[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 143 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44188-44189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19014]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.235P]


Special Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstrations To Improve 
the Literacy and Employment Outcomes of Individuals With Disabilities; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2003

    Purpose of Program: Special Demonstration Programs support projects 
that expand and improve the provision of rehabilitation and other 
services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 
(Act), or further the purposes of the Act in empowering individuals 
with disabilities to maximize employment, economic self-sufficiency, 
independence, and inclusion and integration into society. This 
competition focuses attention on the adult literacy needs of 
individuals with learning disabilities pursuing employment under the 
State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program. We intend that 
projects funded under these priorities will demonstrate that certain 
specific literacy services may raise the literacy levels and earnings 
of individuals with disabilities compared to individuals who receive 
the usual vocational rehabilitation (VR) services.
    Eligible Applicants: State VR agencies.
    Applications Available: July 28, 2003.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 27, 2003.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 26, 2003.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,600,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 8. Eight projects will be funded in 
total. Four projects will be funded under each of the two reading 
curricula described in the Background section of the notice of proposed 
priorities published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.


    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. It is suggested that you 
limit Part III to 35 pages.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 97, and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR 
part 373.

Priorities

Model Demonstrations To Improve the Literacy and Employment Outcomes of 
Individuals With Disabilities

    It is the policy of the Department of Education not to solicit 
applications before the publication of final priorities. However, in 
this case it is essential to solicit applications on the basis of the 
notice of proposed priorities published elsewhere in this issue of the 
Federal Register, because the Department's authority to obligate these 
funds will expire on September 30, 2003. Applicants should base their 
applications on the proposed priorities. If changes are made in the 
final notice in response to public comments or other considerations, 
applicants will be given an opportunity to revise or resubmit their 
applications.
    For FY 2003, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.

Invitational Priority

    The invitational priority in the notice of proposed priorities 
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register also applies 
to this competition.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets 
the invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over 
other applications.

Application Procedures

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In FY 2003, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to 
expand its pilot project for electronic submission of applications to 
include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary 
grant competitions. The Special Demonstration Programs--CFDA number 
84.235P is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you 
are an applicant under the Special Demonstration Programs, you may 
submit your application to us in either electronic or paper format.

[[Page 44189]]

    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application). Users of e-Application will be 
entering data on-line while completing their applications. You may not 
e-mail a soft copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in 
this voluntary pilot project by submitting an application 
electronically, the data you enter on-line will be saved into a 
database. We request your participation in e-Application. We shall 
continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for 
improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
    [sbull] Your participation is voluntary.
    [sbull] You will not receive any additional point value because you 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format. When you enter the e-
Application system, you will find information about its hours of 
operation.
    [sbull] You may submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
    [sbull] After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
    [sbull] Within 3 working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following 
these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form.
    3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
    4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 
260-1349.
    [sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    [sbull] Closing Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability: If 
you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot for the Special 
Demonstration Programs and you are prevented from submitting your 
application on the closing date because the e-Application system is 
unavailable, we will grant you an extension of 1 business day in order 
to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by hand 
delivery. For us to grant this extension--
    1. You must be a registered user of e-Application, and have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system must be unavailable for 60 minutes 
or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system must be unavailable for any period of 
time during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the deadline date.
    The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of 
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this 
extension you must contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in 
this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or (2) the e-GRANTS 
help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Special 
Demonstration Programs at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included additional information about the e-Application 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic 
Applications) in the application package.
    For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), 
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-
7827. FAX (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.
    Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.235P.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format by contacting the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 205-8207. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an 
alternative format the standard forms included in the application 
package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan-Marie Marsh, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3316, Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-2650. Telephone: (202) 358-2796, or via Internet: 
[email protected].
    If you use a TDD, you may call FIRS at 1-800-877-8339. Individuals 
with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format 
(e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request 
to the program contact person listed in the preceding paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 773(b).

    Dated: July 22, 2003.
Loretta Petty Chittum,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 03-19014 Filed 7-24-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P