Proposed Priority-Rehabilitation Training: Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, 30011-30015 [2015-12510]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 26, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 30011-30015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12510]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

34 CFR Chapter III

[Docket ID ED-2015-OSERS-0035]


Proposed Priority--Rehabilitation Training: Institute on 
Rehabilitation Issues

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

ACTION: Proposed priority.

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[CFDA Number: 84.264C.]

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority to establish a topical 
Institute on Rehabilitation Issues (IRI). The Assistant Secretary may 
use this priority for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2015 and later 
years. We take this action to provide training and technical assistance 
(TA) to improve the capacity of State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) 
agencies and their partners to equip individuals with disabilities with 
the skills and competencies necessary to help them obtain competitive 
integrated employment.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before June 25, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal 
or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. We will not 
accept comments submitted by fax or by email or those submitted after 
the comment period. To ensure that we do not receive duplicate copies, 
please submit your comments only once. In addition, please include the 
Docket ID at the top of your comments.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to 
submit your comments electronically. Information on using 
Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents, 
submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site 
under ``Are you new to the site?''
     Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, or Hand Delivery:
    If you mail or deliver your comments about these proposed 
regulations, address them to Kristen Rhinehart-Fernandez, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5027, Potomac 
Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2800.

    Privacy Note:  The Department's policy is to make all comments 
received from members of the public available for public viewing in 
their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
www.regulations.gov. Therefore, commenters should be careful to 
include in their comments only information that they wish to make 
publicly available.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Rhinehart-Fernandez. 
Telephone: (202) 245-6103 or by email: Kristen.Rhinehart@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:
    Invitation to Comment: We invite you to submit comments regarding 
this notice. To ensure that your comments have maximum effect in 
developing the notice of final priority, we urge you to identify 
clearly the specific section of the proposed priority that each comment 
addresses.
    We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific 
requirements of Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 and their overall 
requirement of reducing regulatory burden that might result from this 
proposed priority. Please let us know of any further ways we could 
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 these proposed regulations by accessing Regulations.gov. 
You may also inspect the comments in person in Room 5042, 550 12th 
Street SW., PCP, Washington, DC 20202-2800, between the hours of 8:30 
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, Monday through Friday of each 
week except Federal holidays. Please contact the person listed under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record: On request we will provide an appropriate 
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who 
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the 
public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an 
appointment for this type of accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Purpose of Program: Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 
amended (the Rehabilitation Act), the Rehabilitation Services 
Administration (RSA) makes grants to States and public or nonprofit 
agencies and organizations (including institutions of higher education) 
to support projects that provide training, traineeships, and TA 
designed to increase the numbers of, and improve the skills of, 
qualified personnel (especially rehabilitation counselors) who are 
trained to: Provide vocational, medical, social, and psychological 
rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities; assist 
individuals with communication and related disorders; and provide other 
services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act.

    Program Authority:  29 U.S.C. 772(a)(1).

    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 385.
    Proposed Priority: This notice contains one proposed priority.
    Institute on Rehabilitation Issues.
    Background: For more than 55 years, the Institute on Rehabilitation 
Issues (IRI) has been a national forum for discussing the important 
challenges facing the State VR Services Program. The IRI has also 
developed publications for use in training and TA for VR counselors, 
consumers, administrators, and other partners in the VR process. IRI 
publications have provided a unique perspective on emerging issues and 
promising practices in VR and are widely used by counselors and 
supervisors, human resource development (HRD) specialists, community-
based rehabilitation service providers, administrators, researchers, 
and education and policy analysts (The George Washington University and 
University of Arkansas CURRENTS, 2015).
    The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) places 
a greater emphasis on incorporating job-driven training approaches into 
the VR service delivery system and on increasing employment outcomes 
for individuals with disabilities. One of these approaches includes 
working with employers to create on-the-job training opportunities that 
are responsive to the needs of employers and that provide individuals 
with skills that they need to obtain competitive integrated

[[Page 30012]]

employment (Biden, 2014). An IRI that concentrates on the topic of on-
the-job training activities for individuals with disabilities, such as 
paid internships, pre-apprenticeships, and registered apprenticeships, 
is both timely and critical for assisting State VR agencies in 
successfully incorporating job-driven training approaches.
    Individuals with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in 
the general workforce as well as in high-growth industries. Recent 
estimates reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from the 
Current Employment Statistics Survey (February 2015), show a labor 
force participation rate of 31.1 percent for people with disabilities 
ages 16 to 64, compared to 75.7 percent for people without 
disabilities. Similarly, the unemployment rate for people with 
disabilities (12.2 percent) is more than double the rate for people 
without disabilities (5.7 percent). In addition, analyses conducted by 
the Council of Economic Advisors that matched BLS 2012-2022 
occupational projections with 2010-2012 American Community Survey data 
(Disability Community Project) revealed that people with disabilities 
who are employed tend to be in low-paying occupations and are 
overrepresented in slower-growing and declining occupations, which 
lowers their projected employment growth rate. People with disabilities 
are also underrepresented in 16 of the top 20 fastest-growing 
occupations.
    Despite these trends, information indicates that there is 
substantial potential for job growth among people with disabilities in 
well-paying occupations over the coming decade. However, whether such 
potential will be realized depends in part on such factors as public 
and corporate policies regarding access to appropriate education, 
computer skills, and other training; disability income policies; and 
the availability of workplace accommodations and other employment 
supports.
    Research demonstrates that when students with disabilities 
participate in internships they increase their motivation to work 
toward a career, their knowledge of career options, their job skills, 
their ability to work with supervisors and coworkers, and their 
knowledge of accommodation strategies (Burgstahler and Bellman, 2009). 
Furthermore, apprenticeships are a proven path to employment and the 
middle class: 87 percent of apprentices are employed after completing 
their programs, and the average starting wage for apprenticeship 
graduates is over $50,000. Studies from other countries show that 
employers reap an average return of $1.47 in increased productivity and 
performance for every dollar they invest in apprenticeships. 
Unfortunately, too few American workers and employers have access to 
this proven training solution to prepare for better careers or to meet 
their needs for a skilled workforce (Biden, 2014). The IRI would 
provide State VR agencies with the tools and TA they need to connect 
individuals with disabilities to on-the-job training experiences in 
areas of growth or projected growth that align with their skill sets 
and interests and the needs and demands of business and industry.
    References:

Biden, J. (2014). Ready to Work: Job-Driven Training and American 
Opportunity, July 2014. Available at: www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/skills_report_072014_2.pdf.
Burgstahler, S. and Bellman, S. (2009). Differences in Perceived 
Benefits of Internships for Subgroups of Students with Disabilities. 
Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 31, 155-165.
The George Washington University and the University of Arkansas 
Center for the Utilization of Rehabilitation Resources for 
Education, Networking, Training and Service Institute on 
Rehabilitation Issues (UACURRENTS) (2015). Institute on 
Rehabilitation Issues. Available at: www.iriforum.org/mission.aspx.
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). (2015). Economic New Release: Table 
A-6. Employment status of the civilian population by sex, age and 
disability status, not seasonally adjusted. Available at: 
www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t06.htm.
U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Disability Employment 
Policy (ODEP). New Disability Employment Data Resources. Economic 
Picture of the Disability Community Project. Available at: 
www.dol.gov/odep/topics/DisabilityEmploymentStatistics.htm.

    Proposed Priority: The purpose of this priority is to fund a two-
year cooperative agreement to establish a topical Institute on 
Rehabilitation Issues (IRI) that concentrates on the subject of on-the-
job training activities for individuals with disabilities, such as paid 
internships, pre-apprenticeships, and registered apprenticeships. As a 
result of this concentrated IRI, State VR agencies will gain practical 
knowledge and technical assistance (TA) resources needed to increase 
the number of work-based learning experiences for individuals with 
disabilities in high-growth fields that lead to competitive integrated 
employment,'' as that term is defined in section 7(5) of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Project Activities

    Under this priority, the IRI must, at a minimum, conduct the 
following activities:
    Knowledge Development Activities.
    (a) Within the first year, conduct a survey of State VR agencies 
and their partners to ascertain the number and types of on-the-job 
training activities currently available to individuals with 
disabilities and the outcomes associated with completion of those 
activities.
    (1) Collect, at a minimum, the following data:
    (i) The number of individuals with disabilities who are currently 
engaged in on-the-job training activities;
    (ii) The specific types of on-the-job training activities the 
individuals referred to in paragraph (a)(1)(i) are participating in, 
such as paid internships, pre-apprenticeships, and registered 
apprenticeships;
    (iii) The number of individuals with disabilities who participated 
in on-the-job-training activities in the last 36 months;
    (iv) The number of individuals with disabilities who successfully 
completed on-the-job training activities in the last 36 months, 
including the specific types of the on-the-job training;
    (v) The number of individuals with disabilities who obtained 
competitive integrated employment in the last 36 months after 
successfully completing on-the-job training activities;
    (vi) The number of individuals with disabilities who did not 
successfully complete on-the-job training activities in the last 36 
months;
    (vii) The number of State VR agency referrals to on-the-job 
training activities in the last 36 months;
    (viii) The number of on-the-job training activities developed 
through partnerships between the State VR agencies and businesses in 
the last 36 months;
    (ix) The average length of time an individual with a disability 
participated in an on-the-job training activity in the last 36 months; 
and
    (x) The industries represented in the on-the-job training 
activities.
    (2) By the end of the first year, identify any State VR agencies 
that have not responded to the survey and follow-up with those agencies 
in order to ensure at least a 75 percent response rate.
    (b) In the beginning of the second year, follow up with State VR 
agencies that indicated that on-the-job training activities were 
developed through partnerships between the State VR agencies and 
businesses to collect:
    (1) Promising practices for creating, implementing, sustaining, and

[[Page 30013]]

evaluating on-the-job training experiences for individuals with 
disabilities; and
    (2) Information about how on-the-job training activities have 
supported employer efforts to hire individuals with disabilities.
    (c) In the beginning of the second year, follow up with State VR 
Agencies that indicated that individuals with disabilities did not 
successfully complete on-the-job training activities to identify 
challenges or barriers that prevented successful completion of on-the-
job training activities.
    (d) In the second year, conduct an analysis of the survey results 
and any additional information collected through follow-up and develop 
a summary report.
    (e) Within the first year, complete a literature review.
    (1) The literature review must gather, at a minimum:
    (i) Promising practices and examples for creating, implementing, 
sustaining, and evaluating on-the-job training activities for 
individuals with disabilities;
    (ii) Qualitative or quantitative data about how on-the-job training 
activities have supported employer efforts to hire individuals with 
disabilities; and
    (iii) Data on increased employment and retention outcomes that 
occurred after completing on-the-job training activities, especially 
for individuals with disabilities.
    (2) The literature review must consider the following resources:
    (i) Curriculum guides developed by RSA's Job-Driven Vocational 
Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center (JDVRTAC), as available;
    (ii) The Vice President's report, ``Ready to Work: Job-Driven 
Training and American Opportunity,'' July 2014;
    (iii) New disability employment data resources including, but not 
limited to, the Economic Picture of the Disability Community Project 
developed by the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP); and
    (iv) Other relevant data sources and publications including, but 
not limited to, promising practices and examples of on-the-job training 
experiences developed through the public workforce development system, 
as well as through public-private partnerships.
    (f) Within the first six months of the second year, develop a 
compendium designed for use by all levels of State VR agency personnel. 
The compendium must, at a minimum:
    (1) Include promising practices, publications, examples, and other 
relevant materials that will support State VR agencies in creating, 
implementing, sustaining, and evaluating on-the-job training activities 
for individuals with disabilities;
    (2) Compare and contrast the data collected from the survey 
conducted in the first year of the grant with any research and data 
collected from the literature review so that State VR agencies can 
assess their progress towards incorporating job-driven training 
approaches into their service delivery system and increasing employment 
outcomes for individuals with disabilities; and
    (3) Include examples of how on-the-job training activities have 
supported employer efforts to hire individuals with disabilities.

Technical Assistance and Dissemination Activities

    (a) Provide two TA Webinars that are recorded, archived, and made 
available to State VR agencies, providers of training, and relevant 
partners. The Webinars must focus on the survey that must be conducted 
within the first year of the grant and include detail such as the 
purpose of the survey, its design and methodology, the process for 
disseminating the survey, instructions for completing the survey, the 
submission deadline, and the timeline for conducting any necessary 
follow-up, analyzing the responses, and developing a report. The 
Webinars must also serve as a vehicle for gathering input and feedback 
and answering questions.
    (b) Provide two TA Webinars that are recorded, archived, and made 
available to State VR agencies, providers of training, and relevant 
partners that detail the results and analyses of the survey of the 
current status of existing on-the-job training activities for 
individuals with disabilities in State VR agencies, as well as how 
State VR agencies might use this data to inform their job-driven 
activities.
    (c) Collect input and feedback on the draft compendium. The project 
must use a variety of vehicles, such as Webinars, teleconferences, 
online forums, and focus groups to engage State VR agencies, providers 
of training, and relevant partners in this process.
    (d) Provide two TA Webinars that are recorded, archived, and made 
available to State VR agencies, providers of training, and relevant 
partners that highlight promising practices, publications, examples, 
and resource materials contained in the compendium.
    (e) Provide two TA Webinars that are recorded, archived, and made 
available to State VR agencies, providers of training, and relevant 
partners and that feature real-world examples of successful on-the-job 
training activities for individuals with disabilities created through 
public-private partnerships and outcomes resulting from those 
activities. The Webinars also must include examples of how on-the-job 
training activities have supported employer efforts to hire individuals 
with disabilities.
    (f) Ensure that all products (i.e., survey results, compendium, TA 
Webinars) developed are widely disseminated to counselors and 
supervisors, Human Resource Development (HRD) specialists, community-
based rehabilitation service providers, administrators, researchers, 
education and policy analysts, and other RSA job-driven projects, such 
as the JDVRTAC. To the extent possible, track the number and type of 
product recipients.
    (g) Ensure that all products are made available in accessible 
formats and submitted to the National Clearinghouse on Rehabilitation 
Training Materials (NCRTM).

Coordination Activities

    (a) Establish and maintain an on-the-job training community of 
practice through the NCRTM as a vehicle for communication, exchange of 
information, and dissemination of products and as a forum for 
collecting promising practices in implementing, sustaining, and 
evaluating on-the-job training activities.
    (b) Obtain regular input and feedback from State VR agencies, 
providers of training, partners, such as the Council of State 
Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and CSAVR's 
National Employment Team (the NET), the National Council of State 
Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB), the JDVRTAC, and other relevant 
entities in the survey and literature review, as well as in the 
development and dissemination of the survey analysis and the compendium 
described in this priority.
    (c) Maintain ongoing communication with RSA.

Application Requirements

    To be funded under this priority, applicants must meet the 
application requirements in this priority. RSA encourages innovative 
approaches to meet these requirements, which are:
    (a) Demonstrate in the narrative section of the application under 
``Significance of the Proposed Project'' how the proposed project will 
address State VR agencies' capacity to develop on-the-job training 
activities for individuals with disabilities that reflect the current 
and future demands of the labor market. To meet this requirement, the 
applicant must:

[[Page 30014]]

    (1) Demonstrate knowledge of today's labor market, including 
current and projected areas of job growth and knowledge, skills, and 
experiences that are needed in order to meet the needs and demands of 
business and industry;
    (2) Demonstrate knowledge of innovative or promising practices in 
building and maintaining effective on-the-job training activities, 
especially for individuals with disabilities; and
    (3) Demonstrate the extent to which the proposed project is likely 
to build the capacity of State VR agencies to provide, strengthen, and 
increase the number of on-the-job training activities for individuals 
with disabilities.
    (b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under 
``Quality of Project Services,'' how the proposed project will achieve 
its goals, objectives, and intended outcomes. To meet this requirement, 
the applicant must:
    (1) Provide a detailed plan for how the proposed project will 
conduct the activities required in this priority. The plan must include 
a description of the design and methodology that will be used to survey 
State VR agencies in the first year, rationale to support the survey 
design and methodology, a strategy for disseminating the survey to all 
State VR agencies, a strategy to ensure a 75 percent survey response 
rate, and an approach for conducting follow-up with State VR agencies;
    (2) Demonstrate the extent to which the project activities reflect 
innovative and up-to-date approaches, methods, technologies, and 
effective practices;
    (3) Demonstrate how the literature review will identify and 
incorporate promising practices and examples of the use of on-the-job 
training gathered from the public workforce development system and from 
business and industry in creating, implementing, sustaining, and 
evaluating on-the-job training activities for individuals with 
disabilities;
    (4) Demonstrate how the project will collect Web analytics, 
including the number of registrants and their respective agencies or 
associations, and conduct a survey immediately following the Webinars 
to measure the quality, relevance, and usefulness of the training; and
    (5) Demonstrate the extent to which the project services are 
maximized through collaboration with the partners and stakeholders 
discussed in this priority.
    (c) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under 
``Adequacy of Project Resources,'' how the proposed key project 
personnel, consultants, and subaward recipients have the qualifications 
and experience to perform the activities to provide State VR agencies 
with the tools and resources they need to increase the on-the-job 
training activities for individuals with disabilities. To meet this 
requirement, the applicant must demonstrate that:
    (1) The applicant and any key partners possess adequate resources 
to carry out the proposed activities; and
    (2) The proposed costs are reasonable in relation to the 
anticipated results and benefits.
    (d) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under 
``Quality of the Management Plan,'' how the proposed management plan 
will ensure that the project's intended outcomes will be achieved on 
time and within budget. To address this requirement, the applicant must 
describe--
    (1) Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for key project 
personnel, consultants, and subawards, as applicable;
    (2) Timelines and milestones for accomplishing the project tasks;
    (3) Key project personnel and any consultants, key partners, and 
subaward recipients that will be allocated to the project, their 
respective level of effort designated for the project, and how these 
allocations are appropriate and adequate to achieve the project's 
intended outcomes, including an assurance that all personnel will 
communicate with stakeholders and RSA in a timely fashion;
    (4) How the proposed management plan will ensure that the knowledge 
development, TA, dissemination, and coordination activities and the 
developed products are of high quality; and
    (5) The diversity of perspectives, including those of counselors 
and supervisors, HRD specialists, community-based rehabilitation 
service providers, administrators, researchers, and education and 
policy analysts that the project will consider in its design making 
process.
    Types of Priorities:
    When inviting applications for a competition using one or more 
priorities, we designate the type of each priority as absolute, 
competitive preference, or invitational through a notice in the Federal 
Register. The effect of each type of priority follows:
    Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only 
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
    Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference 
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by (1) 
awarding additional points, depending on the extent to which the 
application meets the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) 
selecting an application that meets the priority over an application of 
comparable merit that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
    Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are 
particularly interested in applications that meet the priority. 
However, we do not give an application that meets the priority a 
preference over other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
    Final Priority: We will announce the final priority in a notice in 
the Federal Register. We will determine the final priority after 
considering responses to this notice and other information available to 
the Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing 
additional priorities, requirements, definitions, or selection 
criteria, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
    Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in 
which we choose to use this priority, we invite applications through a 
notice in the Federal Register.

Executive Orders 12866 and 13563

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burden, the Department conducts a preclearance consultation program to 
provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to 
comment on proposed and continuing collections of information in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)). This helps ensure that the public understands the 
Department's collection instructions, respondents can provide the 
requested data in the desired format, reporting burden (time and 
financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly 
understood, and the Department can properly assess the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents.
    This proposed priority contains information collection requirements 
that are approved by OMB under OMB control number 1820-0018; this 
proposed regulation does not affect the currently approved data 
collection.

Regulatory Impact Analysis

    Under Executive Order 12866, the Secretary must determine whether 
this proposed regulatory action is ``significant'' and, therefore, 
subject to the requirements of the Executive order and subject to 
review by the Office of

[[Page 30015]]

Management and Budget (OMB). Section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866 
defines a ``significant regulatory action'' as an action likely to 
result in a rule that may--
    (1) Have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more, 
or adversely affect a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, 
jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or State, local, or 
tribal governments or communities in a material way (also referred to 
as an ``economically significant'' rule);
    (2) Create serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an 
action taken or planned by another agency;
    (3) Materially alter the budgetary impacts of entitlement grants, 
user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients 
thereof; or
    (4) Raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of legal 
mandates, the President's priorities, or the principles stated in the 
Executive order.
    This proposed regulatory action is not a significant regulatory 
action subject to review by OMB under section 3(f) of Executive Order 
12866.
    We have also reviewed this proposed regulatory action under 
Executive Order 13563, which supplements and explicitly reaffirms the 
principles, structures, and definitions governing regulatory review 
established in Executive Order 12866. To the extent permitted by law, 
Executive Order 13563 requires that an agency--
    (1) Propose or adopt regulations only on a reasoned determination 
that their benefits justify their costs (recognizing that some benefits 
and costs are difficult to quantify);
    (2) Tailor its regulations to impose the least burden on society, 
consistent with obtaining regulatory objectives and taking into 
account--among other things and to the extent practicable--the costs of 
cumulative regulations;
    (3) In choosing among alternative regulatory approaches, select 
those approaches that maximize net benefits (including potential 
economic, environmental, public health and safety, and other 
advantages; distributive impacts; and equity);
    (4) To the extent feasible, specify performance objectives, rather 
than the behavior or manner of compliance a regulated entity must 
adopt; and
    (5) Identify and assess available alternatives to direct 
regulation, including economic incentives--such as user fees or 
marketable permits--to encourage the desired behavior, or provide 
information that enables the public to make choices.
    Executive Order 13563 also requires an agency ``to use the best 
available techniques to quantify anticipated present and future 
benefits and costs as accurately as possible.'' The Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB has emphasized that these 
techniques may include ``identifying changing future compliance costs 
that might result from technological innovation or anticipated 
behavioral changes.''
    We are issuing this proposed priority only on a reasoned 
determination that its benefits would justify its costs. In choosing 
among alternative regulatory approaches, we selected those approaches 
that would maximize net benefits. Based on the analysis that follows, 
the Department believes that this regulatory action is consistent with 
the principles in Executive Order 13563.
    We also have determined that this regulatory action would not 
unduly interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the 
exercise of their governmental functions.
    In accordance with both Executive orders, the Department has 
assessed the potential costs and benefits, both quantitative and 
qualitative, of this regulatory action. The potential costs are those 
resulting from statutory requirements and those we have determined as 
necessary for administering the Department's programs and activities.
    We propose to fund through this priority TA to State VR agencies to 
improve the quality of VR services and ultimately the number and 
quality of their employment outcomes. This proposed priority would 
promote the efficient and effective use of Federal funds.
    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.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the program contact person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    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 the 
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 at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: May 18, 2015.
Sue Swenson,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2015-12510 Filed 5-22-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P