[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 102 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33828-33830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13154]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

Workforce Investment Act (WIA)(Section 167) National Farmworker 
Jobs Program (NFJP)


Allocations

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice: Announcement of Formula Allocations for the Program 
Year (PY) 2000 NFJP.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 182(d) of the WIA, the ETA is publishing 
the PY 2000 allocations for the NFJP authorized under Section 167 of 
the WIA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Alicia Fernandez-Mott, Chief, 
Division of Seasonal Farmworker Programs. Her e-mail address is 
[email protected]>. Her telephone number is (202) 219-5500, 
ext. 121. (This is not a toll-free number.)

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 25, 2000. Comments must be submitted on or before 
June 26, 2000.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 19, 1999, a Notice of the new formula 
for allocating funds available for the NFJP (formerly referred to as 
the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker (MSFW) program) was published in 
the Federal Register at 64 FR 27390 (May 19, 1999). The Notice explains 
how the new formula achieves its purpose, which is to distribute funds 
geographically by State service area on the basis of each area's 
relative share of farmworkers who are eligible for enrollment in the 
NFJP. The new formula consists of a rational organization of multiple 
data sets selected to yield the relative share distribution of eligible 
farmworkers. The result is substantially more relevant to the purpose 
than the allotments determined by the prior formula. Because it is the 
best available allocation tool and to maintain consistency, the 
Department of Labor is using the new formula described in the May 19 
Notice to allocate PY 2000 WIA section 167 funds. The rationale for the 
new allocation formula and underlying methodology on how the new 
formula realigns the NFJP allocations, is fully explained in the May 19 
Notice. The Department of Labor invites comments on our decision to use 
this formula for allocating PY 2000 funds.
    Implementing the new formula in PY 1999 gave rise to significant 
changes in relative funding levels. The magnitude of the realignment 
for some State service areas is substantial. This is attributable to 
the inherent weaknesses of the data sources used under the prior 
formula and also to the fact the sources had gradually become 
substantially date-stale. To provide for a smooth transition from the 
original distributions, to the distributions provided by the new 
formula, Part IV of the May 19, 1999 Notice provides a strategy for 
implementation of the new formula through four incremental ``hold 
harmless'' stages. The stages adjust the formula allocations by 
limiting the rate of reduction in relative funding levels to the four 
annual increments of 95 percent, 90 percent, 85 percent and 80 percent 
of the 1998 level--the last year under the old formula. Full 
implementation of the new (combined-data) formula is reached on the 5th 
year allocation. The May 19, 1999 Notice provides that for PY 2000, 
which is the second stage hold-harmless year, each State service area 
will receive no less than 90 percent of its PY 1998 allocation (64 FR 
27390, 27399 Sec. IV(2)). PY 2000 is the operating year that begins on 
July 1, 2000.
    The Fiscal Year 2000 pre-recission appropriation for the MSFW 
programs

[[Page 33829]]

under WIA Section 167 is $74,445,000. A portion of this amount is an 
addition to the Administration's budget request. This budget addition 
amount is designated in the Committee appropriation language for 
addressing two objectives. One objective applies to the state-by-state 
formula allocation of funds for the NFJP. The budget addition offsets 
the scheduled adjustment to those State service areas undergoing a 
reduction in funding, by financing the difference between their PY 1998 
level and the PY 2000 hold-harmless adjusted level. The other is to 
provide additional funding to raise the discretionary support for the 
farmworker housing assistance grants from the 1998 level to a level of 
$3,000,000. The total budget addition amount is $ 3,428,000. The 
recission action on the appropriation for the WIA Section 167 is 
$250,000. All of the $250,000 recission amount is applied to reduce the 
budget addition. The final budget addition, after reduction for the 
recission amount, is $3,178,000.
    In PY 2000, the base amount allocated under the formula is equal to 
the PY 1999 formula allocation amount of $67,596,408. The budget 
addition amount is applied to those state service areas that are 
allocated a declining relative share of funding under the second hold-
harmless stage of the new formula. Had there been no recission action, 
the total cost of this offset would be $2,927,691. Application of the 
7.293 percent budget recission, reduces the budget addition by $213,517 
to the post-recission level of $2,714,174. The total amount allocated 
to the States for the NFJP is the base amount, plus the budget addition 
amount, less the applied recission amount, leaving a net total of 
$70,310,582. The effects of these steps for each State service area are 
shown in the last three columns of the ``Allocation Table.''
    Under 20 CFR 669.240(a), at least 94 percent of the funds 
appropriated must be allocated to the State service areas for the NFJP 
grants. The total amount ($70,310,582) allocated for PY 2000 is 94.446 
percent, thus exceeding the minimum requirement. The remaining amount 
of the appropriation is available for the other WIA Section 167 
activities for farmworkers, which include the post recission amount of 
$2,963,543 for the PY 2000 farmworker housing assistance grants.

Minimum Funding Provisions

    Part V of the Federal Register Notice (See 64 FR 27390, 27400 
Sec. V (May 19, 1999) provides that a State service area allocated less 
than $60,000 could be combined with an adjoining State service area. 
For PY 2000, the Rhode Island area allocation of $2,875 will be 
combined with the Connecticut area allocation. The incumbent grantee 
will not be required to amend its PY 2000 operating plan due to this 
action.

PY 2000 Allocations

    The final (far right-hand) column of the ``Allocation Table'' 
provides the allotments for the NFJP in PY 2000. Grantees will use 
these figures in preparing the PY 2000 NFJP grant plans.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 18th day of May, 2000.
Shirley M. Smith,
Administrator,, Office of Adult Services.

                                         Allocation Table for Program Year 2000 National Farmworker Jobs Program
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                                                                                       Formula
                                                                                     percentage      PY 2000       Cost to
                                                                         Formula      share w/o    allocation       bring      Recission
                       State                             PY 1998     allocation w/o     hold        with hold     states to     action        PY 2000
                                                       allotments     hold harmless   harmless      harmless       PY 1998      (7.293)     allotments
                                                                       adjustment        (in       adjustment       levels
                                                                                      percent)
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Alabama............................................        $791,835        $437,632     0.67766        $712,652      $79,183      $5,775        $786,060
Arizona............................................       1,519,645       1,719,287     2.66226       1,646,953  ...........           0       1,646,953
Arkansas...........................................       1,167,409         724,893     1.12247       1,050,668      116,741       8,514       1,158,895
California.........................................      14,591,138      20,067,526    31.07392      16,077,073  ...........           0      16,077,073
Colorado...........................................         805,523         992,449     1.53678         879,010  ...........           0         879,010
Connecticut........................................         206,024         303,689     0.47025         228,511  ...........           0         228,511
Delaware...........................................         118,334         125,899     0.19495         125,899  ...........           0         125,899
Florida............................................       4,631,415       2,465,700     3.81806       4,168,274      463,141      33,777       4,597,638
Georgia............................................       1,711,615         876,499     1.35723       1,540,454      171,161      12,483       1,699,132
Idaho..............................................         877,438       1,079,184     1.67108         957,349  ...........           0         957,349
Illinois...........................................       1,425,808       1,424,912     2.20643       1,424,912          896          65       1,425,743
Indiana............................................         781,615         927,202     1.43574         850,271  ...........           0         850,271
Iowa...............................................       1,314,394       1,078,955     1.67073       1,182,955      131,439       9,586       1,304,808
Kansas.............................................         697,839       1,078,783     1.67046         777,719  ...........           0         777,719
Kentucky...........................................       1,352,613       1,043,179     1.61533       1,217,352      135,261       9,865       1,342,748
Louisiana..........................................         796,032         484,907     0.75086         716,429       79,603       5,805         790,227
Maine..............................................         327,397         174,702     0.27052         294,657       32,740       2,388         325,009
Maryland...........................................         306,291         363,789     0.56332         333,229  ...........           0         333,229
Massachusetts......................................         351,027         298,012     0.46146         315,924       35,103       2,560         348,467
Michigan...........................................         878,641         944,430     1.46242         944,430  ...........           0         944,430
Minnesota..........................................       1,274,775         879,095     1.36125       1,147,298      127,477       9,297       1,265,478
Mississippi........................................       1,449,044         571,321     0.88467       1,304,140      144,904      10,568       1,438,476
Missouri...........................................       1,094,524         976,379     1.51189         985,072      109,452       7,982       1,086,542
Montana............................................         667,189         461,861     0.71518         600,470       66,719       4,866         662,323
Nebraska...........................................         774,884       1,092,397     1.69154         855,772  ...........           0         855,772
Nevada.............................................         200,795         159,091     0.24635         180,716       20,079       1,464         199,331
New Hampshire......................................         112,600         100,958     0.15633         101,340       11,260         821         111,779
New Jersey.........................................         400,038         698,545     1.08168         451,763  ...........           0         451,763
New Mexico.........................................         598,720         934,978     1.44778         667,952  ...........           0         667,952
New York...........................................       1,850,667       1,088,774     1.68593       1,665,600      185,067      13,497       1,837,170
North Carolina.....................................       3,006,003       1,897,104     2.93760       2,705,403      300,600      21,923       2,984,080
North Dakota.......................................         468,362         609,496     0.94379         513,493  ...........           0         513,493
Ohio...............................................         904,951       1,264,492     1.95803         998,582  ...........           0         998,582

[[Page 33830]]

 
Oklahoma...........................................         608,145       1,276,891     1.97723         702,695  ...........           0         702,695
Oregon.............................................       1,087,697       1,452,311     2.24886       1,195,236  ...........           0       1,195,236
Pennsylvania.......................................       1,221,441       1,549,985     2.40010       1,336,212  ...........           0       1,336,212
Rhode Island.......................................               0          38,832     0.06013           2,875  ...........           0           2,875
South Carolina.....................................       1,080,106         391,046     0.60552         972,095      108,011       7,877       1,072,229
South Dakota.......................................         692,869         456,831     0.70739         623,582       69,287       5,053         687,816
Tennessee..........................................         957,799         720,217     1.11523         862,019       95,780       6,985         950,814
Texas..............................................       5,979,800       6,697,752    10.37126       6,475,747  ...........           0       6,475,747
Utah...............................................         245,354         288,106     0.44612         266,687  ...........           0         266,687
Vermont............................................         213,134         105,217     0.16293         191,821       21,313       1,554         211,580
Virginia...........................................       1,036,441         708,789     1.09754         932,797      103,644       7,559       1,028,882
Washington.........................................       1,705,576       2,262,216     3.50297       1,873,085  ...........           0       1,873,085
West Virginia......................................         219,325         100,275     0.15527         197,393       21,932       1,600         217,725
Wisconsin..........................................       1,229,201         953,157     1.47593       1,106,281      122,920       8,965       1,220,236
Wyoming............................................         201,911         232,207     0.35956         219,105  ...........           0         219,105
    Total Center United States.....................      63,933,384      64,579,952      100.00      64,579,952    2,753,713     200,828      67,132,836
Conterminous United States.........................      63,933,384      64,579,952    95.53755
Hawaii.............................................         251,607         204,254     4.16028         204,254       47,353       3,453         248,154
Puerto Rico........................................       2,938,827       2,812,202      .30217       2,812,202      126,625       9,235       2,929,592
    Subtot. (HI+PR)................................       3,190,434       3,016,456        4.46       3,016,456      173,978      12,688       3,177,746
    Total United States............................      67,123,818      67,596,408      100.00      67,596,408    2,927,691     213,517      70,310,582
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[FR Doc. 00-13154 Filed 5-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P