Administration for Children and Families May 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice establishes the proposed allocations to States of FY 2005 funds for refugee \1\ social services under the Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP). The final notice will reflect amounts adjusted based upon final adjustments to FY 2002, FY 2003 and FY 2004 (October 1, 2001 through September 30, 2004) data submitted to ORR by States.

Pursuant to section 814 of the Native American Programs Act of 1974; as amended, 42 U.S.C., 2991b-1, the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) herein describes its proposed interpretive rules, general statement of policy and rules of agency procedure or practice in relation to the Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) project SMART NA Communities (Strengthening Marriages and Relationships in Tribal and Native American Communities). For FY 2005, ANA reserved an amount of funding under the SEDS program to fund projects that are beneficial to the development of healthy Native American communities. ANA has decided to participate in ACF's Healthy Marriage Initiative, and intends to use the reserved SEDS funds to support projects that improve child well-being by removing barriers associated with forming and retaining healthy families and marriages in Native American communities. Under the statute, ANA is required to provide members of the public an opportunity to comment on proposed changes in interpretive rules, statements of general policy, and rule of agency procedure or practice and to give notice of the final adoption of such changes at least 30 days before the changes become effective. The notice also provides additional information about ANA's plan for administering the programs.

This notice is to inform interested parties of corrections made to the CCF Demonstration Program published on Friday, April 29, 2005. The following corrections should be noted: Under IV.6 Other Submission Requirements, the correct address to mail and hand deliver applications is: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Attention: Eduardo Hernandez, Administration for Children and Families Office of Community Services, Operations Center, Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 100, Arlington, Virginia 22209. Phone: 1-800-281-9519. E-mail: OCS@lcgnet.com. The only changes to the CCF Demonstration Program Announcement are explicitly stated in this Notice of Correction. All applications must still be sent on or before the deadline date of June 13, 2005. For further information contact the OCS Grants Operations Center at the above phone number or address.

The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces that competing applications will be accepted for a new grant pursuant to the Secretary's authority under section 674(b) of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Act, as amended, by the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services (COATES) Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-285). The proposed grant program, the Special State Technical Assistance Program,will fund 12 to 15 State CSBG Lead Agenciesand/or State Community Action Associations to develop and support interventions in cases where an eligible entity is in a crisis situation.

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2005 funds for grants authorized under title II, subtitle D, part 2, section 291 (42 U.S.C. 15461) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Under this subtitle, funds will be awarded to provide training and technical assistance to Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&A's) in: Promoting full participation in the electoral process for individuals with disabilities, including registering to vote, casting a vote, and accessing polling places; Developing proficiency in the use of voting systems and technologies as they affect individuals with disabilities; Demonstrating and evaluating the use of such systems and technologies by individuals with disabilities (including blindness) in order to assess the availability and use of such systems and technologies for such individuals; and, Providing training and technical assistance for non-visual access. (At least one grant recipient will be expected to provide training and technical assistance in this area.) Objectives: This announcement pertains to discretionary funds available for the purpose of providing training and technical assistance to the Protection and Advocacy (P & A) Systems in their promotion of self-sufficiency and protection of the rights of individuals with disabilities as this affects the establishment or improvement of access to full participation in the voting process.

The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces that competing applications will be accepted for a new grant pursuant to the Secretary's authority under section 674(b) of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Act, as amended, by the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services (COATES) Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998, (Pub. L. 105-285). The proposed grant will fund up to 10 capacity-building collaborations that create or expand asset formation and financial literacy services offered by eligible entities funded under the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Program in support of national community action Goal 1 (``Low Income People Become More Self- sufficient'').

Funds are provided for the creation of an American Indian Alaska Native (AI-AN) Head Start Research Center that will provide leadership and collaborate with researchers with diverse areas of expertise in order to facilitate early childhood research within the Head Start AI-AN context, engage in capacity building, and establish model research partnerships between local researchers, Head Start American Indian Alaska Native program staff and members of tribal communities. This cooperative agreement is part of a larger Head Start research effort. Three other grant funding mechanisms are being offered concurrently with the one described in this announcement. They include: (1) American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start Research Center, (2) Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants, and (3) Head Start Graduate Student Research Partnership Development Grants. For more information, please see these other Head Start Research announcements listed in the Federal Register or listed on https://www.Grants.gov.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has supported the field of microenterprise development since 1991 with discretionary grants to various State governments, community economic development agencies, community action and other human service agencies, local mutual assistance associations, and voluntary agencies. Organizations with successful programs have typically been those with a long-term commitment to microenterprise, particularly access to lending, and to its adaptation to the refugee experience. They have committed agency resources to support refugee programs; and their work in refugee microenterprise development has been consistent with the overall agency mission. A public or private non-profit agency interested in receiving funding under this announcement must have the organizational capacity to work with refugees who have low incomes, limited English-language proficiency, and neither assets nor American business experience. Many newly arrived refugees do not qualify for commercial loans or for admission into mainstream microenterprise development programs for these reasons. Organizations that cannot support in-house lending and essential loan-servicing responsibilities may experience difficulties in implementing a microenterprise project. Refugees bring positive attributes to microenterprise development projects, including a diverse and rich array of business ideas, skills, experiences, and ambitions. These characteristics have been largely responsible for the success of the ORR program. During the last 14 years, refugees have started or expanded more than 1,800 micro- businesses (with a business survival rate of over 88 percent). ORR grantees have provided over $4 million in financing to these entrepreneurs and clients have used these loans to leverage an additional $4,500,000 in loans from other sources. The loan repayment rate is close to 100 percent. Additionally, 2,666 new jobs have been created. Over 10,500 refugees have gained new entrepreneurial skills and knowledge; and the additional business income is helping refugee families to achieve economic self-sufficiency. By commonly accepted measures of performance (business survival rates, loan default rates, etc.), the ORR-funded programs have excelled and frequently led the field in achievement. Building on the experience of the last 14 years, ORR seeks in this announcement to continue support to this field, particularly on behalf of those refugees who, because of language and cultural barriers, are unlikely to gain access to commercial loans or business training through other programs. To be successful in this competition, refugee- serving organizations must demonstrate their organization's capacity to provide the technical expertise necessary to help refugees start, expand, or strengthen businesses, and to provide access to credit. Economic development agencies must show how they will modify their existing programs to serve refugees effectively. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) invites eligible entities to submit competitive grant applications for microenterprise development projects for refugees.\1\ Applications will be accepted pursuant to the Director's discretionary authority under section 412(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1522(c)), as amended. Applications will be screened and evaluated as indicated in this program announcement. Awards will be contingent on the outcome of the competition and the availability of funds.

Specialized Outreach Demonstration Projects for Services to Underserved and Diverse Populations: In order to further the commitment to bring diverse voices and approaches to the discussions on the elimination of domestic violence, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families announces grant funds to support projects that convene researchers, activists, survivors of domestic violence, and practitioners who have been advocates of a more culturally appropriate and familial orientation to the elimination of domestic violence. The Administration on Children, Youth and Families seeks to support coordinated outreach efforts to underserved and diverse communities, of which each effort is staffed and/or supported by expert and multi- disciplined teams that are culturally responsive and competent in regard to the issue of domestic violence in their particular communities. On a nationwide basis the expertise assembled within the Special Outreach projects will offer assistance on resource accumulation and information, capacity building within community organizations, policy analysis and review, training, and technical assistance for public and private organizations providing service in the domestic violence community. This assistance will be available to the entire domestic violence community as well as the specific communities to be served by these demonstration projects. Domestic Violence/Runaway and Homeless Youth Collaborations on the Prevention of Adolescent Dating Violence: The collaboration of the Runaway Youth and Domestic Violence communities will foster the development and implementation of effective strategies and program requirements for the use of domestic violence prevention services concurrently with services provided through Basic Center, Transitional Living and Street Outreach Projects. These collaborations will help to eliminate adolescent dating violence. These collaborative efforts will focus on the youth who are identified within the domestic violence and runaway and homeless youth communities as individuals that may be responsive to a collaborative set of interventions that are useful as effective prevention and intervention strategies. Minority Training Grant Stipends in Domestic Violence for Historically Black, Hispanic-Serving, and Tribal Colleges and Universities: The Minority Training Grant Stipends to Historically Black, Hispanic Serving, and Tribal Colleges and Universities will assist in generating skill-building and training opportunities in domestic violence prevention and services. These projects will be particularly responsive to issues of cultural content and designed to increase the extent to which minority groups participate in the domestic violence service community. A substantial proportion of the domestic violence that occurs in the general population involves underserved populations, including populations that are underserved because of ethnic, racial, cultural, language diversity or geographic isolation. The purpose of this effort and priority area is to increase the numbers and the capacity of the advocates and allies to do the work that is needed in these communities to prevent domestic violence.

In compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended by Public Law 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, we are publishing a notice of a computer matching program that OCSE will conduct on behalf of itself and State Agencies administering Unemployment Compensation programs under Federal or State law to facilitate the administration of such programs. The match will utilize National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) records and State Unemployment Compensation (UC) records.