80_FR_21775 80 FR 21700 - Recipient Fund Balances

80 FR 21700 - Recipient Fund Balances

LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 75 (April 20, 2015)

Page Range21700-21703
FR Document2015-08948

This proposed rule would revise the Legal Services Corporation (LSC or Corporation) regulation on recipient fund balances to provide the Corporation with more discretion to grant a recipient's request for a waiver to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of its annual LSC support. This proposed rule would also provide that recipients that face extraordinary and compelling circumstances may submit a waiver request to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of their annual LSC support prior to the submission of their annual audited financial statements.

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 75 (Monday, April 20, 2015)
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 75 (Monday, April 20, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 21700-21703]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08948]


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LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION

45 CFR Part 1628


Recipient Fund Balances

AGENCY: Legal Services Corporation.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: This proposed rule would revise the Legal Services Corporation 
(LSC or Corporation) regulation on recipient fund balances to provide 
the Corporation with more discretion to grant a recipient's request for 
a waiver to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of its annual LSC 
support. This proposed rule would also provide that recipients that 
face extraordinary and compelling circumstances may submit a waiver 
request to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of their annual LSC 
support prior to the submission of their annual audited financial 
statements.

DATE:  Comments must be submitted by May 20, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: 1628rulemaking@lsc.gov. Include ``Comments on 
Revisions to Part 1628'' in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: (202) 337-6519, ATTN: Part 1628 Rulemaking.
     Mail: Stefanie K. Davis, Assistant General Counsel, Legal 
Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20007, ATTN: 
Part 1628 Rulemaking.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Stefanie K. Davis, Assistant 
General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20007, ATTN: Part 1628 Rulemaking.
    Instructions: Electronic submissions are preferred via email with 
attachments in Acrobat PDF format. Written comments sent to any other 
address or received after the end of the comment period may not be 
considered by LSC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stefanie K. Davis, Assistant General 
Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW., Washington, DC 
20007; (202) 295-1563 (phone), (202) 337-6519 (fax), or sdavis@lsc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Regulatory Background

    LSC issued its first instruction on recipient fund balances in 1983 
to implement what is now the Corporation's longstanding objective of 
ensuring the timely expenditure of LSC funds for the effective and 
economical provision of high quality legal assistance to eligible 
clients. 48 FR 560, 561, Jan. 5, 1983. Later that year, LSC published a 
redrafted version titled Instruction 83-4, Recipient Fund Balances 
(``Instruction''). 48 FR 49710, 49711, Oct. 27, 1983. The Instruction 
limited the ability of recipients to carry over LSC funds that remained 
unused at the end of the fiscal year. Id. Specifically, the Instruction 
provided that, in the absence of a waiver granted by the Corporation, a 
recipient's end-of-year fund balance in excess of 10% of its total 
annual LSC support must be repaid to LSC. Id. The Instruction also

[[Page 21701]]

prohibited a recipient from ever retaining a fund balance in excess of 
25% of its annual support, thereby limiting the Corporation's waiver 
granting authority to fund balance amounts of 25% or less of a 
recipient's annual support. Id.
    In 1984, LSC substantially adopted the Instruction in a regulation 
published at 45 CFR part 1628. 49 FR 21331, May 21, 1984. Part 1628 
remained unchanged until 2000, when LSC promulgated revisions in 
response to public comments and staff advice indicating that the rule 
was ``more strict'' than the fund balance requirements of most federal 
agencies. 65 FR 66637, 66638, Nov. 7, 2000. The revisions provided the 
Corporation with more discretion to grant a recipient's request for a 
waiver to retain a fund balance of up to 25% of its annual support. Id. 
at 66637. In addition, for the first time, the rule authorized the 
Corporation to exercise its discretion to grant a recipient's request 
for a waiver to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of its annual 
support. Id. The Corporation reasoned that, by allowing for waivers to 
retain that amount, ``[t]he recipient can better plan and find the best 
use for the funds, rather than being forced into a hasty expenditure 
simply to avoid the limitation on the carryover of fund balances.'' Id. 
at 66640. The rule, however, limited the situations justifying a 
recipient's request to retain more than 25% of its annual support to 
``three specific circumstances when extraordinary and compelling 
reasons exist for such a waiver,'' currently listed in Sec.  1628.3(c). 
Id. at 66638. These extraordinary and compelling circumstances were 
restricted to the following situations when a recipient received income 
derived from its use of LSC funds: ``(1) An insurance reimbursement; 
(2) the sale of real property; and (3) the receipt of monies from a 
lawsuit in which the recipient was a party.'' Id. at 66639. Although 
the Operations and Regulations Committee (Committee) ``considered using 
a standard of `extraordinary and compelling' for these waivers with the 
three specific circumstances discussed as examples,'' it ultimately 
decided ``that more guidance was required to avoid erosion of the 
standard,'' and the three circumstances became exclusive limitations, 
not mere examples. Id. at 66640. The LSC Board of Directors (Board) 
adopted the revisions to part 1628 on November 20, 1999, and the 
revised rule has been in effect since December 7, 2000. Id. at 66637-
38.
    On April 12, 2015, the Committee voted to recommend that the Board 
publish this NPRM in the Federal Register for notice and comment. On 
April 14, 2015, the Board accepted the Committee's recommendation and 
voted to approve publication of this NPRM.

II. LSC Consideration of Potential Revisions to Part 1628

    During the nearly 15-year period since part 1628 was last revised, 
LSC grantees have experienced various unexpected occurrences outside of 
those listed in Sec.  1628.3(c) that caused them to accrue fund 
balances in excess of 25% of their annual support. These occurrences 
have included an end-of-year transfer of assets from a former grantee 
to a current grantee, a natural disaster that resulted in a significant 
infusion of use-or-lose disaster relief funds from non-LSC sources, and 
receipt of a large attorneys' fees award in an LSC-funded case near the 
end of the fiscal year. In each of these situations, LSC determined 
that part 1628 currently prevents some recipients with legitimate 
reasons for having fund balances exceeding 25% of their annual LSC 
support from seeking and obtaining needed waivers.
    On January 22, 2015, LSC staff presented the Committee with a 
proposal to consider revising part 1628 to address the difficulties 
faced by recipients that encounter these types of occurrences, yet are 
unable to justify a waiver request to retain a balance in excess of 25% 
of their annual support under the current standards. The Committee 
authorized LSC management to add the matter to the Committee's 
rulemaking agenda so that it may address this issue. In addition, the 
Committee requested that LSC consider whether the rule's 10% and 25% 
caps on fund balance carryovers are still appropriate in light of the 
most recently available data on recipient waiver requests.
    LSC first considered revising part 1628 to allow recipients to 
request, and the Corporation to grant, waivers to retain fund balances 
in excess of 25% of annual support in extraordinary and compelling 
circumstances not covered by the current rule. Current Sec.  1628.3(c) 
is limited to three circumstances where a recipient receives an 
infusion of derivative income, or income derived from the recipient's 
use of LSC funds. As discussed above, however, recent situations have 
included the sudden infusion of non-derivative, use-or-lose income 
under other circumstances that significantly disrupted grantee 
expenditure plans. As a result, LSC staff determined that the list of 
extraordinary and compelling circumstances in Sec.  1628.3(c) should be 
illustrative, rather than limited, so that recipients that encounter 
truly unforeseeable scenarios can avoid having to make the difficult 
choice between returning large portions of unused balances and 
hurriedly spending funds before the end of the fiscal year. LSC staff 
similarly determined that such circumstances should include situations 
where a grantee is incapable of expending its existing LSC funds as 
originally planned due to a natural disaster or other catastrophic 
event, as opposed to only situations where new income is received. 
Therefore, the Corporation proposes providing an illustrative list of 
extraordinary and compelling circumstances justifying waivers to retain 
a fund balance in excess of 25% of a recipient's annual support. LSC 
believes that this proposed revision will allow grantees to devise more 
organized and efficient spending plans when faced with unexpected 
events that are not listed in current Sec.  1628.3(c). Providing 
recipients with sufficient time to plan for the expenditure of unused 
funds in excess of 25% of their annual support would also advance the 
Corporation's policy of ensuring effective and economical provision of 
high quality legal assistance to eligible clients.
    LSC next considered revising part 1628 to provide that a recipient 
may submit a waiver request prior to submitting its annual audited 
financial statements. Section 1628.4(a) currently provides that a 
recipient may request a waiver within 30 days of the submission of its 
annual audited financial statements. The preamble to the 2000 rule, 
however, states that ``[t]his rule does not preclude the recipient's 
request for a Corporation action on a waiver prior to the close of the 
fiscal year, it simply does not require the Corporation to provide for 
advance approval.'' 65 FR 66637, 66640, Nov. 7, 2000. LSC staff 
determined that incorporating the current preamble language on 
permitting waiver requests prior to the close of the fiscal year into 
the regulatory text of part 1628 would benefit grantees by allowing 
them to seek assurance that they will not have to return or spend a 
large portion of excess LSC funds by the end of the fiscal year, 
thereby enabling them to plan for the following fiscal year with 
greater certainty.
    LSC staff also found that limiting early approvals to requests for 
waivers to retain balances in excess of 25% of annual support would be 
proper in light of the unique and significant burdens on financial 
planning faced by recipients that experience extraordinary and 
compelling circumstances. In addition, because a recipient's estimate 
of the fund balance it anticipates accruing by the end of the fiscal 
year may end up

[[Page 21702]]

being higher or lower than the recipient's actual fund balance at the 
time it submits its audited financial statements, LSC staff determined 
that recipients that receive approval of a waiver request prior to 
submitting their audited financial statements must submit updated 
information consistent with the requirements of Sec.  1628.4(a) after 
the submission of their audited financial statements. Accordingly, an 
advance approval would be, in effect, an approval of the reasons for a 
waiver and of the proposed amount to be retained, but the recipient 
must later provide confirmation of the actual amount of excess funds it 
has accrued. LSC therefore proposes revising the rule to provide that 
recipients that face extraordinary and compelling circumstances may 
submit a waiver request to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of 
their annual support prior to the submission of their annual audited 
financial statements, and that the Corporation may, in its discretion, 
grant approval of such requests pending confirmation of the actual 
amount to be retained once the audited financial statements are 
finalized.
    The Corporation also considered revising part 1628 to require LSC 
management to provide notice to the Board of any decision to grant a 
waiver in excess of 25% of a recipient's annual support. LSC is 
retaining the ``extraordinary and compelling circumstances'' standard 
for granting such waivers, and anticipates that recipients will 
continue to seek such waivers only in circumstances where they 
experience extreme events that prevent them from expending more than 
25% of their annual LSC support. Furthermore, the granting of LSC 
funding and exercising discretion with regard to carryover, suspension 
or termination of such funding has been and should remain a management, 
not a Board, function. The Corporation will continue to exercise its 
discretion with the same good faith and fidelity to the objective of 
ensuring the timely expenditure of LSC funds as it has done since part 
1628 was last revised in 2000. Therefore, LSC proposes to retain its 
current policy of leaving discretion to grant waivers to retain excess 
recipient fund balances with LSC management.
    Finally, pursuant to the Committee's request, LSC considered 
whether the rule's 10% and 25% caps on fund balance carryover amounts 
should be adjusted in accordance with recent trends in waiver requests. 
LSC's Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE) provided LSC staff 
with statistics on all waiver requests that have been submitted to the 
Corporation over the last six years. After analyzing the data, LSC 
decided as a policy matter that the respective percentage caps are set 
at the appropriate levels. According to the statistics, the average 
annual number of waiver requests to retain a fund balance that exceeds 
10% of a recipient's LSC support is easily manageable by OCE. 
Furthermore, waiver requests to retain a balance in excess of 25% of 
LSC support are exceedingly rare, and the Corporation does not expect a 
significantly greater number of such requests if the proposed revisions 
to part 1628 are adopted. LSC believes that the current percentage caps 
on carryover amounts are necessary to ensure that recipients are 
spending their grants on providing legal services, while offering an 
appropriate amount of flexibility to retain unused fund balances. The 
Corporation therefore proposes retaining the current percentage cap 
amounts, but requests comments on whether to change them.

III. Discussion of the Proposed Changes

Sec.  1628.3 Policy

    LSC proposes to revise Sec.  1628.3(c) to eliminate the language 
limiting the extraordinary and compelling circumstances in which LSC 
may grant a recipient's request for a waiver to retain a fund balance 
that exceeds 25% of its annual LSC support. Whereas existing Sec.  
1628.3(c) is limited to three circumstances where a recipient receives 
a sudden infusion of income, the proposed section expands the types of 
situations that the Corporation, in its discretion, may consider to be 
extraordinary and compelling circumstances. The proposed section adds 
the example of a natural disaster to illustrate a situation where a 
recipient would be unable to expend its current LSC grant for reasons 
other than the receipt of new funds. The proposed section also adds the 
example of ``a payment from an LSC-funded lawsuit, regardless of 
whether the recipient was a party to the lawsuit.'' This revision makes 
clear that a recipient may request a waiver to retain a fund balance in 
excess of 25% of its annual support when it receives an award as the 
result of a court decision in an LSC-funded case, even if the recipient 
was not named as a party to the action.
    LSC also proposes to make a minor revision to Sec.  1628.3(d) to 
reflect the proposed redesignation of certain paragraphs in Sec.  
1628.4.

Sec.  1628.4 Procedures

    LSC proposes to add a new Sec.  1628.4(d) to expressly allow 
recipients that face extraordinary and compelling circumstances to 
submit a waiver request to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of 
their annual support prior to the submission of their annual audited 
financial statements. This addition will require existing Sec.  
1628.4(d), (e), (f), and (g) to be redesignated to Sec.  1628.4(e), 
(f), (g), and (h).
    The proposed new Sec.  1628.4(d) will list the written requirements 
for a waiver request to retain a fund balance in excess of 25% of 
annual support. These requirements vary from the ones listed in Sec.  
1628.4(a), which apply only to requests made within 30 days after the 
submission of a recipient's annual audited financial statements. There 
are two reasons for the variation. First, because the annual audited 
financial statement of a recipient requesting an early waiver approval 
would not yet be available to the Corporation, recipients can provide 
only an estimate of the fund balance they anticipate to accrue by the 
time their statements are submitted. Second, because a recipient may 
submit a waiver request either before or after the close of the fiscal 
year, the proposed section will require recipients to provide a ``plan 
for disposing of the excess fund balance,'' as opposed to a plan for 
the ``current fiscal year'' as required by Sec.  1628.4(a). 
Additionally, proposed Sec.  1628.4(d) requires recipients receiving 
approval to later submit updated information consistent with the 
requirements of paragraph (a) to confirm the actual fund balance amount 
to be retained by the recipient, as determined by reference to its 
annual audited financial statements.
    Finally, LSC proposes to revise the introductory text of paragraph 
(a), as well as paragraphs (a)(2) and (3), for clarity and readability.

List of Subjects in 45 CFR Part 1628

    Administrative practice and procedure, Grant programs--law, Legal 
services.
    For the reasons set forth in the preamble, the Legal Services 
Corporation proposes to revise 45 CFR part 1628 as follows:

PART 1628--RECIPIENT FUND BALANCES

0
1. The authority citation for part 1628 is revised to read as follows:

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 2996g(e).

0
2. Revise paragraphs (c) and (d) of Sec.  1628.3 to read as follows:


Sec.  1628.3  Policy

* * * * *
    (c) Recipients may request a waiver to retain a fund balance in 
excess of 25%

[[Page 21703]]

of a recipient's LSC support only for extraordinary and compelling 
circumstances, such as when a natural disaster or other catastrophic 
event prevents the timely expenditure of LSC funds, or when the 
recipient receives an insurance reimbursement, the proceeds from the 
sale of real property, a payment from a lawsuit in which the recipient 
was a party, or a payment from an LSC-funded lawsuit, regardless of 
whether the recipient was a party to the lawsuit.
    (d) A waiver pursuant to paragraph (b) or (c) of this section may 
be granted at the discretion of the Corporation pursuant to the 
criteria set out in Sec.  1628.4(e).
* * * * *
0
3. Amend Sec.  1628.4 as follows:
0
a. Revise paragraph (a) introductory text and paragraphs (a)(2) and 
(3);
0
b. Redesignate paragraphs (d) through (g) as paragraphs (e) through 
(h); and
0
c. Add new paragraph (d).
    The revisions and additions read as follows:


Sec.  1628.4  Procedures

    (a) A recipient may request a waiver of the 10% ceiling on LSC fund 
balances within 30 days after the submission to LSC of its annual 
audited financial statements. The request shall specify:
* * * * *
    (2) The reason(s) for the excess fund balance;
    (3) The recipient's plan for disposing of the excess fund balance 
during the current fiscal year;\
* * * * *
    (d) A recipient may submit a waiver request to retain a fund 
balance in excess of 25% of its LSC support prior to the submission of 
its audited financial statements. The Corporation may, at its 
discretion, provide approval in writing. The request shall specify the 
extraordinary and compelling circumstances justifying the fund balance 
in excess of 25%; the estimated fund balance that the recipient 
anticipates it will accrue by the time of the submission of its audited 
financial statements; and the recipient's plan for disposing of the 
excess fund balance. Upon the submission of its annual audited 
financial statements, the recipient must submit updated information 
consistent with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section to 
confirm the actual fund balance to be retained.
* * * * *

    Dated: April 14, 2015.
Stefanie K. Davis,
Assistant General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2015-08948 Filed 4-17-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7050-01-P



                                                    21700                    Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 75 / Monday, April 20, 2015 / Proposed Rules

                                                    Accounting Guide for LSC Recipients.                    annual audit or, if an audit has been                  to retain a fund balance in excess of
                                                    Subgranted funds may be separately                      recently submitted, submit it as an                    25% of its annual LSC support. This
                                                    disclosed and accounted for, and                        addendum to that recently submitted                    proposed rule would also provide that
                                                    reported upon in the audited financial                  audit.                                                 recipients that face extraordinary and
                                                    statements of a recipient; or such funds                  (c) In addition to the provisions of                 compelling circumstances may submit a
                                                    may be included in a separate audit                     § 1627.4(c)(3), LSC may hold the                       waiver request to retain a fund balance
                                                    report of the subrecipient. The                         recipient responsible for any disallowed               in excess of 25% of their annual LSC
                                                    relationship between the recipient and                  expenditures of subgrant funds. Thus,                  support prior to the submission of their
                                                    subrecipient will determine the proper                  LSC may recover all of the disallowed                  annual audited financial statements.
                                                    method of financial reporting following                 costs from either the recipient or the                 DATE: Comments must be submitted by
                                                    generally accepted accounting                           subrecipient or may divide the recovery                May 20, 2015.
                                                    principles.                                             between the two. LSC’s total recovery                  ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
                                                      (e) Oversight. To ensure subrecipient                 may not exceed the amount of                           by any of the following methods:
                                                    compliance with the LSC Act, LSC’s                      expenditures disallowed.                                 • Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://
                                                    appropriations statutes, Congressional                    (d) Funds received by a recipient from               www.regulations.gov. Follow the
                                                    restrictions having the force of law, and               other recipients in the form of fees and               instructions for submitting comments.
                                                    LSC’s regulations, guidelines, and                      dues shall be accounted for and                          • Email: 1628rulemaking@lsc.gov.
                                                    instructions, agreements between a                      included in the annual audit of the                    Include ‘‘Comments on Revisions to Part
                                                    recipient and a subrecipient must                       recipient receiving these funds as LSC                 1628’’ in the subject line of the message.
                                                    provide the same oversight rights for                   funds.                                                   • Fax: (202) 337–6519, ATTN: Part
                                                    LSC with respect to subrecipients as                    § 1627.7 Recipient policies, procedures                1628 Rulemaking.
                                                    apply to subrecipients.                                 and recordkeeping.                                       • Mail: Stefanie K. Davis, Assistant
                                                                                                              Each recipient must adopt written                    General Counsel, Legal Services
                                                    § 1627.5 Applicability of restrictions,
                                                    timekeeping, and recipient priorities;                  policies and procedures to guide its staff             Corporation, 3333 K Street NW.,
                                                    private attorney involvement subgrants.                 in complying with this part and must                   Washington, DC 20007, ATTN: Part
                                                                                                            maintain records sufficient to document                1628 Rulemaking.
                                                       (a) Applicability of restrictions. The
                                                                                                            the recipient’s compliance with this                     • Hand Delivery/Courier: Stefanie K.
                                                    prohibitions and requirements set forth
                                                                                                            part.                                                  Davis, Assistant General Counsel, Legal
                                                    in 45 CFR part 1610 apply both to the
                                                                                                                                                                   Services Corporation, 3333 K Street
                                                    subgrant and to the subrecipient’s non-
                                                                                                            PART 1630—COST STANDARDS AND                           NW., Washington, DC 20007, ATTN:
                                                    LSC funds, except as modified by
                                                                                                            PROCEDURES                                             Part 1628 Rulemaking.
                                                    paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this
                                                                                                                                                                     Instructions: Electronic submissions
                                                    section.                                                ■ 10. In newly transferred and                         are preferred via email with attachments
                                                       (b) Priorities. Subrecipients must                   redesignated § 1630.14, revise the                     in Acrobat PDF format. Written
                                                    either:                                                 section heading to read as follows:                    comments sent to any other address or
                                                       (1) Use the subgrant consistent with
                                                                                                            § 1630.14    Membership fees or dues.                  received after the end of the comment
                                                    the recipient’s priorities; or
                                                                                                              11. In newly transferred and                         period may not be considered by LSC.
                                                       (2) Establish their own priorities for               ■
                                                    the use of the subgrant consistent with                 redesignated § 1630.15, revise the                     FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
                                                    45 CFR part 1620;                                       section heading to read as follows:                    Stefanie K. Davis, Assistant General
                                                       (c) Timekeeping. Subrecipients must                                                                         Counsel, Legal Services Corporation,
                                                                                                            § 1630.15    Contributions.                            3333 K Street NW., Washington, DC
                                                    comply with 45 CFR part 1635 regarding
                                                    timekeeping for all LSC-funded subgrant                 ■ 12. In newly transferred and                         20007; (202) 295–1563 (phone), (202)
                                                    activities.                                             redesignated § 1630.16, revise the                     337–6519 (fax), or sdavis@lsc.gov.
                                                       (d) PAI subgrant. (1) The prohibitions               section heading to read as follows:                    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                                                    and requirements set forth in 45 CFR                    § 1630.16 Tax sheltered annuities,                     I. Regulatory Background
                                                    part 1610 apply only to the subgrant,                   retirement accounts, and pensions.
                                                    when the subrecipient is a bar                                                                                    LSC issued its first instruction on
                                                    association, pro bono program, private                    Dated: April 14, 2015.                               recipient fund balances in 1983 to
                                                    attorney or law firm, or other entity that              Stefanie K. Davis,                                     implement what is now the
                                                    receives a subgrant for the sole purpose                Assistant General Counsel.                             Corporation’s longstanding objective of
                                                    of funding private attorney involvement                 [FR Doc. 2015–08951 Filed 4–17–15; 8:45 am]            ensuring the timely expenditure of LSC
                                                    activities (PAI) pursuant to 45 CFR part                BILLING CODE 7050–01–P
                                                                                                                                                                   funds for the effective and economical
                                                    1614.                                                                                                          provision of high quality legal
                                                       (2) Any funds used by a recipient as                                                                        assistance to eligible clients. 48 FR 560,
                                                    payment for a PAI subgrant are deemed                   LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION                             561, Jan. 5, 1983. Later that year, LSC
                                                    LSC funds for purposes of this                                                                                 published a redrafted version titled
                                                    paragraph.                                              45 CFR Part 1628                                       Instruction 83–4, Recipient Fund
                                                                                                                                                                   Balances (‘‘Instruction’’). 48 FR 49710,
                                                    § 1627.6   Subgrants to other recipients.               Recipient Fund Balances                                49711, Oct. 27, 1983. The Instruction
                                                      (a) The requirements of § 1627.4 apply                                                                       limited the ability of recipients to carry
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS




                                                                                                            AGENCY:   Legal Services Corporation.
                                                    to all subgrants from one recipient to                  ACTION:   Notice of proposed rulemaking.               over LSC funds that remained unused at
                                                    another recipient.                                                                                             the end of the fiscal year. Id.
                                                      (b) The subrecipient must audit any                   SUMMARY:   This proposed rule would                    Specifically, the Instruction provided
                                                    funds provided by the recipient under a                 revise the Legal Services Corporation                  that, in the absence of a waiver granted
                                                    subgrant in its annual audit and supply                 (LSC or Corporation) regulation on                     by the Corporation, a recipient’s end-of-
                                                    a copy of this audit to the recipient. The              recipient fund balances to provide the                 year fund balance in excess of 10% of
                                                    recipient must either submit the                        Corporation with more discretion to                    its total annual LSC support must be
                                                    relevant part of this audit with its next               grant a recipient’s request for a waiver               repaid to LSC. Id. The Instruction also


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                                                                             Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 75 / Monday, April 20, 2015 / Proposed Rules                                            21701

                                                    prohibited a recipient from ever                        Register for notice and comment. On                    can avoid having to make the difficult
                                                    retaining a fund balance in excess of                   April 14, 2015, the Board accepted the                 choice between returning large portions
                                                    25% of its annual support, thereby                      Committee’s recommendation and voted                   of unused balances and hurriedly
                                                    limiting the Corporation’s waiver                       to approve publication of this NPRM.                   spending funds before the end of the
                                                    granting authority to fund balance                                                                             fiscal year. LSC staff similarly
                                                                                                            II. LSC Consideration of Potential
                                                    amounts of 25% or less of a recipient’s                                                                        determined that such circumstances
                                                                                                            Revisions to Part 1628
                                                    annual support. Id.                                                                                            should include situations where a
                                                       In 1984, LSC substantially adopted                      During the nearly 15-year period since              grantee is incapable of expending its
                                                    the Instruction in a regulation published               part 1628 was last revised, LSC grantees               existing LSC funds as originally planned
                                                    at 45 CFR part 1628. 49 FR 21331, May                   have experienced various unexpected                    due to a natural disaster or other
                                                    21, 1984. Part 1628 remained                            occurrences outside of those listed in                 catastrophic event, as opposed to only
                                                    unchanged until 2000, when LSC                          § 1628.3(c) that caused them to accrue                 situations where new income is
                                                    promulgated revisions in response to                    fund balances in excess of 25% of their                received. Therefore, the Corporation
                                                    public comments and staff advice                        annual support. These occurrences have                 proposes providing an illustrative list of
                                                    indicating that the rule was ‘‘more                     included an end-of-year transfer of                    extraordinary and compelling
                                                    strict’’ than the fund balance                          assets from a former grantee to a current              circumstances justifying waivers to
                                                    requirements of most federal agencies.                  grantee, a natural disaster that resulted              retain a fund balance in excess of 25%
                                                    65 FR 66637, 66638, Nov. 7, 2000. The                   in a significant infusion of use-or-lose               of a recipient’s annual support. LSC
                                                    revisions provided the Corporation with                 disaster relief funds from non-LSC                     believes that this proposed revision will
                                                    more discretion to grant a recipient’s                  sources, and receipt of a large attorneys’             allow grantees to devise more organized
                                                    request for a waiver to retain a fund                   fees award in an LSC-funded case near                  and efficient spending plans when faced
                                                    balance of up to 25% of its annual                      the end of the fiscal year. In each of                 with unexpected events that are not
                                                    support. Id. at 66637. In addition, for                 these situations, LSC determined that                  listed in current § 1628.3(c). Providing
                                                    the first time, the rule authorized the                 part 1628 currently prevents some                      recipients with sufficient time to plan
                                                    Corporation to exercise its discretion to               recipients with legitimate reasons for                 for the expenditure of unused funds in
                                                    grant a recipient’s request for a waiver                having fund balances exceeding 25% of                  excess of 25% of their annual support
                                                    to retain a fund balance in excess of                   their annual LSC support from seeking                  would also advance the Corporation’s
                                                    25% of its annual support. Id. The                      and obtaining needed waivers.                          policy of ensuring effective and
                                                    Corporation reasoned that, by allowing                     On January 22, 2015, LSC staff                      economical provision of high quality
                                                    for waivers to retain that amount, ‘‘[t]he              presented the Committee with a                         legal assistance to eligible clients.
                                                    recipient can better plan and find the                  proposal to consider revising part 1628                   LSC next considered revising part
                                                    best use for the funds, rather than being               to address the difficulties faced by                   1628 to provide that a recipient may
                                                    forced into a hasty expenditure simply                  recipients that encounter these types of               submit a waiver request prior to
                                                    to avoid the limitation on the carryover                occurrences, yet are unable to justify a               submitting its annual audited financial
                                                    of fund balances.’’ Id. at 66640. The                   waiver request to retain a balance in                  statements. Section 1628.4(a) currently
                                                    rule, however, limited the situations                   excess of 25% of their annual support                  provides that a recipient may request a
                                                    justifying a recipient’s request to retain              under the current standards. The                       waiver within 30 days of the submission
                                                    more than 25% of its annual support to                  Committee authorized LSC management                    of its annual audited financial
                                                    ‘‘three specific circumstances when                     to add the matter to the Committee’s                   statements. The preamble to the 2000
                                                    extraordinary and compelling reasons                    rulemaking agenda so that it may                       rule, however, states that ‘‘[t]his rule
                                                    exist for such a waiver,’’ currently listed             address this issue. In addition, the                   does not preclude the recipient’s request
                                                    in § 1628.3(c). Id. at 66638. These                     Committee requested that LSC consider                  for a Corporation action on a waiver
                                                    extraordinary and compelling                            whether the rule’s 10% and 25% caps                    prior to the close of the fiscal year, it
                                                    circumstances were restricted to the                    on fund balance carryovers are still                   simply does not require the Corporation
                                                    following situations when a recipient                   appropriate in light of the most recently              to provide for advance approval.’’ 65 FR
                                                    received income derived from its use of                 available data on recipient waiver                     66637, 66640, Nov. 7, 2000. LSC staff
                                                    LSC funds: ‘‘(1) An insurance                           requests.                                              determined that incorporating the
                                                    reimbursement; (2) the sale of real                        LSC first considered revising part                  current preamble language on
                                                    property; and (3) the receipt of monies                 1628 to allow recipients to request, and               permitting waiver requests prior to the
                                                    from a lawsuit in which the recipient                   the Corporation to grant, waivers to                   close of the fiscal year into the
                                                    was a party.’’ Id. at 66639. Although the               retain fund balances in excess of 25% of               regulatory text of part 1628 would
                                                    Operations and Regulations Committee                    annual support in extraordinary and                    benefit grantees by allowing them to
                                                    (Committee) ‘‘considered using a                        compelling circumstances not covered                   seek assurance that they will not have
                                                    standard of ‘extraordinary and                          by the current rule. Current § 1628.3(c)               to return or spend a large portion of
                                                    compelling’ for these waivers with the                  is limited to three circumstances where                excess LSC funds by the end of the
                                                    three specific circumstances discussed                  a recipient receives an infusion of                    fiscal year, thereby enabling them to
                                                    as examples,’’ it ultimately decided                    derivative income, or income derived                   plan for the following fiscal year with
                                                    ‘‘that more guidance was required to                    from the recipient’s use of LSC funds.                 greater certainty.
                                                    avoid erosion of the standard,’’ and the                As discussed above, however, recent                       LSC staff also found that limiting
                                                    three circumstances became exclusive                    situations have included the sudden                    early approvals to requests for waivers
                                                                                                            infusion of non-derivative, use-or-lose                to retain balances in excess of 25% of
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                                                    limitations, not mere examples. Id. at
                                                    66640. The LSC Board of Directors                       income under other circumstances that                  annual support would be proper in light
                                                    (Board) adopted the revisions to part                   significantly disrupted grantee                        of the unique and significant burdens on
                                                    1628 on November 20, 1999, and the                      expenditure plans. As a result, LSC staff              financial planning faced by recipients
                                                    revised rule has been in effect since                   determined that the list of extraordinary              that experience extraordinary and
                                                    December 7, 2000. Id. at 66637–38.                      and compelling circumstances in                        compelling circumstances. In addition,
                                                       On April 12, 2015, the Committee                     § 1628.3(c) should be illustrative, rather             because a recipient’s estimate of the
                                                    voted to recommend that the Board                       than limited, so that recipients that                  fund balance it anticipates accruing by
                                                    publish this NPRM in the Federal                        encounter truly unforeseeable scenarios                the end of the fiscal year may end up


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                                                    21702                    Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 75 / Monday, April 20, 2015 / Proposed Rules

                                                    being higher or lower than the                          last six years. After analyzing the data,              circumstances to submit a waiver
                                                    recipient’s actual fund balance at the                  LSC decided as a policy matter that the                request to retain a fund balance in
                                                    time it submits its audited financial                   respective percentage caps are set at the              excess of 25% of their annual support
                                                    statements, LSC staff determined that                   appropriate levels. According to the                   prior to the submission of their annual
                                                    recipients that receive approval of a                   statistics, the average annual number of               audited financial statements. This
                                                    waiver request prior to submitting their                waiver requests to retain a fund balance               addition will require existing
                                                    audited financial statements must                       that exceeds 10% of a recipient’s LSC                  § 1628.4(d), (e), (f), and (g) to be
                                                    submit updated information consistent                   support is easily manageable by OCE.                   redesignated to § 1628.4(e), (f), (g), and
                                                    with the requirements of § 1628.4(a)                    Furthermore, waiver requests to retain a               (h).
                                                    after the submission of their audited                   balance in excess of 25% of LSC support                   The proposed new § 1628.4(d) will
                                                    financial statements. Accordingly, an                   are exceedingly rare, and the                          list the written requirements for a
                                                    advance approval would be, in effect, an                Corporation does not expect a                          waiver request to retain a fund balance
                                                    approval of the reasons for a waiver and                significantly greater number of such                   in excess of 25% of annual support.
                                                    of the proposed amount to be retained,                  requests if the proposed revisions to                  These requirements vary from the ones
                                                    but the recipient must later provide                    part 1628 are adopted. LSC believes that               listed in § 1628.4(a), which apply only
                                                    confirmation of the actual amount of                    the current percentage caps on carryover               to requests made within 30 days after
                                                    excess funds it has accrued. LSC                        amounts are necessary to ensure that                   the submission of a recipient’s annual
                                                    therefore proposes revising the rule to                 recipients are spending their grants on                audited financial statements. There are
                                                    provide that recipients that face                       providing legal services, while offering               two reasons for the variation. First,
                                                    extraordinary and compelling                            an appropriate amount of flexibility to                because the annual audited financial
                                                    circumstances may submit a waiver                       retain unused fund balances. The                       statement of a recipient requesting an
                                                    request to retain a fund balance in                     Corporation therefore proposes retaining               early waiver approval would not yet be
                                                    excess of 25% of their annual support                   the current percentage cap amounts, but                available to the Corporation, recipients
                                                    prior to the submission of their annual                 requests comments on whether to                        can provide only an estimate of the fund
                                                    audited financial statements, and that                  change them.                                           balance they anticipate to accrue by the
                                                    the Corporation may, in its discretion,                                                                        time their statements are submitted.
                                                    grant approval of such requests pending                 III. Discussion of the Proposed Changes                Second, because a recipient may submit
                                                    confirmation of the actual amount to be                 § 1628.3     Policy                                    a waiver request either before or after
                                                    retained once the audited financial                                                                            the close of the fiscal year, the proposed
                                                    statements are finalized.                                  LSC proposes to revise § 1628.3(c) to
                                                                                                            eliminate the language limiting the                    section will require recipients to
                                                       The Corporation also considered                                                                             provide a ‘‘plan for disposing of the
                                                    revising part 1628 to require LSC                       extraordinary and compelling
                                                                                                            circumstances in which LSC may grant                   excess fund balance,’’ as opposed to a
                                                    management to provide notice to the                                                                            plan for the ‘‘current fiscal year’’ as
                                                    Board of any decision to grant a waiver                 a recipient’s request for a waiver to
                                                                                                            retain a fund balance that exceeds 25%                 required by § 1628.4(a). Additionally,
                                                    in excess of 25% of a recipient’s annual                                                                       proposed § 1628.4(d) requires recipients
                                                    support. LSC is retaining the                           of its annual LSC support. Whereas
                                                                                                            existing § 1628.3(c) is limited to three               receiving approval to later submit
                                                    ‘‘extraordinary and compelling                                                                                 updated information consistent with the
                                                    circumstances’’ standard for granting                   circumstances where a recipient
                                                                                                            receives a sudden infusion of income,                  requirements of paragraph (a) to confirm
                                                    such waivers, and anticipates that                                                                             the actual fund balance amount to be
                                                    recipients will continue to seek such                   the proposed section expands the types
                                                                                                            of situations that the Corporation, in its             retained by the recipient, as determined
                                                    waivers only in circumstances where                                                                            by reference to its annual audited
                                                    they experience extreme events that                     discretion, may consider to be
                                                                                                            extraordinary and compelling                           financial statements.
                                                    prevent them from expending more than                                                                             Finally, LSC proposes to revise the
                                                    25% of their annual LSC support.                        circumstances. The proposed section
                                                                                                                                                                   introductory text of paragraph (a), as
                                                    Furthermore, the granting of LSC                        adds the example of a natural disaster
                                                                                                                                                                   well as paragraphs (a)(2) and (3), for
                                                    funding and exercising discretion with                  to illustrate a situation where a recipient
                                                                                                                                                                   clarity and readability.
                                                    regard to carryover, suspension or                      would be unable to expend its current
                                                    termination of such funding has been                    LSC grant for reasons other than the                   List of Subjects in 45 CFR Part 1628
                                                    and should remain a management, not                     receipt of new funds. The proposed                       Administrative practice and
                                                    a Board, function. The Corporation will                 section also adds the example of ‘‘a                   procedure, Grant programs—law, Legal
                                                    continue to exercise its discretion with                payment from an LSC-funded lawsuit,                    services.
                                                    the same good faith and fidelity to the                 regardless of whether the recipient was                  For the reasons set forth in the
                                                    objective of ensuring the timely                        a party to the lawsuit.’’ This revision                preamble, the Legal Services
                                                    expenditure of LSC funds as it has done                 makes clear that a recipient may request               Corporation proposes to revise 45 CFR
                                                    since part 1628 was last revised in 2000.               a waiver to retain a fund balance in                   part 1628 as follows:
                                                    Therefore, LSC proposes to retain its                   excess of 25% of its annual support
                                                    current policy of leaving discretion to                 when it receives an award as the result                PART 1628—RECIPIENT FUND
                                                    grant waivers to retain excess recipient                of a court decision in an LSC-funded                   BALANCES
                                                    fund balances with LSC management.                      case, even if the recipient was not
                                                       Finally, pursuant to the Committee’s                 named as a party to the action.                        ■  1. The authority citation for part 1628
                                                    request, LSC considered whether the                                                                            is revised to read as follows:
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                                                                                                               LSC also proposes to make a minor
                                                    rule’s 10% and 25% caps on fund                         revision to § 1628.3(d) to reflect the                     Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2996g(e).
                                                    balance carryover amounts should be                     proposed redesignation of certain                      ■ 2. Revise paragraphs (c) and (d) of
                                                    adjusted in accordance with recent                      paragraphs in § 1628.4.                                § 1628.3 to read as follows:
                                                    trends in waiver requests. LSC’s Office
                                                    of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE)                     § 1628.4     Procedures                                § 1628.3    Policy
                                                    provided LSC staff with statistics on all                 LSC proposes to add a new                            *     *     *    *     *
                                                    waiver requests that have been                          § 1628.4(d) to expressly allow recipients                (c) Recipients may request a waiver to
                                                    submitted to the Corporation over the                   that face extraordinary and compelling                 retain a fund balance in excess of 25%


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                                                                             Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 75 / Monday, April 20, 2015 / Proposed Rules                                                  21703

                                                    of a recipient’s LSC support only for                   ■ c. Add new paragraph (d).                            in writing. The request shall specify the
                                                    extraordinary and compelling                              The revisions and additions read as                  extraordinary and compelling
                                                    circumstances, such as when a natural                   follows:                                               circumstances justifying the fund
                                                    disaster or other catastrophic event                                                                           balance in excess of 25%; the estimated
                                                    prevents the timely expenditure of LSC                  § 1628.4    Procedures                                 fund balance that the recipient
                                                    funds, or when the recipient receives an                   (a) A recipient may request a waiver                anticipates it will accrue by the time of
                                                    insurance reimbursement, the proceeds                   of the 10% ceiling on LSC fund balances                the submission of its audited financial
                                                    from the sale of real property, a payment               within 30 days after the submission to                 statements; and the recipient’s plan for
                                                    from a lawsuit in which the recipient                   LSC of its annual audited financial                    disposing of the excess fund balance.
                                                    was a party, or a payment from an LSC-                  statements. The request shall specify:                 Upon the submission of its annual
                                                    funded lawsuit, regardless of whether                   *      *     *    *     *                              audited financial statements, the
                                                    the recipient was a party to the lawsuit.                  (2) The reason(s) for the excess fund               recipient must submit updated
                                                       (d) A waiver pursuant to paragraph (b)               balance;                                               information consistent with the
                                                    or (c) of this section may be granted at                   (3) The recipient’s plan for disposing              requirements of paragraph (a) of this
                                                    the discretion of the Corporation                       of the excess fund balance during the                  section to confirm the actual fund
                                                    pursuant to the criteria set out in                     current fiscal year;\                                  balance to be retained.
                                                    § 1628.4(e).                                            *      *     *    *     *                              *     *     *     *     *
                                                    *      *     *     *    *                                  (d) A recipient may submit a waiver                   Dated: April 14, 2015.
                                                    ■ 3. Amend § 1628.4 as follows:                         request to retain a fund balance in
                                                                                                                                                                   Stefanie K. Davis,
                                                    ■ a. Revise paragraph (a) introductory                  excess of 25% of its LSC support prior
                                                    text and paragraphs (a)(2) and (3);                     to the submission of its audited                       Assistant General Counsel.
                                                    ■ b. Redesignate paragraphs (d) through                 financial statements. The Corporation                  [FR Doc. 2015–08948 Filed 4–17–15; 8:45 am]
                                                    (g) as paragraphs (e) through (h); and                  may, at its discretion, provide approval               BILLING CODE 7050–01–P
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Document Created: 2018-02-21 10:12:38
Document Modified: 2018-02-21 10:12:38
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionProposed Rules
ActionNotice of proposed rulemaking.
DatesComments must be submitted by May 20, 2015.
ContactStefanie K. Davis, Assistant General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20007; (202) 295-1563 (phone), (202) 337-6519 (fax), or [email protected]
FR Citation80 FR 21700 
CFR AssociatedAdministrative Practice and Procedure; Grant Programs-Law and Legal Services

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