FR Doc 03-10886
[Federal Register: May 2, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 85)]
[Notices]
[Page 23445-23446]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02my03-37]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
AGENCY: Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of extension of project period and waiver.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary waives the requirements in the Education
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), at 34 CFR 75.250
and 75.261(a), respectively, that generally prohibit project periods
exceeding 5 years and project extensions involving the obligation of
additional Federal funds to enable the Technical Assistance ALLIANCE
for Parent Centers to receive funding from April 1, 2003 until
September 30, 2003.
DATES: This notice is effective April 1, 2003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Fluke, Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3527, Switzer Building, Washington, DC
20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-9161.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact persons listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 30, 2003, we published a notice
in the Federal Register (68 FR 4768-4769) proposing an extension of
project period and waiver in order to--
(1) Give the current grantee early notice of the possibility that
additional months of funding may be available through continuation
awards; and
(2) Request comments on the proposed extension and waiver.
There are no differences between the notice of proposed extension
and waiver and this notice of final extension and waiver.
Public Comment
In the notice of proposed extension and waiver, we invited
comments. One party submitted comments in agreement with the proposal
to extend the grant period of the current grantee. We did not receive
any comments opposing the proposed extension and waiver. Generally, we
do not address technical and other minor changes, as well as suggested
changes the law does not authorize us to make. Moreover, we do not
address comments that do not express views on the substance of the
proposed notice.
Waiver of Delayed Effective Date
The Administrative Procedure Act requires that a substantive rule
shall be published at least 30 days before its effective date, except
as otherwise provided for good cause (20 U.S.C. 553(d)(3)). During the
30-day public
[[Page 23446]]
comment period on this notice, no substantive comments or objections
were received on the proposed extension and waiver, and no substantive
changes have been made. For this reason, and in order to make a timely
continuation grant to the entity affected, the Secretary has determined
that a delayed effective date is not required.
Background
On July 29, 2002, we published in the Federal Register (67 FR
49014-49015) a notice of extension of project period and waiver. In
this notice we announced that the Secretary intends to redesign the
technical assistance component of the Training and Information for
Parents of Children with Disabilities program and provide funding in
fiscal year 2003. The notice of extension of project period and waiver
was issued to enable the current technical assistance provider, the
Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers Project to receive
funding from October 1, 2002 until March 31, 2003. The grant for the
ALLIANCE expired, after a 5-year project period, on September 30, 2002.
Technical assistance is provided on an ongoing basis to parent
centers, and it would be contrary to the public interest to have any
service lapses for the parent centers being served by the current
grantee.
Reasons
We have determined that an additional period of time is needed for
redesigning the technical assistance component. To avoid any lapse in
service for the intended beneficiaries before the redesigned technical
assistance component can be fully implemented, the Secretary will fund
this project until September 30, 2003. The Secretary waives the
requirements in 34 CFR 75.250 and 75.261(c)(2), which prohibit project
periods exceeding 5 years and period extensions that involve the
obligation of additional Federal funds. This waiver gives the affected
grantee notice of the availability of an additional six months of
funding.
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
The Secretary certifies that the extension of project period and
waiver will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities. The only small entity that would be affected
is the PACER Center, Inc., which operates the Technical Assistance
ALLIANCE for Parent Centers project.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This extension and waiver does not contain any information
collection requirements.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to the requirements of 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
proposed Federal financial assistance. This document provides early
notification of our specific plans and actions for this program.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at following site:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: 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 on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.328, Training and
Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities)
Dated: April 29, 2003.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 03-10886 Filed 5-1-03; 8:45 am]
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