[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 74 (Monday, April 20, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 17909-17910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9123]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 74 / Monday, April 20, 2009 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 17909]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

7 CFR Chapter XXXIV


Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders on the 1890 Institution 
Capacity Building Grants Program

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, 
USDA.

ACTION: Request for stakeholder input.

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SUMMARY: The 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program is 
authorized under section 1417(b)(4) of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended 
(NARETPA) (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(4)) and pursuant to the annual 
appropriations made specifically for the 1890 Institution Capacity 
Building Grants Program. Section 7107 of the Food, Conservation, and 
Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA) (Pub. L. 110-246) amended section 1417(b)(4) 
of NARETPA to add extension to the 1890 Institution Capacity Building 
Grants Program. By this notice, the Cooperative State Research, 
Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) is soliciting public comment 
and stakeholder input from interested parties regarding the future 
design and implementation of this program, particularly the addition of 
extension to this program.

DATES: All written comments must be received by May 20, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by CSREES-2009-0007, 
through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    Fax: (202) 720-3398.
    Mail: Paper, disk or CD-ROM submissions should be submitted to 
Science and Education Resources Development (SERD) Unit; Cooperative 
State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of 
Agriculture; Mail Stop 2250; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington, 
DC 20250-2250.
    Hand Delivery/Courier: Ali Mohamed; Science and Education Resources 
Development SERD Unit; Cooperative State Research, Education, and 
Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room 3101; 
Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Title, 
``1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program'' and CSREES-2009-
0007. All comments received will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ali Mohamed, (202) 720-5229 (phone), 
(202) 720-3398 (fax), or [email protected], or Tim Grosser, (202) 
690-0402 (phone), (202) 720-3398 (fax), or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background and Summary

Purpose

    CSREES has existing regulations for this program at 7 CFR part 
3406, 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program, which were 
finalized on July 22, 1997 [62 FR 39329-39349]. Since then, CSREES 
published an interim regulation for competitive and noncompetitive non-
formula Federal assistance programs (7 CFR part 3430) on August 1, 2008 
[73 FR 44897-44909]. That interim regulation consolidates, 
standardizes, and streamlines the Federal assistance processes for all 
CSREES competitive and noncompetitive non-formula Federal assistance 
programs, except the Small Business Innovation Research Grants Program 
with implementing regulations at 7 CFR part 3403 and the Veterinary 
Medicine Loan Repayment Program with implementing regulations under 
development. The interim rule furthers the streamlining and 
standardization efforts of the Federal Financial Assistance Management 
Improvement Act of 1999, Public law 106-107 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note), 
which sunset in November 2007, and is in accordance with the efforts of 
CSREES and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to streamline and 
simplify the entire Federal assistance process while meeting the ever-
increasing accountability and transparency standards.
    As stated in the preamble to the August 1, 2008, regulatory notice, 
CSREES organized the regulation as follows: Subparts A through E 
provide administrative provisions for all competitive and 
noncompetitive non-formula Federal assistance awards. Subparts F and 
thereafter apply to specific CSREES programs. CSREES is, to the extent 
practical, using the following subpart template for each program 
authority: (1) Applicability of regulations; (2) purpose; (3) 
definitions (those in addition to or different from Sec.  3430.2); (4) 
eligibility; (5) project types and priorities; (6) funding 
restrictions; and (7) matching requirements. Subparts F and thereafter 
will contain the seven components in this order, to the extent 
practical. Additional sections may be added for a specific program if 
there are additional requirements or a need for additional rules for 
the program (e.g., additional reporting requirements). In the preamble, 
CSREES also states that it plans to review the existing program-
specific regulations, promulgate a separate subpart under 7 CFR part 
3430 for the Federal assistance program regulations, and when 
appropriate, cancel the existing program-specific regulation. 
Accordingly, CSREES is proposing to add subpart L to 7 CFR part 3430 
for the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program and is 
soliciting stakeholder comment in the development of the subpart for 
this program.
    Section 7107 of the FCEA amended section 1417(b)(4) of NARETPA to 
add extension to the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program. 
With the FCEA amendment, CSREES is now authorized to award grants to 
build teaching, research, and extension capacity in the food and 
agricultural sciences at the 1890 Institutions eligible to receive 
funds under the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.). To 
develop the FY 2009 Request for Applications (RFA) for this program and 
the associated implementing regulation, CSREES will consider 
stakeholder input received pursuant to this notice. In addition to the 
future design and implementation of the program, CSREES is soliciting 
comments on how funds should be allocated among research, teaching, 
extension, and for projects

[[Page 17910]]

combining two or more of these areas (e.g., research and extension).

Purpose of the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program

    The 1890 Capacity Building Grants Program is intended to fund 
projects that build teaching, research, and extension capacity in the 
food and agricultural sciences at colleges and universities having 
significant minority enrollments, and pursuant to annual appropriations 
made available specifically by Congress for the 1890 Institutions. The 
program is designed to build the institutional teaching, research, and 
extension capacities of the eligible institutions through cooperative 
programs with Federal and non-Federal entities. The program is designed 
to achieve three major goals:
    (1) To advance cultural diversity of the food and agricultural 
scientific and professional work force by attracting and educating more 
students from underrepresented groups;
    (2) To strengthen linkages among the 1890 Institutions, other 
colleges and universities, USDA, and private industry; and
    (3) To enhance the quality of teaching, research, and extension 
programs at the 1890 Institutions to more readily establish them as 
full partners in the U.S. food and agricultural sciences higher 
education system.

Implementation Plans

    In developing the FY 2009 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants 
Program RFA and the program-specific administrative regulations for 
this program as subpart L to 7 CFR part 3430, Competitive and 
Noncompetitive Non-Formula Federal Assistance Programs--General Award 
Administrative Provisions, CSREES plans to consider all stakeholder 
input and the written comments received in response to this notice. 
CSREES anticipates releasing the FY 2009 RFA by May 31, 2009.

    Done at Washington, DC, this 16th day of April 2009.
Colien Hefferan,
Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension 
Service.
[FR Doc. E9-9123 Filed 4-17-09; 8:45 am]
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