[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 134 (Thursday, July 14, 2005)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 40870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13705]



[[Page 40869]]

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Part III





Department of Labor





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Employment and Training Administration



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20 CFR Part 646



Indian and Native American Welfare-to-Work Program; Final Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 134 / Thursday, July 14, 2005 / Rules 
and Regulations  

[[Page 40870]]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

20 CFR Part 646

RIN 1205-AB16


Indian and Native American Welfare-to-Work Program

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the 
Department of Labor (DOL) is removing the regulations at 20 CFR part 
646 which govern the Indian and Native American Welfare-to-Work (INA 
WtW) Program authorized under the Social Security Act. Authorization 
for this program has expired, and all grants were required to be closed 
out by December 31, 2004, at the latest. Therefore, the Department has 
no need for these INA WtW regulations, and this action is undertaken to 
reduce the Federal regulatory burden and eliminate unneeded rules from 
the Code of Federal Regulations.

DATES: Effective July 14, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Athena R. Brown, Chief, Division of 
Indian and Native American Programs (DINAP), at 202-693-3737 (this is 
not a toll-free number).
    Copies of this Final Rule are available in the following formats: 
Hard copy, or electronic file, either through e-mail or on computer 
disk. Copies may be obtained at the above office.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ETA is removing the regulations at 20 CFR 
part 646 which govern the INA WtW Program authorized under the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301, et seq.).
    On August 5, 1997, the President signed the Balanced Budget Act of 
1997 (Pub. L. 105-33). This legislation amended provisions of the 
Social Security Act relating to the Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families program (TANF) and authorized the Secretary of Labor to 
provide WtW grants to States and local communities, including certain 
Federally-recognized tribes and Alaska Native entities, to assist hard-
to-employ TANF welfare recipients in moving into unsubsidized jobs and 
achieving economic self-sufficiency. Accordingly, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 
612(a)(3)(C)(iii), the Department of Labor promulgated the regulations 
found at 20 part CFR 646, which were published as an interim final rule 
in the Federal Register (63 FR 15986) on April 1, 1998. The funds 
distributed through the WtW grant program assisted states and tribes, 
including those operating their own TANF programs, to meet their 
welfare reform objectives by providing additional resources targeting 
hard-to-employ welfare recipients residing in high poverty areas within 
the state or the tribe's service area.
    The Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001 (Pub. L. 106-
554) authorized the Department to extend all Welfare-to Work grants, 
including the INA WtW grants, for an additional two years beyond the 
three-year expenditure period authorized under the initial legislation. 
However, that extension period expired as of September 30, 2004, for 
those grants issued in Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 (the extension period for 
the FY 1998 INA WtW grants expired as of September 30, 2003). Because 
most of the FY 1998 INA WtW grants have already been closed out, and 
because the FY 1999 INA WtW grants were required to be closed out by 
December 31, 2004, the Department has no need for these INA WtW 
regulations. Therefore, this action is undertaken to reduce the Federal 
regulatory burden and eliminate unneeded rules from the Code of Federal 
Regulations.

Effective Date and Waiver of Public Comment

    This document removes obsolete regulations from the Code of Federal 
Regulations. Removal of the regulations does not establish or affect 
substantive policy. Therefore, the Department of Labor has determined, 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B) and (d), that good cause exists to 
waive the delay of the effective date of this rule and that public 
comment is unnecessary and contrary to the public interest.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance at No. 17-254, ``Welfare-to-Work Grants to Federally-
Recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives.''

List of Subjects in 20 CFR Part 646

    Indians, Grant programs, Labor, Employment or training programs, 
Welfare reform.

0
Accordingly, under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 612(a)(3)(C)(iii), the 
Secretary amends 20 CFR chapter V by removing part 646.

PART 646--[REMOVED AND RESERVED]

0
1. Remove and reserve part 646.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 7th day of July, 2005.
Emily Stover DeRocco,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-13705 Filed 7-13-05; 8:45 am]
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