[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9936-9938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3886]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Centers for Independent Living Program--Training and Technical 
Assistance

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities.

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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education 
and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) proposes two priorities under the 
Centers for Independent Living (CIL) Program--Training and Technical 
Assistance. The Assistant Secretary may use one or more of these 
priorities for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2007 and in later 
years. We take this action to improve the efficiency, quality of 
evaluation, and outcomes for individuals with significant disabilities 
as a result of the delivery of independent living services of the CILs 
and to improve the performance of Statewide Independent Living Councils 
(SILCs).

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before April 5, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about these proposed priorities to Sean 
Barrett, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 
5042, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. If you prefer to 
send your comments through the Internet, use the following address: 
[email protected].
    You must include the term ``IL T&TA'' in the subject line of your 
electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sean Barrett. Telephone: (202) 245-
7604 or via Internet: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call (866) 889-6737.
    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 these proposed 
priorities. To ensure that your comments have maximum effect in 
developing the notice of final priorities, we urge you to identify 
clearly the specific proposed priority that each comment addresses.
    We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific 
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of 
reducing regulatory burden that might result from these proposed 
priorities. Please let us know of any further opportunities we should 
take to reduce potential costs or increase potential benefits while 
preserving the effective and efficient administration of the program.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about these proposed priorities in Room 5042, 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 these proposed priorities. If you want to 
schedule an appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    We will announce the final priorities in a notice in the Federal 
Register. We will determine the final priorities after considering 
responses to this notice and other information available to the 
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or using 
additional priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking 
requirements.

    Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in 
which we choose to use one or more of these proposed priorities, we 
invite applications through a notice in the Federal Register. When 
inviting applications, we designate each priority as absolute, 
competitive preference, or invitational. The effect of each type of 
priority follows:
    Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority we consider only 
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
    Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference 
priority we give competitive preference to an application by either 
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent 
to which the application meets the competitive preference priority 
(34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets 
the competitive preference priority over an application of 
comparable merit that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
    Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority we are 
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational 
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the 
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over 
other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).


[[Page 9937]]



Training and Technical Assistance Under the CIL Program

    Under the CIL Program, the Department currently funds two training 
and technical assistance grants: one that supports training and 
technical assistance to CILs and SILCs on the issue of service delivery 
to young people with disabilities as they transition from school to 
living independently and one that provides general, comprehensive 
training and technical assistance to both CILs and SILCs.
    The two priorities proposed in this notice would be used for 
competitions in which the Department would make awards to applicants to 
provide general, comprehensive training and technical assistance to 
CILs and to SILCs. Rather than requiring all applicants to demonstrate 
how they will meet the training and technical assistance needs of both 
CILs and SILCs, we believe that it would be a better use of funds to 
establish two separate priorities and award separate grants--one under 
the Centers for Independent Living (CILs) Training and Technical 
Assistance Center priority that would focus on the training and 
technical assistance needs of CILs and one under the Statewide 
Independent Living Councils (SILCs) Training and Technical Assistance 
Center priority that would focus on the training and technical 
assistance needs of SILCs. We believe that this approach would 
encourage applicants to address completely and comprehensively the 
unique training and technical assistance needs of CILs and of SILCs.
    We have determined from our annual survey of CILs and SILCs, and 
from our ongoing monitoring and technical assistance activities, that a 
significant proportion of CILs and SILCs require intensive training and 
technical assistance on the most fundamental organizational and 
operational aspects of program compliance, as well as on issues related 
to improved performance.
    The training and technical assistance needs of CILs and SILCs 
differ widely because their program responsibilities and challenges are 
distinct. We believe that conducting competitions using two separate 
priorities would allow both CILs and SILCs to obtain the intensive, 
specialized assistance they need by focusing applicants on the 
particular training and technical assistance needs of each.
    In addition to the difference in the character of the training and 
technical assistance required by CILs and SILCs, there would be a 
significant difference in the number of CILs and SILCs receiving the 
training under the two priorities. Under the CILs Training and 
Technical Assistance Center priority, a grantee would provide training 
and technical assistance to over 330 CILs across the country and any 
eligible agencies, defined in section 726 of the Rehabilitation Act of 
1973, as amended, who request training and technical assistance. The 
grantee under the SILC Training and Technical Assistance Center 
priority, on the other hand, would serve 56 SILCs. We believe that two 
competitions may encourage a greater number of applicants with varied 
experience in the operation of CILs to apply and permit us to maximize 
the innovative ideas, approaches and organizational strengths offered 
by applicants.

Priorities

Proposed Priority 1--Centers for Independent Living (CILs) Training and 
Technical Assistance Center

Background
    Centers for independent living (CILs) are consumer-controlled, 
community-based, cross-disability, nonresidential private nonprofit 
agencies that are designed and operated within a local community by 
individuals with disabilities and provide an array of independent 
living services, including the core services of information and 
referral, advocacy, peer support, and independent living skills 
building. The training and technical assistance needs of CILs are 
ongoing and evolve as new centers are funded, existing centers expand 
and change, and personnel at existing centers change.
    The training and technical assistance needs of CILs are identified 
through CIL responses to a survey in their annual performance reports 
and through the Department's monitoring and technical assistance 
efforts. These training and technical assistance needs include needs in 
areas that are critical for all CILs as well as needs in areas that are 
center-specific.
Priority
    This priority supports a CILs Training and Technical Assistance 
Center (CILs T&TA Center) to improve the performance of CILs by 
providing training and technical assistance to the CILs on the 
programmatic and financial aspects of their operations, including 
information on effective practices and proven solutions to common 
problems. CILs are distributed across the Nation and vary in size, 
stage of development, service area characteristics, and urgency of need 
for training and technical assistance. Therefore, the training and 
technical assistance provided by the CILs T&TA Center must be sensitive 
to this diversity and must encompass a broad range of topics.
    The CILs T&TA Center must make available to all CILs a broad array 
of resources, training, and technical assistance. In addition, the CILs 
T&TA Center must address the specific needs of CILs by providing those 
CILs that require it with intensive, individualized, on-site training 
and technical assistance that meets their needs. In this regard, the 
CILs T&TA Center must be prepared to respond promptly to the 
Department's identification of particular training and technical 
assistance needs in general and those of particular CILs.
    In coordination with the Department, the CILs T&TA Center must--
    (a) Develop and provide training and technical assistance, based on 
the CILs' annual performance report survey and other available data, on 
topics related to the provision and expansion of independent living 
(IL) services (primarily the IL core services), fiscal and management 
practices, compliance with CIL standards and assurances, increased 
program efficiency, rigorous evaluation, and improved outcomes as 
measured by long-term goals and indicators;
    (b) Develop and implement a plan to ensure that training and 
technical assistance efforts will reach all federally funded CILs and 
other eligible agencies;
    (c) Refer CILs and eligible agencies to non-IL specific training 
and technical assistance available through government or non-government 
resources;
    (d) Utilize a broad range of available, accessible technologies and 
methodologies to provide training and technical assistance to CILs and 
eligible agencies in the most effective and cost efficient manner;
    (e) Provide focused, intensive and rapid training and technical 
assistance to CILs identified by the Department as needing, or to CILs 
requesting, such assistance;
    (f) Identify and develop accessible training and technical 
assistance materials and disseminate these materials to CILs and 
eligible agencies; and
    (g) Coordinate and collaborate with other training projects funded 
by the Department to ensure that training activities are complementary 
and non-duplicative and that dissemination activities are effective and 
efficient. At a minimum, the CILs T&TA Center must coordinate with any 
SILC Training and Technical Assistance Center funded under the 
Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs) Training and Technical 
Assistance Center priority.

[[Page 9938]]

Proposed Priority 2--Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs) 
Training and Technical Assistance Center

Background
    States are required to establish a Statewide Independent Living 
Council (SILC) in order to receive Federal funding to support and 
coordinate independent living (IL) services in the State. A SILC's 
duties include jointly developing and signing the State Plan for 
Independent Living (SPIL) with the designated State unit; monitoring, 
reviewing, and evaluating the implementation of the SPIL; and 
coordinating activities with the State Rehabilitation Council and other 
councils addressing the needs of specific disability populations and 
issues under other Federal law. A majority of a SILC's members are 
individuals with disabilities who are not employed by a CIL or a State 
agency; other members include centers for independent living (CIL) 
representatives, State agency representatives, and other appropriate 
individuals.
    SILC members are appointed on a rotating basis, serve in a 
volunteer capacity, often maintain other employment, and have widely 
varying experiences with disability programs. In addition, SILCs 
typically experience a significant amount of membership turnover. The 
training and technical assistance needs of SILCs are identified through 
SILC responses to a survey in their annual performance reports and 
through the Department's monitoring and technical assistance efforts. 
These training and technical assistance needs include needs in areas 
that are critical for all SILCs as well as needs in areas that are SILC 
specific.
Priority
    This priority supports a SILCs Training and Technical Assistance 
Center (SILCs T&TA Center) to improve the performance of SILCs through 
greater access to timely and relevant training and technical assistance 
regarding SILC duties and operation.
    In coordination with the Department, the SILCs T&TA Center must--
    (a) Develop and provide training and technical assistance, based on 
the SILCs' annual performance report survey and other available data, 
on topics directly related to SILC legal responsibilities, including 
SILC organization and operation and the development of the SPIL;
    (b) Develop and implement a plan to provide to all SILCs the 
training and technical assistance identified in paragraph (a) of this 
priority;
    (c) Refer SILCs to non-IL specific training and technical 
assistance available through government or non-government resources;
    (d) Utilize a broad range of available, accessible technologies and 
methodologies to provide training and technical assistance to SILCs in 
the most effective and cost efficient manner;
    (e) Identify and develop accessible training and technical 
assistance materials and disseminate these materials to the SILCs;
    (f) Provide technical assistance to SILCs to enhance SILC 
partnerships with State vocational rehabilitation agencies, CILs, and 
other organizations, with a focus on sharing successful operational 
experiences of other SILCs;
    (g) Coordinate and collaborate with other training projects funded 
by the Department to ensure that training activities are complementary 
and non-duplicative and dissemination activities are effective and 
efficient. At a minimum, the SILCs T&TA Center must coordinate with any 
CILs Training and Technical Assistance Center funded under the Centers 
for Independent Living (CILs) Training and Technical Assistance Center 
priority.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice of proposed priorities has been reviewed in accordance 
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have 
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
    The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed 
priorities are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we 
have determined as necessary for administering this program effectively 
and efficiently.
    In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative 
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed priorities, we have 
determined that the benefits of the proposed priorities justify the 
costs.
    We have also determined that this regulatory action does not unduly 
interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the exercise of 
their governmental functions.

Summary of Potential Costs and Benefits

    Because the Department is proposing two priorities that may be used 
in two competitions, rather than one, the potential for increased 
application costs exists for an applicant that chooses to apply for 
both grants under both priorities. However, both priorities share the 
same overall objective--improved performance in the CIL program--and 
applications under both priorities would likely include common 
elements. This may minimize any increased costs associated with the two 
priorities.
    For an applicant that chooses to apply for only one grant, the two-
priority approach would have the potential of reducing the application 
costs. The Department believes that the potential benefits to the CIL 
program from a more focused, specialized approach to training and 
technical assistance for CILs and SILCs would outweigh any possible 
increase in associated application costs.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the 
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive 
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened 
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State 
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance.
    This document provides early notification of our specific plans and 
actions for this program.
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 366.

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.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.132B, Independent 
Living Program--Training and Technical Assistance Center)

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 796f(b).

    Dated: February 28, 2007.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
 [FR Doc. E7-3886 Filed 3-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P