[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 22 (Thursday, February 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8601-8603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2740]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 01019]


Initiative To Educate State Legislatures About Priority Public 
Health Issues; Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2001 funds for a cooperative agreement 
for the Initiative to Educate State Legislatures About Priority Public 
Health Issues.
    The purposes of this cooperative agreement are to:
    1. Develop educational initiatives and provide informational forums 
on public health issues for policymakers and;
    2. Provide access to accurate, comprehensive, and timely 
information on public health issues to state policymakers for the 
development of effective public health policy at the state level.
    Priority areas for these activities are prevention, early 
detection, and control of diseases and injury, the promotion of healthy 
behaviors, and the strengthening of state and local public health 
agencies.
    This program addresses the ``Healthy People 2010'' focus areas: 
Arthritis, Osteoporosis and Chronic Back Conditions; Cancer; Diabetes; 
Disability and Secondary Conditions; Educational and Community-Based 
Programs; Environmental Health; Family Planning; Food Safety; Health 
Communication; Heart Disease and Stroke; HIV; Immunization and 
Infectious Diseases; Injury and Violence Prevention; Maternal, Infant 
and Child Health; Nutrition and Overweight; Occupational Safety and 
Health; Oral Health; Physical Activity and Fitness; Public Health 
Infrastructure; Respiratory Diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; 
Substance Abuse; Tobacco Use; and Vision and Hearing. This program also 
addresses epilepsy, health issues affecting older Americans, and health 
disparities.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants are national, non-profit, non-partisan or bi-
partisan organizations that consist of requisite memberships 
representing legislatures from all 50 states, and provide tailored 
policy research, publications, consulting services, and educational and 
networking forums to state legislators, committees, and their staff. 
Therefore, eligible organizations should have a minimum of 5 years 
experience in assisting legislators and their staff from all 50 state 
legislatures and using a variety of information technologies and 
resources will be considered eligible applicants.
    Limited competition is justified under this program announcement 
due to limited number of organizations having expertise interacting 
with all 50 state legislatures on existing and emerging public health 
issues.

    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 $1,412,800 is available in FY 2001 to fund one award. 
It is expected that the award will begin on or about July 1, 2001, and 
will be for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up to 
three years. Funding estimates may change.
    Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds. See Attachment A for funding sources and 
approximation amounts.

Direct Assistance

    You may request Federal personnel in lieu of a portion of financial 
assistance.

D. Program Requirements

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

1. Recipient Activities

Core Activities
    a. Track relevant state legislation and legislative activities 
related to public health. Provide quarterly updates to state 
policymakers on legislation and legislative actions on public health 
issues such as adolescent health; aging; arthritis, osteoporosis and 
chronic back conditions; cancer; diabetes; epilepsy; obesity; 
disability and secondary conditions; educational and community-based 
programs; environmental health issues, including childhood lead 
poisoning, safe drinking water, and pediatric asthma; heart disease and 
stroke; HIV infection; immunization and infectious diseases; maternal, 
infant and child health; injury and violence prevention; nutrition; 
oral health including water fluoridation; physical activity and 
fitness; sexually transmitted diseases; tobacco use; the public health 
infrastructure; and other topics. This activity shall not be intended 
to support or defeat particular state legislation.
    b. Develop and coordinate activities with state, local health 
department contacts, and public health experts, to ensure that state 
legislatures are aware of public health issues, programs, and 
activities in their state or region.
    c. Monitor and report the status of legislative trends in public 
health on a quarterly basis.
    d. Enhance relationships with and consult with key organizations to 
inform state legislators about prevention and public health goals.
    e. Respond to legislative requests about prevention and public 
health issues and provide public health experts with a compendium of 
contact inquiries on a quarterly basis.
    f. Examine existing research in order to develop and distribute 
publications tailored to the information needs of legislators on 
disease control and prevention and public health in order to educate 
legislators about relevant policy and program issues.
    g. Provide forums for state health officials, policy makers, and 
legislative staff to share ideas and learn about public health issues.

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    h. Create, update, publicize and maintain electronic services and 
other communication venues to inform legislators, other stakeholders, 
and the general public about emerging and current public health issues.
    i. Ensure that funded activities are complimentary and do not 
duplicate each other. Ensure that activities related to public health 
and education funded by other organizations are also coordinated with 
the activities funded under this program announcement.
    j. Conduct workshops on priority public health issues at national 
health conferences and through other venues.
    k. Plan, conduct, and evaluate (using both process and outcome 
measures), an annual meeting in the most cost efficient location 
involving exchange between public health experts, legislators, and 
their staff. The purposes of this meeting are to:
    (1) Provide legislators and their staff with information regarding 
priority public health issues;
    (2) Give legislators an opportunity to share ideas and strategies 
with other legislators and public health experts about how to improve 
public health in their state.
    l. Provide a forum and/or publication for newly-elected state 
legislators, so they can learn about priority public health issues.
    m. Collaborate with national public health experts and 
organizations on public health law and other topics.
    n. Develop and measure outcome indicators for all major activities 
funded under this program announcement.
Categorical Activities
    Categorical funding is available for FY 2001 from the following 
sources: cancer; chronic disease; environmental health, HIV and STD; 
immunization; school health; tobacco; oral health; epilepsy; arthritis; 
heart disease and stroke; and the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to 
Community Health (REACH 2010) program to address health disparities. 
Attachment B delineates the letter of the activity below that 
corresponds to each funding source.
    a. Enhance working relationships and consult with key organizations 
to inform state legislators about prevention and public health goals.
    b. Create, update, publicize and maintain electronic services and 
other communication venues to inform legislators, other stakeholders, 
and the general public about emerging and current public health issues.
    c. Examine existing research in order to develop and distribute 
publications tailored to the information needs of legislators on 
disease prevention and public health in order to educate legislators' 
about relevant policy and program issues.
    d. Coordinate meetings and sessions so state legislators and 
legislative staff, state government employees, and other key figures 
can discuss policy issues related to public health.
    e. Create and provide for ongoing tracking of relevant state 
legislation and legislative activities related to public health.
    f. Examine existing research to identify the critical policy issues 
facing state legislatures and remain appraised of key public health 
issues and concerns as they relate to states and state legislatures.
    g. Coordinate activities with state and local health department 
contacts, including public health experts, to ensure that organization 
members from each state legislature are aware of public health issues, 
programs, and activities in their state or region.
    Activities h and i apply to school health funding ONLY:
    h. Participate in meetings actively to ensure joint work groups on 
social marketing of positive messages for HIV prevention and school 
health; teen pregnancy prevention; and adolescent and/or school health 
goals are met.
    i. Demonstrate the capability of updating the 50 state School 
Health Programs Finance Project's database including both the block 
grant funding and state legislative appropriations information.
    Activity j applies to HIV and STD funding ONLY:
    j. Develop, update, and disseminate, as needed, an educational 
video on HIV issues for newly elected state legislators and staff that 
can be easily accessed via the organization's website.

2. CDC Activities

    a. Provide and periodically update programmatic information as it 
relates to core and categorical activities.
    b. Provide consultation and guidance related to program planning, 
implementation, surveillance, and evaluation; assessment of program 
objectives; and dissemination of successful strategies, experiences, 
and evaluation results.
    c. Collaborate in developing plans for and convening of national, 
regional and other meetings.
    d. Provide technical assistance regarding the scope, development, 
and accomplishment of activities undertaken as part of this cooperative 
agreement.
    e. Conduct periodic site visits in order to assess current 
activities, review progress, and discuss future plans.

E. Application Content

    Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections 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 30 double-spaced pages, 
printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and unreduced font. The 
narrative must describe how the applicant's activities in each part 
will complement one another, and how planned activities will be 
coordinated.
    To request direct assistance Federal assignees, include:
    1. The number of assignees requested;
    2. A description of the position and proposed duties;
    3. An organizational chart and the name of the intended supervisor;
    4. Assignee access to computer equipment for electronic 
communication with CDC.

F. Submission and Deadline

Application

    Submit the original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB Number 0937-
0189). Forms are available at the following internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm or in the application kit.
    On or before March 28, 2001, submit the application to the Grants 
Management Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Information'' 
section of this announcement.
    Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline 
if they are 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.

(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 Applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria in 
(a) or (b) above are considered late applications, will not be 
considered, and will be returned to the applicant.

G. Evaluation Criteria

    Each application will be evaluated according to the following 
criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC.

1. Capacity (25 Points)

    Demonstrate and provide evidence of the capacity and ability of the

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organization and its constituency to address identified needs, and 
develop, implement, and evaluate program activities.

2. Plan (5 Points)

    Describe the proposed plan that will be implemented and the need 
for such work.

3. Objectives (10 Points)

    Provide short-term (one-year) and long-term (three-year) objectives 
for the proposed project that are specific, time-phased, measurable, 
realistic, and related to identified needs in the Plan section.

4. Methods (25 Points)

    Submit a plan that describes methodologies for conducting 
activities outlined in the ``Recipient Activities'' in the Program 
Requirements section and explain how planned activities relate to the 
purpose of this Program Announcement. Describe the networking and 
information dissemination capacity of the organization to reach all 50 
state legislatures effectively regarding public health issues. 
Establish a time line for the completion of each component or major 
activity and identify the party responsible.

5. Administration and Management (15 Points)

    a. Provide job descriptions for existing and proposed positions.
    b. Demonstrate that staff have the necessary background and 
qualifications for the proposed responsibilities; ensure for each 
position the education, experience, and licensure required; and include 
curriculum vitae (limit two pages per individual) for existing staff.
    c. Provide an organizational chart that identifies lines of 
communication, accountability, reporting, authority, and describe the 
management and control systems.

6. Evaluation Plan (20 Points)

    Describe how activities and their impact will be evaluated, and how 
progress will be monitored toward meeting project objectives. Include 
both process and outcome evaluations, specification of indicators of 
program success, methods of obtaining data, ways of reporting results, 
use of results for programmatic improvement, timing for evaluative 
techniques, and staff responsibility.

7. Budget and Justification (Not scored)

    Provide a detailed budget for each funding source specified in 
Attachment A and line-item justification for all operating expenses 
that are consistent with proposed objectives and planned activities.

H. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with the original plus two copies of:
    1. Semi-annual progress reports:
    The progress reports must summarize the following for all forums 
and activities specified in this program announcement: (1) A comparison 
of actual accomplishments to the objectives established for the period; 
(2) the reasons for failure if established objectives were not met; (3) 
a description of how evaluation data will be used to strengthen future 
programmatic activities; (4) copies of reports and other publications 
funded under this program announcement; and (5) other pertinent 
information, when appropriate. The progress report will also include a 
summary of the project's progress in achieving performance measures, 
which will be developed and established during the first budget period.
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period.
    3. Final financial report and performance report, 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 applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment C in the 
application kit.

AR-9  Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR-10  Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-11  Healthy People 2010
AR-12  Lobbying Restrictions
AR-15  Proof of Nonprofit Status

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under sections 301(a), 317(k)(2), and 
1706 [42 U.S.C. 241(a), 247b(k)(2)] 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 home page 
Internet address--http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding'' then 
``Grants and Cooperative Agreements.''
    To obtain additional information, contact: Cynthia R. Collins, 
Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and 
Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 
Program announcement 01019, 2920 Brandywine Rd., Room 3000, Atlanta, GA 
30341-4146, telephone: (770) 488-2757, email: [email protected]
    For program technical assistance, contact: Angel Roca, Deputy 
Director for Planning, Evaluation and Legislation, National Center for 
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Program Announcement 
01019, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford 
Highway, NE MS K-40, Atlanta, GA 30341, telephone (770) 488-5706, e-
mail: [email protected]

    Dated: January 26, 2001.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 01-2740 Filed 1-31-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P