[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7439-7441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02725]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.101A.]


Proposed Waiver and Extension of the Project Period for the 
Native American Career and Technical Education Program

AGENCY: Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Proposed waiver and extension of the project period.

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SUMMARY: For the Native American Career and Technical Education Program 
(NACTEP), the Secretary

[[Page 7440]]

proposes to: (1) Waive the requirements that generally prohibit project 
period extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds; 
and (2) extend the project periods for current NACTEP grantees for up 
to an additional 24 months. This proposed extension and waiver would 
enable the 31 current NACTEP grantees to request and continue to 
receive Federal funding annually for fiscal year (FY) 2016 and possibly 
through FY 2017.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before March 12, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments regarding this proposed extension and 
waiver to Gwen Washington, Room 11076, or Linda Mayo, Room 11075, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Potomac Center Plaza 
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202-7241.
    If you prefer to send your comments by email, use one of the 
following addresses: [email protected] or [email protected]. You 
must include the term ``Proposed Waiver and Extension for NACTEP'' in 
the subject line of your message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gwen Washington, telephone: (202) 245-
7790, or by email at: [email protected]; or Linda Mayo, telephone: 
(202) 245-7792, or by email at: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Invitation to Comment: We invite you to 
submit comments regarding this proposed waiver and extension of the 
project period.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about this proposed waiver and extension in room 11076 or Room 
11075, PCP, 550 12th Street SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 
8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Washington, DC 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 
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who 
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the 
public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an 
appointment for this type of aid, please contact one of the persons 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Background

    NACTEP, authorized by section 116 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 
Technical Education Act of 2006 (Act), provides grants to improve 
career and technical education programs that benefit Native Americans 
and Alaska Natives. The Act also provides that NACTEP should build on 
the efforts of States and localities to develop challenging academic 
and technical standards and to assist students in meeting such 
standards, including preparation for high-skill, high-wage, or high-
demand occupations in emerging or established professions (20 U.S.C. 
2301(1)). In addition, programs are required to provide technical 
assistance that promotes leadership, initial preparation, and 
professional development and improves the quality of career and 
technical education teachers, faculty, administrators, and counselors 
(20 U.S.C. 2301(5)). NACTEP programs generally support partnerships 
among secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, baccalaureate 
degree-granting institutions, area career and technical education 
schools, local workforce investment boards, business and industry, and 
intermediaries, as well as provide, in conjunction with other education 
and training programs, individuals with opportunities throughout their 
lives to develop the knowledge and skills needed to keep the United 
States competitive (20 U.S.C. 2301(6) and (7)).
    On February 26, 2013, we published in the Federal Register (78 FR 
13030) a notice inviting applications for NACTEP grants (2013 NIA) to 
operate career and technical education programs, as authorized by 
section 116(a) through (g) of the Act (20 U.S.C. 2326(a)-(g)). Although 
the Secretary invited applications with a proposed project period of 
five years in previous NACTEP competitions, in 2013, in anticipation of 
congressional reauthorization of the Act, the Department invited 
applications with proposed project periods of two years. The project 
periods for the 31 NACTEP projects funded under the 2013 NIA are 
scheduled to end in FY 2015. Because there is the potential for changes 
in the authorizing legislation for NACTEP beyond 2015, we do not 
believe it would be in the public interest to hold a new competition in 
FY 2015 for projects that may operate for only one year or to announce 
a competition under which eligible entities would be expected to 
proceed through the application preparation and submission process 
while lacking critical information about the future of the program. 
Further, we do not think that it would be in the public interest to 
have a lapse in the services currently provided by the NACTEP grantees.
    For these reasons, the Secretary proposes to waive the requirements 
of 34 CFR 75.261(a) and (c)(2) that generally prohibit project period 
extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. The 
Secretary also proposes to extend the NACTEP project period for up to 
24 months. The proposed waiver and extension would allow the current 
NACTEP grantees to request and continue to receive Federal funding 
annually for project periods through FY 2016 and possibly through FY 
2017. We intend to fund the extended project period by using funds 
appropriated for FY 2015 or FY 2016, depending on whether the grants 
are extended for one or two years.
    If the waiver of the requirements of 34 CFR 75.261(a) and (c)(2) 
that we propose in this notice is announced by a notice of final waiver 
and extension of the project period published in the Federal Register: 
(1) The requirements applicable to continuation awards for current 
NACTEP grantees set forth in the 2013 NIA and the requirements in 34 
CFR 75.253 would apply to any continuation awards sought by current 
NACTEP grantees; (2) we will make decisions regarding annual 
continuation awards based on grantee program narratives, budgets and 
budget narratives, and performance reports and the requirements in 34 
CFR 75.253; and (3) we will not announce a new grant competition or 
make new awards in FY 2015.
    The proposed waiver and project period extension would not exempt 
the current NACTEP grantees from the appropriation account closing 
provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1552(a), nor would they extend the availability 
of funds previously awarded to current NACTEP grantees. As a result of 
31 U.S.C. 1552(a), appropriations available for a limited period may be 
used for payment of valid obligations for only five years after the 
expiration of their period of availability for Federal obligation. 
After that time, the unexpended balance of those funds is canceled and 
returned to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is unavailable for 
restoration for any purpose (31 U.S.C. 1552(b)).

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Secretary certifies that the proposed waiver and extension and 
the activities required to support additional years of funding would 
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities.

[[Page 7441]]

The entities that would be affected by the proposed waiver and 
extension are the 31 grantees selected based on the 2013 NIA and 
currently receiving Federal funds and any other potential applicants.
    The Secretary certifies that the proposed waiver and extension 
would not have a significant economic impact on these entities because 
the extension of an existing project imposes minimal compliance costs, 
and the activities required to support the additional year of funding 
would not impose additional regulatory burdens or require unnecessary 
Federal supervision.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

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

Intergovernmental Review

    The NACTEP is not subject to Executive Order 12372 and the 
regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to one of the contact persons 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: February 4, 2015.
Johan E. Uvin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 2015-02725 Filed 2-9-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P