[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 26, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 65012-65014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25634]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

45 CFR Part 1302

[Docket No.: HHS-ACF-2019-0006]
RIN 0970-AC78


Head Start Program

AGENCY: Office of Head Start (OHS), Administration for Children and 
Families (ACF), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTIONS:  Final rule; delay compliance date and request for 
information.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Head Start will further delay the compliance 
date for programs to meet the new comprehensive background checks 
requirements and to participate in their state or local Quality Rating 
and Improvement Systems (QRIS). We are delaying the compliance date for 
these standards, based on concerns states still will not have systems 
developed that can accommodate Head Start programs by the current 
compliance date. Head Start programs are still encouraged to conduct 
comprehensive background checks where state systems support Head Start 
requests and are required to meet the background check requirements in 
section 648A of the Head Start Act that requires them to obtain a 
State, tribal, or Federal criminal record check for all staff members 
prior to employment. The Office of Head Start also requests comments on 
the issues set out in this final rule.

DATES: The date for programs to comply with background checks 
procedures as described in 45 CFR 1302.90(b) and to participate in QRIS 
as described in 45 CFR 1302.53(b)(2), delayed September 28, 2017 (82 FR 
45205) and September 26, 2018 (83 FR 48558), is further delayed until 
September 30, 2021. Comments are due December 26, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, identified by HHS-ACF-2019-0006 and/
or RIN 0970-AC78, by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow instructions for sending comments. We prefer to receive comments 
via this method.
     Mail: Office of Head Start, Attention: Colleen Rathgeb, 
Director, Division of Planning, Oversight and Policy, 330 C Street SW, 
Washington, DC 20024.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include our agency name 
and the docket number or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) for this 
notice. All comments will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. We 
accept anonymous comments. If you wish to remain anonymous, enter ``N/
A'' in the required fields.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colleen Rathgeb, Office of Head Start, 
Planning, Oversight, and Policy Division Director, (202) 358-3263, 
[email protected]. Deaf and hearing impaired individuals may call 
the Federal Dual Party Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. 
and 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Head Start programs must comply with background check requirements 
and participate in their States' QRIS by September 30, 2019. We have 
already delayed the compliance date for background check requirements, 
through documents published in the Federal Register on September 28, 
2017 (82 FR 45205) and on September 26, 2018 (83 FR 48558). We issued 
the first notice to align our compliance date for background checks 
with the background check requirements deadline in the Child Care 
Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014, Public Law 113-186. We 
issued the second notice to accommodate and reduce burden on

[[Page 65013]]

States that received waivers to comply with CCDBG requirements.
    We took that approach because States that receive CCDBG funds are 
required to establish systems that implement the same set of 
comprehensive background checks for all child care teachers and staff. 
These systems will enable Head Start programs to meet the more 
comprehensive background checks requirements in the final rule at 45 
CFR XIII subpart B. We also extended the compliance date for programs 
to participate in QRIS in those notices to allow States more time to 
develop systems that could allow Head Start programs to participate. We 
are still concerned programs will not be able to implement fully either 
of these requirements by September 30, 2019, without unintended 
regulatory and administrative burdens. While States and Head Start 
programs are making significant progress in implementing the new 
requirements, very few States are fully compliant with the CCDBG Act 
requirements. In order for Head Start programs to comply with the 
comprehensive background check requirement in the Head Start 
regulations at 45 CFR 1302.90(b), it is necessary for the State 
background check systems to be operational.

Background Check Procedures in the Regulation

    Our standards at 45 CFR 1302.90(b) require that, before a person is 
hired at a Head Start facility, programs must conduct comprehensive 
background checks on such prospective employees that consist of (1) a 
sex offender registry check, (2) State or tribal criminal history 
records check (including fingerprint check), and Federal Bureau of 
Investigation criminal history records check (including fingerprint 
check), and (3) a child abuse and neglect State registry check, if 
available. We also require programs to conduct comprehensive background 
checks for each employee at least once every five years.
    The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 (Act) 
sets forth standard background checks requirements for Head Start 
programs. We added more comprehensive background check requirements in 
the Head Start Program Performance Standards final rule by adding 
fingerprint checks and other components, which align with background 
check requirements in the CCDBG. To date, only two States have 
developed systems that fully meet CCDBG background check requirements. 
We understand that States may request time-limited waivers, in one year 
increments (i.e., potentially through September 30, 2020), to design 
systems that can accommodate these background check requests. Nearly 
two-thirds of States have met critical milestones in complying with 
CCDBG Act background check requirements, but these States need this 
additional time to fully comply.
    Therefore, we will extend the compliance date for 45 CFR 1302.90(b) 
to September 30, 2021. If we do not delay the compliance date for 
comprehensive background checks, Head Start programs, States, tribes, 
territories, and State and local law enforcement agencies would 
experience unintended burden. Many States are experiencing serious 
backlog in completing child care background check requests already in 
the queue and Head Start background check requests would add to this 
backlog. If expanded Head Start background checks went into effect 
before State systems were fully operational, many programs would not be 
able to complete all of the necessary components to comply with the 
regulation. This would likely result in programs leaving vacancies 
unfilled, not be able to provide adequate staffing for classrooms and 
other critical functions, and children going unserved.
    Until all Head Start programs have systems in place that fully 
comply with 45 CFR 1302.90(b), we require them to continue to adhere to 
the criminal record check requirements in section 648A of the Head 
Start Act, as amended by the Improving Head Start for School Readiness 
Act of 2007, Public Law 110-134, which states Head Start agencies must 
``obtain--(A) a State, tribal, or Federal criminal record check 
covering all jurisdictions where the grantee provides Head Start 
services to children; (B) a State, tribal, or Federal criminal record 
check as required by the law of the jurisdiction where the grantee 
provides Head Start services; or (C) a criminal record check as 
otherwise required by Federal law.''

QRIS Requirement in the Regulation

    We require programs that meet certain conditions, except for 
American Indian and Alaska Native programs, to participate in State or 
local QRIS, as prescribed at 45 CFR 1302.53(b)(2). A QRIS is a 
systematic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of 
quality in early and school-age care and education programs within a 
state or locality. The criteria Head Start programs must meet to enter 
the QRIS and maintain participation vary greatly by State. We recognize 
some Head Start programs were already participating in their State and 
local quality improvement efforts before we introduced this standard in 
the regulation. Now that we have included this standard in the 
regulation, we understand programs have taken steps to participate in 
QRIS and that many States are assessing their QRIS with new Head Start 
QRIS participation policies. However, programs and States need 
additional time to align these systems. We want to minimize any 
unintended burden on States that choose to adapt their systems to allow 
Head Start programs to participate in QRIS, as well as alleviate 
programs' concerns about meeting the current compliance date. To avoid 
duplication efforts between Head Start and QRIS monitoring systems, as 
well as to eliminate undue burden on Head Start programs and States as 
they work to align these systems, we will delay the compliance date for 
this standard until September 30, 2021.

Request for Information

    We are seeking comment from the public to gain more information 
about the problems Head Start programs are encountering as they attempt 
to come into compliance with the comprehensive background checks. 
Specifically, we invite the public to share with us:
    1. How feasible is it for programs and other stakeholders to 
conduct comprehensive background checks by September 30, 2021?
    2. What obstacles are programs facing today as they attempt to 
comply with these performance standards?
    3. What steps, if any, can ACF take to help programs and other 
stakeholders comply with these performance standards by September 30 
2021?

Conclusion

    We ordinarily publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the 
Federal Register to provide a period for public comment before the 
provisions of a rule take effect in accordance with section 553(b) of 
the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553(b)). However, we 
can waive this notice and comment procedure if the Secretary finds, for 
good cause, that the notice and comment process is impracticable, 
unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest, and incorporates a 
statement of the finding and the reasons therefore in the notice.
    The Secretary finds good cause to waive public comment under 
section 553(b) of the APA because it is unnecessary and contrary to the 
public interest to provide for public comment in this instance.
    State, localities, and Head Start grantees will likely be subjected 
to

[[Page 65014]]

undue and unnecessary administrative burdens as they expend time trying 
to find ways to implement these standards without support from local 
and State law enforcement agencies and without QRIS systems that can 
accommodate Head Start programs. A period for public comment would only 
extend programs' concerns as they attempt to meet these standards by 
the compliance dates. Head Start programs are still required to comply 
with statutory background check requirements in the Improving Head 
Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, Public Law 110-134, until they 
can develop systems that will enable them to conduct complete 
background checks with fingerprints. Therefore, if we delay compliance 
dates, we will pose no harm or burden to programs or the public. 
Moreover, programs that already have systems in place to meet 
background check standards at 45 CFR 1302.90(b) and to participate in 
their States' QRIS at 45 CFR 1302.53(b)(2) may voluntarily come into 
compliance by the current compliance date. However, programs that do 
not have systems in place will have until September 30, 2021, the new 
compliance date, to comply.

    Dated: October 8, 2019.
Lynn A. Johnson,
Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.

    Approved: November 19, 2019.
 Alex M. Azar II,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-25634 Filed 11-25-19; 8:45 am]
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