[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 1, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15520-15526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8188]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Refugee Resettlement Program; Proposed Availability of Formula 
Allocation Funding for FY 1997 Targeted Assistance Grants for Services 
to Refugees in Local Areas of High Need

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), ACF, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of proposed availability of formula allocation funding 
for FY 1997 targeted assistance grants to States for services to 
refugees \1\ in local areas of high need.
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    \1\ In addition to persons who meet all requirements of 45 CFR 
400.43, ``Requirements for documentation of refugee status,'' 
eligibility for targeted assistance includes Cuban and Haitian 
entrants, certain Amerasians from Vietnam who are admitted to the 
U.S. as immigrants, and certain Amerasians from Vietnam who are U.S. 
citizens. (See section II of this notice on ``Authorization.'') The 
term ``refugee'', used in this notice for convenience, is intended 
to encompass such additional persons who are eligible to participate 
in refugee program services, including the targeted assistance 
program.
    Refugees admitted to the U.S. under admissions numbers set aside 
for private-sector-initiative admissions are not eligible to be 
served under the targeted assistance program (or under other 
programs supported by Federal refugee funds) during their period of 
coverage under their sponsoring agency's agreement with the 
Department of State--usually two years from their date of arrival, 
or until they obtain permanent resident alien status, whichever 
comes first.

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[[Page 15521]]

SUMMARY: This notice announces the proposed availability of funds and 
award procedures for FY 1997 targeted assistance grants for services to 
refugees under the Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP). These grants are 
for service provision in localities with large refugee populations, 
high refugee concentrations, and high use of public assistance, and 
where specific needs exist for supplementation of currently available 
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resources.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received May 1, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Address written comments, in duplicate, to: Toyo Biddle, 
Director, Division of Refugee Self-Sufficiency, Office of Refugee 
Resettlement, align Administration for Children and Families, 370 
L'Enfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20447.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: The deadline for applications will be established 
by the final notice; applications should not be sent in response to 
this notice of proposed allocations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Toyo Biddle (202) 401-9250.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Purpose and Scope

    This notice announces the proposed availability of funds for grants 
for targeted assistance for services to refugees in counties where, 
because of factors such as unusually large refugee populations, high 
refugee concentrations, and high use of public assistance, there exists 
and can be demonstrated a specific need for supplementation of 
resources for services to this population.
    The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) anticipates having 
available $49,857,000 in FY 1997 funds for the targeted assistance 
program (TAP) as part of the FY 1997 appropriation for the Department 
of Health and Human Services (Pub. L. No. 104-208).
    The FY 1997 House Appropriations Committee Report (H.R. Rept. No. 
104-659) reads as follows with respect to targeted assistance funds:
    The Committee has transferred funds for discretionary activities 
previously provided under targeted assistance to the social services 
programs. The Committee intends that remaining funding be allocated 
according to the formula contained in the House and Senate versions of 
H.R. 2202.
    The formula allocation provision referred to in the House Report 
was never enacted into law and is therefore not in effect.
    The Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) proposes 
to use the $49,857,000 appropriated for FY 1997 targeted assistance as 
follows:
     $25,871,300 will be allocated under the 5-year population 
formula, as set forth in this notice.
     $19,000,000 will be awarded under a discretionary grant 
announcement to States to provide supportive services to elderly 
refugees, particularly those who will soon lose SSI eligibility due to 
the alien eligibility restrictions in the welfare reform law. A grant 
announcement will be issued separately which sets forth application 
requirements and evaluation criteria.
     $4,985,700 (10% of the total) will be used to fund 
continuation grants under a discretionary grant announcement that was 
issued in FY 1996.
    In addition, the Office of Refugee Resettlement will have available 
an additional $5,000,000 in FY 1997 funds for the targeted assistance 
discretionary program through the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, 
and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997 (Pub. L. No. 104-208). 
These funds will augment the 10-percent of the targeted assistance 
program which is set-aside for grants to localities most heavily 
impacted by the influx of refugees such as Laotian Hmong, Cambodians 
and Soviet Pentecostals, including secondary migrants who entered the 
United States after October 1, 1979.
    The purpose of targeted assistance grants is to provide, through a 
process of local planning and implementation, direct services intended 
to result in the economic self-sufficiency and reduced welfare 
dependency of refugees through job placements.
    The targeted assistance program reflects the requirements of 
section 412(c)(2)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 
which provides that targeted assistance grants shall be made available 
``(i) primarily for the purpose of facilitating refugee employment and 
achievement of self-sufficiency, (ii) in a manner that does not 
supplant other refugee program funds and that assures that not less 
than 95 percent of the amount of the grant award is made available to 
the county or other local entity.''

II. Authorization

    Targeted assistance projects are funded under the authority of 
section 412(c)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as 
amended by the Refugee Assistance Extension Act of 1986 (Pub. L. No. 
99-605), 8 U.S.C. 1522(c); section 501(a) of the Refugee Education 
Assistance Act of 1980 (Pub. L. No. 96-422), 8 U.S.C. 1522 note, 
insofar as it incorporates by reference with respect to Cuban and 
Haitian entrants the authorities pertaining to assistance for refugees 
established by section 412(c)(2) of the INA, as cited above; section 
584(c) of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related 
Programs Appropriations Act, 1988, as included in the FY 1988 
Continuing Resolution (Pub. L. No. 100-202), insofar as it incorporates 
by reference with respect to certain Amerasians from Vietnam the 
authorities pertaining to assistance for refugees established by 
section 412(c)(2) of the INA, as cited above, including certain 
Amerasians from Vietnam who are U.S. citizens, as provided under title 
II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Acts, 1989 (Pub. L. No. 100-461), 1990 (Pub. L. No. 101-
167), and 1991 (Pub. L. No. 101-513).

III. Client and Service Priorities

    Targeted assistance funding must be used to assist refugee families 
to achieve economic independence. To this end, States and counties are 
required to ensure that a coherent family self-sufficiency plan is 
developed for each eligible family that addresses the family's needs 
from time of arrival until attainment of economic independence. (See 45 
CFR 400.79 and 400.156(g).) Each family self-sufficiency plan should 
address a family's needs for both employment-related services and other 
needed social services. The family self-sufficiency plan must include: 
(1) A determination of the income level a family would have to earn to 
exceed its cash grant and move into self-support without suffering a 
monetary penalty; (2) a strategy and timetable for obtaining that level 
of family income through the placement in employment of sufficient 
numbers of employable family members at sufficient wage levels; and (3) 
employability plans for every employable member of the family. In local 
jurisdictions that have both targeted assistance and refugee social 
services programs, one family self-sufficiency plan may be developed 
for a family that incorporates both targeted assistance and refugee 
social services.
    Services funded through the targeted assistance program are 
required to focus primarily on those refugees who, either because of 
their protracted use of public assistance or difficulty in securing 
employment, continue to need services

[[Page 15522]]

beyond the initial years of resettlement. States may not provide 
services funded under this notice, except for referral and interpreter 
services, to refugees who have been in the United States for more than 
60 months (5 years).
    In accordance with 45 CFR 400.314, States are required to provide 
targeted assistance services to refugees in the following order of 
priority, except in certain individual extreme circumstances: (a) 
Refugees who are cash assistance recipients, particularly long-term 
recipients; (b) unemployed refugees who are not receiving cash 
assistance; and (c) employed refugees in need of services to retain 
employment or to attain economic independence.
    In addition to the statutory requirement that TAP funds be used 
``primarily for the purpose of facilitating refugee employment'' 
(section 412(c)(2)(B)(i)), funds awarded under this program are 
intended to help fulfill the Congressional intent that ``employable 
refugees should be placed on jobs as soon as possible after their 
arrival in the United States'' (section 412(a)(1)(B)(i) of the INA). 
Therefore, in accordance with 45 CFR 400.313, targeted assistance funds 
must be used primarily for employability services designed to enable 
refugees to obtain jobs with less than one year's participation in the 
targeted assistance program in order to achieve economic self-
sufficiency as soon as possible. Targeted assistance services may 
continue to be provided after a refugee has entered a job to help the 
refugee retain employment or move to a better job. Targeted assistance 
funds may not be used for long-term training programs such as 
vocational training that last for more than a year or educational 
programs that are not intended to lead to employment within a year.
    In accordance with Sec. 400.317, if targeted assistance funds are 
used for the provision of English language training, such training must 
be provided in a concurrent, rather than sequential, time period with 
employment or with other employment-related activities.
    A portion of a local area's allocation may be used for services 
which are not directed toward the achievement of a specific employment 
objective in less than one year but which are essential to the 
adjustment of refugees in the community, provided such needs are 
clearly demonstrated and such use is approved by the State. Allowable 
services include those listed under Sec. 400.316.
    Reflecting section 412(a)(1)(A)(iv) of the INA, States must 
``insure that women have the same opportunities as men to participate 
in training and instruction.'' In addition, in accordance with 
Sec. 400.317, services must be provided to the maximum extent feasible 
in a manner that includes the use of bilingual/bicultural women on 
service agency staffs to ensure adequate service access by refugee 
women. The Director also strongly encourages the inclusion of refugee 
women in management and board positions in agencies that serve 
refugees. In order to facilitate refugee self-support, the Director 
also expects States to implement strategies which address 
simultaneously the employment potential of both male and female wage 
earners in a family unit. States and counties are expected to make 
every effort to assure availability of day care services for children 
in order to allow women with children the opportunity to participate in 
employment services or to accept or retain employment. To accomplish 
this, day care may be treated as a priority employment-related service 
under the targeted assistance program. Refugees who are participating 
in TAP-funded or social services-funded employment services or have 
accepted employment are eligible for day care services for children. 
For an employed refugee, TAP-funded day care should be limited to one 
year after the refugee becomes employed. States and counties, however, 
are expected to use day care funding from other publicly funded 
mainstream programs as a prior resource and are encouraged to work with 
service providers to assure maximum access to other publicly funded 
resources for day care.
    In accordance with Sec. 400.317, targeted assistance services must 
be provided in a manner that is culturally and linguistically 
compatible with a refugee's language and cultural background, to the 
maximum extent feasible. In light of the increasingly diverse 
population of refugees who are resettling in this country, refugee 
service agencies will need to develop practical ways of providing 
culturally and linguistically appropriate services to a changing ethnic 
population. Services funded under this notice must be refugee-specific 
services which are designed specifically to meet refugee needs and are 
in keeping with the rules and objectives of the refugee program. 
Vocational or job-skills training, on-the-job training, or English 
language training, however, need not be refugee-specific.
    When planning targeted assistance services, States must take into 
account the reception and placement (R & P) services provided by local 
resettlement agencies in order to utilize these resources in the 
overall program design and to ensure the provision of seamless, 
coordinated services to refugees that are not duplicative. See 
Sec. 400.156(b).
    ORR strongly encourages States and counties when contracting for 
targeted assistance services, including employment services, to give 
consideration to the special strengths of mutual assistance 
associations (MAAs), whenever contract bidders are otherwise equally 
qualified, provided that the MAA has the capability to deliver services 
in a manner that is culturally and linguistically compatible with the 
background of the target population to be served. ORR also strongly 
encourages MAAs to ensure that their management and board composition 
reflect the major target populations to be served.
    ORR defines MAAs as organizations with the following 
qualifications:
    a. The organization is legally incorporated as a nonprofit 
organization; and
    b. Not less than 51% of the composition of the Board of Directors 
or governing board of the mutual assistance association is comprised of 
refugees or former refugees, including both refugee men and women.
    Finally, in order to provide culturally and linguistically 
compatible services in as cost-efficient a manner as possible in a time 
of limited resources, ORR strongly encourages States and counties to 
promote and give special consideration to the provision of services 
through coalitions of refugee service organizations, such as coalitions 
of MAAs, voluntary resettlement agencies, or a variety of service 
providers. ORR believes it is essential for refugee-serving 
organizations to form close partnerships in the provision of services 
to refugees in order to be able to respond adequately to a changing 
refugee picture. Coalition-building and consolidation of providers is 
particularly important in communities with multiple service providers 
in order to ensure better coordination of services and maximum use of 
funding for services by minimizing the funds used for multiple 
administrative overhead costs.
    The award of funds to States under this notice will be contingent 
upon the completeness of a State's application as described in section 
IX, below.

IV. [Reserved for Discussion of Comments in the Final Notice]

V. Eligible Grantees

    Eligible grantees are those agencies of State governments that are 
responsible for the refugee program under 45 CFR 400.5 in States 
containing counties which qualify for FY 1997 targeted assistance 
awards.

[[Page 15523]]

    The use of targeted assistance funds for services to Cuban and 
Haitian entrants is limited to States which have an approved State plan 
under the Cuban/Haitian Entrant Program (CHEP).
    The State agency will submit a single application on behalf of all 
county governments of the qualified counties in that State. Subsequent 
to the approval of the State's application by ORR, local targeted 
assistance plans will be developed by the county government or other 
designated entity and submitted to the State.
    A State with more than one qualified county is permitted, but not 
required, to determine the allocation amount for each qualified county 
within the State. However, if a State chooses to determine county 
allocations differently from those set forth in this notice, in 
accordance with Sec. 400.319, the FY 1997 allocations proposed by the 
State must be based on the State's population of refugees who arrived 
in the U.S. during the most recent 5-year period. A State may use 
welfare data as an additional factor in the allocation of its targeted 
assistance funds if it so chooses; however, a State may not assign a 
greater weight to welfare data than it has assigned to population data 
in its allocation formula. In addition, if a State chooses to allocate 
its FY 1997 targeted assistance funds in a manner different from the 
formula set forth in this notice, the FY 1997 allocations and 
methodology proposed by the State must be included in the State's 
application for ORR review and approval.
    Applications submitted in response to the final notice are not 
subject to review by State and areawide clearinghouses under Executive 
Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

VI. Qualification and Allocation

A. Qualified Counties

    In the FY 1996 targeted assistance final notice (61 FR 36739 [July 
12, 1996]), the ORR Director made clear her intention to determine the 
qualification of counties for targeted assistance funds once every 
three years, beginning in FY 1996. Therefore, it is ORR's intent that 
the 39 counties listed as qualified for TAP funding in FY 1996 will 
remain qualified for TAP funding for FY 1997. We do not plan to 
consider the eligibility of additional counties for FY 1997, with one 
exception. Last year, one county which did not rank within the top 39 
counties complained that its 5-year arrival population as reported by 
ORR underrepresented the actual number of refugee and entrant arrivals 
who were resettled in that county. The county stated that it was not 
credited with a number of initial resettlements to the county because 
the destination listed for these refugees/entrants was the address of 
the voluntary agency responsible for resettlement which is located in a 
neighboring county. ORR's response was if the county was able to 
provide the documentation to prove its case, and if the additional 
numbers enabled the county to rank within the top 39 counties, ORR 
would make the adjustment in the FY 1997 allocations notice.
    Therefore, if any county, which is not one of the 39 qualified 
targeted assistance counties, believes that its 5-year arrival 
population from FY 1991-FY 1995 (the period used in the final FY 1996 
TAP notice) was undercounted by ORR last year for the reason stated 
above and wishes to have its rank reconsidered, the county must provide 
the following evidence: The county must submit to ORR a letter signed 
by the local voluntary agency that resettled refugees in the county 
that attests to the fact that the refugees/entrants listed in an 
attachment to the letter were resettled as initial placements during 
the 5-year period from FY 1991-FY 1995 in the county making the claim. 
Documentation must include the name, alien number, date of birth, and 
date of arrival in the U.S. for each refugee/entrant claimed.
    Failure to submit the required documentation to ORR no later than 
the end of the 30-day public comment period will result in forfeiture 
of consideration.
    If the county's rank on refugee arrivals for the 5-year period from 
FY 1991-FY 1995, based on the adjusted 5-year arrival population total 
for the county, and its rank on refugee concentration in relation to 
the county general population adds to a summed rank that places the 
county within the top 39 counties for the FY 1996 notice, ORR will add 
the county to the qualified county list for FY 1997 and will calculate 
the county's allocation for FY 1997 on the basis of its 5-year arrival 
population for the period from FY 1992-FY 1996. None of the 39 original 
counties that qualified last year will be dropped.

B. Allocation Formula

    Of the funds available for FY 1997 for targeted assistance, 
$25,871,300 is allocated by formula to States for qualified counties 
based on the initial placements of refugees, Amerasians, and entrants 
in these counties during the 5-year period from FY 1992 through FY 1996 
(October 1, 1991-September 30, 1996).
    With regard to Havana parolees, in the absence of reliable data on 
this population, we are crediting 7,288 Havana parolees who arrived in 
FY 1996 to qualified targeted assistance counties based on the 
counties' proportion of the 5-year entrant arrival population. For FY 
1995, Florida's Havana parolees for each qualified county are based on 
actual data submitted by the State of Florida last year, while Havana 
parolees credited to counties in other States were prorated based on 
the counties' proportion of the 5-year entrant population in the U.S. 
The proposed allocations in this notice reflect these additional 
parolee numbers.

VII. Allocations

    Table 1 lists the qualified counties, the number of refugee/entrant 
arrivals in those counties during the 5-year period from October 1, 
1991--September 30, 1996, the prorated number of Havana parolees 
credited to each county based on the county's proportion of the 5-year 
entrant population in the U.S., the sum of the first three columns, and 
the proposed amount of each county's allocation based on its 5-year 
total population.
    Table 2 provides proposed State totals for targeted assistance 
allocations.

                      Table 1.--Proposed Targeted Assistance Allocations by County: FY 1997                     
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                                                                                       Total       Total FY 1997
             County                  Refugees        Entrants         Havana       arrivals: FY      proposed   
                                                                    parolees\1\      1992-1996      allocation  
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Alameda County, CA..............           4,941              21               6           4,968        $300,153
Fresno County, CA...............           5,841               2               0           5,843         353,018
Los Angeles County, CA..........          25,803             689             217          26,709       1,613,686
Merced County, CA...............           1,539               0               0           1,539          92,982
Orange County, CA...............          22,525              38              12           22575       1,363,921

[[Page 15524]]

                                                                                                                
Sacramento County, CA...........          12,293               5               2          12,300         743,133
San Diego County, CA............          12,428             516             148          13,092         790,984
SAN FRANCISCO AREA, CA..........           11077             195              64           11336         684,891
San Joaquin County CA...........           2,433               7               2           2,442         147,539
Santa Clara County, CA..........          16,305              50              10          16,365         988,729
Denver County, CO...............           3,479               3               1           3,483         210,434
District of Columbia, DC........           4,076              17               5           4,098         247,590
Dade County, FL.................          10,617          38,254         13,1845          62,056       3,749,257
Duval County, GL................           3,053              28              17           3,098         187,173
Palm Beach County, FL...........             768           2,943             592           4,303         259,976
DeKalb County, GA...............           5,815              23               7           5,845         353,139
Fulton County, GA...............           6,300             238              67           6,605         399,056
CHICAGO AREA, IL................          18,048             502             137           18687       1,129,019
Polk County, IA.................           2,940               1               0           2,941         177,687
Baltimore City, MD..............           3,387               3               0           3,390         204,815
Suffolk County, MA..............           5,791             289              95           6,175         373,077
Oakland County, MI..............           3,986               8               3           3,997         241,488
Hennepin County, MN.............           5,796               3               0           5,799         350,360
Ramsey County, MN...............           4,538              10               4           4,552         275,020
St. Louis City, MO..............           5,891               2               0           5,893         356,039
Lancaster County, NE............           2,433              34               6           2,473         149,412
Bernalillo County, NM...........           1,574           1,292             382           3,248         196,235
Broome County, NY...............           1,718              28               9           1,755         106,032
Monroe County, NY...............           3,018             516             153           3,687         222,759
NEW YORK CITY AREA, NY..........          84,377           1,218             376          85,971       5,194,138
Oneida County, NY...............           2,635               1               0           2,636         159,260
PORTLAND AREA, OR...............          11,034             580             149          11,763         710,689
Philadelphia County, PA.........           8,100              78              24           8,202         495,543
Davidson County, TN.............           3,187              54               8           3,249         196,296
DALLAS AREA, TX.................          12,123             612             177          12,912         780,108
Harris County, TX...............          10,559             176              45          10,780         651,299
FAIRFAX AREA, VA................           4,672               8               2           4,682         282,874
Richmond City, VA...............           1,914             109              31           2,054         124,097
SEATTLE AREA, WA................          16,650              48               9          16,707       1,009,392
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Total.....................         363,664          48,601          15,945         428,210      25,871,300
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Includes Havana Parolees (HP's) for FY 1995 and FY 1996.                                                    
  For FY 1995, HP arrivals to the qualifying Florida counties (7609) were based on actual data while HP arrivals
  to the non-Florida qualifying counties (1048) were prorated based on the counties' proportion of the five year
  entrant population in the U.S.                                                                                
  For FY 1996, 7288 HP's were prorated to the qualifying counties based on the counties' proportion of the five 
  year entrant population in the U.S.                                                                           


   Table 2--Proposed Targeted Assistance Allocations by State: FY 1997  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Total FY 1997
                          State                              proposed   
                                                            allocation  
------------------------------------------------------------------------
California..............................................      $7,079,036
Colorado................................................         210,434
District of Col.........................................         247,590
Florida.................................................       4,196,406
Georgia.................................................         752,195
Illinois................................................       1,129,019
Iowa....................................................         177,687
Maryland................................................         204,815
Massachusetts...........................................         373,077
Michigan................................................         241,488
Minnesota...............................................         625,380
Missouri................................................         356,039
Nebraska................................................         149,412
New Mexico..............................................         196,235
New York................................................       5,682,189
Oregon..................................................         710,689
Pennsylvania............................................         495,543
Tennessee...............................................         196,296
Texas...................................................       1,431,407
Virginia................................................         406,971
Washington..............................................       1,009,392
                                                         ---------------

[[Page 15525]]

                                                                        
    Total...............................................      25,871,300
------------------------------------------------------------------------

VIII. Application and Implementation Process

    Under the FY 1997 targeted assistance program, States may apply for 
and receive grant awards on behalf of qualified counties in the State. 
A single allocation will be made to each State by ORR on the basis of 
an approved State application. The State agency will, in turn, receive, 
review, and determine the acceptability of individual county targeted 
assistance plans.
    Pursuant to Sec. 400.210(b), FY 1997 targeted assistance funds must 
be obligated by the State agency no later than one year after the end 
of the Federal fiscal year in which the Department awarded the grant. 
Funds must be liquidated within two years after the end of the Federal 
fiscal year in which the Department awarded the grant. A State's final 
financial report on targeted assistance expenditures must be received 
no later than two years after the end of the Federal fiscal year in 
which the Department awarded the grant. If final reports are not 
received on time, the Department will deobligate any unexpended funds, 
including any unliquidated obligations, on the basis of a State's last 
filed report.
    The requirements regarding the discretionary portions of the 
targeted assistance program will be addressed separately in the grant 
announcements for those funds. Applications for these funds are 
therefore not subject to provisions contained in this notice but to 
other requirements which will be conveyed separately.

IX. Application Requirements

    The proposed State application requirements for grants for the FY 
1997 targeted assistance formula allocation are as follows:
    States that are currently operating under approved management plans 
for their FY 1996 targeted assistance program and wish to continue to 
do so for their FY 1997 grants may provide the following in lieu of 
resubmitting the full currently approved plan:
    The State's application for FY 1997 funding shall provide:
    A. Assurance that the State's current management plan for the 
administration of the targeted assistance program, as approved by ORR, 
will continue to be in full force and effect for the FY 1997 targeted 
assistance program, subject to any additional assurances or revisions 
required by this notice which are not reflected in the current plan. 
Any proposed modifications to the approved plan will be identified in 
the application and are subject to ORR review and approval. Any 
proposed changes must address and reference all appropriate portions of 
the FY 1996 application content requirements to ensure complete 
incorporation in the State's management plan.
    B. Assurance that targeted assistance funds will be used in 
accordance with the requirements in 45 CFR Part 400.
    C. Assurance that targeted assistance funds will be used primarily 
for the provision of services which are designed to enable refugees to 
obtain jobs with less than one year's participation in the targeted 
assistance program. States must indicate what percentage of FY 1997 
targeted assistance formula allocation funds that are used for services 
will be allocated for employment services.
    D. Assurance that targeted assistance funds will not be used to 
offset funding otherwise available to counties or local jurisdictions 
from the State agency in its administration of other programs, e.g. 
social services, cash and medical assistance, etc.
    E. The amount of funds to be awarded to the targeted county or 
counties. If a State with more than one qualifying targeted assistance 
county chooses to allocate its targeted assistance funds differently 
from the formula allocation for counties presented in the ORR targeted 
assistance notice in a fiscal year, its allocations must be based on 
the State's population of refugees who arrived in the U.S. during the 
most recent 5-year period. A State may use welfare data as an 
additional factor in the allocation of targeted assistance funds if it 
so chooses; however, a State may not assign a greater weight to welfare 
data than it has assigned to population data in its allocation formula. 
The application must provide a description of, and supporting data for, 
the State's proposed allocation plan, the data to be used, and the 
proposed allocation for each county.
    F. Assurance that local administrative budgets will not exceed 15% 
of the local allocation. Targeted assistance grants are cost-based 
awards. Neither a State nor a county is entitled to a certain amount 
for administrative costs. Rather, administrative cost requests should 
be based on projections of actual needs. States and counties are 
strongly encouraged to limit administrative costs to the extent 
possible to maximize available funding for services to clients.
    G. All applicants must establish targeted assistance proposed 
performance goals for each of the 6 ORR performance outcome measures 
for each targeted assistance county's proposed service contract(s) or 
sub-grants for the next contracting cycle. Proposed performance goals 
must be included in the application for each performance measure. The 6 
ORR performance measures are: entered employments, cash assistance 
reductions due to employment, cash assistance terminations due to 
employment, 90-day employment retentions, average wage at placement, 
and job placements with available health benefits. Targeted assistance 
program activity and progress achieved toward meeting performance 
outcome goals are to be reported quarterly on the ORR-6, the 
``Quarterly Performance Report.''
    States which are currently grantees for targeted assistance funds 
should base projected annual outcome goals on the past year's 
performance. Proposed targeted assistance outcome goals should reflect 
improvement over past performance and strive for continuous improvement 
during the project period from one year to another.
    H. A line item budget and justification for State administrative 
costs limited to a maximum of 5% of the total award to the State. Each 
total budget period funding amount requested must be necessary, 
reasonable, and allocable to the project. States that administer the 
program locally in lieu of the county, through a mutual agreement with 
the qualifying county, may add up to, but not exceed, 10% of the 
county's TAP allocation to the State's administrative budget.
    States administering the program locally: States that have 
administered the program locally or provide direct service to the 
refugee population (with the concurrence of the county) must submit a 
program summary to ORR for prior review and approval. The

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summary must include a description of the proposed services; a 
justification for the projected allocation for each component including 
relationship of funds allocated to numbers of clients served, 
characteristics of clients, duration of training and services, and cost 
per placement. In addition, the program component summary must describe 
any ancillary services or subcomponents such as day care, 
transportation, or language training.

X. Reporting Requirements

    States are required to submit quarterly reports on the outcomes of 
the targeted assistance program, using Schedule A and Schedule C of the 
new ORR-6 Quarterly Performance Report form which was sent to States in 
ORR State Letter 95-35 on November 6, 1995.

    Dated: March 26, 1997.
Lavinia Limon,
Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement.
[FR Doc. 97-8188 Filed 3-31-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P