[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 78 (Monday, April 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21188-21189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8229]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Extension of Project Period and Waiver for the 
Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers (SCIMS)

AGENCY: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research 
(NIDRR), Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), in 34 CFR 75.250 
and 75.261(c)(2), respectively, that generally prohibit project periods 
exceeding five years and project period extensions involving the 
obligation of additional Federal funds. This extension of project 
period and waiver would enable the current SCIMS (a total of 16), which 
provide assistance to establish innovative projects for the delivery, 
demonstration, and evaluation of comprehensive medical, vocational, and 
other rehabilitation services to meet the wide range of needs of 
individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), to receive additional 
Federal funding from September 1, 2005, until December 1, 2006, a 
period exceeding the original project period of five years.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before May 25, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed extension and 
waiver to Donna Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., room 6030, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20204-
2700. If you prefer to send your comments through the Internet, use the 
following address: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Nangle. Telephone: (202) 245-
7462.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Invitation to Comment

    We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed extension 
of project period and waiver.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about this proposed extension of project period and waiver in 
room 6030, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC, 
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., eastern time, Monday through 
Friday of each week except Federal holidays.

Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking 
Record

    On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or 
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs 
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public 
rulemaking record for this proposed extension of project period and 
waiver. If you want to schedule an appointment for this type of aid, 
please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    NIDRR supports the goals of the President's New Freedom Initiative 
(NFI) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation 
Research Long Range Plan (Plan), which are designed to help improve 
rehabilitation services and outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

    Note: The NFI can be accessed on the Internet at the following 
site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom/.


[[Page 21189]]


    The Plan can be accessed on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/index.html.

Background

    In accordance with the goals of the NFI and the Plan, and as 
authorized under section 204(a)(1) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 
as amended, through NIDRR, the Department provides funding for projects 
to improve services and outcomes for individuals with disabilities. The 
Conference Report accompanying the 2005 Appropriations Act noted that 
NIDRR received additional funding for the SCIMS program and stated that 
the conferees intended that the additional funds should be used to 
support investments that could facilitate multi-center research on 
therapies, interventions, and the use of technology. NIDRR is 
conducting background work to inform the competition and plans to defer 
new awards, formerly scheduled for 2005, until 2006 in order to use the 
background information to guide development of competition priorities, 
allow applicants sufficient time to prepare proposals, and place all 
SCIMS grants on the same funding schedule.
    The grants for 16 SCIMS at University of Alabama/Birmingham, Santa 
Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), Los Amigos Research and Education 
Institute, Inc. (LAREI), Craig Hospital, University of Miami, Shepherd 
Center, Inc., Boston University Medical Center Hospital, University of 
Michigan, University of Missouri/Columbia, Kessler Medical 
Rehabilitation Research and Education Corporation (KMRREC), Mount Sinai 
School of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, University of 
Pittsburgh, The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), 
Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Washington are 
scheduled to expire on various dates between August 31, 2005, and 
November 30, 2005. It would be contrary to the public interest, 
however, to have any lapses in these SCI research activities before the 
new awards are made in FY 2006.
    To avoid any lapse in research and related activities, the 
Secretary is proposing to fund each of these projects for an additional 
12 months. Accordingly, the Secretary proposes to waive the 
requirements in 34 CFR 75.250 and 75.261(c)(2), which prohibit project 
periods exceeding five years and extensions of project periods that 
involve the obligation of additional Federal funds.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Secretary certifies that the proposed extension of the project 
period and waiver would not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. The only entities that would be 
affected are the 16 Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This proposed extension of project period and waiver does not 
contain any information collection requirements.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is not subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.

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/news/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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: April 20, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-8229 Filed 4-22-05; 8:45 am]
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