June 10, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request approval by the Office of Management and Budget of an information collection associated with wildlife damage management programs.

This action adds to the Procurement List a product and a service to be furnished by nonprofit agencies employing persons who are blind or have other severe disabilities, and deletes from the Procurement List products previously furnished by such agencies.

On September 3, 2003, HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) issued CPD Notice 03-09 entitled, ``Development of State and Local Performance Measurements Systems for Community Planning and Development Formula Grant Programs.'' The notice encouraged CPD formula grantees that receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG), or the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA) assistance to develop and use performance measurement systems. In March 2004, the Council of State Community Development Agencies (COSCDA) convened a meeting with representatives from the National Community Development Association (NCDA), the National Association for County Community Economic Development (NACCED), the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), CPD, HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to discuss the development of a performance measurement system that would be used by CPD formula grantees to gather information and determine the effectiveness of their programs. That meeting resulted in the formation of a working group composed of representatives from those agencies and associations. The working group met at various times from June until November 2004 and developed the appendix entitled, ``Proposed Outcome Performance Measurement System'' which is attached to this notice. This notice solicits comments from the public and particularly from formula program grantees on the proposed performance measurement system.

On February 9, 2005, the Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published an announcement seeking applications for the Assets for Independence Program. The announcement appeared in Volume 70, pages 6879-6888 of the Federal Register. This document announces one additional application due date of July 15, 2005, which is in addition to the three due dates listed in the February 9 standing announcement (March 15, June 15 and November 1). To be considered timely for this additional due date only, applications must be received at the OCS Operations Center by July 15. (For more details, see submission dates and times section below.) This document also announces two informational telephone conference calls concerning the Assets for Independence Program and the process for submitting a grant application. Submission Dates and Times: The new additional closing date for the Assets for Independence Program is July 15, 2005. (This closing date is in addition to three other valid closing datesMarch 15, June 15 and November 1as noted in the current standing announcement.) Applications received after 4:30 p.m. eastern time on the July 15 closing date will be classified as late, and will not be reviewed this cycle. Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting an announced deadline if they are received on or before the due date. Applicants are responsible for ensuring applications are mailed or submitted electronically well in advance of the application due date. Applications hand carried by applicants, applicant couriers, other representatives of the applicant, or by overnight/express mail couriers shall be considered as meeting an announced deadline if they are received on or before the deadline date, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., eastern time, between Monday and Friday (excluding Federal holidays). ACF cannot accommodate transmission of applications by facsimile. Therefore, applications transmitted to ACF by fax will not be accepted regardless of date or time of submission and time of receipt. Receipt acknowledgement for application packages will not be provided to applicants who submit their package via mail, courier services, or by hand delivery. Applicants will receive an electronic acknowledgement for applications that are submitted via Grants.gov. Late Applications: Applications that do not meet the criteria above are considered late applications. ACF shall notify each late applicant that its application will not be considered in the current competition. Any application received after 4:30 p.m. eastern time on the deadline date will not be considered for competition. Applicants using express/overnight mail services should allow two working days prior to the deadline date for receipt of applications. Applicants are cautioned that express/overnight mail services do not always deliver as agreed. Extension of Deadlines: ACF may extend application deadlines when circumstances such as acts of God (floods, hurricanes, etc.) occur, or when there are widespread disruptions of mail service, or in other rare cases. A determination to extend or waive deadline requirements rests with the Chief Grants Management Officer. Other Submission Requirements: Submission by Mail: An applicant must provide an original application with all attachments, signed by an authorized representative and two copies. The application must be received at the address below by 4:30 p.m. eastern time on or before the closing date. Applications should be mailed to: Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services' Operations Center, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22209, Attention: Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Assets for Independence Program. Hand Delivery: An applicant must provide an original application with all attachments signed by an authorized representative and two copies. The application must be received at the address below by 4:30 p.m. eastern time on or before the closing date. Applications that are hand delivered will be accepted between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday. Applications should be delivered to: Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services' Operations Center, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22209; Attention: Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Assets for Independence Program. Electronic Submission: https://www.Grants.gov. Please see Section IV.2 Content and Form of Application Submission of the February 9 announcement, for guidelines and requirements when submitting applications electronically. Informational Conference Calls: The Office of Community Services will host two informational telephone conference calls concerning the Assets for Independence Program and the grant application process on June 20 and 21, 2005 at 2 p.m. until approximately 3 p.m. These calls will be open to all interested individuals. Please call the Office of Community Services on (202) 401-4626 or go to the OCS Asset Building Web site at https://www.acf.hhs.gov to register for a call and for dial- in information. Participants are strongly encouraged to register, as the number of lines is limited. OCS plans to make handout materials available to all individuals who register for either of the informational calls. Announcement Availability: The Assets for Independence Program announcement and all application materials are available at https:// www.Grants.gov. Standard forms and certifications may also be found at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/forms.htm. Finally, the OCS Asset Building Web site at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/assetbuilding provides much information about the Assets for Independence Program and the application process. The page includes links to all required forms as well as to a guidebook for developing an AFI Project and applying for an AFI grant.

This notice is to inform interested parties of a clarification to the Community-Based Abstinence Education Announcement that was published on May 20, 2005. The following clarification must be noted: FYSB recognizes that abstinence education, as it has been so successfully implemented across the country, achieves a very beneficial impact on the development of youth in every aspect. Applicants should note that Community-Based Abstinence Education applications will only be evaluated on the extent to which they satisfy the specific eligibility criteria outlined in Section III. Eligibility and the evaluation criteria outlined in Section V.I Evaluation Criteria, which include an agency's experience and commitment to Abstinence Education as defined by Section 510(b)(2) of Title V of the Social Security Act. Curricula developed or selected for implementation in the Community- Based Abstinence Education grant program must be responsive to the eight elements of the Section 510 abstinence education definition (elements A through H) and may not be inconsistent with any aspect of this definition. For the purposes of this announcement, a Positive Youth Development approach shall mean programs that help young people to abstain from sexual activity until marriage. For further information about this clarification or any aspects thereof related to the Community-Based Abstinence Education program please contact Jeffrey Trimbath, Director, Abstinence Education, Family and Youth Services Bureau at 1-866-796-1591.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations on changes in health benefits enrollment for annuitants or survivor annuitants when a carrier terminates participation in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program. We are amending the regulations to give OPM the authority to enroll annuitants in whichever option of the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BC/BS) Service Benefit Plan it determines will most closely approximate the terminated plan.

The invention described below is owned by an agency of the U.S. Government and is available for licensing in the U.S. in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 207 to achieve expeditious commercialization of results of federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.