80 FR 26830 - Final Waiver and Extension of the Project Period; Community Parent Resource Centers

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 90 (May 11, 2015)

For the nine currently funded Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs), the Secretary waives the requirements that generally prohibit project periods exceeding five years and extensions of project periods involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. This waiver and extension of the project period enables these nine CPRCs to receive funding from October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2016. Further, the waiver and extension of the project period mean that we will not announce a new competition or make new awards in fiscal year (FY) 2015.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 90 (Monday, May 11, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 26830-26832]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11307]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

34 CFR Chapter III


Final Waiver and Extension of the Project Period; Community 
Parent Resource Centers

[Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.328C]

AGENCY: Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Office of Special 
Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education.

ACTION: Final waiver and extension of the project period.

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SUMMARY: For the nine currently funded Community Parent Resource 
Centers (CPRCs), the Secretary waives the requirements that generally 
prohibit project periods exceeding five years and extensions of project 
periods involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. This 
waiver and extension of the project period enables these nine CPRCs to 
receive funding from October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2016. 
Further, the waiver and extension of the project period mean that we 
will not announce a new competition or make new awards in fiscal year 
(FY) 2015.

DATES: The waiver and extension of the project period are effective May 
11, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carmen Sanchez, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4057, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2600. Telephone: (202) 245-6595.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 9, 2015, we published a notice in 
the Federal Register (78 FR 46860) proposing an extension of project 
period and a waiver of 34 CFR 75.250 and 75.261(a) and (c)(2) in order 
to--
    (1) Enable the Secretary to provide additional funds to the 
currently funded CPRCs for an additional 12-month project period, from 
October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2016; and
    (2) Request comments on the proposed extension of project period 
and waiver.
    There are no substantive differences between the proposed waiver 
and extension and the final waiver and extension.

Public Comment

    In response to our invitation in the notice of proposed waiver and 
extension of the project period, we did not receive

[[Page 26831]]

any substantive comments. Generally, we do not address comments that 
raise concerns not directly related to the proposed waiver and 
extension of project period.

Background

    On May 3, 2010, the Department of Education (Department) published 
in the Federal Register (75 FR 23254) a notice inviting applications 
(2010 NIA) for new awards for FY 2010 for up to 10 CPRCs. The CPRCs are 
funded under the Parent Training and Information (PTI) Program, 
authorized under sections 672 and 673 of the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
    The purpose of CPRCs is to provide underserved parents of children 
with disabilities in targeted communities--including low-income 
parents, parents of limited English proficient children, and parents 
with disabilities--with the training and information they need to 
enable them to participate cooperatively and effectively in helping 
their children with disabilities to--
    (1) Meet developmental and functional goals, as well as challenging 
academic achievement standards that have been established for all 
children; and
    (2) Be prepared to lead the most productive, independent adult 
lives possible.
    The CPRCs provide training and information to parents of infants, 
toddlers, and children, from birth through age 26, with the full range 
of disabilities described in section 602(3) of IDEA by: (a) Responding 
to individual requests for information and support from parents of 
children with disabilities, including parents of children who may be 
inappropriately identified in their targeted communities; (b) providing 
training to parents of children with disabilities; (c) supporting 
parents of children with disabilities, as needed, such as helping them 
to prepare for individualized education program or individualized 
family service plan meetings; and (d) maintaining a Web site and social 
media presence, as appropriate, to inform parents in their targeted 
communities of appropriate resources.
    Based on the selection criteria in the 2010 NIA, the Department 
made awards for a period of 60 months each to 10 organizations, nine of 
which have received FY 2014 continuation funding: Fiesta Educativa in 
California; Parent to Parent of Miami, Inc. in Florida; Agenda for 
Children/Pyramid Parent Training in Louisiana; Urban PRIDE in 
Massachusetts; SPEAKS Education, Inc. in Michigan; Education for 
Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs in New Mexico; Palau 
Parents Empowered in Palau; Philadelphia HUNE, Inc. in Pennsylvania; 
and Children's Disabilities Information Coalition in Texas.
    The 2010 CPRC cohort's current project period is scheduled to end 
on September 30, 2015. We do not believe that it would be in the public 
interest to run a competition for new CPRCs this year because the 
Department is in the process of changing the competition schedule for 
the PTI Program to make better use of Department resources.
    Under the proposed CPRC competition schedule, instead of holding 
three competitions over five years, each for 10 CPRCs, we would hold 
one competition for 30 CPRCs that will each have a project period of up 
to five years. We propose to hold this competition and fund 30 CPRCs in 
FY 2016. We also have concluded that it would be contrary to the public 
interest to provide services to fewer underserved families in order to 
change the Department's competition schedule.
    For these reasons, the Secretary waives the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.250, which prohibit project periods exceeding five years, as well as 
the requirements in 34 CFR 75.261(a) and (c)(2), which allow the 
extension of a project period only if the extension does not involve 
the obligation of additional Federal funds. The waiver allows the 
Department to issue FY 2015 continuation awards of $100,000 to each of 
the nine centers in the FY 2010 cohort.
    Any activities carried out during the 12-month period of this 
continuation award will have to be consistent with, or a logical 
extension of, the scope, goals, and objectives of the grantee's 
application as approved in the FY 2010 CPRC competition. The 
requirements applicable to continuation awards for this competition set 
forth in the 2010 NIA and the requirements in 34 CFR 75.253 will apply 
to any continuation awards sought by the current CPRC grantees. We will 
base our decisions regarding continuation awards on the program 
narratives, budgets, budget narratives, and program performance reports 
submitted by the current grantees, and the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.253.

Waiver of Delayed Effective Date

    The Administrative Procedure Act requires that a substantive rule 
must be published at least 30 days before its effective date, except as 
otherwise provided for good cause (5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3)). We received no 
substantive comments on the proposed waiver and extension of project 
period, and we have not made any substantive changes to the proposed 
waiver and extension of project period. The Secretary has made a 
determination to waive the delayed effective date to ensure there is no 
lapse in the parent training and information services currently 
provided by the CPRCs.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Secretary certifies that this waiver and extension of the 
project period will not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities.
    The only entities that will be affected by this waiver and 
extension of the project period are the current grantees receiving 
Federal funds and any other potential applicants.
    The Secretary certifies that this waiver and final extension will 
not have a significant economic impact on these entities because the 
extension of existing project periods imposes minimal compliance costs, 
and the activities required to support the additional year of funding 
will not impose additional regulatory burdens or require unnecessary 
Federal supervision.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This notice of final waiver and extension of the project period 
does not contain any information collection requirements.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the 
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive 
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened 
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State 
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance. This document provides early notification of our 
specific plans and actions for this program.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the 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. Free 
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.thefederalregister.org/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department

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published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 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.

    Dated: May 5, 2015.
Sue Swenson,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2015-11307 Filed 5-8-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P