Request for Public Comment on the Proposed Adoption of Administration for Native Americans Program Policies and Procedures, 37861-37864 [2017-17099]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 155 / Monday, August 14, 2017 / Notices
Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office,
Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the
Associate Director for Science, Office of the
Director, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2017–17025 Filed 8–11–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163–18–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Advisory Board on Radiation and
Worker Health (ABRWH or the
Advisory Board), Subcommittee for
Dose Reconstruction Reviews (SDRR),
National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), announces the
following meeting for the
aforementioned subcommittee. This
meeting is open to the public, but
without a public comment period. The
public is welcome to submit written
comments in advance of the meeting, to
the contact person below. Written
comments received in advance of the
meeting will be included in the official
record of the meeting. The public is also
welcome to listen to the meeting by
joining the teleconference at the USA
toll-free, dial-in number at 1–866–659–
0537 and the pass code is 9933701. The
conference line has 150 ports for callers.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
September 28, 2017, 10:30 a.m.–5:00
p.m., EDT.
ADDRESSES: Audio Conference Call via
FTS Conferencing. The USA toll-free
dial-in number is 1–866–659–0537 and
the pass code is 9933701.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Theodore Katz, MPA, Designated
Federal Officer, NIOSH, CDC, 1600
Clifton Road, Mailstop E–20, Atlanta,
Georgia 30333, Telephone (513) 533–
6800, Toll Free 1 (800) CDC–INFO,
Email ocas@cdc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The Advisory Board was
established under the Energy Employees
Occupational Illness Compensation
Program Act of 2000 to advise the
President on a variety of policy and
technical functions required to
implement and effectively manage the
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new compensation program. Key
functions of the Advisory Board include
providing advice on the development of
probability of causation guidelines,
which have been promulgated by the
Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) as a final rule; advice on
methods of dose reconstruction, which
have also been promulgated by HHS as
a final rule; advice on the scientific
validity and quality of dose estimation
and reconstruction efforts being
performed for purposes of the
compensation program; and advice on
petitions to add classes of workers to the
Special Exposure Cohort (SEC).
In December 2000, the President
delegated responsibility for funding,
staffing, and operating the Advisory
Board to HHS, which subsequently
delegated this authority to the CDC.
NIOSH implements this responsibility
for CDC. The charter was issued on
August 3, 2001, renewed at appropriate
intervals, rechartered on March 22, 2016
pursuant to Executive Order 13708, and
will expire on September 30, 2017.
Purpose: The Advisory Board is
charged with (a) providing advice to the
Secretary, HHS, on the development of
guidelines under Executive Order
13179; (b) providing advice to the
Secretary, HHS, on the scientific
validity and quality of dose
reconstruction efforts performed for this
program; and (c) upon request by the
Secretary, HHS, advise the Secretary on
whether there is a class of employees at
any Department of Energy facility who
were exposed to radiation but for whom
it is not feasible to estimate their
radiation dose, and on whether there is
reasonable likelihood that such
radiation doses may have endangered
the health of members of this class. The
Subcommittee for Dose Reconstruction
Reviews was established to aid the
Advisory Board in carrying out its duty
to advise the Secretary, HHS, on dose
reconstruction.
Matters To Be Considered: The agenda
for the Subcommittee meeting includes
the following dose reconstruction
program quality management and
assurance activities: Dose reconstruction
cases under review from Sets 14–23,
including the Oak Ridge sites (Y–12, K–
25, Oak Ridge National Laboratory),
Hanford, Feed Materials Production
Center (‘‘Fernald’’), Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, Mound Plant,
Rocky Flats Plant, Nevada Test Site,
Idaho National Laboratory, Savannah
River Site, Brookhaven National
Laboratory, Westinghouse, W.R. Grace,
Uranium Mill in Monticello, Ventron
Corporation, Weldon Springs Plant, and
other Department of Energy and
‘‘Atomic Weapons Employer’’ facilities.
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The agenda is subject to change as
priorities dictate.
The Director, Management Analysis
and Services Office, has been delegated
the authority to sign Federal Register
notices pertaining to announcements of
meetings and other committee
management activities, for both the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry.
Elaine L. Baker,
Director, Management Analysis and Services
Office, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2017–17130 Filed 8–11–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163–19–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and
Families
[CFDA Numbers: 93.581, 93.587, 93.612]
Request for Public Comment on the
Proposed Adoption of Administration
for Native Americans Program Policies
and Procedures
Administration for Native
Americans, ACF, HHS.
ACTION: Notice for public comment.
AGENCY:
Pursuant to Section 814 of the
Native American Programs Act of 1974
(NAPA), as amended, the
Administration for Native Americans
(ANA) is required to provide members
of the public an opportunity to
comment on proposed changes in
interpretive rules and general
statements of policy and to give notice
of the final adoption of such changes no
less than 30 days before such changes
become effective. In accordance with
notice requirements of NAPA, ANA
herein describes proposed interpretive
rules and general statements of policy
that relate to ANA’s funding
opportunities beginning in Fiscal Year
(FY) 2018. Changes to FY 2018 Funding
Opportunity Announcements (FOAs)
will be based on the following
previously published programs:
Environmental Regulatory Enhancement
(ERE) HHS–2017–ACF–ANA–NR–1221,
Native American Language Preservation
and Maintenance-Esther Martinez
Immersion (EMI) HHS–2017–ACF–
ANA–NB–1226, Native American
Language Preservation and Maintenance
(P&M) HHS–2017–ACF–ANA–NL–1235,
Social and Economic Development
Strategies (SEDS) HHS–2017–ACF–
ANA–NA–1236, Social and Economic
Development Strategies-Alaska (SEDS–
AK) HHS–2015–ACF–ANA–NK–0960,
SUMMARY:
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and Native Youth Initiative for
Leadership, Empowerment, and
Development (ILEAD) HHS–2017–ACF–
ANA–NC–1263. This notice of public
comment also provides additional
information about ANA’s plan for
administering grant programs.
DATES: The deadline for receipt of
comments is 30 days from the date of
publication in the Federal Register. No
FOA will be published prior to 30 days
from publication of this Notice.
ADDRESSES: Comments in response to
this notice should be addressed to
Carmelia Strickland, Director of
Program Operations, Administration for
Native Americans, 330 C Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20201. Delays may
occur in mail delivery to federal offices;
therefore, a copy of comments should be
emailed to ANAComments@acf.hhs.gov.
Comments will be available for
inspection by members of the public at
the Administration for Native
Americans, 330 C Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20201.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carmelia Strickland, Director, Division
of Program Operations, Administration
for Native Americans (877) 922–9262.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
814 of NAPA, as amended, incorporates
provisions of the Administrative
Procedure Act (APA) that require ANA
to provide notice of its proposed
interpretive rules and statements of
policy and to seek public comment on
such proposals. This notice serves to
fulfill the statutory notice and public
comment requirement. ANA has also
chosen to provide notice of its proposed
rules of agency practice and procedure.
The proposed interpretive rules,
statements of policy, and rules of ANA
practice and procedure reflected in
clarifications, modifications, and new
text will appear in the six FY 2018
FOAs: Environmental Regulatory
Enhancement (ERE), Native American
Language Preservation and
Maintenance-Esther Martinez
Immersion (EMI), Native American
Language Preservation and Maintenance
(P&M), Social and Economic
Development Strategies (SEDS), Social
and Economic Development StrategiesAlaska (SEDS–AK), and Native Youth
Initiative for Leadership, Empowerment,
and Development (ILEAD). This notice
also reflects ANA’s elimination of the
Sustainable Employment and Economic
Strategies (SEEDS) FOA.
For information on the types of
projects funded by ANA, please refer to
the following for information on current
and previously funded ANA grants at
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/grants.
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Pre-publication information on ANA’s
FOAs is available at https://
www.grants.gov/web/grants/searchgrants.html by clicking on ‘Forecasted’
under Opportunity Status and
‘Administration for Children and
Families—ANA [HHS–ACF–ANA]’ on
the left side of the page. ANA’s FOAs
can be accessed at: https://
www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/foa/
office/ana or https://www.acf.hhs.gov/
grants/open/foa/. Synopses and
application forms will be available on
https://www.grants.gov/.
A. Interpretive rules, statements of
policy, procedures, and practice. The
proposals below reflect ANA’s proposed
changes in rules, policy, or procedure
which will take effect in the FY 2018
FOAs.
1. Application periods. ANA proposes
to provide an open application period of
no less than 90 days to respond to
FOAs. ANA is increasing the open
application period to provide applicants
with additional time to review proposed
changes that are actualized in the FY
2018 FOAs, and to develop their
applications according to FOA
requirements. ANA intends to maintain
the 90 day open application period for
subsequent years.
2. Two-File Upload Requirement.
ANA proposes to include the grant
application submission requirement
established by the Administration for
Children and Families (ACF), which
specifies ‘‘applicants submitting their
applications electronically are required
to upload only two electronic files. No
more than two files will be accepted for
the review and additional files will be
removed. Standard Forms will not be
considered as additional files.’’ ANA
requested to deviate from this policy in
order to provide rural communities and
lower capacity organizations an
opportunity to adjust to any
technological, or bandwidth
requirements that go along with transfer
and upload of large files. The policy has
now been in existence for several years
for other ACF Programs, therefore ANA
will no longer request a deviation from
this standard ACF policy.
3. Reduced project period for ILEAD.
ANA proposes to maintain the reduced
maximum project period for awards
made under the ILEAD FOA from four
years (four 12- month budget periods) to
three years (three 12-month budget
periods). The reduced project period
was made in FY 2017 FOAs to align the
program with ANA’s Social and
Economic Development Strategies
(SEDS) program, which is published
under the same CFDA number as
ILEAD.
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4. FY 2018 FOA—Project Description.
ANA proposes to modify the
information requested in the project
description for FY 2018 application
submissions. Modifications are being
proposed to reflect a shift away from a
deficit approach, towards a strengthbased approach to defining projects and
addressing long-term community goals,
and to align the application request for
information with common terminology
related to program evaluation. The
following is applicable to project
description requests, and evaluation
criterion for all ANA FOAs published
beginning in FY 2018:
(a) ANA will no longer require the
‘‘Problem Statement’’ or include the
section titled ‘‘Objectives and Need for
Assistance’’. Instead, ANA proposes to
focus on long term community goals,
the community condition, and how the
project outcomes relate to the
community condition. Information will
be requested under the Expected
Outcomes section of the Project
Description request.
(b) To shift terms included in the FOA
towards commonly used evaluation
terminology, objectives will no longer
be referred to as Specific, Measureable,
Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound
(SMART). ANA proposes to define
objectives with population, targets,
indicators, and timelines. In addition
the terms ‘‘results’’ and ‘‘benefits’’ will
be replaced with ‘‘outcomes’’ and
‘‘outputs.’’
(c) ANA proposes to require
information that addresses elements of a
‘‘Project Framework’’. The project
framework will include the following
elements: Long-term community goal,
current community condition,
outcomes; project goal, objectives,
indicators, and outputs. The project
framework includes elements
previously requested in ANA FOAs, in
combination with new elements, to fully
identify the project in relation to overall
community goals; identify project
outcomes related to the enhancement of
a current community condition; and
establish a framework for monitoring
changes and identifying tangible results
from the project.
(d) ANA will no longer require the
identification of impact or an impact
indicator; instead, ANA proposes the
requirement of an outcome tracking
strategy. The outcome tracking strategy
will require applicants to identify an
indicator and outcome for each
objective; a means for measuring change
to the indicator, which includes data
points and establishes targets to be met
throughout project implementation; and
a list of project outputs related to each
project objective. Within the FY 2018
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FOAs, ANA intends to include a
suggested format for organizing the
information included in the outcome
tracking strategy, similar to the
suggestion included in the FY 2017
FOAs for organizing impact indicators.
(e) To prioritize community based
projects, ANA proposes to require
information to identify a communitybased strategy for project
implementation. The requirement will
include information to describe how the
proposed project relates to community
based priorities, how the community
was involved in project development,
and how the community will be
involved in implementation and
sustainability.
(f) The ANA Objective Work Plan
(OWP) [current OMB form 0970–0452]
will be modified. The terms ‘‘results’’
and ‘‘benefits’’ will no longer be used;
instead, applicants will be required to
identify outcomes and outputs. Key
project activities will be included
separately from administrative
activities. Requirements for key
activities will include alignment to
outputs that are created by project
implementation and a maximum of 25
key activities per objective during each
year of implementation.
(a) To accommodate modifications to
ANA’s application information request,
ANA proposes the following evaluation
criteria headings and scoring values:
Outcomes Expected (0–25 points),
Outcome Tracking Strategy (0–10
points), Approach (0–25 points),
Organizational Capacity (0–15 points),
OWP (0–15 points), and Budget (0–10
points).
(b) A scoring table will be included in
all FOAs to provide additional guidance
to panel reviewers regarding the
allocation of points in relation to the
quality of information provided in the
application.
5. ANA Administrative Policies. The
following modifications are applicable
to the ANA Administrative Policies
included in all FY 2018 FOAs:
(a) ANA proposes to add an
administrative policy to prioritize the
award of funds to applicant
organizations that are local, community
based organizations. In the case of
national, regional, or non-local based
organizations, ANA may provide
support to organizations that have
provided information to justify they are
the appropriate applicant organization
to administer the proposed project in
support of the community and project
beneficiaries being served. The policy is
proposed as follows:
Prioritized Funding for Local, Native
American Community Based Organizations:
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ANA reserves the right to prioritize
funding to local Native American
community-based organizations serving their
local communities and populations.
Applications from national and regional
organizations that propose projects that are
performed in a different geographic location
must clearly demonstrate how the target
community was selected. They must also
demonstrate a need for the project, explain
how the project originated, discuss the
community-based delivery strategy of the
project, identify and describe the intended
beneficiaries, describe and relate the actual
project benefits to the community and
organization, and describe a communitybased delivery system. National and regional
organizations must describe their
membership, define how the organization
operates and demonstrate Native community
and/or Tribal government involvement in the
development of the project and support for
the project. The type of community to be
served will determine the type of
documentation necessary to support the
project.
This proposed administrative policy
is based on the priority for selfsufficiency for Native American
communities, and follows the premise
that self-sufficiency is best obtained
when local organizations are leading
efforts to achieve community goals. The
policy will state ANA’s priority for
community local, community based
organizations, and describe information
requirements for national, regional, or
non-local based organizations.
(b) Limitation on Number of Awards
Based on Two Consecutively Funded
Projects: ANA proposes to edit language
for this policy to clarify that a no cost
extension (NCE) will be included as a
period of project implementation,
towards consecutively funded projects.
The policy is proposed as follows:
Limitation on Number of Awards Based on
Two Consecutively Funded Projects:
ANA will maximize the reach of its limited
funding. Therefore, applicants that have
implemented at least two consecutive
projects within one CFDA number may not
be funded for a third consecutive project
within the same CFDA number if other
applicants who have not received ANA
funding in the past 3 years are within the
scoring range to be funded. Project
implementation periods are comprised of
newly awarded first year project periods,
Non Competing Continuation (NCC) periods,
and any No Cost Extensions (NCE) periods.
Therefore grantees that have been
approved for a NCE must complete a
year after the end of the NCE period
without implementing an ANA project
under the same CFDA number before
they are considered to be exempt from
this policy. This specific issue has
raised several questions during the
implementation period for ANA
projects. Editing the policy is meant to
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37863
clarify its application prior to the start
of an award.
6. Ineligible Activities. ANA proposes
to revise language describing ineligible
third party training and technical
assistance, which is included in the list
of Projects Ineligible for Funding in all
FY 2018 FOAs. The revision will
remove the statement that describes
third party training and technical
assistance as activities that duplicate
training and technical assistance
provided by ANA T/TA providers, and
the language will directly align the
ineligible activity with language in
Subchapter D—The Administration for
Native Americans, Native American
programs, 45 CFR 1336.33(b).
Ineligible Third Party Training and
Technical Assistance activities will be
stated in the FOAs as follows:
Projects for which a grantee will provide
training and technical assistance to other
tribes or Native American organizations or to
non-members of the grantee organization
(third party training or technical assistance).
7. Disqualification Factors. ANA
proposes the following edits to the ANA
Disqualification Factors included in all
FY 2018 FOAs:
(a) ANA will include language to
clarify that Tribal Colleges and public
agencies serving native peoples from
Guam, American Samoa, or the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, are required to submit
Assurance of Community
Representation and Governing Body
Documentation from the governing body
of the Tribal College. Documentation
from the governing body of the Tribe
will not fulfill the requirements for this
documentation. This clarification is
proposed to reduce the number of
applications that are disqualified due to
misunderstanding the requirements.
(b) ANA will revise the categories for
community representation, as described
under the Assurance of Community
Representation on Board of Directors.
ANA proposes to remove the second
category of affiliation/relationship to the
community being served. This category
was listed as: ‘‘persons eligible to be a
participant in, or beneficiary of the
project.’’ The Assurance of Community
Representation is included to ensure
ANA funds are awarded to
organizations that directly represent the
Native American community that will
be served (See 45 CFR 1336.33).
However, ANA does not limit project
participants or beneficiaries to
individuals that represent the
community being served. Therefore
ANA has determined that the inclusion
of this category does not support the
intention of this policy.
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The revised policy is proposed as
follows:
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Assurance of Community Representation
on Board of Directors
Applicants other than tribes or Alaska
Native Villages applying for funding must
show that a majority of board members are
representative of a Native American
community to be served. Applicants must
submit documentation that identifies each
board member by name and indicates his/her
affiliation or relationship to at least one of
ANA’s three categories of community
representation, which include: (1) Members
of federally or state-recognized tribes; (2)
persons who are recognized by members of
the eligible Native American community to
be served as having a cultural relationship
with that community; or (3) persons
considered to be Native American as defined
in 45 CFR 1336.10 and Native American
Pacific Islanders as defined in Section 815 of
the Native American Programs Act.
Applicants that do not include this
documentation will be considered nonresponsive, and the application will not be
considered for competition. See Section IV.2.
Project Description, Additional Eligibility
Documentation.
Public agencies serving native peoples
from Guam, American Samoa, or the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, and Tribal Colleges governed by a
board that is separate from the governing
body of a tribe, must include Assurance of
Community Representation from the
governing body of the Tribal College, and not
from the governing body of the Tribe. If the
documentation is not included by the
submission deadline, the application will be
considered unresponsive and will be
disqualified from the competition.
8. Review and Selection Process. ANA
will modify the implementation of the
Review and Selection process, as stated
in all FY 2018 FOAs as follows:
(a) ANA’s commissioner has the
discretion to make all final funding
decisions. In exercising this discretion,
the commissioner includes a list in
Section V.2. Review and Selection
Process of projects that may not be
chosen for funding. For the FY 2018
FOAs, ANA proposes the following:
Additions:
• Projects that have not demonstrated
a community-based strategy as
described in Section I. Program
Description, Key Project Features.
• Projects proposed by national,
regional, and non-local organization that
have not justified their position as the
best applicant organization to address
long term community goals for a local
community. Please see Section I.
Administrative Policies, Prioritized
Funding for Local, Native American
Community Based Organizations.
• Projects proposing activities that
were previously implemented without
Federal Assistance.
Because ANA funding is limited,
ANA proposes adding these items to the
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list in order to align with new language
emphasizing community-based
strategies, and to highlight the priority
for funding these projects. ANA also
wants to ensure that its limited funding
is being used for projects that are not
able to secure other sources of funding
for activities that were being previously
implemented without support from the
Federal Government.
Deletion:
• Projects that provide couples or
family counseling activities that are
medically-based.
ANA has stated in other
administrative policies that it will not
fund human research, or projects that
may cause unintended harm to project
participants. Outside of these
limitations, and in an effort to support
the Native American community’s
ability to determine if these activities
are actually beneficially to achievement
of their long-term goals, ANA will no
longer limit the proposal of projects that
include medically-based couples or
family counseling activities.
9. Native American Preservation and
Maintenance Program. The following
modifications are being proposed to the
‘‘Native American Languages
Preservation and Maintenance,’’ and
‘‘Native American Languages
Preservation and Maintenance Esther
Martinez Immersion’’ FOAs only:
(a) ANA proposes the identification of
language specific outcomes that relate to
one of the following categories:
Language fluency, increased community
member use of language learning
resources; certified language teachers; or
increased capacity to implement a
language program. The categories are
being proposed in order to further
define the outcomes for ANA language
projects, and to support the monitoring
and evaluation of ANA’s language and
preservation program.
(b) ANA will include language in the
FY 2018 FOAs to restate application
requirements included in Section
803C(c)(5–6) of the Native American
Programs Act (NAPA) of 1974. The
requirements are as follows:
(5) if appropriate, an identification of
opportunities for the replication of such
project or the modification of such project for
use by other Native Americans; and
(6) a plan for the preservation of the
products of the Native American language
project for the benefit of future generations of
Native Americans and other interested
persons’’
This language will be added directly as
stated in ANA’s authorizing legislation to
ensure that applications meet the
requirements of NAPA.
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Statutory Authority: Section 814 of the
Native American Programs Act of 1974
(NAPA), as amended.
Kimberly Romaine,
Deputy Commissioner, Administration for
Native Americans.
[FR Doc. 2017–17099 Filed 8–11–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and
Families
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
Title: Social Services Block Grant
(SSBG) Post-Expenditure Report.
OMB No.: 0970–0234.
Description: The purpose of this is to
request approval to: (1) Reinstate and
extend the collection of postexpenditure data using the current OMB
approved Post-Expenditure Reporting
form (OMB No. 0970–0234) with
modification past the current expiration
date of November 30, 2017; (2) propose
8 minor additions to the current PostExpenditure Reporting form; and (3) to
request that grantees continue to
voluntarily submit estimated preexpenditure data using the PostExpenditure Reporting form, as part of
the required annual Intended Use Plan.
The Social Services Block Grant
(SSBG) is authorized under Title XX of
the Social Security Act, as amended,
and is codified at 42 U.S.C § 1397
through § 1397e. SSBG provides funds
to States, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam,
the Virgin Islands, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (hereinafter referred to as States
and Territories or grantees) to assist in
delivering critical services to vulnerable
older adults, persons with disabilities,
at-risk adolescents and young adults,
and children and families. SSBG funds
are distributed to each State and the
District of Columbia based on each
State’s population relative to all other
States. Distributions are made to Puerto
Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the
Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands based
on the same ratio allotted to them in
1981 as compared to the total 1981
appropriation.
Each State or Territory is responsible
for designing and implementing its own
use of SSBG funds to meet the
specialized needs of their most
vulnerable populations. States and
Territories may determine what services
will be provided, who will be eligible,
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[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 155 (Monday, August 14, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37861-37864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17099]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
[CFDA Numbers: 93.581, 93.587, 93.612]
Request for Public Comment on the Proposed Adoption of
Administration for Native Americans Program Policies and Procedures
AGENCY: Administration for Native Americans, ACF, HHS.
ACTION: Notice for public comment.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 814 of the Native American Programs Act of
1974 (NAPA), as amended, the Administration for Native Americans (ANA)
is required to provide members of the public an opportunity to comment
on proposed changes in interpretive rules and general statements of
policy and to give notice of the final adoption of such changes no less
than 30 days before such changes become effective. In accordance with
notice requirements of NAPA, ANA herein describes proposed interpretive
rules and general statements of policy that relate to ANA's funding
opportunities beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. Changes to FY 2018
Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) will be based on the following
previously published programs: Environmental Regulatory Enhancement
(ERE) HHS-2017-ACF-ANA-NR-1221, Native American Language Preservation
and Maintenance-Esther Martinez Immersion (EMI) HHS-2017-ACF-ANA-NB-
1226, Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance (P&M) HHS-
2017-ACF-ANA-NL-1235, Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS)
HHS-2017-ACF-ANA-NA-1236, Social and Economic Development Strategies-
Alaska (SEDS-AK) HHS-2015-ACF-ANA-NK-0960,
[[Page 37862]]
and Native Youth Initiative for Leadership, Empowerment, and
Development (ILEAD) HHS-2017-ACF-ANA-NC-1263. This notice of public
comment also provides additional information about ANA's plan for
administering grant programs.
DATES: The deadline for receipt of comments is 30 days from the date of
publication in the Federal Register. No FOA will be published prior to
30 days from publication of this Notice.
ADDRESSES: Comments in response to this notice should be addressed to
Carmelia Strickland, Director of Program Operations, Administration for
Native Americans, 330 C Street SW., Washington, DC 20201. Delays may
occur in mail delivery to federal offices; therefore, a copy of
comments should be emailed to ANAComments@acf.hhs.gov. Comments will be
available for inspection by members of the public at the Administration
for Native Americans, 330 C Street SW., Washington, DC 20201.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carmelia Strickland, Director,
Division of Program Operations, Administration for Native Americans
(877) 922-9262.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 814 of NAPA, as amended,
incorporates provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) that
require ANA to provide notice of its proposed interpretive rules and
statements of policy and to seek public comment on such proposals. This
notice serves to fulfill the statutory notice and public comment
requirement. ANA has also chosen to provide notice of its proposed
rules of agency practice and procedure. The proposed interpretive
rules, statements of policy, and rules of ANA practice and procedure
reflected in clarifications, modifications, and new text will appear in
the six FY 2018 FOAs: Environmental Regulatory Enhancement (ERE),
Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance-Esther Martinez
Immersion (EMI), Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance
(P&M), Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS), Social and
Economic Development Strategies-Alaska (SEDS-AK), and Native Youth
Initiative for Leadership, Empowerment, and Development (ILEAD). This
notice also reflects ANA's elimination of the Sustainable Employment
and Economic Strategies (SEEDS) FOA.
For information on the types of projects funded by ANA, please
refer to the following for information on current and previously funded
ANA grants at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/grants.
Pre-publication information on ANA's FOAs is available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html by clicking on
`Forecasted' under Opportunity Status and `Administration for Children
and Families--ANA [HHS-ACF-ANA]' on the left side of the page. ANA's
FOAs can be accessed at: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/foa/office/ana or https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/foa/. Synopses and
application forms will be available on https://www.grants.gov/.
A. Interpretive rules, statements of policy, procedures, and
practice. The proposals below reflect ANA's proposed changes in rules,
policy, or procedure which will take effect in the FY 2018 FOAs.
1. Application periods. ANA proposes to provide an open application
period of no less than 90 days to respond to FOAs. ANA is increasing
the open application period to provide applicants with additional time
to review proposed changes that are actualized in the FY 2018 FOAs, and
to develop their applications according to FOA requirements. ANA
intends to maintain the 90 day open application period for subsequent
years.
2. Two-File Upload Requirement. ANA proposes to include the grant
application submission requirement established by the Administration
for Children and Families (ACF), which specifies ``applicants
submitting their applications electronically are required to upload
only two electronic files. No more than two files will be accepted for
the review and additional files will be removed. Standard Forms will
not be considered as additional files.'' ANA requested to deviate from
this policy in order to provide rural communities and lower capacity
organizations an opportunity to adjust to any technological, or
bandwidth requirements that go along with transfer and upload of large
files. The policy has now been in existence for several years for other
ACF Programs, therefore ANA will no longer request a deviation from
this standard ACF policy.
3. Reduced project period for ILEAD. ANA proposes to maintain the
reduced maximum project period for awards made under the ILEAD FOA from
four years (four 12- month budget periods) to three years (three 12-
month budget periods). The reduced project period was made in FY 2017
FOAs to align the program with ANA's Social and Economic Development
Strategies (SEDS) program, which is published under the same CFDA
number as ILEAD.
4. FY 2018 FOA--Project Description. ANA proposes to modify the
information requested in the project description for FY 2018
application submissions. Modifications are being proposed to reflect a
shift away from a deficit approach, towards a strength-based approach
to defining projects and addressing long-term community goals, and to
align the application request for information with common terminology
related to program evaluation. The following is applicable to project
description requests, and evaluation criterion for all ANA FOAs
published beginning in FY 2018:
(a) ANA will no longer require the ``Problem Statement'' or include
the section titled ``Objectives and Need for Assistance''. Instead, ANA
proposes to focus on long term community goals, the community
condition, and how the project outcomes relate to the community
condition. Information will be requested under the Expected Outcomes
section of the Project Description request.
(b) To shift terms included in the FOA towards commonly used
evaluation terminology, objectives will no longer be referred to as
Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART).
ANA proposes to define objectives with population, targets, indicators,
and timelines. In addition the terms ``results'' and ``benefits'' will
be replaced with ``outcomes'' and ``outputs.''
(c) ANA proposes to require information that addresses elements of
a ``Project Framework''. The project framework will include the
following elements: Long-term community goal, current community
condition, outcomes; project goal, objectives, indicators, and outputs.
The project framework includes elements previously requested in ANA
FOAs, in combination with new elements, to fully identify the project
in relation to overall community goals; identify project outcomes
related to the enhancement of a current community condition; and
establish a framework for monitoring changes and identifying tangible
results from the project.
(d) ANA will no longer require the identification of impact or an
impact indicator; instead, ANA proposes the requirement of an outcome
tracking strategy. The outcome tracking strategy will require
applicants to identify an indicator and outcome for each objective; a
means for measuring change to the indicator, which includes data points
and establishes targets to be met throughout project implementation;
and a list of project outputs related to each project objective. Within
the FY 2018
[[Page 37863]]
FOAs, ANA intends to include a suggested format for organizing the
information included in the outcome tracking strategy, similar to the
suggestion included in the FY 2017 FOAs for organizing impact
indicators.
(e) To prioritize community based projects, ANA proposes to require
information to identify a community-based strategy for project
implementation. The requirement will include information to describe
how the proposed project relates to community based priorities, how the
community was involved in project development, and how the community
will be involved in implementation and sustainability.
(f) The ANA Objective Work Plan (OWP) [current OMB form 0970-0452]
will be modified. The terms ``results'' and ``benefits'' will no longer
be used; instead, applicants will be required to identify outcomes and
outputs. Key project activities will be included separately from
administrative activities. Requirements for key activities will include
alignment to outputs that are created by project implementation and a
maximum of 25 key activities per objective during each year of
implementation.
(a) To accommodate modifications to ANA's application information
request, ANA proposes the following evaluation criteria headings and
scoring values: Outcomes Expected (0-25 points), Outcome Tracking
Strategy (0-10 points), Approach (0-25 points), Organizational Capacity
(0-15 points), OWP (0-15 points), and Budget (0-10 points).
(b) A scoring table will be included in all FOAs to provide
additional guidance to panel reviewers regarding the allocation of
points in relation to the quality of information provided in the
application.
5. ANA Administrative Policies. The following modifications are
applicable to the ANA Administrative Policies included in all FY 2018
FOAs:
(a) ANA proposes to add an administrative policy to prioritize the
award of funds to applicant organizations that are local, community
based organizations. In the case of national, regional, or non-local
based organizations, ANA may provide support to organizations that have
provided information to justify they are the appropriate applicant
organization to administer the proposed project in support of the
community and project beneficiaries being served. The policy is
proposed as follows:
Prioritized Funding for Local, Native American Community Based
Organizations:
ANA reserves the right to prioritize funding to local Native
American community-based organizations serving their local
communities and populations. Applications from national and regional
organizations that propose projects that are performed in a
different geographic location must clearly demonstrate how the
target community was selected. They must also demonstrate a need for
the project, explain how the project originated, discuss the
community-based delivery strategy of the project, identify and
describe the intended beneficiaries, describe and relate the actual
project benefits to the community and organization, and describe a
community-based delivery system. National and regional organizations
must describe their membership, define how the organization operates
and demonstrate Native community and/or Tribal government
involvement in the development of the project and support for the
project. The type of community to be served will determine the type
of documentation necessary to support the project.
This proposed administrative policy is based on the priority for
self-sufficiency for Native American communities, and follows the
premise that self-sufficiency is best obtained when local organizations
are leading efforts to achieve community goals. The policy will state
ANA's priority for community local, community based organizations, and
describe information requirements for national, regional, or non-local
based organizations.
(b) Limitation on Number of Awards Based on Two Consecutively
Funded Projects: ANA proposes to edit language for this policy to
clarify that a no cost extension (NCE) will be included as a period of
project implementation, towards consecutively funded projects. The
policy is proposed as follows:
Limitation on Number of Awards Based on Two Consecutively Funded
Projects:
ANA will maximize the reach of its limited funding. Therefore,
applicants that have implemented at least two consecutive projects
within one CFDA number may not be funded for a third consecutive
project within the same CFDA number if other applicants who have not
received ANA funding in the past 3 years are within the scoring
range to be funded. Project implementation periods are comprised of
newly awarded first year project periods, Non Competing Continuation
(NCC) periods, and any No Cost Extensions (NCE) periods.
Therefore grantees that have been approved for a NCE must complete
a year after the end of the NCE period without implementing an ANA
project under the same CFDA number before they are considered to be
exempt from this policy. This specific issue has raised several
questions during the implementation period for ANA projects. Editing
the policy is meant to clarify its application prior to the start of an
award.
6. Ineligible Activities. ANA proposes to revise language
describing ineligible third party training and technical assistance,
which is included in the list of Projects Ineligible for Funding in all
FY 2018 FOAs. The revision will remove the statement that describes
third party training and technical assistance as activities that
duplicate training and technical assistance provided by ANA T/TA
providers, and the language will directly align the ineligible activity
with language in Subchapter D--The Administration for Native Americans,
Native American programs, 45 CFR 1336.33(b).
Ineligible Third Party Training and Technical Assistance activities
will be stated in the FOAs as follows:
Projects for which a grantee will provide training and technical
assistance to other tribes or Native American organizations or to
non-members of the grantee organization (third party training or
technical assistance).
7. Disqualification Factors. ANA proposes the following edits to
the ANA Disqualification Factors included in all FY 2018 FOAs:
(a) ANA will include language to clarify that Tribal Colleges and
public agencies serving native peoples from Guam, American Samoa, or
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, are required to
submit Assurance of Community Representation and Governing Body
Documentation from the governing body of the Tribal College.
Documentation from the governing body of the Tribe will not fulfill the
requirements for this documentation. This clarification is proposed to
reduce the number of applications that are disqualified due to
misunderstanding the requirements.
(b) ANA will revise the categories for community representation, as
described under the Assurance of Community Representation on Board of
Directors. ANA proposes to remove the second category of affiliation/
relationship to the community being served. This category was listed
as: ``persons eligible to be a participant in, or beneficiary of the
project.'' The Assurance of Community Representation is included to
ensure ANA funds are awarded to organizations that directly represent
the Native American community that will be served (See 45 CFR 1336.33).
However, ANA does not limit project participants or beneficiaries to
individuals that represent the community being served. Therefore ANA
has determined that the inclusion of this category does not support the
intention of this policy.
[[Page 37864]]
The revised policy is proposed as follows:
Assurance of Community Representation on Board of Directors
Applicants other than tribes or Alaska Native Villages applying
for funding must show that a majority of board members are
representative of a Native American community to be served.
Applicants must submit documentation that identifies each board
member by name and indicates his/her affiliation or relationship to
at least one of ANA's three categories of community representation,
which include: (1) Members of federally or state-recognized tribes;
(2) persons who are recognized by members of the eligible Native
American community to be served as having a cultural relationship
with that community; or (3) persons considered to be Native American
as defined in 45 CFR 1336.10 and Native American Pacific Islanders
as defined in Section 815 of the Native American Programs Act.
Applicants that do not include this documentation will be considered
non-responsive, and the application will not be considered for
competition. See Section IV.2. Project Description, Additional
Eligibility Documentation.
Public agencies serving native peoples from Guam, American
Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and
Tribal Colleges governed by a board that is separate from the
governing body of a tribe, must include Assurance of Community
Representation from the governing body of the Tribal College, and
not from the governing body of the Tribe. If the documentation is
not included by the submission deadline, the application will be
considered unresponsive and will be disqualified from the
competition.
8. Review and Selection Process. ANA will modify the implementation
of the Review and Selection process, as stated in all FY 2018 FOAs as
follows:
(a) ANA's commissioner has the discretion to make all final funding
decisions. In exercising this discretion, the commissioner includes a
list in Section V.2. Review and Selection Process of projects that may
not be chosen for funding. For the FY 2018 FOAs, ANA proposes the
following:
Additions:
Projects that have not demonstrated a community-based
strategy as described in Section I. Program Description, Key Project
Features.
Projects proposed by national, regional, and non-local
organization that have not justified their position as the best
applicant organization to address long term community goals for a local
community. Please see Section I. Administrative Policies, Prioritized
Funding for Local, Native American Community Based Organizations.
Projects proposing activities that were previously
implemented without Federal Assistance.
Because ANA funding is limited, ANA proposes adding these items to
the list in order to align with new language emphasizing community-
based strategies, and to highlight the priority for funding these
projects. ANA also wants to ensure that its limited funding is being
used for projects that are not able to secure other sources of funding
for activities that were being previously implemented without support
from the Federal Government.
Deletion:
Projects that provide couples or family counseling
activities that are medically-based.
ANA has stated in other administrative policies that it will not
fund human research, or projects that may cause unintended harm to
project participants. Outside of these limitations, and in an effort to
support the Native American community's ability to determine if these
activities are actually beneficially to achievement of their long-term
goals, ANA will no longer limit the proposal of projects that include
medically-based couples or family counseling activities.
9. Native American Preservation and Maintenance Program. The
following modifications are being proposed to the ``Native American
Languages Preservation and Maintenance,'' and ``Native American
Languages Preservation and Maintenance Esther Martinez Immersion'' FOAs
only:
(a) ANA proposes the identification of language specific outcomes
that relate to one of the following categories: Language fluency,
increased community member use of language learning resources;
certified language teachers; or increased capacity to implement a
language program. The categories are being proposed in order to further
define the outcomes for ANA language projects, and to support the
monitoring and evaluation of ANA's language and preservation program.
(b) ANA will include language in the FY 2018 FOAs to restate
application requirements included in Section 803C(c)(5-6) of the Native
American Programs Act (NAPA) of 1974. The requirements are as follows:
(5) if appropriate, an identification of opportunities for the
replication of such project or the modification of such project for
use by other Native Americans; and
(6) a plan for the preservation of the products of the Native
American language project for the benefit of future generations of
Native Americans and other interested persons''
This language will be added directly as stated in ANA's
authorizing legislation to ensure that applications meet the
requirements of NAPA.
Statutory Authority: Section 814 of the Native American
Programs Act of 1974 (NAPA), as amended.
Kimberly Romaine,
Deputy Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans.
[FR Doc. 2017-17099 Filed 8-11-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-34-P
