FR Doc E6-2586
[Federal Register: February 23, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 36)]
[Notices]
[Page 9329-9330]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23fe06-46]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools--Discretionary Grant
Programs
AGENCY: Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed eligibility requirement.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools
proposes an eligibility requirement for the following discretionary
grant programs administered by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
(OSDFS Discretionary Grant Programs):
Federal Activities (CFDA No. 84.184).
Alcohol Abuse Reduction (CFDA No. 84.184A).
Mentoring Programs (CFDA No. 84.184B).
Student Drug Testing (CFDA No. 84.184D).
Emergency Response and Crisis Management (CFDA No.
84.184E).
Grants to Prevent High Risk Drinking or Violent Behavior
Among College Students (CFDA No. 84.184H).
Safe Schools/Healthy Students (CFDA No. 84.184L).
Prevention Models on College Campuses (CFDA No. 84.184N).
Grants to States to Improve Management of Drug and
Violence Prevention Programs (CFDA No. 84.184R).
Native Hawaiians (CFDA No. 84.186C).
Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (CFDA
No. 84.215E).
Carol M. White Physical Education Program (CFDA No.
84.215F).
Foundations for Learning (CFDA No. 84.215H).
Grants to Integrate Schools and Mental Health Systems
(CFDA No. 84.215M).
Partnerships in Character Education Program (CFDA No.
84.215S/V).
Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education
Exchange (CFDA No. 84.304A).
Life Skills for State and Local Prisoners (CFDA No.
84.255A).
We may use the eligibility requirement for competitions under the
OSDFS Discretionary Grant Programs in fiscal year 2006 and later years.
We take this action to focus Federal financial assistance on identified
national needs. We intend for the eligibility requirement to ensure an
equitable distribution of awards among eligible applicants for grants
under the OSDFS Discretionary Grant Programs.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before March 27, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about the eligibility requirement to
Nicole White, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 3E252, Washington, DC 20202-6450. If you prefer to send your
comments through the Internet, use the following address:
Nicole.White@ed.gov.
You must include the phrase ``Office of Safe and Drug-Free
Schools--Comments on Proposed Eligibility Requirement'' in the subject
line of your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nicole White at (202) 260-1131.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding the proposed eligibility
requirement. We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from the proposed
eligibility requirement. Please let us know of any further
opportunities we should take to reduce potential costs or increase
potential benefits while preserving the effective and efficient
administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about the proposed eligibility requirement, in room 3E328, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and
4 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 aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, 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 the person listed
[[Page 9330]]
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Proposed Eligibility Requirement
Background
The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) administers,
coordinates, and recommends policy for improving the quality and
excellence of programs and activities directed toward drug and violence
prevention in schools. The OSDFS Discretionary Grant Programs are
intended to support this Federal priority by providing initial funding
to develop, implement, or expand drug and violence prevention projects
at the local and State levels. In addition to providing this initial
funding, OSDFS also is committed to promoting sustainability of
projects and activities by encouraging grantees to seek other sources
of funding and support when their project period ends.
In this notice, we are proposing a requirement that, if applied in
a competition under one of the OSDFS Discretionary Grant Programs,
would restrict eligibility to only those applicants that do not have an
active grant under the specific program. By taking into account an
applicant's current Federal funding, we hope to make it possible for
the Department to provide funding for applicants that do not currently
receive Federal assistance and to provide existing grantees with the
incentive to pursue and obtain other funding so that they can continue
their projects beyond the Federal project period. To this end, Federal
resources and capacity-building opportunities would be made available
to a larger pool of applicants.
Note: We will announce the final eligibility requirement in a
notice in the Federal Register. We will determine the final
eligibility requirement after considering responses to this notice
and other information available to the Department. This notice does
not preclude us from proposing or using additional eligibility
requirements subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
In any given year we elect to use the eligibility requirement, we
will announce the eligibility requirement in the Federal Register
notice governing the applicable grant competition.
Proposed Eligibility Requirement for the Office of Safe and Drug-
Free Schools Federal Activities (CFDA No. 84.184); Alcohol Abuse
Reduction (CFDA No. 84.184A); Mentoring Programs (CFDA No. 84.184B);
Student Drug Testing (CFDA No. 84.184D); Emergency Response and Crisis
Management (CFDA No. 84.184E); Grants to Prevent High Risk Drinking or
Violent Behavior Among College Students (CFDA No. 84.184H); Safe
Schools/Healthy Students (CFDA No. 84.184L); Prevention Models on
College Campuses (CFDA No. 84.184N); Grants to States to Improve
Management of Drug and Violence Prevention Programs (CFDA No. 84.184R);
Native Hawaiians (CFDA No. 84.186C); Elementary and Secondary School
Counseling Program (CFDA No. 84.215E); Carol M. White Physical
Education Program (CFDA No. 84.215F); Foundations for Learning (CFDA
No. 84.215H); Grants to Integrate Schools and Mental Health Systems
(CFDA No. 84.215M); Partnerships in Character Education Program (CFDA
No. 84.215S/V); Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education
Exchange (CFDA No. 84.304A); and Life Skills for State and Local
Prisoners (CFDA No. 84.255A) Programs.
Active Grants
Under this proposed requirement, the Secretary limits eligibility
under the discretionary grant program competition to applicants that do
not currently have an active grant under the same discretionary grant
program.
For the purpose of this eligibility requirement, a grant is
considered active until the end of the grant's project or funding
period, including any extensions of those periods that extend the
grantee's authority to obligate funds.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed eligibility requirement has been reviewed
in accordance with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order,
we have assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory
action.
The potential costs associated with this notice of proposed
eligibility requirement are those we have determined as necessary for
administering this program effectively and efficiently. The benefit of
this proposed eligibility requirement is to ensure that limited Federal
financial assistance under the Discretionary Grant Programs is made
available in a manner that is fair and equitable to the greatest number
of applicants.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed eligibility requirement, we
have determined that the benefits of the proposed eligibility
requirement justify the costs.
We have also determined that this regulatory action does not unduly
interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the exercise of
their governmental functions.
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 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 documents of this
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1211-2 (1991), 6715, 7117, 7131,
7139, 7140, 7245, 7247, 7261, 7269, and 7269a.
Dated: February 17, 2006.
Deborah A. Price,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
[FR Doc. E6-2586 Filed 2-22-06; 8:45 am]
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