TOC | Contacts | Guide Home

2011 Financial Guide

Chapters:

< previous | next >

Application Process

Certifications

Jump to Section:
Debarment and Suspension Certification
Drug-Free Workplace Certification
Lobbying Certification

OJP requires most award applicants to verify certain conditions and behaviors before it will recommend the applicant for award. In order to comply with the certification requirements provided in the common rules for lobbying, drug-free workplaces, and suspension and debarment, applicants must complete and submit OJP Form 4061/6 [PDF - 17 Kb] entitled “Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements.”

Debarment and Suspension Certification

Suspension and debarment are terms used to describe a federal agency’s decision to limit or prohibit and individual or organization from receiving federal funds, usually due to that individual’s or organization’s commission of certain criminal offenses or misuse of federal funds. Such procedures help the Federal government to conduct business only with responsible persons.

This certification must be completed and submitted to OJP’s program offices during the application review process.
The Government-wide common rule for debarment and suspension, codified in Title 28 CFR Part 67 [PDF - 96 Kb] (DOJ specific provisions), and in Title 2 CFR Part 180 [PDF - 328 Kb] (government-wide provisions), sets out the guidance that Federal agencies use to implement debarment and suspension procedures.
Debarment or suspension of a participant in a program by one agency has a Government-wide effect.
Debarment and suspension guidelines help the Federal Government to adhere to its policy of only conducting business with responsible persons.

Responsibilities for prospective block/formula recipients:

If you are applying for this type of award, then you are not required to submit this certification.
However, you are responsible for monitoring subrecipient submissions of the OJP Form 4061/1, “Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion—Lower Tier Covered Transactions (Sub-Recipient),” and for maintaining these submissions at the State level.

Responsibilities for individuals or corporations with critical influence or high levels of control over the prospective award:

If you fall into this category, then you must complete OJP Form 4061/1 (or a similar form).
You will be responsible for monitoring the submission and maintaining the official subrecipient certifications.
Subrecipients are not required to complete certification if their subaward is less than $100,000.

[ back to top ]

Drug-Free Workplace Certification

All applicants must meet the requirements in Title 28 CFR Part 83 [PDF - 156 Kb] in order to receive Federal funds. Title 28 CFR Part 83 [PDF - 156 Kb] implements the statutory requirements of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.

If you are applying for a Federal award, then you must certify that you will maintain a drug-free workplace. If you make a false certification, then you could be suspended, terminated, debarred, or prosecuted. All applicants are required to certify, regardless of award amount.

Additional requirements:

Direct recipients of Federal discretionary awards must certify that they will comply with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.
For State agencies that administer block/formula awards:
The State agency must submit this certification to verify it meets the requirements of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.
In addition, the State agency must obtain certification from each subrecipient that is also a State agency. If the subrecipient is not a State agency, the subrecipient is not required to submit the certification.
Applicants with more than one prospective award:
A certification is required for each award.
However, there is one exception: A State and/or State agency may submit a single annual certification to each awarding agency rather than one for each award.

There is a certification for individuals and one for organizations:

If you are an individual, you must certify that you will not engage in the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of a controlled substance in conducting any activity with the award.
If you are an organization, you must certify you will provide a drug-free workplace by doing the following things:
Publish a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in your workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken against employees for violation of such prohibition.
Establish a drug-free awareness program to make employees aware of:
The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace;
Your policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace;
Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation, and employee assistance programs; and
The penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations occurring in the workplace.
Require that each employee engaged in the performance of the award be given a copy of the employer’s statement about drugs in the workplace.
Notify the employee that, as a condition of employment under the award, he or she must:
Abide by the terms of the statement; and
Notify the employer of any criminal drug statute conviction for a violation occurring in the workplace not later than 5 days after such conviction.
Notify the awarding agency within 10 days after receiving notice from an employee or otherwise receiving actual notice of such conviction.
Take one of the following actions, within 30 days of receiving notice, with respect to any employee who is so convicted:
Take appropriate personnel action against such an employee, up to and including termination; or
Require the employee to participate satisfactorily in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program approved for such purposes by a Federal, State, or local health, law enforcement, or other appropriate agency.

[ back to top ]

Lobbying Certification

You must complete this certification before OJP will recommend you for an award. You can find guidance on lobbying certification and restrictions in Title 28 CFR Part 69 [PDF - 404 Kb]. These restrictions on lobbying apply to all recipients and subrecipients. This requirement is only for awards made exceeding $100,000, as described in detail below.

There are additional restrictions on lobbying included in the following:

In addition to the restrictions above, you are required to adhere to restrictions on lobbying included in 31 U.S.C. 1352. These restrictions include the following:

If you have a Federal award, cooperative agreement, or contract, you cannot use Federal funds to pay a person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a member of Congress in connection with any of the following covered Federal actions:
The awarding of any Federal contract;
The making of any Federal grant;
The entering into of any cooperative agreement;
The extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any Federal contract, grant, or cooperative agreement.
If you have an initial Federal award, contract, or cooperative agreement of more than $100,000, you must submit a Lobbying Certification to OJP or the awarding agency to attest that:
You have not made and will not make any payment for a lobbying activity;
If you have used or will use non-Federal funds to pay anyone for lobbying activities, then you will submit a Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form;
The information from this certification will be included in your award documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subcontracts, subawards and contracts under awards, and cooperative agreements), and all of your subrecipients must provide certification and disclosure;
You will submit the disclosure form to OJP or the awarding agency;
You or your subrecipient is responsible for reporting lobbying activities of your/its employees if the employee’s tenure is less than 130 working days within 1 year immediately preceding the date of your or your subrecipient’s application or proposal submission; and
If you are a subrecipient who requests or receives Federal funds exceeding $100,000 you will submit a certification and a disclosure form to your awarding agency.

All certifications will be maintained by the awarding agency and all disclosure forms will be forwarded from tier to tier until received by OJP.

The disclosure form must contain the following information:

Name and address of reporting entity;
Federal program name;
Federal award number;
Federal award amount;
Name and address of lobbying registrant.

If an event occurs that requires disclosure or materially affects the accuracy of the information contained in any disclosure form previously filed, then you must file a disclosure form at the end of each quarter. We provide examples of such events below:

A cumulative increase of $25,000 or more in the amount paid or expected to be paid for influencing or attempting to influence a covered Federal action.
A change in the person(s) or individual(s) influencing or attempting to influence a covered Federal action.
A change in the officer(s), employee(s), or member(s) contacted to influence or attempt to influence a covered Federal action.

Penalties and enforcement of lobbying restrictions will be as follows:

If you make an expenditure prohibited by the new restrictions on lobbying you will be subject to a civil penalty of $10,000 to $100,000 for each expenditure.
If you fail to file or amend the disclosure form as required, you will be subject to a civil penalty of $10,000 to $100,000 for each such failure.

See Chapter 18: Unallowable Costs for cost restrictions relating to lobbying.

[ back to top ]