Notice Announcing Availability of Funds and Application Deadlines; Hurricane Education Recovery, 18015-18018 [2018-08700]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 25, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18015-18018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08700]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice Announcing Availability of Funds and Application 
Deadlines; Hurricane Education Recovery

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice 
announcing availability of funds and application deadlines for the 
Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students (Emergency Impact 
Aid) and the Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth programs under 
the Division B, Subdivision 1, Title VIII, ``Hurricane Education 
Recovery,'' of Public Law 115-123, the ``Bipartisan Budget Act of 
2018.''

DATES: Applications Available: April 25, 2018.
    Deadline for Transmittal of State educational agency (SEA) 
Application for the Emergency Impact Aid program: May 25, 2018.
    Deadline for Transmittal of State educational agency (SEA) 
Application for the Homeless Children and Youth program: May 25, 2018.
    Deadline for local educational agencies (LEAs) to submit 
applications to SEAs under the Emergency Impact Aid program: May 15, 
2018.
    Deadline for LEAs to submit applications to SEAs under the 
Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth program: There is no 
statutory deadline for LEA applications under this program. Each 
eligible SEA will set a reasonable deadline for the submission of LEA 
applications.

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an 
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to 
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the 
Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and available at 
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on the 
Emergency Impact Aid program, please contact Francisco Ramirez. 
Telephone (202) 260-1541. Email:

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[email protected]. For additional information on the 
Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth program, please contact 
Peter Eldridge. Telephone (202) 260-2514. Email: 
[email protected].
    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: 

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Programs: Under the Emergency Impact Aid program, we 
will award grants to eligible SEAs to enable them to make emergency 
impact aid payments to eligible LEAs and eligible Bureau of Indian 
Education (BIE)--funded schools for the cost of educating during the 
2017-2018 school year public and non-public school students displaced 
by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, or the 2017 California wildfires 
for which a major disaster or emergency has been declared under 
sections 401 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 and 5190) (covered disaster or 
emergency). Under the Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth 
program, we will award grants to eligible SEAs to enable them to 
provide financial assistance to LEAs serving homeless children and 
youth displaced by a covered disaster or emergency in order to address 
the educational and related needs of these students in a manner 
consistent with section 723 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance 
Act (McKinney-Vento Act) and with section 106 of title IV of division B 
of Public Law 109-148.
    Background: This notice announces availability of funds and 
application deadlines for eligible applicants for two programs: (1) 
Emergency Impact Aid (CFDA number 84.938C) and (2) the Assistance for 
Homeless Children and Youth program (CFDA number 84.938B). The amounts 
awarded under each program will be based on demand and specific data 
received from eligible applicants.
    Exemption from Rulemaking: These programs are exempt from the 
rulemaking requirements in section 437 of the General Education 
Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232) and section 553 of the 
Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), as established in 
Division B, Subdivision 1, Title VIII, ``Hurricane Education Recovery'' 
paragraph (6), of Public Law 115-123, the ``Bipartisan Budget Act of 
2018.'' 132 Stat. 98.
    Program Authority: Division B, Subdivision 1, Title VIII of Public 
Law 115-123, the ``Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.''

    Note:  An SEA seeking funding under Emergency Impact Aid and 
Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth programs must submit a 
separate application for each program. The data that the SEA 
provides in each application will be used by the Department to 
determine allocations under the respective programs.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 76, 77, 81, 82, 84, 
97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to 
Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 
2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department 
in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost 
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 
200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 
part 3474.

    Note:  The open licensing requirement in 2 CFR 3474.20 does not 
apply for these programs.

II. Award Information

    Estimated Available Funds under Emergency Impact Aid program (CFDA 
number 84.938C): Congress appropriated a combined amount of 
approximately $2.5 billion for both the Immediate Aid to Restart School 
Operations (CFDA number 84.938A) and Emergency Impact Aid programs. The 
amounts awarded under each program will be based on demand and on 
specific data received from eligible applicants.
    Available Funds under the Assistance for Homeless Children and 
Youth program (CFDA number 84.938B): $25 million.
    Period of Funding Availability under the Emergency Impact Aid 
program: SEAs, LEAs, and BIE-funded schools must obligate funds 
received under this program by December 31, 2018 for expenses incurred 
during the 2017-2018 school year. SEAs must return to the Department 
any funds that are not obligated by SEAs, LEAs, or BIE-funded schools 
by this deadline.
    Period of Funding Availability under the Assistance for Homeless 
Children and Youth program: Grantees must expend funds within 24 months 
of the award date. We strongly encourage SEAs to make these funds 
available to LEAs at the earliest possible date and for LEAs to 
obligate the funds in a timely fashion to address the immediate needs 
of homeless students displaced by a covered disaster or emergency.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs in any State, including the District 
of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each of the outlying 
areas.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: These programs do not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Application Submission Instructions: For information on how to 
submit an application please refer to our Common Instructions for 
Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, 
published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and 
available at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.
    2. Intergovernmental Review: These programs are subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. However, 
under 34 CFR 79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental review in order to 
make awards by the end of FY 2018.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Student Enrollment Data for the Emergency Impact Aid program: In 
the Emergency Impact Aid application for SEA funding, we request 
quarterly data on the numbers of displaced students enrolled in public, 
non-public, and BIE-funded schools as of four different count dates. 
SEAs must report separate counts of displaced students with 
disabilities, displaced English learners without disabilities, and all 
other displaced students. The Department has identified four suggested 
quarterly count dates for identifying numbers of eligible displaced 
students: October 1, 2017; December 1, 2017; February 1, 2018; and 
April 1, 2018. SEAs may use these dates or select count dates that fall 
within a 21-day range for each of the quarters, that is, within 10 
calendar days before or after these dates. Each SEA must select four 
specific dates for the quarterly counts and use those dates 
consistently for all applicants within the SEA.
    SEAs must submit enrollment data for all four quarters of the 2017-
18 school year, which may include estimated data for the fourth 
quarter, in their initial Emergency Impact Aid applications. SEAs that 
meet the initial deadline must provide any updated enrollment data 
generally and any unreported fourth quarter data for the 2017-18 school 
year by June 29, 2018.

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    We will use the enrollment data that are included in the SEA 
applications to make initial payments under the Emergency Impact Aid 
program.
    We also are aware that it may take some time for SEAs and LEAs to 
count, retroactively for all four quarters of the 2017-18 school year, 
all eligible students, including students who subsequently may have 
moved to other States or LEAs. Therefore, SEAs and LEAs are encouraged 
to provide their best available estimates of eligible students for each 
count date in their initial applications, and, in the event that they 
collect more satisfactory data that were not available at the time of 
their initial application, to amend their applications if they need to 
make upward or downward revisions to their initial child counts. The 
Secretary will make appropriate upward or downward revisions to 
subsequent payments, or request a refund for any overpayment, based on 
the final data provided by an SEA. SEAs must submit any application 
amendments affecting allocations under the Emergency Impact Aid program 
to the Department no later than June 29, 2018.
    2. Student Enrollment Data for the Assistance for Homeless Children 
and Youth program: In the Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth 
SEA application, we request data on: (1) The total number of displaced 
children and youth, as defined in the authorizing statute, enrolled in 
public schools in the State during the 2017-2018 school year; (2) the 
total number of displaced students enrolled in public school who are 
also homeless, as defined in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Act; 
and (3) additional information on demonstrated need for funding, 
including data on the total number of homeless children and youth, as 
defined in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Act, who were enrolled 
in public schools in the State during the 2017-18 school year, whose 
primary nighttime residence changed as a result of the covered disaster 
or emergency, and who do not meet the definition of displaced student.
    We will use the data included in the SEA application to determine 
funding amounts.
    3. Other Requirements for Emergency Impact Aid:
    LEAs must make Emergency Impact Aid payments to accounts on behalf 
of displaced non-public school students within 14 calendar days of 
receiving payments from their SEAs.
    The Secretary may solicit from any applicant at any time additional 
information needed to process an application for either program.
    4. Special Funding Rule for Emergency Impact Aid:
    In calculating funding under the Impact Aid Basic Support Payments 
program, authorized under section 7003 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7703) for an eligible LEA that 
receives an Emergency Impact Aid payment, the Secretary shall not count 
displaced students served by such agency for whom an Emergency Impact 
Aid payment is received under this section, nor shall such students be 
counted for the purpose of calculating the total number of children in 
average daily attendance at the schools served by such agency as 
provided in section 7003(b)(3)(B)(i) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
7703(b)(3)(B)(i)).
    5. Risk Assessment and Grant Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 
200.205, before awarding grants under these programs the Department 
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 
3474.10, the Secretary may impose specific conditions and, in 
appropriate circumstances, high-risk conditions on a grant if the 
applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of 
unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system 
that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not 
responsible.
    6. Additional Monitoring: The ``Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018'' 
designates this program to be ``susceptible to significant improper 
payments'' for purposes of the Improper Payments Information Act of 
2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 note). See Public Law 115-123, the ``Bipartisan 
Budget Act of 2018,'' Division B, Subdivision 1, Title XII, Sec.  
21208(a), Feb. 9, 2018; 132 Stat. 108. Under the statute, once any of 
these programs expends more than $10,000,000, it will result in 
additional requirements for grantees under the program, including 
making expenditure information and documentation available for review 
by the Department, starting with the Fiscal Year 2019 reporting period. 
We will provide additional information about this requirement after we 
make awards, providing advanced notice to ensure grantees understand 
their responsibilities for documenting all expenditures of Emergency 
Impact Aid and Homeless Children and Youth funds. We further note that, 
in general, these documentation requirements are identical to those 
ordinarily required for all Federal education program expenditures; the 
primary impact of the Improper Payments Information Act will be 
increased review of this documentation.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If you receive a grant award under the Emergency 
Impact Aid or Assistance for Homeless Children and Youth program, we 
will notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a 
Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing 
a link to access an electronic version of your GAN. We may also notify 
you informally.
    2. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under these programs, 
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and 
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 
should you receive funding. This does not apply if you have an 
exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
    (b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final 
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the 
Secretary. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c).

VII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package 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. You may 
access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations 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 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.


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    Dated: April 20, 2018.
Jason Botel,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Delegated the Authority to Perform 
the Functions and Duties of Assistant Secretary for Elementary and 
Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2018-08700 Filed 4-24-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P