[Federal Register: May 12, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 92)]
[Notices]               
[Page 26974-26975]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12my08-24]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Notice of Proposed Waivers for the Rehabilitation Training--
Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program (RCEP)

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.250 and 75.261(a) and (c)(2) of the Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), respectively, that generally 
prohibit project periods exceeding five years and project period 
extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. These 
waivers would enable seven current RCEP grantees to provide continuing 
education to employees of vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and 
their partners and to continue to receive some additional Federal 
funding from July 1, 2008 until September 30, 2008.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before May 27, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about these proposed waivers to 
Christine Marschall, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave, 
SW., room 5053, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. If you 
prefer to send your comments through the Internet, use the following 
address: Christine.Marschall@ed.gov. 
    You must include the term ``RCEP Waivers'' in the subject line of 
your electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Marschall. Telephone: (202) 
245-7429 or via Internet: Christine.Marschall@ed.gov. 
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can 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 this notice of proposed 
waivers.
    During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public 
comments about this notice of proposed waivers in room 5053, Potomac 
Center Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the hours 
of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern 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 proposed priority. If you want to schedule 
an appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Supplementary Information

    The RCEPs provide continuing education to employees of State VR 
agencies and their partners, as well as other rehabilitation services 
agencies. The Rehabilitation Services

[[Page 26975]]

Administration (RSA) in the Department's Office of Special Education 
and Rehabilitative Services is in the process of redesigning the RCEPs 
to create and support 10 regional Technical Assistance and Continuing 
Education (TACE) centers. (For more information on the proposed TACE 
centers, see the notice of proposed priority that the Department 
published in the Federal Register on January 29, 2008 (73 FR 5179).) 
The Department intends to make awards for the TACE centers so that 
grant activities can begin by October 1, 2008.
    The waivers proposed in this notice are intended to ensure that 
services provided by the current RCEP grantees are provided to the 
extent possible through October 1, 2008, the anticipated date that the 
TACE centers will commence their project activities. The project 
periods for the following current RCEP grantees end on June 30, 2008: 
(1) State University of New York at Buffalo, (2) George Washington 
University, (3) the University of Arkansas, (4) the University of 
Missouri-Columbia, (5) the University of Northern Colorado, (6) San 
Diego State University, and (7) Western Washington University. Because 
it would be contrary to the public interest to have a lapse in 
continuing education activities before grants for RSA's new TACE 
projects are awarded and implemented, the Secretary proposes to provide 
some additional funding to the seven RCEP grantees referenced in this 
paragraph to allow them to continue operating until September 30, 2008. 
In order to do so, the Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in 
34 CFR 75.250 and 75.261(a) and (c)(2), which generally prohibit 
project periods exceeding five years and extensions of project periods 
that involve the obligation of additional Federal funds.

    Note: RSA does not plan to continue funding any other RCEPs with 
the exception of three RCEP grantees currently in the fourth year of 
their grant (Assumption College, the University of Tennessee, and 
Georgia State University) with budget periods ending on June 30, 
2008. For these three RCEP grantees, the Secretary plans to extend 
their current budget period and provide some additional funding to 
support continuing education activities until September 30, 2008.

    We will announce the final waivers, if any, in a notice in the 
Federal Register. We will determine the final waivers after considering 
responses to this notice and other information available to the 
Department.

Proposed Waivers--Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program

    The Secretary proposes, as necessary, to waive the requirements in 
34 CFR 75.250 and 75.261(a) and (c)(2), which prohibit project periods 
exceeding five years and extensions of project periods that involve the 
obligation of additional Federal funds, for current RCEP grantees in 
the fifth year of their grants.
    Under these waivers, the seven RCEP grantees that have grants 
ending on June 30, 2008 would be eligible for additional funding, as 
available, to allow them to continue their activities through September 
30, 2008.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Secretary certifies that the proposed waivers would not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This extension and notice of waivers would not contain any 
information collection requirements.
    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 Department of 
Education documents 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/index.html.
    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.


(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.264A, 
Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program)

    Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772.

    Dated: May 7, 2008.
William R. Knudsen,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. E8-10518 Filed 5-9-08; 8:45 am]

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