[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56809-56814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-22562]


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CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE


Funding Opportunity for a National Provider of Training and 
Technical Assistance to Corporation for National and Community Service 
Programs Using Service and Volunteers to Support Homeland Security

AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity.

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SUMMARY: Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Corporation 
for National and Community Service (hereinafter the ``Corporation'') 
intends to award approximately $600,000 to support one or more 
organizations in partnership selected under this Notice to provide 
training and technical assistance to national and community service 
programs engaged in homeland security activities focusing on public 
safety, public health, and disaster preparedness and relief. The 
organization(s) selected will, for each homeland security focus area: 
identify and maintain a network of geographically dispersed expert 
resource people and organizations around the country and create a 
mechanism for sharing these resources with local programs in need of 
assistance; provide training and technical assistance materials; and 
gather and provide critical information to Corporation programs and 
projects engaged in homeland security activities.
    The Corporation intends to enter into a cooperative agreement of up 
to three years, beginning on or about December 1, 2002. The funding 
opportunity announced under this Notice will support the initial phase 
of the agreement (generally the first year's budget), with additional 
funding contingent upon need, quality of service, the nature and scope 
of activities to be supported, and availability of appropriations for 
this purpose.


    Note: This is a notice for selection of an organization or 
organizations to provide training and technical assistance to 
national and community service grantees. This is not a notice for 
program grant proposals.


DATES: Proposals must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard time, on 
November 4, 2002.
    The Corporation anticipates making an award under this announcement 
in December, 2002. The Corporation will not accept applications that 
are submitted by facsimile. Due to delays in delivery of regular 
U.S.P.S. mail to government offices, your application may not arrive in 
time to be considered.

[[Page 56810]]

We suggest that you use U.S.P.S. priority mail or a commercial 
overnight delivery service.

ADDRESSES: Submit proposals to the Corporation for National and 
Community Service, Attention: Ms. Cathy Harrison, Room 9704A, 1201 New 
York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20525.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gina Fulbright-Powell or Wade Gatling 
at the Corporation for National and Community Service, (202) 606-5000, 
ext. 414; e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]. The TTY number 
is (202) 565-2799. This Notice is available on the Corporation's Web 
site: http://www.nationalservice.org/whatshot/notices. Upon request, 
this information will be made available in alternate formats for people 
with disabilities.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

I. Background

    The Corporation is a federal government corporation that encourages 
Americans of all ages and backgrounds to engage in national and 
community service to meet the nation's educational, public safety, 
environmental, and other human needs and to achieve direct and 
demonstrable results. In doing so, the Corporation fosters civic 
responsibility, strengthens the ties that bind us together as a people, 
and provides educational opportunity for those who make a substantial 
commitment to service. For more information about the Corporation and 
the activities it supports go to http://www.nationalservice.org.
    On November 8, 2001, President Bush announced that the Corporation 
will support homeland security in the coming year in three major areas: 
public safety, public health, and disaster preparedness and relief. 
Through the award of $10.3 million in grants to 43 private groups and 
public agencies in 26 states and the District of Columbia, the 
Corporation is mobilizing more than 37,000 homeland security volunteers 
across the nation to support these efforts. The President said:

    * * * Many ask, ``What can I do to help in our fight?'' The 
answer is simple. All of us can become a September the 11th 
volunteer by making a commitment to service in our own communities. 
So you can serve your country by tutoring or mentoring a child, 
comforting the afflicted, housing those in need of shelter and a 
home.
    * * * You can participate in your neighborhood watch or 
Crimestoppers. You can become a volunteer in a hospital, emergency 
medical, fire or rescue unit. You can support our troops in the 
field and, just as importantly, support their families here at home 
by becoming active in the USO or groups in communities near our 
military installations.
    * * * We also will encourage service to country by creating new 
opportunities within the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs for 
public safety and public health efforts.

    The Corporation's support for homeland security includes:
    Public Safety. Public safety is one of the four primary service 
activities for AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America. 
Thousands of volunteers serve with police departments and land 
management agencies. The volunteers are not armed and cannot make 
arrests, but they do carry out vital tasks including organizing 
neighborhood watch groups and helping with community policing, victim 
assistance, fingerprinting, and other tasks that free officers and 
other professionals to do front-line work. In five years, AmeriCorps 
has organized 46,000 safety patrols, and last year alone senior 
volunteers carried out 131,000 patrols that freed up 540,000 hours of 
police time.
    Public Health. AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps volunteers 
provide a variety of public health roles including assisting in 
immunizing children and adults, serving as case managers, distributing 
health information, and providing health screenings. Last year, 
AmeriCorps members distributed health information materials to 500,000 
people and provided health screenings to 181,000 individuals, while 
Senior Corps volunteers assisted in assuring that 270,000 children and 
adults were immunized.
    Disaster Preparedness and Relief. AmeriCorps members, including 
National Civilian Community Corps and Senior Corps volunteers, have a 
long record of working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 
other relief agencies in helping communities respond to disasters. 
Learn and Serve America students respond to local disasters as well. 
National and community service participants help run emergency 
shelters, assist law enforcement, provide food and shelter, manage 
donations, assess and repair damage, and help families and communities 
rebuild. Since September 11th , many Corporation-supported volunteers 
have been actively engaged in relief efforts.
    The Corporation is permitting organizations that it funds to 
redirect their activities to support homeland security. The Corporation 
also made homeland security a priority for new grants awarded in fiscal 
year 2002. The training and technical assistance (T/TA) Provider will 
work to assist new grantees and projects with program start-up, and to 
help existing grantees improve services associated with homeland 
security.

II. Conditions

A. Legal Authority

    Section 198 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as 
amended, 42 U.S.C. 12653, authorizes the Corporation to provide, 
directly or through contracts or cooperative agreements, training and 
technical assistance in support of activities under the national 
service laws. Section 125 of that Act and titles I and II of the 
Domestic Volunteer Service Act provide additional authority.

B. Cooperative Agreement

    An award made under this Notice will be in the form of a 
cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements are subject to 
Corporation regulations or general administrative requirements: 45 CFR 
part 2541 (for agreements with State and local government agencies) and 
45 CFR part 2543 (for agreements with institutions of higher education, 
non-profit organizations, and commercial entities). The Provider must 
comply with reporting requirements, including submitting semi-annual 
financial reports and progress reports linking progress on deliverables 
to expenditures.
    Cooperative agreements require substantial involvement on the part 
of the Corporation. Substantial involvement includes frequent and 
regular communication with and monitoring by the Corporation's 
cognizant training officer (COTR). The COTR will confer with the 
Provider on a regular basis to review project status and service 
delivery, including work plans, budgets, periodic reports, materials 
developed, preparation for and implementation of training events, 
targeting of the Provider's services, and assessment of the Provider's 
effectiveness.

C. Time Frame

    The Corporation expects that activities assisted under the 
agreement awarded through this Notice will commence on or about 
December 1, 2002, following the conclusion of the selection and award 
process.
    The Corporation will make an award covering a period not to exceed 
three years. Applications must include a detailed work plan of proposed 
activities and a line-item budget for year one of the agreement, and 
note projected changes to proposed activities for years two and three 
of the award period. If the Corporation approves an application

[[Page 56811]]

and enters into a multiyear award agreement, funding will be provided 
for the first year only. Funding for the second and third years of an 
award period is contingent upon need, quality of service, the nature 
and scope of activities to be supported, and availability of 
appropriations for the purpose of the award. The Corporation has no 
obligation to provide additional funding in subsequent years.

D. Use of Materials

    To ensure that materials generated with Corporation funding for 
training and technical assistance purposes are available to the public 
and readily accessible to grantees and sub-grantees, the Corporation 
reserves a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable right to 
obtain, use, reproduce, publish, or disseminate publications and 
materials produced under the agreement, including data, and to 
authorize others to do so. The Provider must agree to make such 
publications and materials available to the national service field, as 
identified by the Corporation, at no cost or at the cost of 
reproduction. All materials developed for the Corporation must be 
consistent with Corporation editorial and publication guidelines and 
must be accessible to individuals with disabilities to the extent 
required by law.

III. Eligibility

    State and local government entities, non-profit organizations, 
institutions of higher education, Indian tribes, and commercial 
entities are eligible to apply. Pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act 
of 1995, an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S C. 501(c)(4), which engages in lobbying is 
not eligible to apply. Organizations that operate or intend to operate 
Corporation-supported programs are eligible.
    The Corporation anticipates making a single award to support all 
homeland security T/TA activities, and will therefore consider 
proposals from single applicants. However, when prospective applicants 
have expertise in only one or two of the three homeland security areas, 
the Corporation will consider proposals from principal applicants who, 
acting in partnership with other applicants, can provide the required 
services.
    Organizations may apply to provide training and technical 
assistance in partnership with organizations seeking other Corporation 
funds. Based on previous training and technical assistance competitions 
and our estimate of potential applicants, we expect fewer than ten 
applications to be submitted.

IV. Scope of Training and Technical Assistance Requirements

    The provider selected under this Notice will provide training and 
technical assistance services, and develop and disseminate training 
curricula and materials to support Corporation programs and projects 
engaged in homeland security.

A. Training and Technical Assistance Tasks

    The Corporation expects the Provider to accomplish the tasks below:
    a. Identify and maintain a network of geographically dispersed 
expert resource people and organizations around the country and create 
a mechanism for sharing these resources with local programs in need of 
assistance in achieving their homeland security objectives. The 
provider will identify expert resources--organizations and 
individuals--that can work in partnership with local programs and 
projects to build the capacity of staff to achieve their homeland 
security objectives. Among the potential sources of such expertise are 
Citizen Corps Councils, which are the components of the President's USA 
Freedom Corps that create opportunities for volunteers to help their 
communities prepare for and respond to emergencies. Others are the 
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, university-based 
experts, and first-responder volunteer fire departments. Applicants are 
encouraged to demonstrate their familiarity with and connection to such 
entities across the country. The Provider will not train members or 
volunteers, but may develop training materials for members and 
volunteers and local provider organizations. They may train local staff 
on the use of these materials. The Corporation's Web site and the 
services of the National Service Resource Center and National Service 
Learning Clearinghouse will form part of the strategy for sharing 
knowledge about these resources with local programs in need of 
assistance. The Provider will train resource people as needed to ensure 
that they understand the Corporation and its programs. The Provider 
will also gather information from national service grantees regarding 
known resource personnel in areas of homeland security.
    b. Identify characteristics of successful homeland security service 
and volunteer programs, based on research and input from grantees and 
programs in the field, and develop a menu of training and technical 
assistance resources and materials linked to those characteristics and 
designed to support programs in achieving them. To respond to this 
notice, applicants need to demonstrate the capacity to design training 
curricula and materials and make them available to local programs and 
projects through a variety of methods including e-learning, train-the-
trainer models, peer assistance through listservs, and in-person 
training sessions using locally identified resource persons. Training 
and technical assistance materials are usually disseminated through the 
National Service Resource Center and individual providers. The 
Corporation emphasizes developing Web-based materials as opposed to 
printing quantities of hardcopy documents.
    c. Gather and provide critical information to Corporation programs 
and projects engaged in homeland security activities. The Provider will 
identify important literature and other information resources on public 
safety, public health, and disaster preparedness and relief. This might 
include effective practices in community volunteering and service as 
strategies for addressing homeland security issues, and information on 
project planning and member/volunteer development. The information will 
be catalogued and made available to grantees through a variety of 
methods including listservs, online publications, print materials, the 
Corporation's database of effective program practices, the National 
Service Resource Center, and the National Service-Learning 
Clearinghouse.

B. Training and Technical Assistance Requirements

1. Performance Measurement and Accountability
    The Corporation is committed to accountability and the measuring of 
performance for all its grantees, including training and technical 
assistance providers. The Provider must develop effective systems to 
identify the critical outcomes of its work, indicators of its success 
in this work, and how these can be judged or measured. The Corporation 
needs tangible information documenting the effectiveness and outcomes 
of the Provider's work.
    In its proposal, the applicant must demonstrate its understanding 
of accountability in grant-funded programs and its experience in and 
plans for identifying and reporting on the significant outcomes of its 
work with programs. Specific performance measures and reporting 
guidelines will be finalized between the Corporation and the awardee at 
the time of the

[[Page 56812]]

award negotiation, based on the Corporation's FY 2003 Administrative 
Guidance.
    The Provider will develop a plan to assess the impact of its 
services for clients. The assessment must be ongoing and must be used 
to inform program planning. It must also encompass immediate as well as 
long term training impact. The Provider must submit evaluation 
summaries, and records of evaluations must be available for review.
    The Corporation may also require an independent assessment of the 
Provider's performance.
2. Reporting Requirements
    The Provider is responsible for submitting timely progress and 
financial reports to the Corporation during and after the award period 
as follows:
    (a) Semi-annual Progress Reports. Progress reports must be 
submitted semi-annually for each budget period during the cooperative 
agreement. The Provider must submit this information electronically. At 
a minimum, progress reports must provide the information below:
    (1) A comparison of accomplishments with the goals and objectives 
for the reporting period;
    (2) An annotated version of the approved budget that compares 
actual costs with budgeted costs by line item, and explains 
differences. The explanation should include, as appropriate, an 
analysis of cost overruns and high-cost units and a description of 
service requests not anticipated in the Provider's original budget;
    (3) A description of the services provided to include:
    (i) Number of requests received by topic area and program type 
(AmeriCorps, Learn & Serve, Senior Corps);
    (ii) Activity conducted to address each request (e.g., training, 
on-site technical assistance, phone consultation and other electronic 
communication, and materials development and shipment) and mode of 
delivery (e.g., staff member, consultant, peer and/or other Provider);
    (iii) Number of participants at each training and technical 
assistance event;
    (iv) Client feedback on the services rendered (including the 
aggregate evaluation of each training event); and
    (v) Problems encountered in delivering services with 
recommendations for correcting them.
    (vi) List of upcoming activities and events with dates and 
locations;
    (vii) Recommended training and technical assistance focus areas as 
suggested by analyses of service activities and trends;
    (viii) Discussion of developments that hindered, or may hinder, 
compliance with the cooperative agreement;
    (ix) List of materials submitted to the National Service Resource 
Center and National Service-Learning Clearinghouse;
    (x) List of practices and supporting documentation or materials 
submitted to EpiCenter.
    (b) Financial Reports
    Financial reports must be submitted semi-annually and must include 
a summary of expenditures for the period. The reports are cumulative 
and must be submitted on the Financial Status Report (FSR) form SF 
269A.
    (c) Final Reports. (1) Providers completing the final year of their 
agreement must submit, in lieu of the last semi-annual progress report, 
a final progress report that is cumulative over the entire award 
period. The final progress report is due 90 days after the end of the 
agreement.
    (2) Providers completing the final year of their award must submit, 
in lieu of the last semi-annual FSR, a final FSR that is cumulative 
over the entire award period. The final FSR is due 90 days after the 
end of the agreement and must be submitted to the Office of Grants 
Management.
    (d) Other Reports. The Provider must meet as necessary with the 
cognizant training officer or other staff or consultants designated by 
the cognizant training officer to exchange views, ideas, and 
information concerning training and technical assistance. The Provider 
must submit such special reports as may be reasonably requested by the 
Corporation.
3. Accessibility to Persons With Disabilities
    Ensure that all training and technical assistance resources 
including Web sites are accessible to persons with disabilities, as 
required by law, by doing the following:
    (a) Notifying potential participants that reasonable accommodations 
will be provided upon request;
    (b) Providing reasonable accommodations when requested to do so, to 
include sign language interpreters, special assistance, and documents 
in alternate formats;
    (c) Using accessible locations for training events;
    (d) Using accessible technology, captioning videos, avoiding non-
voice-over formats, and when indicating a telephone number, including a 
non-voice telephone alternative such as TTY or e-mail;
4. Other Requirements
    The Provider must:
    (a) Ensure that Provider staff and consultants are fully versed in 
the background, objectives, and approaches of the Corporation and each 
of its programs.
    (b) Participate in the planning and implementation of national 
Provider meetings and training events as requested by the Corporation.
    (c) Collaborate in materials development and training events 
organized by other providers or the Corporation, as requested.
    (d) Share effective practices with other providers through the 
training and technical assistance listserv, the EpiCenter, and other 
mechanisms such as the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse and the 
National Service Resource Center.
    (e) Use technology creatively and effectively as a cost-effective 
strategy for reaching large numbers of grantees, subgrantees, and 
others related to national service programs.

V. Application Guidelines

A. Proposal Content and Submission

    Applicants must submit one unbound, original proposal and two bound 
copies. Proposals may not be submitted by facsimile. Proposals must 
include the following components and should not exceed 50 pages:
1. Cover Page
    The cover page must include the name, address, phone number, fax 
number, e-mail address of the contact person, and World Wide Web site 
URL (if available) of the applicant organization; a 250-500 word 
summary of proposed training and technical assistance activities; and 
the total funding amount requested for the first year.
2. List of Activities and Materials
    A one-to-two page list of all proposed training and technical 
assistance activities and materials.
3. Training and Technical Assistance Delivery Plan
    A bulleted narrative of no more than 20 double-spaced, single-
sided, typed pages in no smaller than 12-point font that includes:
    (a) The applicant's proposed first-year strategy and rationale for 
providing training and technical assistance to national and community 
service programs, with proposed changes (if any) for years two and 
three. The applicant should use the specific deliverables and 
requirements outlined

[[Page 56813]]

in Section IV of this Notice as a starting point for a plan, and should 
present these deliverables in a way that creatively reflects the 
applicant's areas of expertise and knowledge of national service 
audiences. It is not appropriate to simply re-list the tasks stated in 
this Notice.
    (b) Information on proposed needs assessment process.
    (c) A description of each proposed training and technical 
assistance activity, product, or event: type, number, frequency, 
audience, estimated audience size, skill level, and desired learning 
outcomes.
    (d) A detailed one-year work plan and timeline for completing all 
training and technical assistance activities. The work plan will 
include all deliverables and the tasks leading to them.
    (e) A plan for regularly evaluating performance and using findings 
for continuous improvement.
4. Training Course Outline and Description
    A 250-500 word description for one face-to-face training course in 
a content area relevant to the homeland security. The face-to-face 
course should be considered part of a two-day event for 50-75 national 
service program or project directors. Applicant should submit a session 
description that includes desired learning outcomes and an outline of 
session content and the activities that will accomplish the desired 
outcomes.
5. Technology Strategy
    A one-page description of how the applicant proposes to use 
technology to extend the reach of the training and technical assistance 
delivered. Description should include the target audience, proposed use 
of technology, rationale for approach, and concepts and skills to be 
delivered.
6. Organizational Capacity
    (a) A narrative of no more than three double-spaced, single-sided, 
typed pages in no smaller than 12-point font which describes:
    (1) The organization's capacity to provide training and technical 
assistance services nationwide and recent work similar to that being 
proposed;
    (2) The organization's knowledge of and/or experience with national 
service programs;
    (3) Names and contact information of three to five references that 
can comment on the work described above.
    (4) A list of proposed staff with their areas of expertise (Note: 
key staff will be subject to Corporation approval) and resumes of the 
individuals who will be primarily responsible for the proposed 
deliverables with their relevant experience highlighted (up to 10 pages 
of one-sided resumes will be accepted).
    (5) An organizational chart that shows the relationship of the 
training and technical assistance service Provider (including partners, 
if any) to the overall structure of the legal applicant to this Notice.
7. Budget
    A detailed, line-item budget with costs organized by personnel, 
task and sub-task that lead to the deliverables as outlined in the 
proposal narrative and work plan. Costs in proposed budgets must 
consist solely of costs allowable under applicable cost principles 
found in OMB Circulars (OMB Circular A-87 for state and local 
governments, A-121 for non-profit organizations, A-21 for institutions 
of higher education) and in F.A.R. part 31 for commercial entities.
    Applicants should be mindful that a demonstrated commitment to 
providing services in the most cost-effective manner possible will be a 
major consideration in the evaluation of proposals. Provider match is 
not required. The budget should include:
    (a) Proposed staff and expert-consultant hours and pay rates by 
task and sub-task (include daily maximums for consultants);
    (b) Types and quantities of other direct costs being proposed by 
task and subtask (for example, amounts of travel and volume of other 
task-related resources, such as communications, postage, etc.).
8. Budget Narrative
    Provide a budget narrative that corresponds with all items in the 
line-item budget and that includes an explanation of all cost estimates 
that appear in the line-item budget. The narrative should clearly show 
how each cost was derived, using equations to reflect all factors 
considered.

B. Selection Criteria

    To ensure fairness to all applicants, the Corporation reserves the 
right to take remedial action, up to and including disqualification, in 
the event a proposal fails to comply with the requirements related to 
page limits, line spacing, and font size. The Corporation will assess 
applications based on the criteria listed below.
1. Quality (35%)
    The Corporation will consider the quality of the proposed 
activities based on the soundness of the strategy to carry them out; on 
the relevance, effectiveness and creativity of the approach and 
workplan; and on the applicant's demonstrated knowledge of adult 
learning and experience in training adults.
2. Organizational Capacity and Personnel (35%)
    The Corporation will consider the capacity of the applicant to 
deliver the proposed services based on:
    (a) Evidence of the organization's experience and that of its 
proposed staff and consultants in delivering high-quality adult 
training and technical assistance in the category under consideration 
and their experience in using technology as a teaching tool.
    (b) Demonstrated ability to manage a federal grant or apply sound 
fiscal management principles to grants as evidenced by an annotated 
list of the applicant's previous grants experience (include agency, 
time frame, grant size, and subject area).
    (c) Demonstrated ability to provide training and technical 
assistance services nationwide as evidenced by the proposed technology 
plan and staffing and by previous experience.
    (d) Demonstrated ability of staff and consultants to conduct the 
proposed activities as evidenced by their education and similar past 
experiences.
    (e) Demonstrated knowledge of staff and consultants in content 
areas related to this agreement (public safety, public health, and 
disaster preparedness and relief) as well as in training design and 
methodologies.
3. Performance Measurement and Accountability (15%)
    The Corporation will consider how the applicant:
    (a) Proposes to measure the need for and outcomes of their products 
and services.
    (b) Plans to collect data and use assessments to modify and improve 
their products and services.
4. Budget (15%)
    The Corporation will consider the budget based on:
    (a) Cost-effectiveness of the proposed training and technical 
assistance activities in relation to the scope of the services proposed 
(i.e., the number of participants and proposed activities); and
    (b) The clarity and thoroughness of the budget and budget narrative 
(see specifications under ``Budget Narrative'').

[[Page 56814]]

VI. Glossary of Terms

Grantees

    Entities funded directly by the Corporation. These may include: 
state commissions on national and community service, national non-
profit organizations, Indian tribes, and entities in states or U.S. 
Territories that do not have a state commission.

Sub-grantees

    Organizations receiving funds from Grantees of the Corporation.

National Service Resource Center (NSRC)

    The National Service Resource Center (NSRC) serves as a repository 
of information on all aspects of national service. The NSRC manages 
most of the Corporation's listservs and maintains and operates a 
library of print and media materials related to service and a toll-free 
information and referral service. Training and technical assistance 
publications are posted or distributed by the NSRC and its Web site at 
www.etr.org;/nsrc, includes a calendar of training events and links to 
all current providers.

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

    National Service-Learning Clearinghouse serves as the primary 
resource on service-learning for Learn and Serve America grantees in 
higher education, K-12, community-based organizations and tribes, as 
well as the entire service-learning community. Its resources include a 
Web site (http://www.servicelearning.org), a library collection, 
reference and referral, Learn and Serve America project directory, 
listservs, and expert technical support. CFDA No. 94.009 Training and 
Technical Assistance

    Dated: August 29, 2002.
Gretchen Van der Veer,
Director, Office of Leadership Development and Training.
[FR Doc. 02-22562 Filed 9-4-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050-$$-P