Agricultural Worker Population Data for Basic Field-Migrant Grants, 44399-44400 [2015-18315]

Download as PDF tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 143 / Monday, July 27, 2015 / Notices Veterans Claims (Court). That law requires the Court to provide the funds to LSC to award grants or contracts for the provision of ‘‘legal or other assistance, without charge, to veterans and other persons who are unable to afford the cost of legal representation in connection with decisions’’ of, or other proceedings in, the Court. Public Law 102–229 requires this assistance to be provided through ‘‘a program that furnishes case screening and referral, training and education for attorney and related personnel, and encouragement and facilitation of pro bono representation by members of the bar and law school clinical and other appropriate programs, such as veterans service organizations, and through defraying expenses incurred in providing representation to such persons. . . .’’ LSC seeks proposals from: (1) Nonprofit organizations that have as a purpose the provision of free legal assistance to low-income individuals or the provision of free services to veterans; or (2) private attorneys or law firms that seek to establish such a nonprofit for these purposes. Applicants must file a Notice of Intent to Compete (NIC) with LSC to participate in the competitive grants process. The NIC must include the following information: (1) Organization name; (2) organization type (e.g., non-profit or law firm); (3) name and title of primary contact; (4) primary contact mailing address, phone number, and email address; (5) names and brief description of relevant experience of principals and key staff; (6) names and brief description of relevant experience of current governing board; and (7) if the non-profit organization has not yet been established, names and brief description of relevant experience of prospective members of a governing board. ‘‘Relevant experience’’ includes experience with: (a) Veterans benefits law; (b) recruiting, training, supervising, and assigning cases to volunteer attorneys; (c) practice before the Court or supervision of attorneys practicing before the Court; (d) reviewing and evaluating veterans benefits cases; (e) outreach and education for veterans and dependents regarding veterans benefits rights and procedures. The NIC must not exceed seven (7) single-spaced pages and must be submitted as a single PDF document. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:58 Jul 24, 2015 Jkt 235001 The NIC must be submitted by email to veteransprobono@lsc.gov. The submission deadline is Friday, August 28, 2015, at 5 p.m. EDT. The Request for Proposals, containing the grant application, guidelines, proposal content requirements and specific selection criteria, will be available the week of September 14, 2015, at www.lsc.gov under ‘‘Meetings & Events.’’ For more information about the current grantee, The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, please visit www.vetsprobono.org. Dated: July 22, 2015. Stefanie K. Davis, Assistant General Counsel. [FR Doc. 2015–18309 Filed 7–24–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7050–01–P LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION Agricultural Worker Population Data for Basic Field—Migrant Grants Legal Services Corporation. Notice. AGENCY: ACTION: The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) provides special population grants to effectively and efficiently fund civil legal aid services to address the legal needs of agricultural workers and their dependents through grants entitled ‘‘Basic Field—Migrant.’’ The funding for these grants is based on data regarding the eligible client population to be served. LSC has obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor new data regarding this population that are more current than the data LSC has been using and that better reflect the population to be served. On February 3, 2015, LSC sought comments on the use of that data for grants beginning in January 2016 and related issues. Based on the comments received, LSC will not use the data for 2016 grants. LSC will make public additional information underlying the new data, contract with the Department of Labor for assistance addressing issues raised in the comments, consider development of revised data, and seek public comment on any revised data and a revised implementation plan. Implementation would begin January 2017. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Freedman, Senior Assistant General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K St. NW., Washington, DC 20007; 202–295–1623 (phone); 202–337–6519 (fax); mfreedman@lsc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Legal Services Corporation (‘‘LSC’’ or SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00077 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 44399 ‘‘Corporation’’) was established through the LSC Act ‘‘for the purpose of providing financial support for legal assistance in noncriminal matters or proceedings to persons financially unable to afford such assistance.’’ 42 U.S.C. 2996b(a). LSC performs this function primarily through distributing funding appropriated by Congress to independent civil legal aid programs that provide legal services to lowincome persons throughout the United States and its possessions and territories. 42 U.S.C. 2996e(a)(1)(A). LSC designates geographic service areas and structures grants to support services to the entire eligible population in a service area or to a specified subpopulation of eligible clients. 45 CFR 1634.2(c) and (d), 1634.3(b). LSC awards these grants through a competitive process. 45 CFR part 1634. Congress has mandated that LSC ‘‘insure that grants and contracts are made so as to provide the most economical and effective delivery of legal assistance to persons in both urban and rural areas.’’ 42 U.S.C. 2996f(a)(3). Throughout the United States and U.S. territories, LSC provides Basic Field—General grants to support legal services for eligible clients. LSC provides funding for those grants on a per-capita basis using the poverty population as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau every three years. Sec. 501(a), Public Law 104–134, 110 Stat. 1321, 1321–50, as amended by Public Law 113–6, div. B, title IV, 127 Stat. 198, 268 (LSC funding formula adopted in 1996, incorporated by reference in LSC’s appropriations thereafter, and amended in 2013). Since its establishment in 1974, LSC has also provided subpopulation grants to support legal services for the needs of agricultural workers through Basic Field—Migrant grants under the authority of the LSC Act to structure grants for the most economic and effective delivery of legal assistance. 42 U.S.C. 2996f(a)(3). Congress amended the LSC Act in 1977 to require that LSC conduct a study of the special legal needs of various subpopulations, including migrant or seasonal farm workers, and develop and implement appropriate means of addressing those needs. 42 U.S.C. 2996f(h). LSC’s study, issued in 1979, concluded that specialized legal expertise and knowledge were needed to address the distinctive ‘‘unmet special legal problems’’ that migrant and seasonal farmworkers shared because of their status as farmworkers. Legal Services Corporation, Special Legal Problems and Problems of Access to Legal E:\FR\FM\27JYN1.SGM 27JYN1 tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 44400 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 143 / Monday, July 27, 2015 / Notices Services of Veterans, Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers, Native Americans, People, with Limited English-Speaking Ability, and Individuals in Sparsely Populated Areas, 1979. LSC provides funding for Basic Field—Migrant grants on a per-capita basis by determining the size of the subpopulation and separating that population from the overall poverty population for the applicable geographic area or areas. LSC expects programs receiving these grants to serve the legal needs of a broad range of eligible agricultural workers and their dependents who have specialized legal needs that are most effectively and efficiently served through a dedicated grant program. LSC currently uses data regarding migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and their families, from the early 1990s, with some adjustments based on changes in the general poverty population. These data are no longer current and do not reflect the entire population served by these grants. The United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), collects data regarding agricultural workers for federal grants serving the needs of the American agricultural worker population. The U.S. Census Bureau does not maintain data regarding agricultural workers. LSC has contracted with ETA to obtain more current data regarding the agricultural worker population served by these grants. ETA has provided LSC with these data, including state-by-state breakdowns. The changes in data will result in changes in funding levels for these grants. In January of 2015, LSC management (Management) proposed to the LSC Board of Directors (Board) that LSC seek comments on using the new data for these grants as follows: (1) Implementing the new data for calculation of these grants beginning in January 2016; (2) phasing in the funding changes to provide intermediate funding halfway between the old and new levels for 2016 and to fully implement the new levels for 2017; and (3) updating the data every three years on the same cycle as LSC updates poverty population data from the U.S. Census Bureau for the distribution of LSC’s Basic Field—General grants. Upon approval by the Board’s Operations and Regulations Committee (Committee) on January 22, 2015, and the Board on January 24, 2015, LSC published a notice for comment on this proposal in the Federal Register on February 3, 2015, 80 FR 5791. LSC VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:58 Jul 24, 2015 Jkt 235001 extended the comment period to April 20, 2015, via notice in the Federal Register on March 19, 2015, 80 FR 14413. Management’s proposal, related documents and the comments submitted are available at: https://www.lsc.gov/ about/mattersforcomment.php. LSC received eleven comments from ten individuals or organizations. The National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) submitted two comments—one from the NLADA Civil Policy Group and one from the NLADA Farmworker Section. The comments all supported the proposal to use more current data for apportioning funding to and among these grants. Some comments raised concerns about the source data and the methodology used. In particular, concerns were raised about the types of state groupings used for distribution of the data among the states. Those comments stated that the groupings did not accurately reflect the patterns of employment and residence for lowincome agricultural workers and their dependents. Some comments identified additional sources of data for determining the relevant populations in some states. Comments also sought additional access to the source data and methodology used by the Department of Labor. Other issues raised by the comments included the scope of the definition of ‘‘agricultural worker,’’ implementation over two or three years, and adjustments to the data for aliens eligible under federal law for LSC services based on sexual abuse, domestic violence, trafficking, or other abusive or criminal activities. See 45 CFR 1626.4—Aliens eligible for assistance under anti-abuse laws. Based on these comments, Management proposed to the Committee that LSC further investigate improvements to the data, postpone prospective implementation until January 2017, seek additional comments on revised options, and publish this notice. On July 16, 2015, the Committee approved Management’s proposal. On July 18, 2015, the Board adopted the recommendation of Management and the Committee. Management has contracted with ETA to obtain expert review of the issues regarding source data and methodology raised by the comments. Management will publish on the Matters for Comment page of www.lsc.gov additional information regarding the source data and methodology. Management will also determine whether ETA can provide revised data based on some of the considerations raised in the comments. Based on this review and any other relevant PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 information, LSC will publish for comment any revised data and a proposal for implementation. Implementation would begin January 2017. Dated: July 22, 2015. Stefanie K. Davis, Assistant General Counsel. [FR Doc. 2015–18315 Filed 7–24–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7050–01–P MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION Sunshine Act Meetings Mississippi River Commission. 9 a.m., 14 August, 2015. PLACE: On board MISSISSIPPI V at City Front, Cape Girardeau, Missouri STATUS: Open to the public. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: (1) Presentations by local organizations and members of the public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or projects of the Commission and the Corps of Engineers; (2) District Commander’s overview of current project issues within the St. Louis and Memphis Districts; and (3) Summary report by President of the Commission on national and regional issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Commission programs and projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. TIME AND DATE: 9 a.m., August 17, 2015. PLACE: On board MISSISSIPPI V at Mud Island Landing, Memphis, Tennessee STATUS: Open to the public. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: (1) Presentations by local organizations and members of the public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or projects of the Commission and the Corps of Engineers; (2) District Commander’s overview of current project issues within the Memphis District; and (3) Summary report by President of the Commission on national and regional issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Commission programs and projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries. TIME AND DATE: 9 a.m., August 19, 2015. PLACE: On board MISSISSIPPI V at Lake Village, Arkansas (Boat Ramp at Old Greenville Bridge) STATUS: Open to the public. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: (1) Presentations by local organizations and members of the public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or projects of the Commission and the Corps of Engineers; (2) District Commander’s overview of current project issues within the Vicksburg AGENCY: TIME AND DATE: E:\FR\FM\27JYN1.SGM 27JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 143 (Monday, July 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44399-44400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18315]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION


Agricultural Worker Population Data for Basic Field--Migrant 
Grants

AGENCY: Legal Services Corporation.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) provides special 
population grants to effectively and efficiently fund civil legal aid 
services to address the legal needs of agricultural workers and their 
dependents through grants entitled ``Basic Field--Migrant.'' The 
funding for these grants is based on data regarding the eligible client 
population to be served. LSC has obtained from the U.S. Department of 
Labor new data regarding this population that are more current than the 
data LSC has been using and that better reflect the population to be 
served. On February 3, 2015, LSC sought comments on the use of that 
data for grants beginning in January 2016 and related issues. Based on 
the comments received, LSC will not use the data for 2016 grants. LSC 
will make public additional information underlying the new data, 
contract with the Department of Labor for assistance addressing issues 
raised in the comments, consider development of revised data, and seek 
public comment on any revised data and a revised implementation plan. 
Implementation would begin January 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Freedman, Senior Assistant 
General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K St. NW., 
Washington, DC 20007; 202-295-1623 (phone); 202-337-6519 (fax); 
mfreedman@lsc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Legal Services Corporation (``LSC'' or 
``Corporation'') was established through the LSC Act ``for the purpose 
of providing financial support for legal assistance in noncriminal 
matters or proceedings to persons financially unable to afford such 
assistance.'' 42 U.S.C. 2996b(a). LSC performs this function primarily 
through distributing funding appropriated by Congress to independent 
civil legal aid programs that provide legal services to low-income 
persons throughout the United States and its possessions and 
territories. 42 U.S.C. 2996e(a)(1)(A). LSC designates geographic 
service areas and structures grants to support services to the entire 
eligible population in a service area or to a specified subpopulation 
of eligible clients. 45 CFR 1634.2(c) and (d), 1634.3(b). LSC awards 
these grants through a competitive process. 45 CFR part 1634. Congress 
has mandated that LSC ``insure that grants and contracts are made so as 
to provide the most economical and effective delivery of legal 
assistance to persons in both urban and rural areas.'' 42 U.S.C. 
2996f(a)(3).
    Throughout the United States and U.S. territories, LSC provides 
Basic Field--General grants to support legal services for eligible 
clients. LSC provides funding for those grants on a per-capita basis 
using the poverty population as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau 
every three years. Sec. 501(a), Public Law 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321, 
1321-50, as amended by Public Law 113-6, div. B, title IV, 127 Stat. 
198, 268 (LSC funding formula adopted in 1996, incorporated by 
reference in LSC's appropriations thereafter, and amended in 2013). 
Since its establishment in 1974, LSC has also provided subpopulation 
grants to support legal services for the needs of agricultural workers 
through Basic Field--Migrant grants under the authority of the LSC Act 
to structure grants for the most economic and effective delivery of 
legal assistance. 42 U.S.C. 2996f(a)(3). Congress amended the LSC Act 
in 1977 to require that LSC conduct a study of the special legal needs 
of various subpopulations, including migrant or seasonal farm workers, 
and develop and implement appropriate means of addressing those needs. 
42 U.S.C. 2996f(h). LSC's study, issued in 1979, concluded that 
specialized legal expertise and knowledge were needed to address the 
distinctive ``unmet special legal problems'' that migrant and seasonal 
farmworkers shared because of their status as farmworkers. Legal 
Services Corporation, Special Legal Problems and Problems of Access to 
Legal

[[Page 44400]]

Services of Veterans, Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers, Native 
Americans, People, with Limited English-Speaking Ability, and 
Individuals in Sparsely Populated Areas, 1979.
    LSC provides funding for Basic Field--Migrant grants on a per-
capita basis by determining the size of the subpopulation and 
separating that population from the overall poverty population for the 
applicable geographic area or areas. LSC expects programs receiving 
these grants to serve the legal needs of a broad range of eligible 
agricultural workers and their dependents who have specialized legal 
needs that are most effectively and efficiently served through a 
dedicated grant program. LSC currently uses data regarding migrant and 
seasonal farmworkers, and their families, from the early 1990s, with 
some adjustments based on changes in the general poverty population. 
These data are no longer current and do not reflect the entire 
population served by these grants.
    The United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA), collects data regarding agricultural workers for 
federal grants serving the needs of the American agricultural worker 
population. The U.S. Census Bureau does not maintain data regarding 
agricultural workers. LSC has contracted with ETA to obtain more 
current data regarding the agricultural worker population served by 
these grants. ETA has provided LSC with these data, including state-by-
state breakdowns. The changes in data will result in changes in funding 
levels for these grants.
    In January of 2015, LSC management (Management) proposed to the LSC 
Board of Directors (Board) that LSC seek comments on using the new data 
for these grants as follows:
    (1) Implementing the new data for calculation of these grants 
beginning in January 2016;
    (2) phasing in the funding changes to provide intermediate funding 
halfway between the old and new levels for 2016 and to fully implement 
the new levels for 2017; and
    (3) updating the data every three years on the same cycle as LSC 
updates poverty population data from the U.S. Census Bureau for the 
distribution of LSC's Basic Field--General grants.
    Upon approval by the Board's Operations and Regulations Committee 
(Committee) on January 22, 2015, and the Board on January 24, 2015, LSC 
published a notice for comment on this proposal in the Federal Register 
on February 3, 2015, 80 FR 5791. LSC extended the comment period to 
April 20, 2015, via notice in the Federal Register on March 19, 2015, 
80 FR 14413. Management's proposal, related documents and the comments 
submitted are available at: https://www.lsc.gov/about/mattersforcomment.php.
    LSC received eleven comments from ten individuals or organizations. 
The National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) submitted two 
comments--one from the NLADA Civil Policy Group and one from the NLADA 
Farmworker Section.
    The comments all supported the proposal to use more current data 
for apportioning funding to and among these grants. Some comments 
raised concerns about the source data and the methodology used. In 
particular, concerns were raised about the types of state groupings 
used for distribution of the data among the states. Those comments 
stated that the groupings did not accurately reflect the patterns of 
employment and residence for low-income agricultural workers and their 
dependents. Some comments identified additional sources of data for 
determining the relevant populations in some states. Comments also 
sought additional access to the source data and methodology used by the 
Department of Labor. Other issues raised by the comments included the 
scope of the definition of ``agricultural worker,'' implementation over 
two or three years, and adjustments to the data for aliens eligible 
under federal law for LSC services based on sexual abuse, domestic 
violence, trafficking, or other abusive or criminal activities. See 45 
CFR 1626.4--Aliens eligible for assistance under anti-abuse laws.
    Based on these comments, Management proposed to the Committee that 
LSC further investigate improvements to the data, postpone prospective 
implementation until January 2017, seek additional comments on revised 
options, and publish this notice. On July 16, 2015, the Committee 
approved Management's proposal. On July 18, 2015, the Board adopted the 
recommendation of Management and the Committee.
    Management has contracted with ETA to obtain expert review of the 
issues regarding source data and methodology raised by the comments. 
Management will publish on the Matters for Comment page of www.lsc.gov 
additional information regarding the source data and methodology. 
Management will also determine whether ETA can provide revised data 
based on some of the considerations raised in the comments. Based on 
this review and any other relevant information, LSC will publish for 
comment any revised data and a proposal for implementation. 
Implementation would begin January 2017.

    Dated: July 22, 2015.
Stefanie K. Davis,
Assistant General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2015-18315 Filed 7-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7050-01-P
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