[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 106 (Thursday, June 1, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35096-35098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13647]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Announcement Number 00087]


Cooperative Agreement Between CDC and ASTHO; Tobacco Control 
Information and Resource Network (ASTHO)

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of funds in fiscal year (FY) 2000 for a cooperative 
agreement with the Association of State and Territorial Health 
Officials (ASTHO) to enhance its capacity to provide information and 
technical assistance to State Health Officials (SHOs) and affiliate 
member groups. CDC is committed to achieving the health promotion and 
disease prevention objectives of ``Healthy People 2010,'' a national 
activity to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the quality of 
life. This announcement is related to the focus areas of Tobacco use 
and the areas related to chronic disease prevention and control. For 
the conference copy of ``Healthy People 2010'', visit the Internet 
site: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople>.
    The purpose of this program is to address issues related to:
    1. Tobacco-use prevention and control programs;
    2. The following four goal areas outlined in CDC's National Tobacco 
Control Program:
    a. Eliminate exposure to environmental tobacco smoke;
    b. Promote quitting among young people and adults;
    c. Prevent initiation among young people; and
    d. Identify and eliminate disparities among population groups);
    3. Maintain a forum where State tobacco control managers can 
communicate among themselves and with SHOs and ASTHO affiliates about 
tobacco-related issues impacting their States; and,
    4. Chronic disease prevention and control programs as they relate 
to tobacco use prevention and control.

B. Eligible Applicant

    Assistance will be provided only to ASTHO. No other applications 
are solicited.
    ASTHO is the only organization that represents all State and 
territorial public health officials, including a network of State 
health department tobacco-control representatives.
    ASTHO was created specifically to represent this group of State 
agencies to the Federal government and other national organizations and 
is unique in its role as a liaison among these officials. It has served 
as a capacity-building organization in public health matters for many 
years and one of its major objectives is the sharing of information 
among State health departments.
    ASTHO has established a unique network of public health 
professionals in each State and territory who are concerned with 
tobacco-use and chronic disease prevention and control programs. ASTHO 
has maintained active involvement in tobacco-related issues through 
their Tobacco Control Resource Council. The Resource Council has: (1) 
Developed a network of tobacco-control representatives representing the 
ten U.S. Public Health Service Regions, (2) conducted regular mailings 
and communications with State health officials, and (3) coordinated 
activities between Federal agencies and States.

    Note: Public Law 104-65 states that an organization described in 
section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that engages 
in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive Federal funds 
constituting an award, grant, cooperative agreement, contract, loan 
or any other form.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $350,000 is available in FY 2000 to fund this award. 
It is expected that the award will be made on or about July 1, 2000, 
and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period 
of up to 5 years. Funding estimates may change.
    Continuation awards within the approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds.

D. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the activities under 1. 
(Recipient Activities), and CDC will be responsible for the activities 
under 2. (CDC Activities):

1. Recipient Activities

    a. Advance comprehensive tobacco and chronic disease prevention and 
control programs.
    (1) Promote and foster support for comprehensive tobacco and 
chronic disease prevention and control programs to raise tobacco and 
chronic disease prevention and control as a priority within ASTHO and 
among State health officials, affiliates, and other key partners.
    (2) Identify and develop opportunities to promote successful State 
health department tobacco and chronic disease prevention and control 
efforts at ASTHO's regional and national meetings.
    (3) Provide opportunities, in regional and national forums, where 
health officials and other key decisionmakers can discuss and develop 
policy positions on tobacco use and chronic disease prevention and 
control issues.
    (4) Maintain liaison with the National Association of City and 
County Health Officials (NACCHO), the National Association of Local 
Boards of Health (NALBOH), and other national public health 
organizations interested in tobacco, chronic disease and health to 
encourage support for comprehensive tobacco and chronic disease 
prevention and control programs.
    (5) Coordinate communication between the Tobacco Resource Council 
and ASTHO affiliates to foster communication between tobacco control 
program managers and affiliates regarding State tobacco control 
efforts. Disseminate state-based summaries of these efforts to SHOs, 
affiliates and other partners on a regular basis.
    b. Identify and promote opportunities to educate State Health 
Officials and affiliate member leadership programs, as well as, 
guidelines and ``Best Practices'' for comprehensive tobacco control 
programs, as well as, about guidelines and recommendations related to 
chronic disease prevention and control. This could include use of 
state-of-the-art technologies such as distance-based learning, web-
based information exchange forums, and skill building conferences/
workshops.
    c. Provide staff support to the ASTHO Tobacco Resource Council to 
facilitate information exchange and problem solving among tobacco 
control program managers in every region (10 U.S. Public Health Service 
Regions and the Pacific Islands).

[[Page 35097]]

    d. Identify opportunities for ASTHO affiliates to work 
collaboratively with the Tobacco Resource Council to develop, support 
and/or implement comprehensive tobacco control programs.
    e. Monitor the implementation of the ASTHO Policy on Tobacco Use 
Prevention and Control. Monitor current events and, as appropriate, 
share information with States and collaborating agencies. Before 
undertaking any data collection efforts, conduct an assessment of data 
available through other sources.
    f. Maintain a mechanism (e.g., website, e-mail updates, 
newsletter), for sharing timely information about tobacco-related 
issues with SHOs, State tobacco control contacts and affiliate 
membership. Provide links to websites that would be useful to ASTHO's 
constituents.
    g. Develop an annual action plan and SMART (specific, measurable, 
achievable, realistic and time-phased) objectives. Develop a mechanism 
for evaluating overall effectiveness of the plan.
    h. Provide a full-time staff person to coordinate and oversee the 
project.

2. CDC Activities

    a. Provide consultation and technical assistance in the planning, 
implementation and evaluation of program activities.
    b. Provide up-to-date information that includes diffusion of best 
practices and current research and data in the areas of tobacco use and 
chronic disease prevention and control.
    c. Collaborate in the planning and support of workshops, 
conferences, and other professional gatherings that serve a public 
health purpose, and provide speakers for meetings that are national in 
scope.
    d. Provide analytical expertise and assist in preparation of 
material for publication that includes information on State tobacco 
prevention and control activities.
    e. Provide technical assistance to ASTHO and its affiliates 
regarding tobacco control and chronic disease programs and policies.

E. Application Content

    Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria section to develop the 
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria 
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program 
plan. The narrative should be no more than 50 pages double-spaced 
pages, printed on one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced font.
    1. Provide a description of the tobacco and chronic disease 
prevention and control activities performed and the results achieved 
during the previous project period which started in fiscal year 1997.
    2. Identify strategies and activities for increasing ASTHO's 
involvement in promoting and supporting comprehensive tobacco and 
chronic disease prevention and control programs over the next five 
years.
    3. Describe how ASTHO's affiliate members will be involved with 
ASTHO's tobacco and chronic disease prevention and control activities.
    4. Describe how the Tobacco Control Resource Council will 
facilitate communication between tobacco control managers and SHO's.
    5. Provide an Annual Action Plan that includes objectives that are 
specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-phased. Objectives 
must relate to CDC's National Tobacco Control Program objectives (four 
goal areas) and the elements listed under the ``Recipient Activities'' 
section of this announcement.
    6. Define and provide an operational plan for each activity 
necessary to achieve the objectives.
    7. Provide an evaluation plan that clearly describes the methods 
proposed to evaluate each objective.
    Measurements must be established to evaluate the level of 
achievement of all project objectives and elements listed under the 
``Recipient Activities'' section of this announcement.
    8. Provide an organizational chart highlighting line and staff 
authority. Include a description of the activities for each position.
    9. Submit a detailed budget and line-item justification that is 
consistent with the purpose of the program and the proposed project 
objectives.

F. Submission and Deadline

Application

    Submit the original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB 0937-0189). 
Forms are available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/. Forms, or in the application kit. On or before June 23, 
2000, submit the application to the Grants Management Specialist 
identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of 
this announcement.
    Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline 
if it is either:
    (a) Received on or before the deadline date; or
    (b) Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for 
submission to the independent review group. (The applicants must 
request a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark, or obtain a 
legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. 
Private metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely 
mailing).
    Late Application: The application which does not meet the criteria 
in (a) or (b) above is considered a late application, will not be 
considered, and will be returned to the applicant.

G. Evaluation Criteria (100 Points)

    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC:

1. Five-year Vision (15 Percent)

    The extent to which the applicant articulates its vision, seeks 
meaningful changes for a five year period, and ties the vision to the 
Healthy People 2010 Objectives.

2. Annual Action Plan (30 percent)

    a. The extent to which the objectives are realistic and related to 
identified needs and purpose of the program.
    b. The extent to which activities are realistic and feasible and 
will help accomplish the objectives.
    c. The extent to which there are realistic plans to promote and 
foster support for comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs and chronic 
disease prevention and control programs to raise tobacco and chronic 
disease prevention and control as a priority within ASTHO and among 
State health officials, affiliates, and other key partners.

3. Project Management and Staffing Plan (30 Percent)

    a. The extent to which the applicant identifies staff that have the 
responsibility, capability, and authority to carry out the activities, 
as evidenced by job descriptions, and curriculum vitae.
    b. The extent to which the plan to manage the project and to 
overcome challenges is logical, resourceful, and adequate to accomplish 
the purpose of the project.

4. Evaluation (25 Percent)

    The extent to which the applicant realistically and adequately 
proposes to measure progress in tracking and meeting objectives and 
presents a reasonable plan for obtaining data, reporting the results 
and using the results for programmatic decisions.

[[Page 35098]]

5. Budget and Accompanying Justification (Not Scored)

    The extent to which the budget is reasonable, itemized, clearly 
justified and consistent with the work plan and intended use of funds.

H. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with the original plus two copies of:
    1. Progress reports (semiannual)
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period.
    3. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days 
after the end of the project period.
    Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in 
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this 
announcement.
    The following additional requirements are acceptable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I in the 
application kit.

AR-7--Executive Order 12372 Review
AR-9--Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR-11--Health People 2010
AR-12--Lobbying Restrictions

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized by Section 317(k)(2) [42 U.S.C. 
247b(2)], Section 301 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. The 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 93.283.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements can be found on the CDC Homepage 
Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov click on ``Funding'' then ``Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements.''
    Business management technical assistance may be obtained from: 
Kimberly Pope, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, 
Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Announcement Number 00087, 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 3000, 
Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone number: (770) 488-2767, FAX: (770) 
488-2777, Email address: [email protected]
    Program technical assistance may be obtained from: Barbara Park, 
Project Officer, Program Services Branch, Office on Smoking and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy., NE, 
Telephone number: (770) 488-1249, FAX: (770) 488-1147, Email address: 
[email protected]

    Dated: May 24, 2000.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-13647 Filed 5-31-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P