State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program; State Supported Employment Services Program; Limitations on Use of Subminimum Wage, 22661 [2015-09318]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 78 (Thursday, April 23, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 22661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09318]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

34 CFR Parts 361, 363, and 397

[Docket ID ED-2015-OSERS-0001]


State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program; State Supported 
Employment Services Program; Limitations on Use of Subminimum Wage

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

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces plans to hold two public meetings to 
seek comments about the proposed regulatory changes contained in a 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that was published in the Federal 
Register on April 16, 2015, which would implement statutory changes to 
the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services and the State Supported 
Employment Services programs, as well as provisions governing 
Limitations on the Use of Subminimum Wage that fall under the 
Secretary's purview. The statutory changes made by the Workforce 
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which amended the Rehabilitation 
Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), form the basis for this NPRM. In 
addition, the Secretary proposes to update, clarify, and improve the 
current regulations.

DATES: The meetings will take place on April 30, 2015, and May 20, 
2015.

ADDRESSES: We will hold two public meetings about the NPRM:
    1. April 30, 2015, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT, Washington-Lyndon 
Baines Johnson (LBJ), U.S. Department of Education Building, 400 
Maryland Ave. SW., Barnard Auditorium, Washington, DC 20202.
    2. May 20, 2015, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PDT, Sacramento--California 
Department of Rehabilitation, 721 Capitol Mall, Room 242, Sacramento, 
CA 95814.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janet LaBreck, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 5086, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7488 or by email: 
Janet.LaBreck@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) (Pub. L. 113-
128), signed into law on July 22, 2014, made significant changes to the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act). As a result, in the 
separate NPRM (80 FR 21059, April 16, 2015), the Secretary proposes to 
amend parts 361 and 363 of title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR). These parts, respectively, implement the:
     State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services program; and
     State Supported Employment Services program.
    In addition, WIOA added section 511 to title V of the Act. Section 
511 limits the payment of subminimum wages to individuals with 
disabilities by employers holding special wage certificates under the 
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Although the Department of Labor 
administers the FLSA, some requirements of section 511 fall under the 
purview of the Department of Education. Therefore, the Secretary 
proposes to add a new part 397 to title 34 of the CFR to implement 
those particular provisions.
    The proposed changes are further described under the Summary of 
Proposed Changes and Significant Proposed Regulations sections of the 
separate NPRM related to 34 CFR parts 361, 363, and 397.
    Announcement of Public Meetings: The Office of Special Education 
and Rehabilitative Services will hold two public meetings during April 
and May of 2015. The meetings will provide the public with the 
opportunity to present public comments on only the separate NPRM 
amending 34 CFR parts 361, 363, and 397, which is the NPRM associated 
with Docket ID ED-2015-OSERS-0001. It is likely that each participant 
will be limited to five minutes. Speakers may also submit written 
comments at the public meetings. In addition, the Department will 
accept written comments through www.regulations.gov, as explained in 
the separate NPRM. This notice provides specific information about 
dates, locations, and times of these meetings in the ADDRESSES section.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities may obtain this 
document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities at the Public Meetings: 
The meeting sites are accessible to individuals with disabilities, and 
sign language interpreters will be available. If you will need an 
accommodation or auxiliary aid other than a sign language interpreter 
in order to participate in the meeting (e.g., other interpreting 
service such as oral, cued speech, or tactile interpreter; assistive 
listening device; or materials in accessible format), please contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT at least two 
weeks before the scheduled meeting date. Although we will attempt to 
meet a request we receive after this date, we may not be able to make 
available the requested accommodation or auxiliary aid because of 
insufficient time to arrange it.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature of this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: April 13, 2015.
Sue Swenson,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2015-09318 Filed 4-22-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P