, as well as how 
community development, public safety, human services, and environmental 
initiatives together would support sustainable communities.
    The Secretaries view Urban/Rural Opportunities Grants as well 
suited for inclusion in a comprehensive approach to economic and 
community development that addresses the special challenges facing 
youth in high poverty areas in making the transition from school to 
work or further education and training. By improving the quality of 
education and training provided to high poverty area youth, School-to-
Work Opportunities initiatives enhance the economic opportunities of 
such youth and contribute to the improvement of impoverished 
communities. Communities designated as EZs or ECs have already 
demonstrated a capacity for the type of collaboration and cooperative 
planning that is critical to developing and implementing successful 
School-to-Work Opportunities initiatives.
    Interested individuals may contact the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development (HUD) at 1-800-998-9999 for additional information on 
the urban EZ/EC initiative and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) at 
1-800-645-4712 for additional information on the rural EZ/EC 
initiative. A listing of areas that have been selected as EZs or ECs is 
included in an appendix to this notice.

Section B. Priority

    In addition to the priority in section 302(b)(3) of the School-to-
Work Opportunities Act, the Secretaries propose to give competitive 
preference to applications from partnerships that propose to implement 
a School-to-Work Opportunities initiative serving youth who reside or 
attend school in an area designated as an EZ or an EC. The Secretaries 
would select an application for an Urban/Rural Opportunities Grant that 
meets this priority over an application of comparable merit that does 
not meet the priority.

Invitation to Comment

    Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
recommendations regarding this proposed competitive preference. All 
comments submitted in response to this notice will be available for 
public inspection, during and after the comment period, at the National 
School-to-Work Office, 400 Virginia Avenue, SW., Room 210, Washington, 
DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday 
of each week, except Federal holidays.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 as implemented in 34 CFR Part 79 and 29 CFR Part 17. 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 Departments' specific plans and actions for 
this program.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6101.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 278D: School-to-Work 
Opportunities: Urban/Rural Opportunities Grants)


[[Page 62699]]

    Dated: November 27, 1995.
Timothy M. Barnicle,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Department of Labor.
Patricia McNeil,
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, Department of 
Education.

Appendix--Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities

Empowerment Zones (EZ)
Georgia: Atlanta
Illinois: Chicago
Kentucky: Kentucky Highlands*
Maryland: Baltimore
Michigan: Detroit
Mississippi: Mid Delta*
New York: Harlem, Bronx
Pennsylvania/New Jersey: Philadelphia, Camden
Texas: Rio Grande Valley*
Supplemental Empowerment Zones (SEZ)
California: Los Angeles
Ohio: Cleveland
Enterprise Communities (EC)
Alabama: Birmingham
Alabama: Chambers County*
Alabama: Greene, Sumter Counties*
Arizona: Phoenix
Arizona: Arizona Border*
Arkansas: East Central*
Arkansas: Mississippi County*
Arkansas: Pulaski County
California: Imperial County*
California: Los Angeles, Huntington Park
California: San Diego
California: San Francisco, Bayview, Hunter's Point
California: Watsonville*
Colorado: Denver
Connecticut: Bridgeport
Connecticut: New Haven
Delaware: Wilmington
District of Columbia: Washington
Florida: Jackson County*
Florida: Tampa
Florida: Miami, Dade County
Georgia: Albany
Georgia: Central Savannah*
Georgia: Crisp, Dooley Counties*
Illinois: East St. Louis
Illinois: Springfield
Indiana: Indianapolis
Iowa: Des Moines
Kentucky: Louisville

Louisiana: Northeast Delta*
Louisiana: Macon Ridge*
Louisiana: New Orleans
Louisiana: Ouachita Parish
Massachusetts: Lowell
Massachusetts: Springfield
Michigan: Five Cap*
Michigan: Flint
Michigan: Muskegon
Minnesota: Minneapolis
Minnesota: St. Paul
Mississippi: Jackson
Mississippi: North Delta*
Missouri: East Prairie*
Missouri: St. Louis
Nebraska: Omaha
Nevada: Clarke County, Las Vegas
New Hampshire: Manchester
New Jersey: Newark
New Mexico: Albuquerque
New Mexico: Moro, Rico Arriba, Taos Counties*
New York: Albany, Schenectady, Troy
New York: Buffalo
New York: Newburgh, Kingston
New York: Rochester
North Carolina: Charlotte
North Carolina: Halifax, Edgecombe, Wilson Counties*
North Carolina: Robeson County*
Ohio: Akron
Ohio: Columbus
Ohio: Greater Portsmouth*
Oklahoma: Choctaw, McCurtain Counties*
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
Oregon: Josephine*
Oregon: Portland
Pennsylvania: Harrisburg
Pennsylvania: Lock Haven*
Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh
Rhode Island: Providence
South Carolina: Charleston
South Carolina: Williamsburg County*
South Dakota: Beadle, Spink Counties*
Tennessee: Fayette, Haywood Counties*
Tennessee: Memphis
Tennessee: Nashville
Tennessee/Kentucky: Scott, McCreary Counties*
Texas: Dallas

Texas: El Paso
Texas: San Antonio

Texas: Waco
Utah: Ogden
Vermont: Burlington
Virginia: Accomack*
Virginia: Norfolk
Washington: Lower Yakima*
Washington: Seattle
Washington: Tacoma
West Virginia: West Central*
West Virginia: Huntington
West Virginia: McDowell*
Wisconsin: Milwaukee

*denotes rural designee
Enhanced Enterprise Communities (EEC)
California: Oakland
Massachusetts: Boston
Missouri/Kansas: Kansas City, Kansas City
Texas: Houston

[FR Doc. 95-29698 Filed 12-5-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P