[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 74 (Friday, April 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21264-21265]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08853]


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LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION


Notice of Proposed Revisions for the LSC Grant Assurances for 
Calendar Year 2016 Funding

AGENCY: Legal Services Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of proposed changes and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Legal Services Corporation (``LSC'') intends to revise the 
LSC Grant Assurances for calendar year 2016 funding and is soliciting 
public comment on the proposed changes. The proposed revisions affect 
Grant Assurances 2, 14, 16, and 17. In addition, LSC is proposing one 
new Grant Assurance, which requires LSC recipients to have a 
whistleblower protection policy and a conflicts of interest policy. The 
proposed LSC grant assurances for calendar year 2016 funding, in 
redline format indicating the proposed changes to the current ``LSC 
2015 Grant Assurances,'' are available at http://grants.lsc.gov/sites/default/files/Grants/ReferenceMaterials/2016-GrantAssurances-Proposed.pdf.

[[Page 21265]]


DATES: All comments and recommendations must be received on or before 
the close of business on May 18, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Agency Web site: http://www.lsc.gov/contact-us. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on the Web site.
     Email: [email protected].
     Fax: (202) 337-6813.
     Mail: Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20007.
    Instructions: All comments should be addressed to Reginald J. 
Haley, Office of Program Performance, Legal Services Corporation. 
Include ``2016 LSC Grant Assurances'' as the heading or subject line 
for all comments submitted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Reginald J. Haley, [email protected], 
(202) 295-1545.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the LSC grant assurances is 
to delineate the rights and responsibilities of LSC and the recipient 
pursuant to the provisions of the grant. As a grant-making agency 
created by Congress, LSC has grant assurances that are intended to 
reiterate and/or clarify the responsibilities and obligations already 
applicable through existing law and regulations and/or obligate the 
recipient to comply with specific additional requirements in order to 
effectuate the purposes of the Legal Services Corporation Act, as 
amended, and other applicable law. A summary of the proposed changes 
follows.
    Grant Assurance-2 notifies LSC recipients that they are subject to 
all provisions of Federal law relating to the proper use of Federal 
funds; of recipients' responsibility to inform their employees and 
board members of the laws governing Federal funding; and of the 
consequences of violating the laws as required by 45 CFR part 1640. The 
proposed change refers recipients to a list of Federal laws related to 
the proper use of Federal funds, and notifies recipients that a 
violation of any of the Federal laws listed could result in summary 
termination of the LSC grant. LSC proposes this change to conform the 
2016 Grant Assurances with the revisions to 45 CFR part 1640, which 
will become effective on or around May 18, 2015.
    Grant Assurance-13 is new. It requires LSC recipients to: (a) Have 
a whistleblower policy and a conflicts of interest policy, (b) 
distribute these policies to all parties who may be affected by them, 
(c) provide training on these policies to staff and board members, and 
(d) document its distribution of and training on the policies. The 
purpose of the proposed grant assurance is to promote program 
governance and oversight.
    Grant Assurance-14 prohibits recipients from taking or threatening 
to take disciplinary action against any person for cooperating with, or 
the appropriate release of information to LSC. It also requires 
grantees to notify its staff and volunteers that it will not take 
retaliatory actions for any appropriate cooperation with LSC or other 
entity authorized to receive such cooperation. The proposed change 
makes a stronger anti-retaliation statement. It notifies recipients 
that retaliatory action is prohibited for good faith cooperation with 
LSC or other authorized entity.
    Grant Assurance-16 requires LSC recipients to notify LSC of any 
crime, fraud, misappropriation, embezzlement, or theft or loss of $200 
or more or theft involving property regardless of whether the funds or 
property are recovered; when local, state, or Federal law enforcement 
officials are contacted by the program about a crime; or when it has 
been the victim of a theft that could lead to a loss of $200 or more. 
The proposed change to the grant assurance further clarifies that 
recipients must notify the OIG within two business days about an 
actual, perceived, or reported crime.
    Grant Assurance-17 requires recipients to notify LSC when the 
recipient receives any notice of a claim for attorney's fees from the 
recipient; any monetary judgment, sanction, and any penalty entered 
against the recipient; a force majeure event; or if any of the 
recipient's key officials is charged with fraud, misappropriation, 
embezzlement, theft, or any similar offense, or is subjected to 
suspension, loss of license, or other disciplinary action by a bar or 
other professional licensing organization. The proposed change to the 
grant assurance specifies that in addition to recipient's key 
officials, employees with fiscal responsibilities who are charged with 
a similar offense, or are subjected to suspension, loss of license, or 
other disciplinary action must also be reported to LSC, and that 
recipients are to notify LSC of an occurrence within 10 days.

    Dated: April 14, 2015.
Stefanie K. Davis,
Assistant General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2015-08853 Filed 4-16-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7050-01-P