[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-5229]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: March 8, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
20 CFR Part 626
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training
20 CFR Part 1005
Job Training Partnership Act: Veterans' Employment Programs Under
Title IV, Part C; Removal of Regulations
AGENCY: The Employment and Training Administration and the Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training, Labor.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
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SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration and the Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training (OASVET)
propose to remove regulations for Veterans' Employment Programs
authorized under title IV, part C, of the Job Training Partnership Act.
Removal of the regulations is proposed because of the reduced number of
states applying for state formula allocated monies, and the need to
improve the delivery of services. Upon removal as proposed, a more
competitive process will be established to increase effectiveness and
the efficiency of the program.
DATES: Written comments must be received no later than April 7, 1994.
Draft copies of the proposed rule were provided to States at an earlier
date.
ADDRESSES: Comments shall be addressed to the Assistant Secretary for
Veterans' Employment and Training, U.S. Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; Attention: Mr. Hary P.
Puente-Duany, Office of Veterans' Employment, Reemployment and
Training, room S-1316.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Hary P. Puente-Duany at (202) 219-9110 (this is not a toll-free
number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)
establishes programs to prepare youth and adults facing serious
barriers to employment for participation in the labor force by
providing job training and other services that will result in increased
employment and earnings, increased educational and occupational skills,
and decreased welfare dependency, thereby improving the quality of the
United States work force and enhancing the productivity and
competitiveness of the Nation. General program requirements for JTPA
programs are set forth at JTPA section 141.
Pursuant to title IV, part C, of JTPA, the Secretary of Labor
conducts programs to meet the employment and training needs of service-
connected disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam era, and veterans
who are recently separated from military service. These programs are
described at JTPA section 441. The programs are administered through
the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training,
who conducts the programs through grants, contracts, and cooperative
agreements with public agencies and private non-profit organizations.
The Department of Labor (DOL) issued regulations at 20 CFR part
1005 to more specifically define the manner in which the funds from
this program would be disbursed. See 54 FR 39354 (September 26, 1989);
and 48 FR 49198 (October 24, 1983). Program administration will be
greatly enhanced as the result of the elimination of these regulations
by increasing competition and lowering administration costs through
larger grant amounts.
Part 1005 identifies the process used to provide grant funds to
states for Federal training programs for veterans. At the conclusion of
this rulemaking, it is anticipated that for Program Year 1994 (July 1,
1994, through June 30, 1995), a Solicitation for Grant Applications
(SGA) will be developed and disseminated, in lieu of regulations for
the title IV-C programs. The present formula-based annual grants will
be replaced by multi-year competitive grants. This will result in fewer
grants of greater dollar value, and will enable recipients of the
grants to extend expanded service(s) to eligible veterans. Eligibility
for grant application will be based on the statute and the Solicitation
for Grant Applications.
Since the inception of Veterans' Employment Programs, the funding
available for distribution to the States has decreased, thus making the
``formula grants to States'' process less efficient and less effective,
compared to other JTPA titles and similar programs. In Program Year
1992, only 38 States participated in the JTPA title IV-C program. Many
smaller States elected not to participate rather than receiving the
minimum allocation of $55,000. By having larger competitive grants,
services can be targeted to those eligible veterans in the ``most
needed'' areas. Greater customer satisfaction is expected to be
realized.
Immediate results will manifest themselves in the form of:
Eliminated regulations; larger, but fewer grants; replacement of the
``old'' SGA process with SGA's that can be renewed, modified or changed
as deemed necessary and drawn to incorporate by reference the essential
parts and requirements of the JTPA and the Departmental JTPA
regulations. See, e.g., 20 CFR parts 627 and 636; and 29 CFR parts 96-
98. It will be possible for JTPA title IV-C programs to be created to
better enhance and complement other JTPA programs that do not focus on
veterans' services, while continuing efforts to improve the targeting
of employment and training services to eligible veterans who face
serious barriers to employment. Larger multi-year grants will allow for
enhancement of the quality of services provided and the outcomes
attained by strengthening program activity through increased efficiency
in the management of grants, improving the linkages between services
provided and local labor market needs, and ensuring the provision of a
coherent system of outcome-oriented human resource services through
changes in the direction and focus of the Veterans' Employment Programs
to eligible veterans.
It is important to complete all tasks necessary to remove the
present JTPA title IV-C regulations to have appropriate authority and
flexibility to announce and issue an SGA for program year 1994, in the
manner detailed above.
This rulemaking supersedes that portion of the rulemaking announced
at 56 FR 5124 (February 7, 1991) that related to JTPA title IV-C
programs. In the comment period on that proposed rule (February 7
through April 8, 1991) no substantive comments were received with
respect to the proposals related to JTPA title IV-C regulations.
Proposed Rule
Accordingly, it is proposed that title 20, Code of Federal
Regulations, be amended as follows:
CHAPTER V--EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
PART 626--INTRODUCTION TO THE REGULATIONS UNDER THE JOB TRAINING
PARTNERSHIP ACT
1. The authority citation for part 626 continues as follows:
Authority: 29 U.S.C. 1579(a); Sec. 6305f), Public Law 100-418,
102 Stat. 1107; 29 U.S.C. 179i(e).
Sec. 626.2 [Amended]
2. Section 626.2 is amended by removing from paragraph (a) the
phrase ``, with the exception of the veterans' employment program's
chapter IX regulations of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Veterans' Employment and Training, which are set forth as part 1005 of
title 20''.
Sec. 626.3 [Amended]
3. Section 626.3 is amended by removing from paragraph (a) the
phrase ``and part 1005 of chapter IX (Veterans' employment programs
under title IV, part C of the Job Training Partnership Act)''.
Sec. 626.4 [Amended]
4. Section 626.4 is amended:
a. By removing from the introductory text the citation ``and
1005''; and
b. By removing from the consolidated table of contents the entry
for part 1005 of chapter IX.
CHAPTER IX--OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT
AND TRAINING, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
PART 1005--VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS UNDER TITLE IV, PART C OF
THE JOB TRAINING PARTNERSHIP ACT (REMOVED)
5. Part 1005 of Chapter IX is removed.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 2nd day of March, 1994.
Douglas Ross,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training.
Preston M. Taylor, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training.
[FR Doc. 94-5229 Filed 3-7-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-79-M
