00-16579. Rehabilitation Services Administration

AGENCY:

Department of Education.

ACTION:

Notice of Proposed Competitive Preference for Fiscal Year 2001 for the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training, and Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program.

SUMMARY:

The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services proposes adding competitive preference points to the competitions for the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training, and Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program for fiscal year 2001. This notice contains proposed language for adding competitive preference points. This notice does not invite applications.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before July 31, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

All comments concerning the addition of competitive preference points should be addressed to Mary C. Lynch, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 3322, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2649.

Comments may also be sent through the Internet: [e-mail]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Lynch. Telephone: (202)

205-8291.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8399. Internet: Mary—[e-mail]

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Invitation to Comment

We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed notice. 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 this proposed notice. 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 this notice in Room 3322, Switzer Building, 330 C Street SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4:30 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 the proposed language. If you want to schedule an appointment for this type of aid, you may call [phone] or [phone]. If you use a TDD, you may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.

This proposed language supports the National Education Goal that calls for every American to possess the skills necessary to compete in a global economy.

Proposed Additional Selection Criterion

The Assistant Secretary will use the selection criteria in 34 CFR 385.31, 386.20 and 389.30 to evaluate applications under this program. The maximum score for all the criteria is 100 points; however, the Assistant Secretary will also use the following criterion so that up to an additional ten points may be earned by an applicant for a total possible score of 110 points.

Within the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training, and Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program, we will give the following competitive preference under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) to applications that are otherwise eligible for funding under this competition.

Up to ten (10) points based on the extent to which an application includes effective strategies for employing and advancing in employment qualified individuals with disabilities in projects awarded under this competition. In determining the effectiveness of those strategies, we will consider the applicant's prior success, as described in the application, in employing and advancing in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.

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 either of the following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/​fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/​news.html

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at either of the preceding sites. If you have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, D.C. area at [phone].

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.

APPLICABLE PROGRAM REGULATIONS: 34 CFR Part 385, 386 and 389.

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 774.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 84.129 and 84.264, the Rehabilitation Long-Term Training, and Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program.)

Dated: June 23, 2000.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.