[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 223 (Friday, November 17, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69562-69565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29425]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Maternal and Child Health Federal Set-Aside Program; Special 
Projects of Regional and National Significance; Community-Based 
Abstinence Education Project Grants

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
announces that approximately $17 million in fiscal year (FY) 2001 funds 
is available for making competitive grants to implement strategies to 
provide abstinence education to adolescents, ages 12 through 18, in 
communities across the Nation. Eligibility is open to public and 
private entities which clearly and consistently focus on a designated 
definition of ``abstinence education'' and agree not to provide a 
participating adolescent any other education regarding sexual conduct 
in the same setting. All awards will be made under the program 
authority of section 501(a)(2) of the Social Security Act, the Maternal 
and Child Health (MCH) Federal Set-Aside Program (42 U.S.C. 701(a)(2)). 
These grants (CFDA #93.110NO) will be administered by the Maternal and 
Child Health Bureau (MCHB), HRSA. Approximately $1.5 million will be 
available for up to 15-20 one-year planning grants, with awards ranging 
from $75,000 to $100,000, and approximately $15.5 million will be 
available for up to 25-50 three-year implementation grants, with annual 
awards ranging from $250,000 to $1 million, depending on continued 
availability of funds. Projects may be located in any State, the 
District of Columbia, and United States territories, commonwealths, and 
possessions. Funds for Community-Based Abstinence Education project 
grants are appropriated by Public Law 106-246.
    This announcement will appear in the Federal Register and on the 
HRSA Home Page at: http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/. Federal Register notices 
are found by following instructions at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/
su__docs/aces/aces140.html.

DATES: Entities which intend to submit an application for this grant 
program are expected to notify MCHB's Division of State and Community 
Health by December 1, 2000. The deadline for receipt of applications is 
February 2, 2001. Applications will be considered ``on time'' if they 
are either received on or before the deadline date or postmarked on or 
before the deadline date. The projected award date is April 27, 2001.

ADDRESSES: To receive a complete application kit, applicants may 
telephone the HRSA Grants Application Center at 1-877-477-2123 (1-877-
HRSA-123) beginning November 15, 2000, or register on-line at: http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/, or by accessing http://www.hrsa.gov/g__order3.htm 
directly. This program uses the standard Form PHS 5161-1 (rev. 7/00) 
for applications (approved under OMB No. 0920-0428). Applicants must 
use the appropriate Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) 
number when requesting application materials. The CFDA is a Government 
wide compendium of enumerated Federal programs, projects, services, and 
activities which provide assistance. The CFDA Number for the Community-
Based Abstinence Education project grant program is: #93.110NO. All 
applications should be mailed or delivered to: Grants Management 
Officer (MCHB), HRSA Grants Application Center, 1815 N. Fort Meyer 
Drive, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22209, telephone: 1877-HRSA-123 
(477-2123), E-mail: [email protected].
    This application guidance and the required form for the Community-
Based Abstinence Education project grant program may be downloaded in 
either WordPerfect 6.1 or Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf) from the MCHB 
HomePage at http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/. Please contact Joni Johns at 
301-443-2088 or [email protected]/, if you need technical assistance in 
accessing the MCHB Home Page via the Internet.
    Letter of Intent: To assist MCHB in planning for an orderly review 
of applications, entities which intend to submit an application for 
this grant program are invited to notify MCHB's Division of State and 
Community Health in one of three ways: telephone, 301-443-2204; fax, 
301-443-9354; or mail, MCHB, HRSA; Division of State and Community 
Health; Parklawn Building, Room 18-31; 5600 Fishers Lane; Rockville, MD 
20857.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Lawler, 301-443-2204 (for 
questions specific to project activities of the program, program 
objectives, or the Letter of Intent described above); and Dorothy 
Kelley, 301-443-3288 (for grants policy, budgetary, and business 
questions).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 69563]]

Program Background and Objectives

    Title II of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, 
and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (Public 
Law 106-113) included an advance appropriation for FY 2001 of $20 
million for the Adolescent Family Life (AFL) program, authorized under 
Title XX of the Public Health Service Act, to support prevention-
oriented abstinence education project grants.
    Title II, chapter 4, of Public Law 106-246, the ``Military 
Construction Appropriations Act of 2001,'' rescinded this advance $20 
million appropriation for the AFL program. Instead, it appropriated $20 
million for the MCH Block Grant's Federal Set-Aside Program--which 
supports Special Projects of Regional and National Significance 
(SPRANS)--to support community-based Abstinence Education project 
grants for FY 2001. The law provides that funds be used:

* * * for making competitive grants to provide abstinence education 
(as defined in section 510(b)(2) of such Act) to adolescents * * * 
Provided further, That such grants shall be made only to public and 
private entities which agree that, with respect to an adolescent to 
whom the entities provide abstinence education under such grant, the 
entities will not provide to that adolescent any other education 
regarding sexual conduct, except that, in the case of an entity 
expressly required by law to provide health information or services 
the adolescent shall not be precluded from seeking health 
information or services from the entity in a different setting than 
the setting in which the abstinence education was provided * * *.''

    The pending FY 2001 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Act (H. R. 
4577) includes an advance appropriation, under SPRANS, of $30 million 
for the Community-Based Abstinence Education grant program for FY 2002. 
The House report accompanying the bill (H. Rpt. 106-645) elaborates 
upon rules for projects funded under the program:

The Committee supports abstinence education for adolescents, ages 12 
through 18, and supports expansion of efforts to present an 
abstinence-only message to America's youth. The preliminary results 
from these program[s] in states such as Oklahoma are promising. It 
is important, however, to ensure that America's youth do not receive 
mixed message[s], or medically inaccurate information. The 
legislation directs that abstinence messages given to a group of 
youth[s] by a grantee must not be diluted by any instructor or 
materials from the same grantee. Nothing in the legislation is 
intended to prevent these adolescents from seeking health 
information or services. Nothing shall preclude entities who are 
teaching these abstinence-only classes and who have a public health 
mandate from discussing other forms of sexual conduct or providing 
services, as long as this is conducted in a different setting than 
where and when the abstinence-only course is being conducted. In 
allocating grant funds, priority should be given to those 
organizations which have a strong record of support of abstinence 
education as defined in sections (a) through (h) of title 5, section 
510(b)(2) of the Social Security Act.

    In the laws cited above, Congress also earmarked a portion of the 
total amounts appropriated to support comprehensive evaluations, 
including longitudinal evaluations, of abstinence education. These 
evaluation activities are beyond the purview of this announcement.
    Abstinence-only education programs are one way to educate young 
people and create an environment within communities that supports teen 
decisions to postpone sexual activity. In 1999, 49.9 percent of high 
school students reported having had sexual intercourse and 36.3 percent 
reported having had sexual intercourse within the previous three 
months. (CDC, MMWR, June 9, 2000). There are some indications that 
early sexual intercourse by adolescents can have negative effects on 
social and psychological development. Research shows that teen 
pregnancy is linked to a list of risk factors similar to those for 
other problem behaviors of adolescence, such as alcohol and drug use, 
violence, delinquency, and school drop-out. Teen parenting is 
associated with the lack of high school completion and the initiation 
of a cycle of poverty for mothers. The Department of Health and Human 
Services established the reduction of teen pregnancies as a priority 
goal in its 1997 strategic plan. Overall, the teen birth rate declined 
by 18 percent from 1991 to 1998, with all States reporting a decline in 
the birth rate of teens 15-19 years of age between 1991 and 1998. (CDC, 
NCHS, Vital Statistics Reports, March 28, 2000).
    In addition to the rules Congress has established for the program, 
SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education project grants are subject 
to regulations, at 42 CFR Part 51a, that are applicable to all SPRANS 
projects. The Federal SPRANS authority was enacted as part of the MCH 
Block Grant under Section 501(a)(2) of the Social Security Act, by the 
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1981 (Public Law 97-35). In 
general, the set-aside in section 502(a) permits the Secretary to 
retain 15 percent of the total MCH Block Grant appropriation each 
fiscal year to support discretionary grants in certain categories: MCH 
Research; MCH Training; Genetic Disease Testing, Counseling and 
Information Dissemination; Newborn Screening; Hemophilia Diagnostic and 
Treatment Centers; and Other Special Projects to Improve Maternal and 
Child Health. No percentage of the available funds is specified by law 
for any particular category of SPRANS grant. 
H. R. 4577 adds Community-Based Abstinence Education as a SPRANS 
project category. However, the funds made available for Abstinence 
Education grants under H. R. 4577 are specified or ``earmarked'' only 
for this purpose; they will not be counted toward compliance with the 
statutorily-determined 15 percent SPRANS set-aside amount.
    The projects funded under this announcement are also intended to 
complement the existing categorical program of Grants to States for 
Abstinence Education, authorized under section 510(b)(2) of Title V by 
Public Law 104-193, the ``Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
Act of 1996.'' The purpose of that block grant program is to enable 
States to support abstinence education, and, at the option of the 
State, where appropriate, mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision 
to promote abstinence from sexual activity with a focus on those groups 
most likely to bear children out-of-wedlock. The law provides for a 
mandatory annual appropriation of $50 million for FY 1998 through FY 
2002. Grants are awarded to each State based on a statutory formula 
determined by the proportion that the number of low income children in 
the State bears to the total number of low income children in all 
States. Grant applications are accepted only from the State health 
agency responsible for the administration (or supervision of the 
administration) of the Title V MCH Block Grant, with funds disbursed at 
the discretion of the Governor unless otherwise established under State 
law or judicial precedent. There is a required match of three non-
Federal dollars for every four Federal dollars awarded. If a State 
chooses not to apply for a grant, the State's allocation is returned to 
the Treasury and is not available for redistribution among remaining 
States.
    Consistent with other SPRANS grant programs, the Bureau encourages 
coordination and collaboration between the State agencies administering 
a Section 510 Abstinence Education grant and community-based 
organizations applying for a SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence 
Education project grant. Such coordination and collaboration is 
considered beneficial in promoting complementary efforts

[[Page 69564]]

between State and community agencies and advancing maternal and child 
health.
    Projects funded through the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence 
Education grant program share a common definition of ``abstinence 
education'' with the Section 510-funded State programs. For purposes of 
both programs (as well as abstinence education programs funded under 
the Title XX AFL program), the term ``abstinence education'' means ``an 
educational or motivational program which--
    (A) Has as its exclusive purpose, teaching the social, 
psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from 
sexual activity;
    (B) Teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the 
expected standard for all school age children;
    (C) Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only 
certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted 
diseases, and other associated health problems;
    (D) Teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in 
context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity;
    (E) Teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage 
is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
    (F) Teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have 
harmful consequences for the child, the child's parents, and society;
    (G) Teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how 
alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and
    (H) Teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before 
engaging in sexual activity.''
    Curricula developed or selected for implementation in the SPRANS 
Community-Based Abstinence Education grants program are expected to be 
responsive to the eight elements of the Section 510 abstinence 
education definition and may not be inconsistent with any aspect of 
that definition.

Authorization

    Section 501(a)(2) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 701(a)(2), 
and Public Law 106-246.

Purpose

    The purpose of the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education 
grant program is to provide support to public and private entities for 
the development and implementation of abstinence education programs for 
adolescents, ages 12 through 18, in communities across the country. 
This program funds the planning and implementation of community-based, 
abstinence-only educational interventions designed to reduce the rate 
of births to teenagers, the proportion of adolescents who have engaged 
in sexual intercourse, and the proportion of teenagers who have engaged 
in risk behaviors, such as tobacco, alcohol, and drug use.
    Specific objectives for the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence 
Education planning and implementation grants are to:
     Support programmatic efforts that foster the development 
of abstinence-only education for adolescents, ages 12 through 18, in 
communities across the country.
     Develop and implement abstinence-only programs that target 
the prevention of teenage pregnancy and premature sexual activity.
     Develop abstinence education approaches that are 
culturally sensitive and age-appropriate to meet the needs of a diverse 
audience of adolescents, ages 12 through 18.
     Implement curriculum-based community education programs 
that promote abstinence decisions to adolescents, ages 12 through 18.
    The SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education grant program 
project activities are expected to complement and enhance State 
grantees' required efforts to achieve performance goals and objectives 
established for the existing Title V ``Section 510'' projects in 
accordance with the requirements of the ``Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA) of 1993'' (Pub. L. 103-62). This Act requires the 
establishment of measurable goals for Federal programs that can be 
reported as part of the budgetary process, thus linking funding 
decisions with performance. SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education 
program grantees will be required to report annually on the four 
national performance measures presented in Figure 1.

  Figure 1.--SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education Grant Program
                     [National Performance Measures]
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#1.....................................  Proportion of program
                                          participants who successfully
                                          complete or remain enrolled in
                                          an abstinence-only education
                                          program.
#2.....................................  Proportion of program
                                          participants who have engaged
                                          in sexual intercourse.
#3.....................................  Proportion of program
                                          participants who report a
                                          reduction in risk behaviors,
                                          such as tobacco, alcohol, and
                                          drug use.
#4.....................................  The rate of births to female
                                          program participants.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition, each SPRANS Abstinence Education grantee will be 
required to submit to MCHB an annual report on its activities, 
including a narrative discussion of the project's progress toward 
achieving the goals, objectives and performance measures, an 
unduplicated count of clients served, total number of client 
encounters, and a list of the communities served.
    Applicants for SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education 
implementation grants must submit three-year targets for each national 
performance measure. Applicants for the planning grants are not 
required to submit performance measure targets for the one-year 
planning period. Further information on performance measurement for 
this program and instructions regarding performance measurement-related 
application requirements are included in the Program Guidance.
    OMB approval for the data reporting will be sought, as required 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
    Curricula developed or selected for implementation in the SPRANS 
Community-Based Abstinence Education grants program must address all 
eight elements of the Section 510 abstinence education definition and 
may not be inconsistent with any element of that definition.
    Applicants may choose, but are not required, to have their selected 
curricula reviewed by the State Agency Director(s) of the State or 
States that will be affected by the proposed project. MCHB encourages 
consultation and collaboration between grantees and the State agencies 
throughout the life of the project.
    Applicants should be aware that grantees may not teach or promote 
religion in their SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education projects. 
Non-profit organizations and other community-based organizations, 
including faith-based organizations, are eligible to apply (see 
Eligibility, below), but must provide assurance that they will respect 
this requirement. Each grant project must be accessible to the public 
generally, not just to those of a particular religious affiliation.

[[Page 69565]]

Background information on this issue is available via the Internet at: 
www.mchb.hrsa.gov.
    In addition, this program is subject to Title IX of the Education 
Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. Secs. 1861-62), which prohibits 
discrimination based on sex in programs which receive Federal financial 
assistance.

Eligibility

    Under SPRANS project grant regulations at 42 CFR Part 51a.3, any 
public or private entity, including an Indian tribe or tribal 
organization (as defined at 25 U.S.C. 450(b)), is eligible to apply for 
grants covered by this announcement. Projects must clearly and 
consistently focus on the designated definition of ``abstinence 
education'' and applicants must agree not to provide a participating 
adolescent any other education regarding sexual conduct in the same 
setting.
    Applicants proposing to provide abstinence-only education and who 
have a public health mandate, such as State or local health 
departments, community health centers or other community-based clinics, 
must provide assurance that any discussion of other forms of sexual 
conduct or provision of services is conducted in a setting different 
from where and when the abstinence-only course is being conducted.

Funding Level/Project Period

    Two types of grants will be awarded in FY 2001 under this program--
one-year planning grants, with awards ranging from $50,000 to $75,000; 
and three-year implementation grants, with awards ranging from $250,000 
to $1,000,000 per year. Planning grant funding will support program 
planning, training and community assessment activities. Implementation 
grant funding will support the development and implementation of three-
year projects.
    Approximately $1.5 million will be awarded to support 15 to 20 
planning grants; about $15.5 million will be awarded to support 25 to 
50 implementation grants. Some adjustment in funding amounts between 
categories may be made, depending on the number and quality of 
applications received.
    The project period consists of one or more budget periods, each 
generally of one year duration. Continuation of any project from one 
budget period to the next is subject to satisfactory performance, 
availability of funds, and program priorities.

Funding Priorities

    Priority for funding will be given to entities in local communities 
which demonstrate a strong record of support for abstinence education 
among adolescents. An approved proposal that reflects this priority 
will receive a 5-point favorable adjustment in the priority score, 
before funding decisions are made.

Review Criteria

    The following are generic review criteria applicable to all MCHB 
programs:
    (1) The extent to which the project will contribute to the 
advancement of maternal and child health and/or improvement of the 
health of children with special health care needs;
    (2) The extent to which the project is responsive to policy 
concerns applicable to MCH grants and to program objectives, 
requirements, priorities and/or review criteria for specific project 
categories, as published in program announcements or guidance 
materials;
    (3) The extent to which the estimated cost to the Government of the 
project is reasonable, considering the anticipated results;
    (4) The extent to which the project personnel are well qualified by 
training and/or experience for their roles in the project and the 
applicant organization has adequate facilities and personnel; and
    (5) The extent to which, insofar as practicable, the proposed 
activities, if well executed, are capable of attaining project 
objectives.
    The final review criteria used to review and rank applications for 
the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education grant program are 
included in the application kit. Applicants should pay strict attention 
to addressing these criteria, as they are the basis upon which their 
applications will be judged.

Public Health System Reporting Requirements

    This program is subject to the Public Health System Reporting 
Requirements (approved under OMB No. 0937-0195). Under these 
requirements, the community-based nongovernmental applicant must 
prepare and submit a Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS). The 
PHSIS is intended to provide information to State and local health 
officials to keep them apprised of proposed health services grant 
applications submitted by community-based nongovernmental organizations 
within their jurisdictions.
    Community-based nongovernmental applicants are required to submit 
the following information to the head of the appropriate State and 
local health agencies in the area(s) to be impacted no later than the 
Federal application receipt due date:
    (a) A copy of the face page of the application (SF 525).
    (b) A summary of the project (PHSIS), not to exceed one page, which 
provides:
    (1) A description of the population to be served.
    (2) A summary of the services to be provided.
    (3) A description of the coordination planned with the appropriate 
State and local health agencies.

Executive Order 12372

    The MCH Federal Set-Aside program has been determined to be a 
program which is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372 
concerning intergovernmental review of Federal programs.

    Dated: November 13, 2000.
Claude Earl Fox,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-29425 Filed 11-16-00; 8:45 am]
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