[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11043-11044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4893]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program; Notice

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice--Computer matching between the Department of Education 
and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), Department of 
Justice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act 
of 1988, Pub. L. 100-503, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching Programs, notice is hereby given 
of the computer matching program between the Department of Education 
(ED) (the recipient agency), and the Immigration and Naturalization 
Service (INS), Department of Justice (the source agency).
    Notice of the matching program was originally published in the 
Federal Register on September 29, 1997 (62 FR 50994); the program 
became effective on October 29, 1997. Duration was 18 months plus a 
one-year extension permitted by the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended by 
the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (5 U.S.C. 
552a(o)(2)(D)). The one-year extension will expire on April 29, 2000. 
This notice represents the approval of a new agreement by the 
Department of Justice and Department of Education Data Integrity Boards 
to continue the matching program on the effective date as indicated 
below.
    In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as 
amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 
(Pub. L. 100-503), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Final 
Guidance on Interpreting the Provisions of Pub. L. 100-503, Computer 
Matching and Privacy Act of 1988 (54 FR 25818, June 19, 1989), and OMB 
Bulletin 89-22, the following information is provided:

[[Page 11044]]

1. Name of Participating Agencies

    The Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Justice 
(DOJ).

2. Purpose of the Match

    The matching program entitled ``Systematic Alien Verification for 
Entitlement (SAVE) INS/ED'' will permit ED to confirm the immigration 
status of alien applicants for, or recipients of, assistance as 
authorized by Title IV, section 484(a)(5), of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965, as amended (HEA); 20 U.S.C. 1091(a). The Title IV programs 
include: The Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational 
Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loan, Leveraging 
Educational Assistance Partnership, Federal Family Education Loan, and 
William D. Ford Direct Loan Programs.

3. Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    The information contained in the INS data base is referred to as 
the Alien Status Verification Index (ASVI), and is authorized under the 
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), Pub. L. 99-603. ED 
seeks access to this database under the Higher Education Act of 1965, 
as amended (section 484(g)); 20 U.S.C. 1091. The INS is authorized to 
confirm immigration status under the authority of section 103 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act.

4. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered

    The records to be used in the match and the roles of the matching 
participants are described as follows:
    Through the use of user identification codes and passwords, 
authorized persons from ED will transmit electronically to INS data 
from its Privacy Act system of records entitled, ``Federal Student Aid 
Application File (18-11-01).'' The data will include the alien 
registration number and date of birth of the alien applicant for, or 
recipient of, Title IV assistance. This action will initiate a search 
for corresponding data elements in an INS Privacy Act system of records 
entitled ``Alien Status Verification Index (JUSTICE/INS-009).'' Where 
there is a match of records, the system will provide to ED the 
immigration status code of the alien applicant or recipient. In 
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(p), ED will verify any adverse finding 
(independently or through the alien applicant or recipient) and provide 
the alien applicant or recipient with 30 days notice and opportunity to 
contest such finding.

5. Effective Dates of the Matching Program

    The matching program will become effective 40 days after a copy of 
the agreement, as approved by the Data Integrity Board of each agency, 
is sent to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget, or 30 days 
after publication of this notice in the Federal Register, whichever 
date is later. The matching program will continue for 18 months after 
the effective date and may be extended for an additional 12 months, if 
the conditions specified in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D) have been met.

6. Address for Receipt of Public Comments or Inquiries

    Jeanne Saunders, Acting Director, Application Processing, Students 
Channel, Office of Student Financial Assistance, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, (Room 4636, ROB-3), Washington, DC 
20202, Telephone: (202) 708-9874. If you use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TTD), 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.

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://ifap.ed.gov/dev__csb/new/home.nsf

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 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.


    Dated: February 24, 2000.
Greg Woods,
Chief Operating Officer, Office of Student Financial Assistance.
[FR Doc. 00-4893 Filed 2-29-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P