[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 204 (Friday, October 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57352-57353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27688]



[[Page 57351]]

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Part V





Department of Education





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Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Rehabilitation 
Short-Term Training; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 204 / Friday, October 22, 1999 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Rehabilitation Short-Term Training

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority for fiscal year (FY) 2000 and 
subsequent fiscal years

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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes a funding priority under the 
Rehabilitation Short-Term Training program. The Secretary may use this 
priority for competitions in FY 2000 and in subsequent fiscal years. 
The Secretary takes this action to support special seminars, 
institutes, workshops, and other short-term courses in technical 
matters relating to the vocational, medical, social, and psychological 
rehabilitation programs, independent living services programs, and 
client assistance programs.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before November 22, 1999.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this proposed priority should be 
addressed to Dr. Beverly Brightly, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Mary E. Switzer Building, room 3327, Washington, 
DC 20202-2649. If you prefer to send your comments through the 
Internet, use the following address: Beverly__B[email protected]
    You must include the term ``Rehabilitation Short-Term Training 
Program'' in the subject line of your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Beverly Brightly. Telephone (202) 
205-9561. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), 
you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-
8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Short-Term Training program is 
authorized under section 302(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 
amended.

Goals 2000: Educate America Act

    The Goals 2000: Educate America Act (Goals 2000) focuses the 
Nation's education reform efforts on the eight National Education Goals 
and provides a framework for meeting them. Goals 2000 promotes new 
partnerships to strengthen schools and expands the Department's 
capacities for helping communities to exchange ideas and obtain 
information needed to achieve the goals.
    This proposed priority would address the National Education Goal 
that every adult American will be literate and will possess the 
knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and 
exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The proposed 
priority furthers the objectives of this Goal by focusing available 
funds on projects that improve the skills of Client Assistance Program 
staff, which will improve the responsiveness of the vocational 
rehabilitation system to adults with disabilities and their vocational 
pursuits.
    The Secretary will announce the final priority in a notice in the 
Federal Register. The final priority 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 priority, and the quality of the 
applications received. The publication of this proposed priority does 
not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional priorities, nor 
does it limit the Secretary to funding only this priority, subject to 
meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.

    Note: This notice of proposed priority does not solicit 
applications. In any year in which the Secretary chooses to use this 
proposed priority, the Secretary invites applications through a 
notice published in the Federal Register. A notice inviting 
applications under this competition will be published in the Federal 
Register concurrent with or following publication of the notice of 
final priority.

Priority

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), 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:
    A project must--
     Provide training to Client Assistance Program (CAP) 
personnel on an as-needed basis, including--
    (1) Management training on skills needed for strategic and 
operational planning and direction of CAP services;
    (2) Advocacy training on skills and knowledge needed by CAP staff 
to assist persons with disabilities to gain access to and to use the 
services and benefits available under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 
as amended, with particular emphasis on new statutory and regulatory 
requirements;
    (3) Systemic advocacy training on skills and knowledge needed by 
CAP staff to address programmatic issues of concern;
    (4) Training and technical assistance on CAP best practices; and
    (5) Training on skills and knowledge needed by CAP staff to perform 
additional responsibilities required by the Workforce Investment Act of 
1998, as amended.
     Coordinate training efforts with other training supported 
by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, as well as with the 
training supported by the Center for Mental Health Services and the 
Administration on Developmental Disabilities on common areas such as 
protection and advocacy, financial management, and trial advocacy.
     Include both national and regional training seminars in 
each project year.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is 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 
this program.

Invitation To Comment

    We invite you to submit comments and recommendations regarding this 
proposed priority. During and after the comment period, you may inspect 
all public comments about this proposed priority in the Mary E. Switzer 
Building, room 3217, 330 C Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the 
hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of 
each week except Federal holidays.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking 
Record

    On request we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or 
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs 
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public 
rulemaking record for this proposed priority. If you want to schedule 
an appointment for this type of aid, you may call (202) 205-8113 or 
(202) 260-9895. If you use a TDD, you may call the Federal Information 
Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

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Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, 
area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html

    (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.246K 
Rehabilitation Short-Term Training)

    Program authority: 29 U.S.C. 721(b) and (e) and 796(e).

    Dated: October 19, 1999.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 99-27688 Filed 10-21-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U