[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 182 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 76734-76735]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21277]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

34 CFR Chapter VI

[Docket ID ED-2024-OPE-0098]


Final Waiver and Extension of the Project Period for the 
Postsecondary Programs for Students With Intellectual Disabilities--
National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center (PPSID-NTAD) 
Program

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Final waiver and extension of the project period.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) waives the 
requirements in the Education Department General Administrative 
Regulations that generally prohibit project period extensions involving 
the obligation of additional Federal funds. The final waiver and 
extension is intended to enable one project under Assistance Listing 
Number 84.407C to receive funding for an additional period, not to 
exceed September 30, 2025.

DATES: This final waiver and extension of the project period is 
effective September 19, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shedita Alston, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 5C-131, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202)453-7090. Email: [email protected].
    If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and 
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We published a proposed waiver and extension 
in the Federal Register on August 7, 2024 (89 FR 64399) to extend the 
project period for the current PPSID-NTAD Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 grantee 
from September 30, 2024 to September 30, 2025, in order to align and 
coordinate the funding cycle of the PPSID-NTAD program with TPSID and 
the TPSID-Coordinating Center (TPSID-CC) program grants authorized 
under title VII, part D, subpart 2 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 
as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1140f et seq.), and title VII, part D, 
subpart 4 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1140q), respectively. There are no 
differences between the proposed waiver and extension and this final 
waiver and extension.
    Public Comment: In response to our invitation in the notice of 
proposed waiver and extension, 18 parties submitted comments on the 
waiver and extension. Generally, we do not address technical and other 
minor changes, or suggested changes that the law does not authorize us 
to make under applicable statutory authority. In addition, we do not 
address general comments that raised concerns not directly related to 
the proposed waiver and extension.
    Analysis of Comments and Changes: An analysis of the comments and 
of any changes since publication of the proposed waiver and extension 
follows.

General Comments

    Comments: Eighteen commenters supported the waiver and extension.
    Discussion: We appreciate the support of the waiver and extension.
    Changes: None.

Final Waiver and Extension

    We are extending the project period for the PPSID-NTAD FY 2021 
grantee in order to align and coordinate the funding cycle of the 
PPSID-NTAD program with the TPSID-CC program grant authorized under 
title VII, part D, subpart 2 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1140f et seq.), and title VII, part D, subpart 
4 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1140q), respectively. Aligning the ends of the 
project periods across grants allows the Department to better 
coordinate the TPSID program. While the technical assistance center and 
the coordinating center have different audiences for the dissemination 
of their research, aligning the funding for the grantees who are doing 
this work will improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the 
technical assistance and dissemination efforts, and will help ensure 
that both the TPSID grantees and other institutions that benefit from 
the research receive aligned supports from the centers.

[[Page 76735]]

    For this reason, the Secretary is waiving the requirements in 34 
CFR 75.261(a) and (c)(2), which allow the extension of a project period 
only if the extension does not involve the obligation of additional 
Federal funds. The waiver allows the Department to issue a one-time FY 
2024 continuation award to the current PPSID-NTAD program grantee 
estimated as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Institution                    State              Award
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University of Massachusetts at     MA                         $1,543,686
 Boston.
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    Any activities carried out during the year of this continuation 
award must be consistent with the scope, goals, and objectives of the 
grantee's application as approved in the FY 2021 competition.
    Additionally, 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(1) contains an exception to the 
requirement in 5 U.S.C. 553(d) that requires publication or service of 
a substantive rule shall be made not less than 30 days before its 
effective date for a substantive rule which grants or recognizes an 
exemption or relieves a restriction. Accordingly, the Department has 
elected to make this final Waiver and Extension effective on September 
19, 2024.
    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 Federal financial assistance.
    This document provides early notification of our specific plans and 
actions for this program.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Secretary certifies that the final waiver and extension of the 
project period would not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities. The only small entities that will 
be affected by the final waiver and extension of the project period is 
the current grantee and any other potential applicants.
    The Secretary certifies that the final waiver and extension will 
not have a significant economic impact on these entities because the 
extension of an existing project period would impose minimal compliance 
costs to extend the existing project, 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 final waiver and extension does not contain any information 
collection requirements.
    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will 
provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich 
Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, 
braille, large print, audiotape, compact disc, or other accessible 
format.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this 
document, as well as all other Department documents published in the 
Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site.
    You may also access Department documents 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.

Nasser Paydar,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2024-21277 Filed 9-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P