Federal Register Vol. 82, No.97,

The purpose of the meeting is to receive input and comments on the PVS pilot program from stakeholders who have experience relevant to the pilot. Members of the public may attend in person or join via teleconference. Officials from the U.S. Department of State (State) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide an overview of the status of the pilot review process, followed by an open forum. Public participation is encouraged to help inform the State/USAID joint pilot evaluation report to Congress. The agenda is subject to change.

Although the meeting is free and open to the public, registration is required for attendance. Please email [email protected] to register and receive location or call-in information. Please specify whether you wish to attend in person or call in. As space is limited, members of the public interested in attending in person will be accommodated in order of registrations received.

Title: Child Nutrition Labeling Program.

OMB Number: 0581-0261.

Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from approval.

Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved information collection.

Abstract: The Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling Program is a voluntary technical assistance service to aid schools and institutions participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in determining the contribution toward the food-based meal pattern requirements of these programs. (See Appendix C to 7 CFR parts 210, 220, 225, and 226 for more information on this program). The existence of a CN label on a product assures schools and other Child Nutrition Program operators that the product contributes to the meal pattern requirements as printed on the label. However, there is no Federal requirement that commercial products must have a CN label statement in order to be included in meals served by schools and institutions. AMS officially opened the CN Labeling Program Operations Office on January 19, 2010.

To participate in the CN Labeling Program, a manufacturer submits a label application to AMS for evaluation. AMS reviews the product formulation to determine the contribution a serving of the product makes towards the food-based meal pattern requirements. The application form submitted to AMS is the same application form that a manufacturer submits to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Labeling and Program Delivery Division for review of meat and poultry labels. Participation in the CN Labeling Program is voluntary and manufacturers who wish to place a CN label on their products must comply with CN Labeling Program requirements.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 15 minutes per response.

Respondents: Manufacturers who produce food for the school foodservice.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 185.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 1573.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 8.5.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 393.13 Hours.

Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments may be sent to Patricia Tung-Tayman, Contract Services Branch, Specialty Crops Inspection Division, Specialty Crops Programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 0247, 1400 Independence Ave SW., telephone: (202) 720-0367 and FAX: (202) 690-3824; or Internet: http://www.regulations.gov.

All comments received will be available for public inspection during regular business hours at the same address.

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.

Title: Importation of Female Squash Flowers from Israel into the Continental United States.

OMB Control Number: 0579-0406.

Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract: The Plant Protection Act (PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to restrict the importation, entry, or interstate movement of plants, plant products, and other articles to prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States or their dissemination within the United States. As authorized by the PPA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service regulates the importation of certain fruits and vegetables in accordance with the regulations in “Subpart—Fruits and Vegetables” (7 CFR 319.56-1 through 319.56-76).

Section 319.56-68 provides the requirements for the importation of female squash flowers from Israel into the continental United States. This commodity may be imported under certain conditions to prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States. The regulations require information collection activities, including production site registration, trapping records, box marking, production site inspection, and phytosanitary certificates.

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities, as described, for an additional 3 years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of Burden: The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.05 hours per response.

Respondents: Businesses and the national plant protection organization of Israel.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 6.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1,849.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses: 11,091.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 556 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Title: South American Cactus Moth; Quarantine and Regulations.

OMB Control Number: 0579-0337.

Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract: As authorized by the Plant Protection Act (PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.), the Secretary of Agriculture, either independently or in cooperation with States, may carry out operations or measures to detect, eradicate, suppress, control, prevent, or retard the spread of plant pests that are new to or not widely distributed within the United States. This authority has been delegated to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers regulations to implement the PPA.

In accordance with the regulations in “Subpart—South American Cactus Moth” (7 CFR 301.55 through 301.55-9), APHIS restricts the interstate movement of cactus moth host material, including nursery stock and plant parts for consumption, from infested areas of the United States to help prevent the spread of South American cactus moth into noninfested areas of the United States. The regulations contain requirements for the interstate movement of regulated articles and involve information collection activities, including completion of Federal certificates, compliance agreements, and limited permits.

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities, as described, for an additional 3 years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.41 hours per response.

Respondents: State plant health officials and businesses.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 6.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 7.

Estimated annual number of responses: 39.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 16 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Title: Importation of French Beans and Runner Beans From Kenya Into the United States.

OMB Control Number: 0579-0373.

Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract: The Plant Protection Act (PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to restrict the importation, entry, or interstate movement of plants, plant products, and other articles to prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States or their dissemination within the United States. As authorized by the PPA, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service regulates the importation of certain fruits and vegetables in accordance with the regulations in “Subpart—Fruits and Vegetables” (7 CFR 319.56-1 through 319.56-76).

Section 319.56-54 provides the requirements for the importation of French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and runner beans (P. coccineus L.) from Kenya into the United States. These commodities may be imported under certain conditions to prevent the introduction of plant pests into the United States. The regulations require information collection activities, including inspections, packinghouse registration, box labeling, and a phytosanitary certificate attesting that the conditions in § 319.56-54 have been met and that each consignment has been inspected and found free of certain pests.

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities, as described, for an additional 3 years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.03 hours per response.

Respondents: Businesses and the national plant protection organization of Kenya.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 3.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 681.

Estimated annual number of responses: 2,044.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 55 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Section 79(f) of the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) authorizes the Secretary to designate a qualified applicant to provide official services in a specified area after determining that the applicant is better able than any other applicant to provide such official services (7 U.S.C. 79(f)). Under section 79(g) of the USGSA, designations of official agencies are effective for no longer than 5 years, unless terminated by the Secretary, and may be renewed according to the criteria and procedures prescribed in section 79(f) of the USGSA.

Pursuant to Section 79(f)(2) of the United States Grain Standards Act, the following geographic area in the State of Missouri is assigned to this official agency.

The entire State of Missouri.

Interested persons or governmental agencies may apply for designation to provide official services in the geographic area specified above under the provisions of section 79(f) of the USGSA and 7 CFR 800.196. Designation in the specified geographic area in Missouri is for the period beginning October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2022. To apply for designation or to request more information, contact Mark Wooden at the address listed above.

We are publishing this notice to provide interested persons the opportunity to comment on the quality of services provided by the Missouri official agency. In the designation process, we are particularly interested in receiving comments citing reasons and pertinent data supporting or objecting to the designation of the applicant. Submit all comments to Mark Wooden at the above address or at http://www.regulations.gov.

We consider applications, comments, and other available information when determining which applicants will be designated.

Section 79(f) of the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) authorizes the Secretary to designate a qualified applicant to provide official services in a specified area after determining that the applicant is better able than any other applicant to provide such official services (7 U.S.C. 79(f)). Under section 79(g) of the USGSA, designations of official agencies are effective for no longer than five years, unless terminated by the Secretary, and may be renewed according to the criteria and procedures prescribed in section 79(f) of the USGSA.

Pursuant to Section 79(f)(2) of the United States Grain Standards Act, the following geographic area in the State of South Carolina is assigned to this official agency.

The entire State, except those export port locations within the State, which are serviced by South Carolina.

Interested persons or governmental agencies may apply for designation to provide official services in the geographic area specified above under the provisions of section 79(f) of the USGSA and 7 CFR 800.196. Designation in the specified geographic area in South Carolina is for the period beginning October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2022. To apply for designation or to request more information, contact Sharon Lathrop at the address listed above.

We are publishing this notice to provide interested persons the opportunity to comment on the quality of services provided by the South Carolina official agency. In the designation process, we are particularly interested in receiving comments citing reasons and pertinent data supporting or objecting to the designation of the applicant. Submit all comments to Sharon Lathrop at the above address or at http://www.regulations.gov.

We consider applications, comments, and other available information when determining which applicants will be designated.

In the January 10, 2017, Federal Register (82 FR 2939), GIPSA requested applications for designation to provide official services in the geographic area presently serviced by Farwell Southwest. Applications were due by February 9, 2017.

The current official agency, Farwell Southwest, was the only applicant for designation to provide official services in this area. As a result, GIPSA did not ask for additional comments.

GIPSA evaluated the designation criteria in section 79(f) of the USGSA (7 U.S.C. 79(f)) and determined that Farwell Southwest is qualified to provide official services in the geographic area specified in the Federal Register on January 10, 2017. This designation to provide official services in the specified areas of Arizona and California is effective April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2022.

Interested persons may obtain official services by contacting this agency at the following telephone number:

Section 79(f) of the USGSA authorizes the Secretary to designate a qualified applicant to provide official services in a specified area after determining that the applicant is better able than any other applicant to provide such official services (7 U.S.C. 79 (f)).

Overview

Federal Agency: USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS).

Funding Opportunity Title: Delta Health Care Services Grant Program.

Announcement Type: Initial funding announcement.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.874.

Dates: You must submit your complete application by Monday, July 24, 2017, or it will not be considered for funding. Electronic copies must be received by www.grants.gov no later than midnight Eastern time Monday, July 17, 2017, or it will not be considered for funding.

This Executive Order imposes requirements on Rural Development in the development of regulatory policies that have tribal implications or preempt tribal laws. Rural Development has determined that this Notice does not have a substantial direct effect on one or more Indian tribe(s) or on either the relationship or the distribution of powers and responsibilities between the Federal Government and the Indian tribes. Thus, this Notice is not subject to the requirements of Executive Order 13175. Tribal Consultation inquiries and comments should be directed to RD's Native American Coordinator at [email protected] or (720) 544-2911.

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires Federal agencies to seek and obtain Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval before undertaking a collection of information directed to ten or more persons. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Agency conducted an analysis to determine the number of applications the Agency estimates that it will receive under the DHCS grant program. It was determined that the estimated number of applications was fewer than nine and in accordance with 5 CFR 1320, thus no OMB approval is necessary at this time.

This Notice announces the availability of funds for the DHCS grant program, which is authorized under Section 379G of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008u), as amended by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79). The primary objective of the program is to provide financial assistance to address the continued unmet health needs in the Delta Region through cooperation among health care professionals, institutions of higher education, research institutions, and other individuals and entities in the Delta Region. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis. The maximum award amount per grant is $1,000,000.

The terms and conditions provided in this Notice are applicable to this Notice only. In addition, the term “you” referenced throughout this Notice should be understood to mean the applicant and the terms “we,” “us,” and “our” should be understood to mean Rural Business-Cooperative Services, Rural Development, USDA.

Academic Health and Research Institute means one of the following:

• A combination of a medical school, one or more other health profession schools or educational training programs (such as allied health, dentistry, graduate studies, nursing, pharmacy, public health), and one or more owned or affiliated teaching hospitals or health systems; or

• A health care nonprofit organization or health system, including nonprofit medical and surgical hospitals, that conduct health related research exclusively for scientific or educational purposes.

Conflict of Interest means a situation in which a person or entity has competing personal, professional, or financial interests that make it difficult for the person or business to act impartially. Regarding use of both grant and matching funds, Federal procurement standards prohibit transactions that involve a real or apparent conflict of interest for owners, employees, officers, agents, or their immediate family members having a financial or other interest in the outcome of the Project; or that restrict open and free competition for unrestrained trade. Specifically, Project funds may not be used for services or goods going to, or coming from, a person or entity with a real or apparent conflict of interest, including, but not limited to, owner(s) and their immediate family members. An example of conflict of interest occurs when the consortium member's employees, board of directors, or the immediate family of either, have the appearance of a professional or personal financial interest in the recipients receiving the benefits or services of the grant.

Consortium means a group of three or more entities that are regional Institutions of Higher Education, Academic Health and Research Institutes, and/or Economic Development Entities located in the Delta Region that have at least 1 year of prior experience in addressing the health care issues in the region. At least one of the consortium members must be legally organized as an incorporated organization or other legal entity and have legal authority to contract with the Federal Government.

Delta Region means the 252 counties and parishes within the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee that are served by the Delta Regional Authority. (The Delta Region may be adjusted by future Federal statute.) To view the areas identified within the Delta Region visit http://dra.gov/about-dra/dra-states.

Economic Development Entity means any public or non-profit organization whose primary mission is to stimulate local and regional economies within the Delta Region by increasing employment opportunities and duration of employment, expanding or retaining existing employers, increasing labor rates or wage levels, reducing outmigration, and/or creating gains in other economic development-related variables such as land values. These activities shall primarily benefit low- and moderate-income individuals in the Delta Region.

Health System means the complete network of agencies, facilities, and all providers of health care to meet the health needs of a specific geographical area or target populations.

Institution of Higher Education means either a postsecondary (post-high school) educational institution that awards a bachelor's degree or provides not less than a 2-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward such a degree, or a postsecondary vocational institution that provides a program of training to prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

Nonprofit Organization means any organization or institution, including an accredited institution of higher education, no part of the net earnings of which may inure, to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

Project means all activities to be funded by the DHCS grant.

Project Funds means grant funds requested plus any other contributions to the proposed Project.

Rural and rural area means any area of a State:

• Not in a city or town that has a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants, according to the latest decennial census of the United States; and

• The contiguous and adjacent urbanized area,

• Urbanized areas that are rural in character as defined by 7 U.S.C. 1991 (a) (13), as amended by Section 6018 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Public Law 110-246 (June 18, 2008).

• For the purposes of this definition, cities and towns are incorporated population centers with definite boundaries, local self-government, and legal powers set forth in a charter granted by the State.

State means each of the 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and, as may be determined by the Secretary to be feasible, appropriate and lawful, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

Type of Award: Grant.

Total Funding for DHCS: To be determined.

Maximum DHCS Award: $1,000,000.

Minimum DHCS Award: $50,000.

Project Period: Up to 24 months.

Anticipated Award Date: September 29, 2017.

Applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements. Your application will not be considered for funding if it does not provide sufficient information to determine eligibility or is missing required elements. Applicants that fail to submit the required elements by the application deadline will be deemed ineligible and will not be evaluated further. Information submitted after the application deadline will not be accepted.

Grants funded through DHCS may be made to a Consortium as defined in Paragraph A of this Notice. Consortiums are eligible to receive funding through this Notice. One member of the Consortium must be designated as the lead entity by the other members of the Consortium and have legal authority to contract with the Federal Government.

The lead entity is the recipient (see 2 CFR 200.86) of the DHCS grant funds and accountable for monitoring and reporting on the Project performance and financial management of the grant. In addition, the lead entity (recipient) is responsible for subrecipient monitoring and management in accordance with 2 CFR 200.330 and 200.331, respectively. The remaining consortium members are subrecipients (see 2 CFR 200.93). They may receive subawards (see 2 CFR 200.94) from the recipient and are responsible for monitoring and reporting the Project performance and financial management of their subaward to the recipient.

(a) An applicant is ineligible if they do not submit “Evidence of Eligibility” and “Consortium Agreements” as described in Section D.2. of this Notice.

(b) An applicant is ineligible if they have been debarred or suspended or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs under Executive Order 12549, “Debarment and Suspension.” The Agency will check the System for Award Management (SAM) to determine if the applicant has been debarred or suspended. In addition, an applicant will be considered ineligible for a grant due to an outstanding judgment obtained by the U.S. in a Federal Court (other than U.S. Tax Court), is delinquent on the payment of Federal income taxes, or is delinquent on Federal debt. The applicant must certify as part of the application that they do not have an outstanding judgment against them. The Agency will check the Credit Alert Interactive Voice Response System (CAIVRS) to verify this.

(c) Sections 743, 744, 745, and 746 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Pub. L. 114-113) apply. Any corporation (i) that has been convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the past 24 months or (ii) that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, is not eligible for financial assistance provided with funds, unless a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government. In addition, none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any other Act may be available for a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement with an entity that requires employees or contractors of such entity seeking to report fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees or contractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such information. Additionally, no funds appropriated in this or any other Act may be used to implement or enforce the agreements in Standard Forms 312 and 4414 of the Government or any other nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement if such policy, form, or agreement does not contain the following provisions: “These provisions are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter the employee obligations, rights, or liabilities created by existing statute or Executive order relating to (1) classified information, (2) communications to Congress, (3) the reporting to an Inspector General of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or (4) any other whistleblower protection.

(d) Applications will be deemed ineligible if the application includes any funding restrictions identified under Section D.6.

(e) Applications will be deemed ineligible if the application is not complete in accordance with the requirements stated in Section C.3.g.

Matching funds are not required. However, if you are adding any other contributions to the proposed Project, you must provide documentation indicating who will be providing the matching funds, the amount of funds, when those funds will be provided, and how the funds will be used in the Project budget. Examples of acceptable documentation include: A signed letter from the source of funds stating the amount of funds, when the funds will be provided, and what the funds can be used for or a signed resolution from your governing board authorizing the use of a specified amount of funds for specific components of the Project. The matching funds you identify must be for eligible purposes and included in your work plan and budget. Additionally, expected program income may not be used as matching funds at the time you submit your application. However, if you have a contract to provide services in place at the time you submit your application, you can verify the amount of the contract as matching funds. If you choose, you may use a template to summarize the matching funds. The template is available either from your State Office or the program Web site at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/delta-health-care-services-grants.

The following additional eligibility requirements apply to this program:

(a) Use of Funds. An application must propose to use Project funds, including grant and other contributions committed under the evaluation criteria for eligible purposes. Eligible Project purposes include the development of:

• Health care services;

• health education programs;

• health care job training programs; and

• the development and expansion of public health-related facilities in the Delta Region.

(b) Project Area. The proposed Project must take place in a rural area within the Delta Region as defined in this Notice. However, the applicant need not propose to serve the entire Delta Region.

(c) Project Input. Your proposed Project must be developed based on input from local governments, public health care providers, and other entities in the Delta Region.

(d) Grant Period. All awards are limited to up to a 24-month grant period based upon the complexity of the Project. Your proposed grant period should begin no earlier than October 1, 2017, and should end no later than 24 months following that date. If you receive an award, your grant period will be revised to begin on the actual date of award—the date the grant agreement is executed by the Agency—and your grant period end date will be adjusted accordingly. Your Project activities must begin within 90 days of the date of award. If you request funds for a time period beginning before October 1, 2017, and/or ending later than 24 months from that date, your application will be ineligible. The length of your grant period should be based on your Project's complexity, as indicated in your application work plan.

(e) Multiple Grant Requests. The Consortium, including its members, is limited to submitting one application for funding under this Notice. We will not accept applications from Consortiums that include members who are also members of other Consortiums that have submitted applications for funding under this Notice. If we discover that a Consortium member is a member of multiple Consortiums with applications submitted for funding under this Notice, all applications will be considered ineligible for funding.

(f) Performance on Existing DHCS Awards. If the lead entity, or any of its Consortium members, has an existing DHCS award, they must be performing satisfactorily to be considered eligible for a funding under this Notice. Satisfactory performance includes, but is not limited to, being up-to-date on all financial and performance reports and being current on all tasks as approved in the work plan. The Agency will use its discretion to make this determination.

(g) Completeness. Your application must provide all of the information requested in Section D.2. of this Notice. Applications lacking sufficient information to determine eligibility and scoring will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered for scoring.

(h) Indirect Costs. Your negotiated indirect cost rate approval does not need to be included in your application, but you will be required to provide it if a grant is awarded. Approval for indirect costs that are requested in an application without an approved indirect cost rate agreement is at the discretion of the Agency.

Please see instructions below on how to access and submit a complete application for this funding opportunity.

The application guide and copies of necessary forms for the DHCS grant program are available from these sources:

• The Internet at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/delta-health-care-services-grants, http://www.grants.gov, or

• For paper copies of these materials, please call (202) 690-1374.

You may submit your application in paper form or electronically through Grants.gov. Your application must contain all required information.

To submit an application electronically, you must follow the instructions for this funding announcement at http://www.grants.gov. Please note that we cannot accept emailed or faxed applications.

You can locate the Grants.gov downloadable application package for this program by using a keyword, the program name, or the CFDA for this program.

When you enter the Grants.gov Web site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation.

To use Grants.gov, you must already have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and you must also be registered and maintain registration in SAM. We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.

You must submit all of your application documents electronically through Grants.gov. Applications must include electronic signatures. Original signatures may be required if funds are awarded.

After electronically submitting an application through Grants.gov, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number.

If you want to submit a paper application, send it to the State Office located in the State where you are headquartered. You can find State Office contact information at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.

You are strongly encouraged, but not required, to utilize the DHCS Application Guide found at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/delta-health-care-services-grants. The guide provides specific guidance on each of the required items listed and also provides all necessary forms and sample worksheets.

The organization submitting the application will be considered the lead entity. The Contact/Program Manager must be associated with the lead entity submitting the application.

A completed application must include the following:

(a) Form SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance.” The application for Federal assistance must be completed by the lead entity as described in Section C.1. of this Notice. Your application must include your DUNS number and SAM Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code and expiration date (or evidence that you have begun the SAM registration process). Because there are no specific fields for a CAGE code and expiration date, you may identify them anywhere you want to on the form. If you do not include the DUNS number in your application, it will not be considered for funding. The form must be signed by an authorized representative.

(b) Form SF-424A, “Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs.” This form must be completed and submitted as part of the application package for non-construction Projects.

(c) Form SF-424B, “Assurances—Non-Construction Programs.” This form must be completed, signed, and submitted as part of the application package for non-construction Projects.

(d) Form SF-424C, “Budget Information—Construction Programs.” This form must be completed, signed, and submitted as part of the application package for construction Projects.

(e) Form SF-424D, “Assurances—Construction Programs.” This form must be completed, signed, and submitted as part of the application package for construction Projects.

(f) A Project abstract. You must provide a brief summary of the proposed Project, not to exceed 250 words, suitable for dissemination to the public and to Congress.

(g) Executive summary. You must provide a more detailed description of your Project containing the following information: (1) legal name of lead applicant; (2) consortium members; (3) applicant type (including consortium members); (4) application type (development of health care services, health education programs, health care job care training programs, or the development and/or expansion of health related facilities); (5) a summary of your Project; (6) Project goals; and (7) how you intend to use the grant funds. Limit two pages.

(h) Evidence of eligibility. You must provide evidence of the Consortium's eligibility to apply under this Notice. This section must include a detailed summary demonstrating how each Consortium member meets the definition of an eligible entity as defined under Definitions of this Notice.

(i) Consortium agreements. The application must include a formal written agreement with each Consortium member that addresses the negotiated arrangements for administering the Project to meet Project goals, the Consortium member's responsibilities to comply with administrative, financial, and reporting requirements of the grant, including those necessary to ensure compliance with all applicable Federal regulations and policies, and facilitate a smooth functioning collaborative venture. Under the agreement, each Consortium member must perform a substantive role in the Project and not merely serve as a conduit of funds to another party or parties. This agreement must be signed by an authorized representative of the lead entity and an authorized representative of each partnering consortium entity.

(j) Scoring documentation. You must address and provide documentation for each scoring criterion, specifically (1) the rurality of the Project area and communities served, (2) the community needs and benefits derived from the Project, and (3) Project management and organization capability. See Section E.1.

(k) Work Plan and Budget. You must provide a work plan and budget that includes the following: (1) The specific activities, such as programs, services, trainings, and/or construction-related activities for a facility to be performed under the Project; (2) the estimated line item costs associated with each activity, including grant funds and other necessary sources of funds; (3) the key personnel who will carry out each activity (including each Consortium member's role); and (4) the specific time frames for completion of each activity.

An eligible start and end date for the Project and for individual Project tasks must be clearly shown and may not exceed Agency specified timeframes for the grant period. You must show the source and use of both grant and other contributions for all tasks. Other contributions must be spent at a rate equal to, or in advance of, grant funds.

(l) Performance Measures. The Agency has also established annual performance measures to evaluate the DHCS program. You must provide estimates on the following performance measures as part of your application:

• Number of businesses assisted;

• Number of jobs created;

• Number of jobs saved;

• Number of individuals assisted/trained.

It is permissible to have a zero in a performance element. When you calculate jobs created, estimates should be based upon actual jobs to be created by your organization as a result of the DHCS funding or actual jobs to be created by businesses as a result of assistance from your organization. When you calculate jobs saved, estimates should be based only on actual jobs that would have been lost if your organization did not receive DHCS funding or actual jobs that would have been lost without assistance from your organization.

You can also suggest additional performance elements for example where job creation or jobs saved may not be a relevant indicator. These additional elements should be specific, measurable performance elements that could be included in an award document.

(m) Financial information and sustainability. You must provide current financial statements and a narrative description demonstrating sustainability of the Project, all of which show sufficient resources and expertise to undertake and complete the Project and how the Project will be sustained following completion. Applicants must provide 3 years of pro-forma financial statements for the Project.

(n) Evidence of legal authority and existence. The lead entity must provide evidence of its legal existence and authority to enter into a grant agreement with the Agency and perform the activities proposed under the grant application.

(o) Evidence of input solicited from local stakeholders. The application must include documentation detailing support solicited from local government, public health care providers, and other entities in the Delta Region. Evidence of support can include; but is not limited to surveys conducted amongst rural residents and stakeholders, notes from focus groups, or letters of support from local entities.

(p) Service area maps. You must provide maps with sufficient detail to show the area that will benefit from the proposed facilities and services and the location of the facilities improved or purchased with grant funds if applicable.

(q) Form AD-3030. Form AD-3030, “Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants,” if you are a corporation. A corporation is any entity that has filed articles of incorporation in one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the various territories of the United States including American Samoa, Guam, Midway Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Corporations include both for profit and non-profit entities.

(r) Certification of no current outstanding Federal judgment. You must certify that there are no current outstanding Federal judgments against your property and that you will not use grant funds to pay for any judgment obtained by the United States. You must also certify that you are not delinquent on the payment of Federal income taxes, or any Federal debt. To satisfy the Certification requirement, you should include this statement in your application: “[INSERT NAME OF APPLICANT] certifies that the United States has not obtained an unsatisfied judgment against its property, is not delinquent on the payment of Federal income taxes, or any Federal debt, and will not use grant funds to pay any judgments obtained by the United States.” A separate signature is not required.

(s) Environmental information necessary to support the Agency's environmental finding. Required information can be found in 7 CFR part 1970, specifically in Subpart B, Exhibit C and Subpart C, Exhibit B. These documents can be found here: http://www.rd.usda.gov/publications/regulations-guidelines/instructions. Non-construction Projects applying under this Notice are hereby classified as Categorical Exclusions according to 7 CFR 1970.53(b), the award of financial assistance for planning purposes, management and feasibility studies, or environmental impact analyses, which do not require any additional documentation.

In order to be eligible (unless you are exempted under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c) or (d), you are required to:

(a) Provide a valid DUNS number in your application, which can be obtained at no cost via a toll-free request line at (866) 705-5711;

(b) Register in SAM before submitting your application. You may register in SAM at no cost at https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/; and

(c) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which you have an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

The Agency may not make a Federal award to you until you have complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements. If you have not fully complied with requirements by the time the Agency is ready to make a Federal award, the Agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and the Agency may use this determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Application Deadline Date: Paper: Monday, July 24, 2017; Electronic: Monday, July 17, 2017.

Explanation of Deadlines: Complete paper applications must be postmarked and mailed, shipped, or sent overnight by Monday, July 24, 2017. The Agency will determine whether your application is late based on the date shown on the postmark or shipping invoice. You may also hand carry your application to one of our field offices, but it must be received by close of business on the deadline date. If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Late applications are not eligible for funding.

Electronic applications must be RECEIVED by http://www.grants.gov by midnight Eastern time Monday, July 17, 2017, to be eligible for funding. Please review the Grants.gov Web site at http://grants.gov/applicants/organization_registration.jsp for instructions on the process of registering your organization as soon as possible to ensure you are able to meet the electronic application deadline. Grants.gov will not accept applications submitted after the deadline.

Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs, applies to this program. This E.O. requires that Federal agencies provide opportunities for consultation on proposed assistance with State and local governments. Many States have established a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. A list of States that maintain a SPOC may be obtained at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc. If your State has a SPOC, you may submit your application directly for review. Any comments obtained through the SPOC must be provided to Rural Development for consideration as part of your application. If your State has not established a SPOC or you do not want to submit your application to the SPOC, Rural Development will submit your application to the SPOC or other appropriate agency or agencies.

You are also encouraged to contact Cooperative Programs at 202-690-1374 or [email protected] if you have questions about this process.

The use of Project funds, including grant funds and other contributions, cannot be used for ineligible purposes. In addition, you shall not use Project funds for the following:

(a) To duplicate current services or to replace or to substitute support previously provided. However, Project funds may be used to expand the level of effort or a service beyond what is currently being provided;

(b) To pay for costs to prepare the application for funding under this Notice;

(c) To pay for costs of the Project incurred prior to the effective date of the period of performance;

(d) To pay expenses for applicant employee training;

(e) Fund political activities;

(f) To pay for assistance to any private business enterprise which does not have at least 51 percent ownership by those who are either citizens of the United States or reside in the United States after being legally admitted for permanent residence;

(g) To pay any judgment or debt owed to the United States;

(h) Engage in any activities that are considered a Conflict of Interest, as defined by this Notice; or

(i) Fund any activities prohibited by 2 CFR 200;

In addition, your application will not be considered for funding if it does any of the following:

• Requests more than the maximum grant amount: or

• Proposes ineligible costs that equal more than 10 percent of the Project funds.

If you include funds in your budget that are for ineligible purposes, we will consider the application for funding if the ineligible purposes total 10 percent or less of an applicant's Project funds. However, if the application is successful, those ineligible costs must be removed from the work plan and budget and replaced with eligible costs before we will make the grant award, or the grant award will be reduced accordingly. If we cannot determine the percentage of ineligible costs, the application will not be considered for funding.

(a) You should not submit your application in more than one format. You must choose whether to submit your application in hard copy or electronically. Applications submitted in hard copy should be mailed or hand-delivered to the State Office where the Project will primarily take place. You can find State Office contact information at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. To submit an application electronically, you must follow the instructions for this funding announcement at http://www.grants.gov. A password is not required to access the Web site.

(b) National Environmental Policy Act.

This Notice has been reviewed in accordance with 7 CFR part 1970, “Environmental Policies and Procedures.” We have determined that an Environmental Impact Statement is not required because the issuance of regulations and instructions, as well as amendments to them, describing administrative and financial procedures for processing, approving, and implementing the Agency's financial programs is categorically excluded in the Agency's National Environmental Policy Act regulation found at 7 CFR 1970.53(f), “Environmental Policies and Procedures.” We have determined that this Notice does not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.

The Agency will review each grant application to determine its compliance with 7 CFR part 1970. The applicant may be asked to provide additional information or documentation to assist the Agency with this determination.

(c) Civil Rights Compliance Requirements.

All grants made under this Notice are subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as required by the USDA (7 CFR part 15, subpart A) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Title IX, Executive Order 13166 (Limited English Proficiency), Executive Order 11246, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974.

We will review your application to determine if it is complete and eligible. If at any time we determine that your application is ineligible, you will be notified in writing as to the reasons it was determined ineligible and you will be informed of your review and appeal rights.

We will only score applications in which the lead entity, partnering Consortium member entities, and the Project are eligible. The applications must also be complete and sufficiently responsive to program requirements.

We will review each application to determine if it is eligible for funding and complete, based on the requirements of this Notice as well as other applicable Federal regulations.

Applications that are determined to be eligible and complete will be evaluated based on the criteria described below.

For each criterion, you must show how the Project has merit and why it is likely to be successful. If you do not address all parts of a criterion your application will be deemed ineligible. If you do not sufficiently communicate relevant Project information, you will receive lower scores. DHCS is a competitive program, so you will receive scores based on the quality of your responses. Simply addressing the criteria will not guarantee higher scores. Evaluators will base scores only on the information provided or cross-referenced by page number in each individual evaluation criterion. The maximum number of points that can be awarded to your application is 100. The minimum score requirement for funding is 60 points. It is at the Agency's discretion to fund applications with a score of 59 points or less if it is in the best interest of the Federal Government.

The evaluation criteria are detailed in the DHCS Grant Application Guide which can be found at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/delta-health-care-services-grants. You must address each evaluation criterion outlined in this Notice. Any criterion not substantively addressed will receive zero points. There are three criteria totaling 100 points. They are listed below:

(a) Rurality of the Project and communities served (maximum of 30 points)—The rurality of the communities served by the Project is an objective criterion that measures the rurality of the Project's service area. It is determined by the population of the community based upon the 2010 U.S. Census data available on the American Fact Finder Web site—http://www.factfinder.census.gov. If you have multiple addresses in the same community (city, town, or census designated place), please only list the community once when preparing your rurality calculation. The rurality calculation provided in the application will be checked and, if necessary, corrected by us.

(b) The Community Needs and Benefits derived from the Project (maximum of 30 points)—We will assess how the Project will benefit the residents in the Delta Region. This criterion will be scored based on the documentation in support of the community needs for health services and public health-related facilities and the benefits to people living in Delta Regional derived from the implementation of the proposed Project. It should lead clearly to the identification of the Project participant pool and the target population for the Project, and provide convincing links between the Project and the benefits to the community to address its health needs. The Agency will consider:

(1) The extent of the applicant's documentation explaining the health care needs, issues, and challenges facing the service area. Include what problems the residents face and how the Project will benefit the residents in the region.

(2) The extent to which the applicant is able to show the relationship between the Project's design, outcome, and benefits.

(3) The extent to which the applicant explains the Project and its implementation and provides milestones which are well-defined and can be realistically completed.

(4) The extent to which the applicant clearly outlines a plan to track, report, and evaluate performance outcomes.

Applicants should attempt to quantify benefits in terms of outcomes from the Project; that is, ways in which peoples' lives, or the community, will be improved. Provide estimates of the number of people affected by the benefits arising from the Project.

(c) The Project Management and Organization Capability (maximum of 40 points)—We will evaluate the Consortium's experience, past performance, and accomplishments addressing health care issues to ensure effective Project implementation. This criterion will be scored based on the documentation of the Project's management and organizational capability. The Agency will consider:

(1) The degree to which the organization has a sound management and fiscal structure including: Well-defined roles for administrators, staff, and established financial management systems.

(2) The extent to which the applicant identifies and demonstrates that qualifications, capabilities, and educational background of the identified key personnel (at a minimum the Project Manager) who will manage and implement programs are relevant and will contribute to the success of the Project.

(3) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates current successful and effective experience (or demonstrated experience within the past 5 years) addressing the health care issues in the Delta Region.

(4) The extent to which the applicant has experience managing grant-funded programs.

(5) The extent to which the applicant is able to correlate and support the budget to the Project phases and implementation timeline.

(6) The extent to which administrative/management costs are balanced with funds designated for the provision of programs and services.

(7) The extent and diversity of eligible entity types within the applicant's Consortium of regional institutions of higher education, academic health and research institutes, and economic development entities located in the Delta Region.

The State Offices will review applications to determine if they are eligible for assistance based on requirements in this Notice and other applicable Federal regulations. If determined eligible, your application will be scored by a panel of National and State Office employees in accordance with the point allocation specified in this Notice. A recommendation will be submitted to the Administrator to fund applications in highest ranking order, subject to availability of funds. It is at the Agency's discretion to fund applications with a score of 59 points or less if it is in the best interest of the Federal Government. If your application is evaluated, but not funded, it will not be carried forward into the next competition.

If you are selected for funding, you will receive a signed notice of Federal award by postal mail from the State Office where your application was submitted, containing instructions on requirements necessary to proceed with execution and performance of the award. You must comply with all applicable statutes, regulations, and notice requirements before the grant award will be approved. We recognize that each funded Project is unique and therefore the terms and conditions of each award may vary. We will notify applicants whose applications are selected for funding by sending a letter of conditions, which must be met before the award can be finalized.

Once the conditions of the award are met, we will issue a grant agreement, which must be signed by the lead entity and us before the period of performance can begin. The lead entity may administer the award using the traditional subaward approach to the other Consortium members.

If you are not selected for funding, you will be notified in writing via postal mail and informed of any review and appeal rights. See 7 CFR part 11 for USDA National Appeals Division procedures. Funding of successfully appealed applications will be limited to available FY 2017 funding. You must comply with all applicable statutes, regulations, and notice requirements before the grant will be approved.

Additional requirements that apply to grantees selected for this in program can be found in 2 CFR parts 25, 170, 180, 200, 400, 415, 417, 418, and 421; and 48 CFR 31.2, and successor regulations to these parts. In addition, all recipients of Federal financial assistance are required to comply with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, and must report information about subawards and executive compensation (see 2 CFR part 170). These recipients must also maintain their registration in the SAM database as long as their grants are active. These regulations may be obtained at http://www.ecfr.gov.

The following additional requirements apply to grantees selected for this program:

• Agency-approved Grant Agreement.

• Letter of Conditions.

• Form RD 1940-1, “Request for Obligation of Funds.”

• Form RD 1942-46, “Letter of Intent to Meet Conditions.”

• Form AD-1047, “Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters—Primary Covered Transactions.”

• Form AD-1048, “Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions.”

• Form AD-1049, “Certification Regarding a Drug-Free Workplace Requirement (Grants).”

• Form AD-3031, “Assurance Regarding Felony Conviction or Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants.”

• Form RD 400-4, “Assurance Agreement.” Each prospective recipient must sign Form RD 400-4, Assurance Agreement, which assures USDA that the recipient is in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 7 CFR part 15 and other Agency regulations. That no person will be discriminated against based on race, color or national origin, in regard to any program or activity for which the recipient receives Federal financial assistance. That nondiscrimination statements are in advertisements and brochures.

• Collect and maintain data provided by ultimate recipients on race, sex, and national origin and ensure Ultimate Recipients collect and maintain this data. Race and ethnicity data will be collected in accordance with OMB Federal Register notice, “Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, “(62 FR 58782), October 30, 1997. Sex data will be collected in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. These items should not be submitted with the application but should be available upon request by the Agency.

• The applicant and the ultimate recipient must comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Executive Order 12250, Executive Order 13166 Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and 7 CFR part 1901, subpart E.

• Civil rights compliance reviews should be conducted by the Agency at pre award and post award. The results of the review should be documented on Form RD 400-8, Compliance Review, and appropriate documentation attached to substantiate findings of compliance or noncompliance. The original Form RD 400-8 should be maintained in the case file with copies forwarded to the Rural Development State Civil Rights Coordinator. If the recipient is not in compliance, copies must be immediately forwarded to the Director, Civil Rights Staff, with a recommendation for action to be taken.

• RD Instruction 2006-P requires that a Civil Rights Impact Analysis be conducted prior to approving or implementing a wide range of Agency activities. The Agency will prepare Form RD 2006-38, Civil Rights Impact Analysis, on the re-lender only.

• RD Instruction 1940-Q, Exhibit A-1, “Certification for Contracts, Grants and

• Loans.” SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” if applicable.

(a) Federal Financial Reports.

(1) An SF-425, “Federal Financial Report,” must be submitted listing expenditures according to agreed upon budget categories, on a semiannual basis. Reporting periods end each August 31 and February 28. Reports are due 30 days after the reporting period ends.

(2) A final Project and financial status report within 90 days after the expiration or termination of the grant.

(3) Provide outcome Project performance reports and final deliverables.

(b) Performance Reports.

Semiannual performance reports should compare accomplishments to the objectives stated in the proposal. Identify all tasks completed to date and provide documentation supporting the reported results. If the original schedule provided in the work plan is not being met, the report should discuss the problems or delays that may affect completion of the Project. Objectives for the next reporting period should be listed. Compliance with any special condition on the use of award funds should be discussed. Reports are due as provided in paragraph 3.a. of this section.

(c) Subrecipient Reporting.

The lead entity must have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements for first-tier subawards and executive compensation under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 in the event the applicant receives funding unless such applicant is exempt from such reporting requirements pursuant to 2 CFR 170.110(b). The reporting requirements under the Transparency Act pursuant to 2 CFR part 170 are as follows:

(1) First Tier Subawards of $25,000 or more in non-Recovery Act funds (unless they are exempt under 2 CFR part 170) must be reported by the recipient to http://www.fsrs.gov no later than the end of the month following the month the obligation was made.

(2) The Total Compensation of the Recipient's Executives (five most highly compensated executives) must be reported by the recipient (if the recipient meets the criteria under 2 CFR part 170) to http://www.sam.gov by the end of the month following the month in which the award was made.

(3) The Total Compensation of the Subrecipient's Executives (five most highly compensated executives) must be reported by the subrecipient (if the subrecipient meets the criteria under 2 CFR part 170) to the Recipient by the end of the month following the month in which the subaward was made. Further details regarding these requirements can be obtained at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr170_main_02.tpl.

(d) Closeout.

Grant closeout activities include a letter to the grantee with final instructions and reminders for amounts to be de-obligated for any unexpended grant funds, final Project performance reports due, submission of outstanding deliverables, audit requirements, or other outstanding items of closure.

(e) Report for Public Distribution.

You must provide a report suitable for public distribution that describes the accomplishments made during this Project. We may use this report as a success story to promote this program.

If you have questions about this Notice, please contact the State Office as identified in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice. You are also encouraged to visit the application Web site for application tools, including an application guide and templates. The Web site address is: http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/delta-health-care-services-grants.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410;

(2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) Email: [email protected].

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Interested members of the public may listen to the discussion by calling the following toll-free conference call number: 1-888-737-3705 and conference call ID: 5272563. Please be advised that before placing them into the conference call, the conference call operator may ask callers to provide their names, their organizational affiliations (if any), and email addresses (so that callers may be notified of future meetings). Callers can expect to incur charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, and the Commission will not refund any incurred charges. Callers will incur no charge for calls they initiate over land-line connections to the toll-free telephone number herein.

Persons with hearing impairments may also follow the discussion by first calling the Federal Relay Service at 1-888-364-3109 and providing the operator with the toll-free conference call number: 1-888-737-3705 and conference call ID: 5272563.

Members of the public are invited to submit written comments; the comments must be received in the regional office approximately 30 days after each scheduled meeting. Written comments may be mailed to the Eastern Regional Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425, or emailed to Evelyn Bohor at [email protected]. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Eastern Regional Office at (202) 376-7533.

Records and documents discussed during the meeting will be available for public viewing as they become available at http://facadatabase.gov/committee/meetings.aspx?cid=240; click the “Meeting Details” and “Documents” links. Records generated from this meeting may also be inspected and reproduced at the Eastern Regional Office, as they become available, both before and after the meetings. Persons interested in the work of this advisory committee are advised to go to the Commission's Web site, www.usccr.gov, or to contact the Eastern Regional Office at the above phone number, email or street address.

Persons with accessibility needs should contact the Eastern Regional Office no later than 10 working days before the scheduled meeting by sending an email to the following email address at [email protected].

Members of the public are invited to submit written comments; the comments must be received in the regional office approximately 30 days after each scheduled meeting. Written comments may be mailed to the Eastern Regional Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425 or emailed to Evelyn Bohor at [email protected]. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Eastern Regional Office at 202-376-7533.

Records and documents discussed during the meeting will be available for public viewing as they become available at http://facadatabase.gov/committee/meetings.aspx?cid=241; click the “Meeting Details” and “Documents” links. Records generated from this meeting may also be inspected and reproduced at the Eastern Regional Office, as they become available, both before and after the meetings. Persons interested in the work of this advisory committee are advised to go to the Commission's Web site, www.usccr.gov, or to contact the Eastern Regional Office at the above phone numbers, email or street address.

This meeting is available to the public through the following toll-free call-in number: 877-874-1570, conference ID number: 5517545. Any interested member of the public may call this number and listen to the meeting. Callers can expect to incur charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, and the Commission will not refund any incurred charges. Callers will incur no charge for calls they initiate over land-line connections to the toll-free telephone number. Persons with hearing impairments may also follow the proceedings by first calling the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-977-8339 and providing the Service with the conference call number and conference ID number.

Members of the public are entitled to make comments during the open period at the end of the meeting. Members of the public may also submit written comments; the comments must be received in the Regional Programs Unit within 30 days following the meeting. Written comments may be mailed to the Western Regional Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 300 North Los Angeles Street, Suite 2010, Los Angeles, CA 90012. They may be faxed to the Commission at (213) 894-0508, or emailed Ana Victoria Fortes at [email protected]. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Regional Programs Unit at (213) 894-3437.

Records and documents discussed during the meeting will be available for public viewing prior to and after the meeting at https://database.faca.gov/committee/committee.aspx?cid=237&aid=17.

Please click on the “Meeting Details” and “Documents” links. Records generated from this meeting may also be inspected and reproduced at the Regional Programs Unit, as they become available, both before and after the meeting. Persons interested in the work of this Committee are directed to the Commission's Web site, http://www.usccr.gov, or may contact the Regional Programs Unit at the above email or street address.

Interested members of the public may listen to the discussion by calling the following toll-free conference call-in number: 1-888-601-3861 and conference ID: 417838. Please be advised that before being placed into the conference call, you will be prompted to provide your name, organizational affiliation (if any), and email address (so that callers may be notified of future meetings). Callers can expect to incur charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, and the Commission will not refund any incurred charges. Callers will incur no charge for calls they initiate over land-line connections to the toll-free conference call-in number.

Persons with hearing impairments may also follow the discussion by first calling the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-977-8339 and providing the operator with the toll-free conference call-in number: 1-888-601-3861 and conference call ID: 417838.

Members of the public are invited to submit written comments; the comments must be received in the regional office approximately 30 days after each scheduled meeting. Written comments may be mailed to the Eastern Regional Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425, faxed to (202) 376-7548, or emailed to Evelyn Bohor at [email protected]. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Eastern Regional Office at (202) 376-7533.

Records and documents discussed during the meeting will be available for public viewing as they become available at http://facadatabase.gov/committee/meetings.aspx?cid=279; click the “Meeting Details” and “Documents” links. Records generated from this meeting may also be inspected and reproduced at the Eastern Regional Office, as they become available, both before and after the meetings. Persons interested in the work of this advisory committee are advised to go to the Commission's Web site, www.usccr.gov, or to contact the Eastern Regional Office at the above phone numbers, email or street address.

If other persons who plan to attend the meeting require other accommodations, please contact Evelyn Bohor at [email protected] at the Eastern Regional Office at least ten (10) working days before the scheduled date of the meeting.

Time will be set aside at the end of the briefing so that members of the public may address the Committee after the formal presentations have been completed. Persons interested in the issue are also invited to submit written comments; the comments must be received in the regional office by Wednesday, July 12, 2017. Written comments may be mailed to the Eastern Regional Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425, faxed to (202) 376-7548, or emailed to Evelyn Bohor at [email protected]. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Eastern Regional Office at (202) 376-7533.

Records and documents discussed during the meeting will be available for public viewing as they become available at https://database.faca.gov/committee/meetings.aspx?cid=252 and clicking on the “Meeting Details” and “Documents” links. Records generated from this meeting may also be inspected and reproduced at the Eastern Regional Office, as they become available, both before and after the meeting. Persons interested in the work of this advisory committee are advised to go to the Commission's Web site, www.usccr.gov, or to contact the Eastern Regional Office at the above phone number, email or street address.

Background

On March 3, 2017, the Department published the Preliminary Results. 1 No party submitted comments on the Preliminary Results.

The merchandise subject to the order is certain polyester staple fiber. The product is currently classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) numbers 5503.20.0045 and 5503.20.0065. Although the HTSUS numbers are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of the order remains dispositive.2

As noted in the Preliminary Results, the sole mandatory respondent, Hangzhou Huachuang Co., Ltd. (Hangzhou Huachuang), did not respond to the antidumping questionnaire, and failed to establish its eligibility for a separate rate.3 As such, consistent with the Department's practice regarding conditional review of the PRC-wide entity, the Department determines that Hangzhou Huachuang remains part of the PRC-wide entity.4 Under this practice, the PRC-wide entity will not be under review unless a party specifically requests, or the Department self-initiates, a review of the entity.5 Because no party requested a review of the PRC-wide entity, the entity is not under review and the entity's rate is not subject to change. Therefore, for these final results, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to liquidate Hangzhou Huachuang's entries at the rate previously established for the PRC-wide entity, which is 44.30 percent.

The final weighted-average dumping margin is as follows:

Because Hangzhou Huachuang did not respond to the antidumping duty questionnaire, and is thus a part of the PRC-wide entity, we have not calculated any assessment (or cash deposit) rates in this review. The Department intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP 15 days after the publication date of the final results of this review.

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the final results of this administrative review for all shipments of the subject merchandise from the PRC entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date, as provided for by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) For previously investigated or reviewed PRC and non-PRC exporters not listed above that have separate rates, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the exporter-specific rate published for the most recent period; (2) for all PRC exporters of subject merchandise which have not been found to be entitled to a separate rate, the cash deposit rate will be the PRC-Wide rate of 44.30 percent; and (3) for all non-PRC exporters of subject merchandise which have not received their own rate, the cash deposit rate will be the rate applicable to the PRC exporters that supplied that non-PRC exporter. The deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Because the Department determined that the sole remaining respondent under review, Hangzhou Huachuang, is part of the PRC-wide entity, and has been assigned the PRC-wide rate; no disclosure of calculations is necessary for these final results.

This notice also serves as a final reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this POR. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Department's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of doubled antidumping duties.

This notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return or destruction of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms of an APO is a violation which is subject to sanction.

We are issuing and publishing these final results of administrative review in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act.

Background

On March 1, 2017, the Department published its affirmative Preliminary Determination of this countervailing duty (CVD) investigation.1 The petitioner in this investigation is the Rebar Trade Action Coalition and its individual members.2 The mandatory respondent in this investigation is Habaş Sinai ve Tibbi Gazlar Istihsal Endüstrisi A.Ş. (Habas),3 including certain cross-owned companies and subcontractors.4 Both Habas and the Government of Turkey (the GOT) participated in this investigation. A complete summary of the events that occurred since publication of the Preliminary Determination, as well as a full discussion of the issues raised by parties for this final determination, may be found in the Issues and Decision Memorandum, which is dated concurrently with and hereby adopted by this notice.5 The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is available electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov and to all parties in the Central Records Unit, room B-8024 of the Department's main building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed Issues and Decision Memorandum and the electronic version are identical in content.

The scope of the investigation covers rebar from Turkey. The Department did not receive any scope comments and has not updated the scope of the investigation since the Preliminary Determination. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I to this notice.

The subsidy programs under investigation, as well as the issues raised in the case briefs and rebuttal briefs submitted by interested parties in this proceeding, are discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues raised by parties and responded to by the Department in the Issues and Decision Memorandum is attached at Appendix II to this notice.

As provided in section 782(i) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), during February and March 2017, the Department verified the subsidy information reported by the GOT and Habas. We used standard verification procedures, including an examination of relevant accounting records and original source documents provided by the respondents.

In making this final determination, the Department relied, in part, on facts available. As discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum,6 we determine that Habas withheld necessary information with respect to certain import duty rebates/drawbacks received during the POI and, accordingly, did not act to the best of its ability in responding to the Department's request for information. Therefore, we drew an adverse inference, where appropriate, in selecting from among the facts otherwise available.7 For further information, see the “Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Adverse Inferences” in the accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum.

Based on our analysis of the comments received and our findings at verification, we made certain changes to the subsidy rate calculations since the Preliminary Determination. These changes are discussed in the “Analysis of Programs” section of the Issues and Decision Memorandum.8

On November 16, 2016, the Department published in the Federal Register the Preliminary Results of the antidumping duty administrative review of wire rod from Mexico.1 We invited interested parties to comment on our Preliminary Results. On January 11, 2017, the Department received case briefs from Deacero, and Nucor Corporation (Nucor).2 On January 17, 2017, interested parties submitted rebuttal briefs. On January 20, 2017, the Department extended the deadline for the final results of this administrative review until May 15, 2017.3 On January 31, 2017, the Department held a public hearing. The Department conducted this administrative review in accordance with section 751 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).

The POR covered by this review is October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015.

The merchandise subject to this order is carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod. The product is currently classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) item numbers 7213.91.3010, 7213.91.3090, 7213.91.4510, 7213.91.4590, 7213.91.6010, 7213.91.6090, 7213.99.0031, 7213.99.0038, 7213.99.0090, 7227.20.0010, 7227.20.0020, 7227.20.0090, 7227.20.0095, 7227.90.6051, 7227.90.6053, 7227.90.6058, and 7227.90.6059. Although the HTS numbers are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written product description remains dispositive.4

All issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs by parties to this proceeding are addressed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues that parties raised and to which we responded is attached to this notice as an Appendix. The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov and in the Central Records Unit (CRU), room B8024 of the main Department of Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly on the Internet at http://trade.gov/enforcement. The signed Issues and Decision Memorandum and the electronic versions of the Issues and Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

Based on our analysis of the comments received, we applied total adverse facts available (AFA) to Deacero and assigned it the highest margin alleged in the petition, i.e., 40.52 percent, as Deacero's AFA rate. These changes are fully discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

As a result of this review, we determine that the following margin exists for the POR:

As stated in the Preliminary Results, AMLT reported that it made no sales of subject merchandise during the POR.5 We received no comments from interested parties with respect to the Department's preliminary determination of no shipments for AMLT, and we continue to determine that AMLT had no reviewable transactions during the POR. As noted in the “Assessment Rates” section below, the Department intends to issue appropriate instructions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for AMLT based on the final results of this review.

Pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(A) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.212(b), the Department has determined, and CBP shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries of subject merchandise in accordance with the final results of this review.6 The Department intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP 15 days after the date of publication of these final results of review.

The Department will instruct CBP to apply an ad valorem assessment rate of 40.52 percent to all entries of subject merchandise during the POR which were produced and/or exported by Deacero. Additionally, because the Department determined that AMLT had no shipments of the subject merchandise, any suspended entries that entered under that company's case number (i.e., at that company's rate) will be liquidated at the all-others rate effective during the period of review.7

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the notice of final results of administrative review for all shipments of subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication of the final results of this administrative review, as provided by section 751(a)(2) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rates for Deacero will be the rate established in the final results of this administrative review; (2) for merchandise exported by producers or exporters not covered in this administrative review but covered in a prior segment of the proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recent period; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the original investigation, but the producer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recent period for the producer of the merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers or exporters will continue to be 20.11 percent, the all-others rate established in the investigation.8 These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

This notice serves as a final reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this review period. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Secretary's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of doubled antidumping duties.

This notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to administrative protective orders (APO) of their responsibility concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return/destruction of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and the terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

We are issuing and publishing this notice in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h).

Background

On March 7, 2017, the Department published the Preliminary Determination of this antidumping duty (AD) investigation.1 The petitioner in this investigation is the Rebar Trade Action Coalition and its individual members.2 The mandatory respondents in this investigation are Habaş Sinai ve Tibbi Gazlar Istihsal Endüstrisi A.Ş. (Habas) and Icdas Celik Enerji Tersane ve Ulasim Sanayi A.Ş. (Icdas). Both Habas and Icdas participated in this investigation. A complete summary of the events that occurred since publication of the Preliminary Determination, as well as a full discussion of the issues raised by parties for this final determination, may be found in the Final Issues and Decision Memorandum, which is dated concurrently with and hereby adopted by this notice.3 The Issues and Decision Memorandum is a public document and is available electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). Access is available to registered users at http://access.trade.gov and to all parties in the Central Records Unit, Room B-8024 of the Department's main building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum can be accessed at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed Issues and Decision Memorandum and the electronic version are identical in content.

The scope of the investigation covers rebar from Turkey. The Department did not receive any scope comments and has not updated the scope of the investigation since the Preliminary Determination. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I to this notice.

The issues raised in the case briefs and rebuttal briefs submitted by interested parties in this proceeding are discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues raised by parties and responded to by the Department in the Issues and Decision Memorandum is attached at Appendix II to this notice.

As provided in section 782(i) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), during March 2017, the Department verified the sales and cost data reported by Habas and Icdas. We used standard verification procedures, including an examination of relevant accounting and production records, and original source documents provided by the respondents.

In making this final determination, the Department relied, in part, on facts available. As discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum,4 we determine that Icdas withheld necessary information with respect to manufacturer of certain home market sales made by affiliates during the POI and, accordingly, did not act to the best of its ability in responding to the Department's request for information. Therefore, we drew an adverse inference, where appropriate, in selecting from among the facts otherwise available.5 For further information, see the “Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Adverse Inferences” in the accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum.

Based on our analysis of the comments received and our findings at verification, we made certain changes to the margin calculations since the Preliminary Determination. These changes are discussed in the “Analysis of Programs” section of the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

In accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B)(i)(I) of the Act, the Department calculated a dumping margin for the individually investigated exporters/producers of the subject merchandise. Consistent with sections 735(c)(1)(B)(i)(II) and 735(c)(5) of the Act, the Department also calculated an estimated “all-others” rate for exporters and producers not individually investigated. Section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act provides that the “all-others” rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted-average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for individually investigated exporters and producers, excluding any margins that are zero or de minimis or any margins determined entirely under section 776 of the Act. Because the estimated weighted-average dumping margins calculated for Habas and Icdas are not zero or de minimis or based entirely on facts available under section 776 of the Act, we calculated the all-others rate using a weighted-average of the dumping margins calculated for the mandatory respondents using each company's publicly-ranged values for the merchandise under consideration, pursuant to section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act.6

The Department determines the estimated weighted-average dumping margins to be:

In accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b), we will disclose the calculations performed within five days of any public announcement of this notice.

In accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) of the Act, the Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend liquidation of all appropriate entries of rebar from Turkey, as described in Appendix I of this notice, which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after March 7, 2017, the date of publication of the Preliminary Determination. Furthermore, the Department will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit for such entries of merchandise. The Department normally adjusts cash deposits for estimated antidumping duties by the amount of export subsidies countervailed in a companion countervailing duty (CVD) proceeding, when CVD provisional measures are in effect. Accordingly, where the Department made an affirmative determination for countervailable export subsidies, the Department has offset the estimated weighted-average dumping margin by the appropriate CVD rate.7 Any such adjusted cash deposit rate may be found in the “Final Determination” section, above.

In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, we will notify the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) of the final affirmative determination of sales at LTFV. Because the final determination in this proceeding is affirmative, in accordance with section 735(b)(2) of the Act, the ITC will make its final determination as to whether the domestic industry in the United States is materially injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of imports of rebar from Turkey no later than 45 days after our final determination. If the ITC determines that material injury or threat of material injury does not exist, the proceeding will be terminated and all cash deposits will be refunded. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist, the Department will issue an AD order directing CBP to assess, upon further instruction by the Department, antidumping duties on all imports of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the suspension of liquidation, as discussed above in the “Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation” section.

This notice serves as the only reminder to parties subject to an administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely notification of the return/destruction of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and the terms of an APO is a violation subject to sanction.

This determination is issued and published in accordance with sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act.

Following the publication of the Final Results, Weifang Hongqiao International Logistics Co., Ltd., Qingdao Xintianfeng Foods Co., Ltd., and Shandong Jinxiang Zhengyang Import and Export Co., Ltd. (collectively, Separate Rate Respondents) challenged the Department's Final Results in the United States Court of International Trade (CIT). In the Final Results, the Department calculated a de minimis rate for the two mandatory respondents, but found that averaging the mandatory respondents' de minimis rates would not be reasonably reflective of the potential dumping margins of the companies not selected for individual examination.1 The Department found the Separate Rate Respondents eligible for a separate rate, but did not select them for individual examination.2 The Department established the dumping margin for the Separate Rate Respondents by applying the most recently-calculated rate under this order, which was not affected by the Department's zeroing methodology, i.e., $1.28 per kilogram, the rate in the 08/09 Garlic NSR.3 The Separate Rate Respondents challenged the Department's selection of the $1.28 per kilogram dumping margin. 4

On April 14, 2017, the United States, the Separate Rate Respondents, and the petitioner 5 entered into an agreement to settle this dispute. On April 17, 2017, the United States, the Separate Rate Respondents, and the petitioner filed a stipulation for entry of judgment with the CIT. On April 19, 2017, the CIT entered judgment by stipulation. Consistent with the settlement agreement and the judgment by stipulation, these Amended Final Results assign each Separate Rate Respondent a $0.00 per kilogram dumping margin for the POR. The Amended Final Results make no other modification to the Department's findings in the Final Results.

Within fifteen days of publication of these Amended Final Results, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to liquidate all unliquidated entries of fresh garlic from the PRC produced and/or exported by Weifang Hongqiao International Logistics Co., Ltd., Qingdao Xintianfeng Foods Co., Ltd., and Shandong Jinxiang Zhengyang Import and Export Co., Ltd., and entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption in the United States during the POR at the assessment rate of $0.00 per kilogram.

We are issuing and publishing these Amended Final Results of review and notice in accordance with section 516A(e) of the Act.

Background

On March 7, 2017, the Department published the Preliminary Determination of this antidumping duty (AD) investigation.1 We invited interested parties to submit comments on the Preliminary Determination, but we received no comments. Further on, April 4, 2017, the Department also invited interested parties to submit comments regarding the scope of the investigation; 2 no interested parties submitted scope comments. Additionally, no interested party requested a hearing.

The scope of the investigation covers rebar from Japan. As noted above, the Department did not receive any scope comments and has not updated the scope of the investigation since the Preliminary Determination. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

As noted above, we received no comments since the publication of the Preliminary Determination.

As stated in the Preliminary Determination, we found that the mandatory respondents, Jonan Steel Corporation (Jonan) and Kyoei Steel Ltd. (Kyoei), did not cooperate to the best of their abilities to comply with the Department's request for information. Accordingly, we determined it appropriate to apply facts otherwise available with adverse inferences in accordance with sections 776(a)-(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). For the purposes of this final determination, the Department has made no changes to the Preliminary Determination.

As discussed in the Preliminary Determination, in accordance with section 735(c)(5)(B) of the Act, the Department based the selection of the “All-Others” rate on the simple average of the petition rates, resulting in an “All Others” rate of 206.43 percent. We have made no changes to the selection of this rate for this final determination.

The final weighted-average dumping margins are as follows:

The weighted-average dumping margin assigned to Jonan and Kyoei in the Preliminary Determination was based on adverse facts available. As we have made no changes to the margin since the Preliminary Determination, no disclosure of calculations is necessary for this final determination.

In accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) of the Act, the Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend liquidation of all appropriate entries of rebar from Japan, as described in Appendix I of this notice, which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after March 7, 2017, the date of publication of the Preliminary Determination. Further, the Department will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the estimated amount by which the normal value exceeds the U.S. price as shown above.

In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, we will notify the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) of the final affirmative determination of sales at LTFV. Because the final determination in this proceeding is affirmative, in accordance with section 735(b)(2) of the Act, the ITC will make its final determination as to whether the domestic industry in the United States is materially injured, or threatened with material injury by reason of imports of rebar from Japan no later than 45 days after this final determination. If the ITC determines that material injury or threat of material injury does not exist, the proceeding will be terminated and all cash deposits will be refunded. If the ITC determines that such injury does exist, the Department will issue an AD order directing CBP to assess, upon further instruction by the Department, antidumping duties on all imports of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the suspension of liquidation, as discussed in the “Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation” section.

This notice serves as a reminder to parties subject to an administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely notification of the return of destruction of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and the terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

This determination is issued and published in accordance with sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act.

On March 20, 2017, the Department published the countervailing duty order on CTL plate from the PRC.1 On April 19, 2017, the Department received a request from Tiangong Tools to conduct an expedited review of this countervailing duty order.2 Tiangong Tools, a company that was not selected for individual examination during the investigation, made this request. pursuant to 19 CFR 351.214(k).

In accordance with 19 CFR 351.214(k)(1)(i)-(iii), Tiangong Tools certified that it exported the subject merchandise to the United States during the period of investigation,3 that it was not affiliated with an exporter or producer that the Department individually examined in the investigation, and that it informed the Government of the PRC, as the government of the exporting country, that the government will be required to provide a full response to the Department's questionnaire. In addition, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.214(k)(1), in the underlying investigation, the Department limited the number of exporters or producers to be individually examined under section 777A(e)(2)(A), and did not accept Tiangong Tool's request for voluntary respondent treatment.4

Therefore, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.214(k), we are initiating an expedited review of the countervailing duty order on CTL plate from the PRC with respect to Tiangong Tools. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.214(i)(1) and (k)(3), we intend to issue the preliminary results of this expedited review not later than 180 days from the date of initiation of this review.5 As specified by 19 CFR 351.214(k)(3)(i), the period of review will be the same as the original period of investigation.

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.214(k)(3)(iii), the final results of this expedited review will not be the basis for the assessment of countervailing duties. Instead, this expedited review is intended to establish individual cash deposit rates for Tiangong Tools, or to exclude it from the countervailing duty order if the final results of review are zero or de minimis, as provided in 19 CFR 351.214(k)(3)(iv).

Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under administrative protective orders, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305 and 351.306.

Section 702 of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (as amended) (the Act) requires the Department of Commerce (the Department) to determine, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, whether any foreign government is providing a subsidy with respect to any article of cheese subject to an in-quota rate of duty, as defined in section 702(h) of the Act, and to publish quarterly updates to the type and amount of those subsidies. We hereby provide the Department's quarterly update of subsidies on articles of cheese that were imported during the periods October 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016.

The Department has developed, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, information on subsidies, as defined in section 702(h) of the Act, being provided either directly or indirectly by foreign governments on articles of cheese subject to an in-quota rate of duty. The appendix to this notice lists the country, the subsidy program or programs, and the gross and net amounts of each subsidy for which information is currently available. The Department will incorporate additional programs which are found to constitute subsidies, and additional information on the subsidy programs listed, as the information is developed.

The Department encourages any person having information on foreign government subsidy programs which benefit articles of cheese subject to an in-quota rate of duty to submit such information in writing to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20230.

This determination and notice are in accordance with section 702(a) of the Act.

Authority:

15 U.S.C. 3711a(d)(1), 15 U.S.C. 3711a(d)(2)(B) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App., notice is hereby given that the Board of Overseers and the Judges Panel will meet together in open session on Thursday, June 8, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Board of Overseers (Board), composed of approximately twelve members preeminent in the field of organizational performance excellence and appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, make an annual report on the results of Award activities to the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), along with its recommendations for improvement of the Award process. The Judges Panel consists of twelve members with balanced representation from U.S. service, manufacturing, nonprofit, education, and health care industries. The Panel includes members who are familiar with the quality improvement operations and competitiveness issues of manufacturing companies, service companies, small businesses, health care providers, and educational institutions. The Judges Panel recommends Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipients to the Secretary of Commerce.

The purpose of this meeting is to discuss and review information received from NIST and from the Chair of the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The agenda will include: Baldrige Program Update, Baldrige Foundation Fundraising Update, Baldrige Judges Panel Update, Ethics Review, Applicants and Eligibility, and New Business/Public Comment. The agenda may change to accommodate the Judges Panel and Board of Overseers business. The final agenda will be posted on the NIST Baldrige Performance Excellence Web site at http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/community/overseers.cfm. The meeting is open to the public.

Individuals and representatives of organizations who would like to offer comments and suggestions related to the Board's affairs and/or the Panel of Judges' general process are invited to request a place on the agenda. On June 8, 2017, approximately one-half hour will be reserved in the afternoon for public comments, and speaking times will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. The amount of time per speaker will be determined by the number of requests received, but is likely to be about 3 minutes each. The exact time for public comments will be included in the final agenda that will be posted on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program Web site at http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/community/overseers.cfm. Questions from the public will not be considered during this period. Speakers who wish to expand upon their oral statements, those who had wished to speak, but could not be accommodated on the agenda, and those who were unable to attend in person are invited to submit written statements to the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, Attention Suzanne Sullivan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 1020, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-1020, via fax at 301-975-2702 or electronically by email to [email protected].

All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, email address and phone number to Suzanne Sullivan no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, Thursday, June 1, 2017, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Non-U.S. citizens must submit additional information; please contact Suzanne Sullivan by email at [email protected] or by phone at (301) 975-2702. Also, please note that under the REAL ID Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-13), federal agencies, including NIST, can only accept a state-issued driver's license or identification card for access to federal facilities if issued by states that are REAL ID compliant or have an extension. NIST also currently accepts other forms of federal-issued identification in lieu of a state-issued driver's license. For detailed information please contact Mrs. Sullivan or visit: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/visitor/.

Authority:

15 U.S.C. 3711a(d)(1) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App., notice is hereby given that the Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will meet on Wednesday, June 7, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Judges Panel is composed of twelve members, appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, chosen for their familiarity with quality improvement operations and competitiveness issues of manufacturing companies, services companies, small businesses, health care providers, and educational institutions. Members are also chosen who have broad experience in for-profit and nonprofit areas. The Judges Panel will assemble to discuss and review the role and responsibilities of the Judges Panel and information received from NIST in order to ensure the integrity of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award selection process. The agenda will include: Judges Panel roles and processes; Baldrige Program updates; new business/public comment; lessons learned from the 2016 judging process; and the 2017 Award process. A portion of this meeting is closed to the public in order to protect the proprietary data to be examined and discussed.

The portion of the meeting, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, will include discussions on the Judges Panel roles and processes and Baldrige program updates and is open to the public. Individuals and representatives of organizations who would like to offer comments related to the Panel of Judges' general process are invited to request a place on the agenda. Approximately one-half hour will be reserved for public comments, and speaking times will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. The amount of time per speaker will be determined by the number of requests received, but is likely to be about 3 minutes each. The exact time for public comments will be included in the final agenda that will be posted on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program Web site at http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/community/overseers.cfm. Questions from the public will not be considered during this period. Speakers who wish to expand upon their oral statements, those who had wished to speak, but could not be accommodated on the agenda, and those who were unable to attend in person are invited to submit written statements to the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, Attention Suzanne Sullivan, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 1020, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1020, via fax at 301-975-4967 or electronically by email to [email protected].

All visitors to the National Institute of Standards and Technology site will have to pre-register to be admitted. Please submit your name, time of arrival, email address and phone number to Nancy Young no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, Thursday, June 1, 2017, and she will provide you with instructions for admittance. Non-U.S. citizens must submit additional information; please contact Suzanne Sullivan by email at [email protected] or by phone at (301) 975-2702. Also, please note that under the REAL ID Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-13), federal agencies, including NIST, can only accept a state-issued driver's license or identification card for access to federal facilities if issued by states that are REAL ID compliant or have an extension. NIST also currently accepts other forms of federal-issued identification in lieu of a state-issued driver's license. For detailed information please contact Ms. Sullivan or visit: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/visitor/.

The portion of the meeting from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, will include discussions on lessons learned from the 2016 judging process and on the 2017 Award process, and is closed to the public in order to protect the proprietary data to be examined and discussed. The Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration, with the concurrence of the Assistant General Counsel for Administration and Transactions, formally determined on March 21, 2017, pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended by Section 5(c) of the Government in Sunshine Act, P.L. 94-409, that a portion of the meeting of the Judges Panel may be closed to the public in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(4) because the meeting is likely to disclose trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person which is privileged or confidential and 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(9)(B) because for a government agency the meeting is likely to disclose information that could significantly frustrate implementation of a proposed agency action. Portions of the meeting involve examination of prior year Award applicant data. Award applicant data are directly related to the commercial activities and confidential information of the applicants.

The original notice published in the Federal Register on May 8, 2017 (82 FR 21372). An additional agenda item has been added to the original agenda. The entire new agenda is listed below. All other previously published information remains the same.

The Advisory Panel will discuss Amendment 23/Groundfish Monitoring. They will receive a report from the Groundfish Plan Development Team (PDT), review public scoping comments and Discuss and make recommendations to the Groundfish Committee on the scope, purpose and need, and range of alternatives for Amendment 23. The Panel will also review 2017 Council Priorities with a discussion of Atlantic halibut management, receive a report from the PDT and make recommendations to the Groundfish Committee. They will also discuss a possible reclassification of windowpane flounder stocks with a report from the PDT and make recommendations to the Groundfish Committee. The advisory panel will consider comments on the Interim Final Rule for 2017 and 2018 Sector Operations Plans, including whether additional measures or restrictions should be recommended for Sector IX as a result of misreporting by sector vessels. Other business will be discussed as necessary.

The June 7-14, 2017 meeting of the Pacific Council will be streamed live on the internet. The broadcasts begin initially at 9 a.m. PT Friday, June 9, 2017 and continue at 8 a.m. daily through Wednesday, June 14, 2017. Broadcasts end daily at 6 p.m. PT or when business for the day is complete. Only the audio portion and presentations displayed on the screen at the Pacific Council meeting will be broadcast. The audio portion is listen-only; you will be unable to speak to the Pacific Council via the broadcast. To access the meeting online please use the following link: http://www.gotomeeting.com/online/webinar/join-webinar and enter the June Webinar ID, 897-986-459, and your email address. You can attend the webinar online using a computer, tablet, or smart phone, using the GoToMeeting application. It is recommended that you use a computer headset to listen to the meeting, but you may use your telephone for the audio portion only of the meeting. The audio portion may be attended using a telephone by dialing the toll number 1-562-247-8422 (not a toll-free number), audio access code 862-846-290, and enter the audio pin shown after joining the webinar.

The following items are on the Pacific Council agenda, but not necessarily in this order. Agenda items noted as “Final Action” refer to actions requiring the Council to transmit a proposed fishery management plan, proposed plan amendment, or proposed regulations to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, under sections 304 or 305 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Additional detail on agenda items, Council action, advisory entity meeting times, and meeting rooms are described in Agenda Item A.4, Proposed Council Meeting Agenda, and will be in the advance June 2017 briefing materials and posted on the Pacific Council Web site at www.pcouncil.org no later than May 19, 2017.

Advisory body agendas will include discussions of relevant issues that are on the Pacific Council agenda for this meeting, and may also include issues that may be relevant to future Council meetings. Proposed advisory body agendas for this meeting will be available on the Pacific Council Web site http://www.pcouncil.org/council-operations/council-meetings/current-briefing-book/ no later than Friday, May 19, 2017.

Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come before the Pacific Council for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal Council action during this meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, provided the public has been notified of the Pacific Council's intent to take final action to address the emergency.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Mr. Kris Kleinschmidt at (503) 820-2280, ext. 411 at least 10 business days prior to the meeting date.

The following items are on the agenda, though agenda items may be addressed out of order (changes will be noted on the Council's Web site when possible).

Develop recommendations for 2018—2020 specifications.

Approve scoping document.

Discuss alternatives.

Review and approve options for potential revision to current MAFMC Risk Policy and ABC Control Rules.

Review climate-velocity-driven species distribution projections for 2020 through 2100 and identify potential propriety species for adaptation of fisheries management to climate change.

Review of NEFSC Cooperative Research and response to MAFMC request and the Mid-Atlantic Council approach to collaborative research.

Review fishery performance and make recommendations for 2018-20 specifications, including butterfish cap.

Review RH/S cap operation and RH/S progress update and make recommendations for RH/S cap amount modification if necessary.

Review alternatives, public comments, and staff recommendations and select preferred alternatives and adopt amendment.

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard.

EFH review progress and Mid-Atlantic fish habitat assessment project.

The day will conclude with the SSC Committee Report, the Executive Director's Report, the Science Report, brief reports from the National Marine Fisheries Service's GARFO and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, NOAA's Office of General Counsel, the ASMFC, the New England and South Atlantic Fishery Council's liaisons and the Regional Planning Body Report, and discuss any continuing and/or new business.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to M. Jan Saunders, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Background: Article 3.2.3 of the USBFTA provides that, on the request of either Party, the Parties shall consult to consider whether the rules of origin applicable to a particular textile or apparel good should be revised to address issues of availability of supply of fibers, yarns, or fabrics in the territories of the Parties. In the consultations, pursuant to Article 3.2.4 of the USBFTA, each Party shall consider all data presented by the other Party that demonstrate substantial production in its territory of a particular fiber, yarn, or fabric. The Parties shall consider that there is substantial production if a Party demonstrates that its domestic producers are capable of supplying commercial quantities of the fiber, yarn, or fabric in a timely manner. The USBFTA Implementation Act provides the President with the authority to proclaim as part of the HTSUS, modifications to the USBFTA rules of origin set out in Annex 3-A of the USBFTA as are necessary to implement an agreement with Bahrain under Article 3.2.5 of the USBFTA, subject to the consultation and layover requirements of Section 104 of the USBFTA Implementation Act. See Section 202(j)(2)(B)(i) of the USBFTA Implementation Act. Executive Order 11651 established CITA to supervise the implementation of textile trade agreements and authorizes the Chairman of CITA to take actions or recommend that appropriate officials or agencies of the United States take actions necessary to implement textile trade agreements. 37 FR 4699 (March 4, 1972), reprinted as amended in 7 U.S.C. Sec. 1854 note. The Government of the United States received a request from the Government of Bahrain, submitted on March 23, 2017, requesting that the United States consider whether the USBFTA rule of origin for certain knit and woven apparel should be modified to allow the use of certain knit and woven fabrics that are not originating under the USBFTA. The fabrics subject to this request, according to the fabric number in the request and organized by specific apparel end-use, are:

Knit apparel classified in chapter 61 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS):

Fabric 26: Knit pile, looped fabric, 90% polyester and 10% elastomeric suede, yarn count: Brushed P105xP50D+SP40D, weight 300 grams per meter squared (g/m2), width CW57”, classified in subheading 6001.22 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 27: Knit fabric of polyester (85-97%) and elastomeric (5-15%), classified in subheading 6004.10 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 28: Knit fabric of polyester (45-60%), cotton (35-50%) and elastomeric (5-12%), classified in subheading 6004.10 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 29: Knit fabric of rayon (59-75%), nylon (20-37%), and elastomeric (0-10%), classified in subheading 6006.42 of the HTSUS; and

Fabric 35: Knit fabric of polyester (68-78%), rayon (19-29%), and elastomeric (0-8%), classified in subheading 6006.32 of the HTSUS.

Woven apparel classified in chapter 62 of the HTSUS:

Fabric 15: Bleached or dyed satin weave or twill weave fabric of at least 60% lyocell and up to 40% nylon, polyester, or elastomeric, that does not meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2112 or ASTM 1506 protective standards, classified in heading 5516 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 16: Woven seersucker fabric of cotton, classified in subheadings 5208.42, 5208.52 or 5209.41 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 17: Woven fabric of rayon (60-75%), nylon (30-35%), and elastomeric (1-5%), bleached, dyed, printed or of yarns of different colors, weighing 200-350 g/m2, classified in subheadings 5516.91, 5516.92, 5516.93 or 5516.94 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 18: Woven fabric of rayon (50-84%), polyester (6-49%), and elastomeric (1-10%), weighing less than 225 g/m2, classified in headings 5408 or 5516 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 19: Woven fabric of polyester (50-65%), rayon (34-49%), and elastomeric (1-10%), weighing less than 225 g/m2, classified in headings 5407, 5512, or 5515 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 20: Woven fabric of polyester (51-65%) and rayon (35-49%), weighing less than 225 g/m2, classified in headings 5407, 5512, or 5515 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 21: 100% rayon woven fabric, classified in headings 5408 or 5516 of the HTSUS; and

Fabric 22: Woven jacquard fabric of rayon staple fiber, weighing 375 g/m2 or less, classified in subheadings 5516.13 or 5516.23 of the HTSUS.

Men's or boys' suits, ensembles, suit-type jackets, blazers, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts (other than swimwear), classified in heading 6203 of the HTSUS; and women's or girls' suits, ensembles, suit-type jackets, blazers, dresses, skirts, divided skirts, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts (other than swimwear), classified in heading 6204 of the HTSUS:

Fabric 1: Two-way stretch woven fabric of polyester (57-76%), rayon (18-37%), and elastomeric (1-11%), classified in subheading 5515.19 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 2: Dyed rayon blend herringbone twill fabric of rayon (65-75%) and polyester (25-35%), weighing more than 200 g/m 2 ,, classified in subheading 5516.92 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 3: Two-way stretch woven fabric of polyester (50-85%), viscose rayon (13-47%), and elastomeric (1-10%), classified in subheading 5515.11 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 4: One-way stretch woven fabric of polyester (50-85%), viscose rayon (13-47%), and elastomeric (1-10%), classified in subheading 5515.11 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 5: Woven fabric of polyester (60-90%), rayon (10-40%), and elastomeric (0-6%), classified in subheadings 5407.52, 5407.53, 5407.61, 5407.69, 5407.72, 5407.73, 5407.92, 5407.93, 5512.19, 5512.99, 5515.12, and 5515.19 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 6: Woven indigo dyed fabric of cotton (95-100%) and elastomeric (0-5%), classified in subheadings 5208.39.6090 and 5208.39.8090 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 7: Cotton corduroy woven fabric, classified in subheading 5801.22 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 8: Polyester corduroy woven fabric, classified in subheading 5801.32 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 9: Dyed sateen woven fabric of cotton (93%-100%) and elastomeric (0-7%), classified in subheading 5209.39.0020 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 10: Dobby weave fabric of cotton (93-99%) and elastomeric (1-7%), classified in subheading 5209.39.0080 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 11: Dobby weave fabric of 100% cotton, classified in subheading 5209.39 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 12: Woven fabric of spun modal rayon (50-95%), filament polyester (5-48%), and elastomeric (0-5%), classified in subheadings 5516.12, 5516.13, 5516.22 and 5516.23 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 13: Yarn-dyed woven fabric of lyocell staple fiber (55-85%) and cotton (15-45%), classified in subheadings 5516.13 and 5516.43 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 14: Woven fabric of rayon (67-80%), nylon (15-35%), and elastomeric (2-6%), classified in subheadings 5516.22, 5516.23 and 5516.24 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 23: Two-way stretch woven twill fabric of cotton (85-98%) and elastomeric (2-15%), classified in subheading 5209.32 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 24: Two-way stretch woven twill fabric of cotton (63-73%), polyester (20-30%), and elastomeric (2-12%), classified in subheading 5211.43 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 25: Woven twill fabric of cotton (77-87%), polyester (12-22%), and elastomeric (0-6%), classified in subheading 5211.43 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 30: Woven twill fabric of viscose rayon (51-61%), cotton (34-44%), and elastomeric (0-10%), classified in subheading 5516.42.0060 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 31: Two-way stretch woven twill fabric of cotton (47-57%), rayon (36-46%), and elastomeric (2-12%), classified in subheading 5211.32 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 32: Woven fabric of cotton (92-100%) and elastomeric (0-8%), classified in subheading 5209.31 of the HTSUS;

Fabric 33: Woven sateen fabric of 100% polyester, classified in subheading 5407.69 of the HTSUS; and

Fabric 34: Woven twill fabric of polyester (40-50%), viscose rayon (38-48%), linen (3-13%), and elastomeric (0-9%), classified in subheading 5515.11 of the HTSUS.

CITA is soliciting public comments regarding this request, particularly with respect to whether the fabrics described above can be supplied by the U.S. domestic industry in commercial quantities in a timely manner. Comments must be received no later than July 21, 2017.

Interested persons are invited to submit such comments or information electronically to [email protected], and/or in hard copy to: Chairman, Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements, Room 30003, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230.

If comments include business confidential information, commenters must submit a business confidential version in hard copy to the Chairman of CITA, and also provide a public version,either in hard copy or electronically. CITA will protect any information that is marked business confidential from disclosure to the full extent permitted by law. All public versions of the comments will be posted on OTEXA's Web site for Commercial Availability proceedings under the Bahrain FTA: http://otexa.trade.gov/Bahrain_CA.htm.

Title, Associated Form and OMB Number: DA Civilian Employment and Marketing Feedback; OMB Control Number 0702-XXXX.

Type of Request: New collection.

Number of Respondents: 128.

Responses per Respondent: 1.

Annual Responses: 128.

Average Burden per Response: 1.5 hours.

Annual Burden Hours: 192 hours.

Needs and Uses: The information collection requirement is necessary to provide the data needed to understand the best strategies and implementation tactics to build awareness of Army civilian opportunities and fill critical occupations.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Frequency: One-time.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

OMB Desk Officer: Ms. Jasmeet Seehra.

Comments and recommendations on the proposed information collection should be emailed to Ms. Jasmeet Seehra, DoD Desk Officer, at [email protected]. Please identify the proposed information collection by DoD Desk Officer and the Docket ID number and title of the information collection.

You may also submit comments and recommendations, identified by Docket ID number and title, by the following method:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name, Docket ID number and title for this Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

DOD Clearance Officer: Mr. Frederick Licari.

Written requests for copies of the information collection proposal should be sent to Mr. Licari at WHS/ESD Directives Division, 4800 Mark Center Drive, East Tower, Suite 03F09, Alexandria, VA 22350-3100.

The USACE published a NOI in the Federal Register on September 14, 2015 (80 FR 55013) to prepare a Draft EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Three Rivers Feasibility Study, Arkansas and Desha Counties, Arkansas. An agency scoping meeting and Planning Charette were held on August 11th and September 9-11, 2015, respectively, to gather input on the scope of the analysis, identify possible alternatives and significant issues to be evaluated in the Draft EIS, as well as, the identification of cooperating agencies. A public news release announcing an open comment period was released September 22, 2015 to solicit public comments from interested parties relating to navigation and ecosystem restoration opportunities within the study area. Since that time, in the course of project planning and preliminary impact analysis, it no longer appears that impacts associated with project implementation would rise to a level necessitating an EIS. In compliance with the NEPA, the Little Rock District will be preparing an Environmental Assessment to address the impacts of the proposed action and alternatives. Therefore, the Little Rock District is withdrawing the NOI to prepare a Draft EIS.

Purpose of Program: The purposes of this program are to: (1) Help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research and experience, to be successful in serving those children.

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)).

Absolute Priority: For FY 2017 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet this priority.

This priority is:

National Center for Improving Teacher and Leader Performance to Better Serve Children with Disabilities.

Background:

Meeting the diverse needs of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms and other school settings requires a complex combination of knowledge and skills, including the use of practices supported by evidence. Organizations such as the Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council for Exceptional Children, therefore, have developed model standards of essential knowledge and skills that they believe teachers need in order to customize learning and be effective in improving student achievement, including the achievement of students with disabilities. In 2015, the National Policy Board for Educational Administration adopted a new set of professional standards for leaders, known as the Professional Standards for Education Leaders. These standards describe the knowledge and skills education leaders need to ensure every student is prepared for the 21st century. The curricula in teacher and leader preparation programs must be better aligned with State standards that reflect current knowledge and skills and the use of practices supported by evidence.

Further, under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), States must annually report on the quality of teacher preparation programs, identify low-performing programs, and provide them with technical assistance (TA). States will need high-quality TA for these activities.

Finally, under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), States must ensure that low-income and minority students are not served at disproportionate rates by ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers. In addition, teacher and school leader incentive programs are authorized under Title II of the ESSA, and the Title II set-aside allows a variety of activities, including reforming teacher and leader certification, teacher evaluation, alternative certification, recruitment and retention, professional development (PD), and the TA provided to local educational agencies (LEAs). State educational agencies (SEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) need high-quality TA to carry out these reform efforts.

This competition will fund a national center to assist SEAs, IHEs, and LEAs, in addressing all of these needs to help ensure that teachers and leaders have the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

Priority:

The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate a national center for improving teacher and leader performance to better serve children with disabilities to achieve, at a minimum, the following outcomes:

(a) Improved capacity of States to review and strengthen certification or licensure standards and requirements, in collaboration with IHEs and LEAs that operate teacher and leader preparation programs, in order to ensure that these standards: (1) Are derived from frameworks and practices supported by evidence; and (2) reflect the knowledge and skills necessary for teachers and leaders to successfully serve students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms and school settings, including, at a minimum, competencies in evidence-based interventions in reading, math, behavior, and school climate.

(b) Improved capacity of States to adopt and implement rigorous program approval standards for teacher and leader preparation programs.

(c) Increased capacity of IHEs to embed practices and frameworks supported by evidence and aligned to State licensure or certification requirements, into their preparation programs.

(d) Increased capacity of SEAs and IHEs to use data from a variety of sources, including student data attributed to teachers and leaders who successfully exit preparation programs, to inform continuous improvement of those programs.

(e) Increased capacity of SEAs to align and implement statewide plans (e.g., Educator Equity Plans and State Systemic Improvement Plans, State Quality Rating and Improvement Systems) to include certification or licensure reform and IHE teacher and leader program reform to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

In addition to these programmatic requirements, to be considered for funding under this priority, applicants must meet the application and administrative requirements in this priority, which are:

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Significance of the Project,” how the proposed project will—

(1) Support States to reform certification or licensure standards and program approval standards, to include practices and frameworks supported by evidence, consisting of, at a minimum, competencies in evidence-based interventions in reading, math, behavior, and school climate; and identify effective strategies for achieving institutional change and reform in IHEs and LEAs that prepare teachers and leaders. To meet these requirements the applicant must—

(i) Present applicable national and State data demonstrating the current needs of States to reform teacher and leader certification or licensure standards and program approval standards to include practices and frameworks supported by evidence to ensure teachers and leaders are fully prepared to serve students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms and school settings;

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of current certification and licensure issues, including portability and reciprocity, multi-tiered licensure systems, and credentialing structures; and

(iii) Demonstrate knowledge of the current need for preparation of teachers and leaders to address the complex roles they share in providing instruction in schoolwide frameworks such as Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS);

(2) Demonstrate knowledge of, and previous experience with, using effective approaches to disseminate knowledge, tools, and resources to SEAs, LEAs, and technical assistance (TA) providers; and

(3) Demonstrate knowledge of, and previous experience with, implementing TA strategies that are intensive and specialized.

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the Project Services,” how the proposed project will—

(1) Ensure equal access and treatment for members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe how it will—

(i) Identify the needs of the intended recipients for TA and information; and

(ii) Ensure that services and products meet the needs of the intended recipients of the grant;

(2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and OSEP-specified outcomes. To meet this requirement, the applicant must provide—

(i) Measurable intended project outcomes; and

(ii) The logic model by which the proposed project will achieve its intended outcomes. A logic model used in connection with this priority communicates how a project will achieve its intended outcomes and provides a framework for both the formative and summative evaluations of the project;

(3) Use a conceptual framework to develop project plans and activities, describing any underlying concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, or theories, as well as the presumed relationships or linkages among these variables, and any empirical support for this framework;

(4) Be based on current research and make use of practices supported by evidence. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(i) The current research on systems change and capacity building within SEAs and IHEs that will inform the TA provided to SEAs and IHEs that undertake alignment and reform efforts;

(ii) The current research about adult learning principles and implementation science that will inform the proposed TA; and

(iii) How the proposed project will incorporate current research and practices, strategies, and frameworks supported by evidence into the development and delivery of its products and services;

(5) Develop products and provide services that are of high quality and sufficient intensity and duration to achieve the intended outcomes of the proposed project. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(i) Its proposed approach to universal, general TA,1 which must identify the intended recipients of the products and services under this approach, and include a plan for ensuring SEAs and IHEs can easily access and use products and services developed by the proposed project;

(ii) Its proposed approach to targeted, specialized TA,2 which must identify—

(A) The intended recipients of the products and services under this approach;

(B) Its proposed approach to measure the readiness of potential targeted TA recipients to work with the project, assessing, at a minimum, their current infrastructure, available resources, and ability to build capacity for ongoing reform and continuous improvement at the SEA and IHE levels;

(C) The process by which the project will select, and provide targeted TA to, SEAs and IHEs. This targeted TA must support SEA capacity to initiate, scale up, and sustain alignment and reform efforts; and

(D) The process the proposed project will use to collaborate with other relevant TA centers and national organizations, as appropriate, to develop and implement targeted TA strategies in order to reduce duplication of effort and maximize efficiency;

(iv) Its proposed approach to intensive, sustained TA,3 which must identify—

(A) The intended recipients of the products and services under this approach;

(B) Its proposed approach to measure the readiness of the SEAs and IHE teacher and leader preparation programs to work with the project, including their commitment to the initiative, alignment of the initiative to their needs, current infrastructure, available resources, and ability to build capacity at SEA and IHE levels; and

(C) The process by which the project will select, and provide ongoing intensive TA to, SEAs and IHEs that are positioned to engage in systemic reform efforts. This intensive TA must support SEA capacity to scale up and sustain ongoing alignment and reform of certification or licensure standards and initial program approval and reauthorization standards. Intensive TA must also support IHE capacity to scale up and sustain preparation program reform efforts to better serve students with disabilities, using data to inform ongoing improvement efforts;

(6) Develop products and implement services that maximize efficiency. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(i) How the proposed project will use technology to achieve the intended project outcomes;

(ii) With whom the proposed project will collaborate and the intended outcomes of this collaboration (including working from a single TA plan when appropriate). The description should include how the proposed project will provide PD to other TA centers on available tools and resources to leverage and extend the reach of its TA; and

(iii) How the proposed project will use non-project resources to achieve the intended project outcomes.

(c) In the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the Evaluation Plan,” include an evaluation plan for the project. The evaluation plan must describe: Measures of progress in implementation, including the criteria for determining the extent to which the project's products and services have reached its target population; measures of intended outcomes or results of the project's activities in order to evaluate those activities; and how well the goals or objectives of the proposed project, as described in its logic model, have been met.

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Adequacy of Project Resources,” how—

(1) The proposed project will encourage applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability, as appropriate;

(2) The proposed key project personnel, consultants, and subcontractors have the qualifications and experience to carry out the proposed activities and achieve the project's intended outcomes;

(3) The applicant and any key partners have adequate resources to carry out the proposed activities; and

(4) The proposed costs are reasonable in relation to the anticipated results and benefits.

(e) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the Management Plan,” how—

(1) The proposed management plan will ensure that the project's intended outcomes will be achieved on time and within budget. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(i) Clearly defined responsibilities for key project personnel, consultants, and subcontractors, as applicable; and

(ii) Timelines and milestones for accomplishing the project tasks;

(2) Key project personnel and any consultants and subcontractors will be allocated and how these allocations are appropriate and adequate to achieve the project's intended outcomes;

(3) The proposed management plan will ensure that the products and services provided are of high quality, relevant, and useful to recipients; and

(4) The proposed project will benefit from a diversity of perspectives, including those of families, educators, TA providers, researchers, and policy makers, among others, in its development and operation.

(f) Address the following application requirements. The applicant must—

(1) Include, in Appendix A, a logic model that depicts, at a minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, and intended outcomes of the proposed project;

(2) Include, in Appendix A, a conceptual framework for the project;

(3) Include, in Appendix A, personnel-loading charts and timelines, as applicable, to illustrate the management plan described in the narrative;

(4) Include, in the budget, attendance at the following:

(i) A one and one-half day kick-off meeting in Washington, DC, after receipt of the award, and an annual planning meeting in Washington, DC, with the OSEP project officer and other relevant staff during each subsequent year of the project period.

(ii) A two and one-half day project directors' conference in Washington, DC, during each year of the project period;

(iii) Four annual two-day trips to attend Department briefings, Department-sponsored conferences, and other meetings, as requested by OSEP; and

(iv) A one-day intensive 3+2 review meeting in Washington, DC, during the last half of the second year of the project period.

(5) Include, in the budget, a line item for an annual set-aside of five percent of the grant amount to support emerging needs that are consistent with the proposed project's intended outcomes, as those needs are identified in consultation with and approved by the OSEP project officer. With approval from the OSEP project officer, the project must reallocate any remaining funds from this annual set-aside no later than the end of the third quarter of each budget period;

(6) Maintain a Web site that meets government or industry-recognized standards for accessibility; and

(7) Include, in Appendix A, an assurance to assist OSEP with the transfer of pertinent resources and products and to maintain the continuity of services to States during the transition to this new award period, as appropriate.

Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project:

In deciding whether to continue funding the project for the fourth and fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), as well as—

(a) The recommendation of a 3+2 review team consisting of experts selected by the Secretary. This review will be conducted during a one-day intensive meeting that will be held during the last half of the second year of the project period.

(b) The success and timeliness with which the requirements of the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the project.

(c) The quality, relevance, and usefulness of the project's products and services and the extent to which the project's products and services are aligned with the project's objectives and likely to result in the project achieving its intended outcomes.

Definitions:

For the purposes of this priority:

Strong theory means a rationale for the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice that includes a logic model.

Supported by evidence means supported by at least strong theory.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities and requirements. Section 681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the public comment requirements of the APA inapplicable to the priority in this notice.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 304.

Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested $83,700,000 for the Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY 2017, of which we intend to use an estimated $4,250,000 for this competition. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2018 from the list of unfunded applications from this competition.

Maximum Awards: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $4,250,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.

Estimated Number of Awards: 1.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs, including public charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations; freely associated States and outlying areas; Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching.

3. Eligible Subgrantees: (a) Under 34 CFR 75.708(b) and (c) a grantee may award subgrants—to directly carry out project activities described in its application—to the following types of entities: SEAs; LEAs, including public charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations; freely associated States and outlying areas; Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations suitable to carry out the activities proposed in the application.

(b) The grantee may award subgrants to entities it has identified in an approved application.

4. Other General Requirements:

(a) Recipients of funding under this competition must make positive efforts to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA).

(b) Each applicant for, and recipient of, funding under this competition must involve individuals with disabilities, or parents of individuals with disabilities ages birth through 26, in planning, implementing, and evaluating the project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of IDEA).

1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an application package via the internet or from the Education Publications Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the internet, use the following address: www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html. To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call: ED Pubs, U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (703) 605-6794. If you use a TDD or a TTY, call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at its email address: [email protected].

If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.325A.

Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) by contacting the person or team listed under Accessible Format in section VII of this notice.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content and form of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this competition.

Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We recommend that you—(1) limit Part III to no more than 50 pages, and (2) use the following standards:

• A “page” is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side only, with 1″ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

• Double-space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, reference citations, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, and screen shots.

• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger.

• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.

The recommended page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the abstract (follow the guidance provided in the application package for completing the abstract), the table of contents, the list of priority requirements, the resumes, the reference list, the letters of support, or the appendices. However, the page limit does apply to all of Part III, the application narrative, including all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, and screen shots.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: May 22, 2017.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 6, 2017.

Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer to Other Submission Requirements in section IV of this notice.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual's application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 5, 2017.

4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this competition.

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the Department of Education, you must—

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);

b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award Management (SAM), the Government's primary registrant database;

c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and

d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information while your application is under review by the Department and, if you are awarded a grant, during the project period.

You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet at the following Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. A DUNS number can be created within one to two business days.

If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a new TIN, please allow two to five weeks for your TIN to become active.

The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data you enter into the SAM database. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.

Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, which you can find at: www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.

In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Applications for grants under the National Center for Improving Teacher and Leader Performance to Better Serve Children with Disabilities competition, CFDA number 84.325A, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.

You may access the electronic grant application for the National Center for Improving Teacher and Leader Performance to Better Serve Children with Disabilities competition at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.325, not 84.325A).

Please note the following:

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation.

• Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if it is received—that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

• The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the application and the speed of your internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.

• You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this competition to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5 system home page at www.G5.gov. In addition, for specific guidance and procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov, please refer to the Grants.gov Web site at: www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.

• You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format.

• You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms: the Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.

• You must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in a read-only Portable Document Format (PDF). Do not upload an interactive or fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only PDF (e.g., Word, Excel, WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that material. Please note that this could result in your application not being considered for funding because the material in question—for example, the application narrative—is critical to a meaningful review of your proposal. For that reason it is important to allow yourself adequate time to upload all material as PDF files. The Department will not convert material from other formats to PDF. Additional, detailed information on how to attach files is in the application instructions.

• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department. Grants.gov will also notify you automatically by email if your application met all the Grants.gov validation requirements or if there were any errors (such as submission of your application by someone other than a registered Authorized Organization Representative, or inclusion of an attachment with a file name that contains special characters). You will be given an opportunity to correct any errors and resubmit, but you must still meet the deadline for submission of applications.

Once your application is successfully validated by Grants.gov, the Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you an email with a unique PR/Award number for your application.

These emails do not mean that your application is without any disqualifying errors. While your application may have been successfully validated by Grants.gov, it must also meet the Department's application requirements as specified in this notice and in the application instructions. Disqualifying errors could include, for instance, failure to upload attachments in a read-only PDF; failure to submit a required part of the application; or failure to meet applicant eligibility requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure that your submitted application has met all of the Department's requirements.

• We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.

If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will contact you after we determine whether your application will be accepted.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because--

• You do not have access to the internet; or

• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system;

• No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevents you from using the internet to submit your application.

If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.

Address and mail or fax your statement to: Bonnie Jones, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5127, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-5108. FAX: (202) 245-7590.

Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand-delivery instructions described in this notice.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.325A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.

You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

We will not consider applications postmarked after the application deadline date.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.325A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department—

(1) You must indicate on the envelope and—if not provided by the Department—in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application; and

(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are listed in the application package.

(a) Significance (5 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project.

(2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the proposed project will address specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities that have been identified.

(ii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely to be attained by the proposed project.

(b) Quality of the project services (40 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.

(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.

(ii) The extent to which there is a conceptual framework underlying the proposed activities and the quality of that framework.

(iii) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.

(iv) The extent to which the proposed products and services are of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to lead to the outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project.

(v) The extent to which the products and services to be developed and provided by the proposed project involve the use of efficient strategies, including the use of technology, collaboration with appropriate partners, and the leveraging of non-project resources.

(c) Quality of the project evaluation (20 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project.

(ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide data and performance feedback for examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies and the progress toward achieving intended outcomes.

(iii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will produce quantitative and qualitative data that demonstrate the project has met intended outcomes.

(d) Adequacy of project resources (15 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources, including the personnel who will carry out the proposed project.

(2) In determining the adequacy of resources, the Secretary considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.

(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel (i.e., project director, project staff, and project consultants or subcontractors).

(ii) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization and key partners.

(iii) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the anticipated results and benefits.

(e) Quality of management plan (20 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks.

(ii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project director, project staff, and project consultants or subcontractors are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project.

(iii) The adequacy of mechanisms for ensuring high-quality products and services from the proposed project.

(iv) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate.

2. Review and Selection Process: (a) We remind potential applicants that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or submitted a report of unacceptable quality.

(b) In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary requires various assurances, including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

3. Additional Review and Selection Process Factors: In the past, the Department has had difficulty finding peer reviewers for certain competitions because so many individuals who are eligible to serve as peer reviewers have conflicts of interest. The standing panel requirements under section 682(b) of IDEA also have placed additional constraints on the availability of reviewers. Therefore, the Department has determined that, for some discretionary grant competitions, applications may be separated into two or more groups and ranked and selected for funding within specific groups. This procedure will make it easier for the Department to find peer reviewers by ensuring that greater numbers of individuals who are eligible to serve as reviewers for any particular group of applicants will not have conflicts of interest. It also will increase the quality, independence, and fairness of the review process, while permitting panel members to review applications under discretionary grant competitions for which they also have submitted applications.

4. Risk Assessment and Special Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 200.205, before awarding grants under this competition, the Department conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may impose special conditions and, in appropriate circumstances, high-risk conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.

5. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this competition to receive an award that over the course of the project period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $150,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2), we must make a judgment about your integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards—that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant—before we make an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)), accessible through SAM. You may review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.

Please note that, if the total value of your currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to access an electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, also.

If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify administrative and national policy requirements in the application package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved application as part of your binding commitments under the grant.

3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).

(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multiyear award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.

4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, the Department has established a set of performance measures, including long-term measures, that are designed to yield information on various aspects of the effectiveness and quality of the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program. These measures are included in the application package and focus on the extent to which projects provide high-quality products and services, the relevance of project products and services to educational policy and practice, and the use of products and services to improve educational policy and practice.

Projects funded under this competition are required to submit data on these measures as directed by OSEP.

Grantees will be required to report information on their project's performance in annual and final performance reports to the Department (34 CFR 75.590).

5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: whether a grantee has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the performance targets in the grantee's approved application.

In making a continuation award, the Secretary also considers whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in its approved application, including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) by contacting the Management Support Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 5113, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2500. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

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 published in the Federal Register, in text or 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.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The Upward Bound (UB) Program is one of the seven programs known as the Federal TRIO Programs. The UB Program is a discretionary grant program that supports projects designed to provide students with the skills and motivation necessary to complete a program of secondary education and to enter into, and succeed in, a program of postsecondary education. There are three types of grants under the UB Program: UB; Veterans UB; and UB Math and Science (UBMS) grants. In this notice we invite applications for Veterans UB (VUB) grants only. The invitations to apply for UB and UBMS grants were published in an earlier issue of the Federal Register.

The VUB Program supports projects designed to prepare, motivate, and assist military veterans in the development of academic and other skills necessary for acceptance into and success in a program of postsecondary education.

VUB grantees are required to provide the services listed in section 402C(b) and (c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1070a-13), and in 34 CFR 645.15. Grantees may also provide the permissible services in section 402C(d) of the HEA.

Background:

The VUB Program is a critical component of the Department's efforts to improve college readiness, college access, college selection, and degree completion for veterans. To more strategically align the VUB Program with broader reform strategies intended to improve postsecondary access and completion, and consistent with the Department's increasing emphasis on promoting evidence-based practices through our grant competitions, the Secretary will also evaluate applications on the extent to which the components of the proposed project are supported by “strong theory”—that is, a rationale for the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice that includes a logic model. We encourage applicants to read carefully the Selection Criteria section of this notice. Resources to assist applicants in creating a logic model can be found here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/pdf/REL_2014007.pdf.

Definitions:

These definitions are from 34 CFR 77.1.

Logic model (also referred to as theory of action) means a well-specified conceptual framework that identifies key components of the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice (i.e., the active “ingredients” that are hypothesized to be critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the relationships among the key components and outcomes, theoretically and operationally.

Strong theory means a rationale for the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice that includes a logic model.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 20 U.S.C. 1070a-13.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75 (except for 75.215 through 75.221), 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 645.

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

Estimated Available Funds: $14,220,358.

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2018 from the list of unfunded applications from this competition.

Estimated Range of Awards: $257,500 to $558,804.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $288,842.

Maximum Award: We will fund a successful application only up to the applicable maximum award amount listed here for a single budget period of 12 months to serve the minimum number of applicable participants.

• For an applicant that is not currently receiving a VUB Program grant, the minimum number of participants is 125 for the maximum award amount of $257,500.

• For an applicant that is currently receiving a VUB Program grant, the minimum number of participants is the number of participants served in FY 2016 for the maximum award amount equal to the applicant's base award amount for FY 2016.

Estimated Number of Awards: 49.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education; public and private agencies; organizations including community-based organizations with experience in serving disadvantaged youth; combinations of such institutions, agencies, and organizations; and secondary schools.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching.

3. Other: An applicant may submit more than one application for a VUB Program grant so long as each application describes a project that serves a different target area (34 CFR 645.20(a)). The term “target area” is defined as a discrete local or regional geographical area designated by the applicant as the area to be served by a VUB project (34 CFR 645.6(b)). The Secretary is not designating any additional populations for which an applicant may submit a separate application under this competition (34 CFR 645.20(b)).

1. Address to Request Application Package: Kenneth S. Foushee, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5E113, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 453-7417 or by email: [email protected].

If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) by contacting the program contact person listed in this section.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content and form of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this program.

Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the application narrative, which includes the budget narrative, to no more than 65 pages and (2) use the following standards.

• A “page” is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side only, with 1″ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an identifier may be within the 1″ margin. Each page on which there is text or graphics will be counted as one full page.

• Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including charts, tables, figures, and graphs. Titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions may be singled spaced.

• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger, or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.

The recommended page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for Federal Assistance Face Sheet (SF 424); Part II, the Budget Information Summary form (ED Form 524); Part III, the VUB Program Profile form; Part III, the one-page Project Abstract form; and Part IV, the Assurances and Certifications. The recommended page limit also does not apply to a table of contents, which you should include in the application narrative. You must include your complete response to the selection criteria in Part III, the application narrative.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: May 22, 2017.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 21, 2017.

Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer to Other Submission Requirements in section IV of this notice.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual's application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 21, 2017.

4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this program.

5. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR 645.41. We reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the Department of Education, you must—

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);

b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award Management (SAM), the Government's primary registrant database;

c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and

d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information while your application is under review by the Department and, if you are awarded a grant, during the project period.

You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet at the following Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. A DUNS number can be created within one to two business days.

If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a new TIN, please allow two to five weeks for your TIN to become active.

The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data you enter into the SAM database. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.

Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, which you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.

In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Applications for grants under the VUB Program, CFDA number 84.047V, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.

You may access the electronic grant application for the VUB Program at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.047, not 84.047V).

Please note the following:

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation.

• Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if it is received—that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

• The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the application and the speed of your internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.

• You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this program to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5 system home page at www.G5.gov. In addition, for specific guidance and procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov, please refer to the Grants.gov Web site at: www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.

• You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format.

• You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.

• You must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in a read-only, non-modifiable Portable Document Format (PDF). Do not upload an interactive or fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, non-modifiable PDF (e.g., Word, Excel, WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that material. Please note that this could result in your application not being considered for funding because the material in question—for example, the application narrative—is critical to a meaningful review of your proposal. For that reason it is important to allow yourself adequate time to upload all material as PDF files. The Department will not convert material from other formats to PDF.

• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department. Grants.gov will also notify you automatically by email if your application met all the Grants.gov validation requirements or if there were any errors (such as submission of your application by someone other than a registered Authorized Organization Representative, or inclusion of an attachment with a file name that contains special characters). You will be given an opportunity to correct any errors and resubmit, but you must still meet the deadline for submission of applications.

Once your application is successfully validated by Grants.gov, the Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you an email with a unique PR/Award number for your application.

These emails do not mean that your application is without any disqualifying errors. While your application may have been successfully validated by Grants.gov, it must also meet the Department's application requirements as specified in this notice and in the application instructions. Disqualifying errors could include, for instance, failure to upload attachments in a read-only, non-modifiable PDF; failure to submit a required part of the application; or failure to meet applicant eligibility requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure that your submitted application has met all of the Department's requirements.

• We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.

If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will contact you after we determine whether your application will be accepted.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through Grants.gov because--

• You do not have access to the internet; or

• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system;

and

• No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevents you from using the internet to submit your application.

If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.

Address and mail or fax your statement to: Gaby Watts, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5E119, Washington, DC 20202. Fax: (202) 260-7464.

Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.047V), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.

You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office.

We will not consider applications postmarked after the application deadline date.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of your application, by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.047V), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department—

(1) You must indicate on the envelope and—if not provided by the Department—in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application; and

(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this grant notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

1. Selection Criteria: The following selection criteria are from 34 CFR 645.31 and 34 CFR 75.210. A maximum of 105 points may be awarded to an application based on the applicant's response to these selection criteria.

(a) Need for the project (24 points). The Secretary evaluates the need for a VUB project in the proposed target area on the basis of clear evidence that shows—

(1) The proposed target area lacks the services for eligible veterans that the applicant proposes to provide;

(2) A large number of veterans who reside in the target area are low income and potential first generation college students;

(3) A large number of veterans who reside in the target area who have not completed high school or have completed high school but have not enrolled in a program of postsecondary education; and

(4) Other indicators of need for a VUB project, including the presence of unaddressed academic or socio-economic problems of veterans in the area.

(b) Objectives (9 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality of the applicant's objectives and proposed targets (percentages) in the following areas on the basis of the extent to which they are both ambitious, as related to the need data provided under paragraph (a) of this section, and attainable, given the project's plan of operation, budget, and other resources:

(1) Academic performance (standardized test scores) (2 points);

(2) Education program retention and completion (3 points);

(3) Postsecondary enrollment (3 points); and

(4) Postsecondary completion (1 point).

(c) Plan of operation (30 points). The Secretary determines the quality of the applicant's plan of operation by assessing the quality of—

(1) The plan to inform the faculty and staff at the applicant institution or agency and the interested individuals and organizations throughout the target area of the goals and objectives of the project (3 points);

(2) The plan for identifying, recruiting, and selecting participants to be served by the project (3 points);

(3) The plan for assessing individual participant needs and for monitoring the academic progress of participants while they are in VUB (3 points);

(4) The plan for locating the project within the applicant's organizational structure (3 points);

(5) The curriculum, services and activities that are planned for participants in both the academic year and summer components (3 points);

(6) The planned timelines for accomplishing critical elements of the project (3 points);

(7) The plan to ensure effective and efficient administration of the project, including, but not limited to, financial management, student records management, and personnel management (3 points);

(8) The applicant's plan to use its resources and personnel to achieve project objectives and to coordinate the VUB project with other projects for disadvantaged students (3 points);

(9) The plan to work cooperatively with parents and key administrative, teaching, and counseling personnel at the target schools to achieve project objectives (3 points); and

(10) A follow-up plan for tracking graduates of VUB as they enter and continue in postsecondary education (3 points).

(d) Applicant and community support (16 points). The Secretary evaluates the applicant and community support for the proposed project on the basis of the extent to which—

(1) The applicant is committed to supplementing the project with resources that enhance the project such as: space, furniture and equipment, supplies, and the time and effort of personnel other than those employed in the project (8 points).

(2) Resources secured through written commitments from community partners (8 points).

(i) An applicant that is an institution of higher education must include in its application commitments from the target schools and community organizations;

(ii) An applicant that is a secondary school must include in its application commitments from institutions of higher education, community organizations, and, as appropriate, other secondary schools and the school district;

(iii) An applicant that is a community organization must include in its application commitments from the target schools and institutions of higher education.

(e) Quality of personnel (8 points). To determine the quality of personnel the applicant plans to use, the Secretary looks for information that shows—

(1) The qualifications required of the project director, including formal training or work experience in fields related to the objectives of the project and experience in designing, managing, or implementing similar projects (3 points);

(2) The qualifications required of each of the other personnel to be used in the project, including formal training or work experience in fields related to the objectives of the project (3 points); and

(3) The quality of the applicant's plan for employing personnel who have succeeded in overcoming barriers similar to those confronting the project's target population (2 points).

(f) Budget and cost effectiveness (5 points). The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which—

(1) The budget for the project is adequate to support planned project services and activities (3 points); and

(2) Costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives and scope of the project (2 points).

(g) Evaluation plan (8 points). The Secretary evaluates the quality of the evaluation plan for the project on the basis of the extent to which the applicant's methods of evaluation—

(1) Are appropriate to the project and include both quantitative and qualitative evaluation measures (4 points); and

(2) Examine in specific and measurable ways the success of the project in making progress toward achieving its process and outcomes objectives (4 points).

(h) Quality of project design (5 points). The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the extent to which the proposed project is supported by strong theory (as defined in this notice).

2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or submitted a report of unacceptable quality.

In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving Federal assistance from the Department of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

For this competition, a panel of non-Federal reviewers will review each application in accordance with the selection criteria. The individual scores of the reviewers will be added and the sum divided by the number of reviewers to determine the average peer reviewer score received in the review process. Additionally, in accordance with 34 CFR 645.32, the Secretary will award prior experience points to applicants that conducted a VUB Program project during budget periods 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16, based on their documented experience. Prior experience points, if any, will be added to the application's averaged reader score to determine the total score for each application.

If there are insufficient funds for all applications with the same total scores, the Secretary will choose among the tied applications so as to serve geographic areas and eligible populations that have been underserved by the VUB Program.

3. Risk Assessment and Special Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 200.205, before awarding grants under this program the Department conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may impose special conditions and, in appropriate circumstances, high-risk conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.

4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this competition to receive an award that over the course of the project period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $150,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards—that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant—before we make an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)), accessible through SAM. You may review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.

Please note that, if the total value of your currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to access an electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, also.

If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify administrative and national policy requirements in the application package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved application as part of your binding commitments under the grant.

3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).

(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multiyear award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.

(c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the Secretary may provide a grantee with additional funding for data collection analysis and reporting. In this case the Secretary establishes a data collection period.

4. Performance Measures: The success of the VUB Program will be measured by the percentage of VUB participants who enroll in and complete a postsecondary education program. The following performance measures have been developed to track progress toward achieving program success:

(a) The percentage of VUB participants who enrolled in a program of postsecondary education.

(b) The percentage of VUB participants who enrolled in a program of postsecondary education and who attained either an associate's degree within three years or a bachelor's degree within six years.

(c) The percentage of VUB participants who enrolled in a program of postsecondary education and who in the first year of the program placed into college-level math and English without the need for remediation.

(d) The percentage of VUB participants who enrolled in a program of postsecondary education and graduated on time—within four years for a bachelor's degree and within two years for an associate's degree.

(e) The cost per successful participant.

Note: To assess the fifth performance measure on efficiency of the program, the Department will track the average cost, in Federal funds, of achieving a successful outcome, where a successful outcome is defined as enrollment in postsecondary education by a VUB participant no later than one year after program completion. These performance measures constitute the Department's indicators of the success of the VUB program.

Grant recipients must collect and report data on the steps they have taken toward achieving these goals. Accordingly, we request that applicants include these performance measures in conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of their proposed projects.

5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: Whether a grantee has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the Secretary has established performance management requirements, the performance targets in the grantee's approved application.

In making a continuation grant, the Secretary also considers whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in its approved application, including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer disc) on request to the program contact person listed under For Further Information Contact.

Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. 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 published in the Federal Register, in text or PDF. To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this 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 feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purposes of this program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research and experience, to be successful in serving those children.

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); 20 U.S.C. 1462 and 20 U.S.C. 1481).

Absolute Priority: For FY 2017 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet this priority.

This priority is:

National Center for the Development and Dissemination of Digital Open Educational Tools and Resources Supported by Evidence to Enhance Personnel Preparation and Professional Development for Educators of Students with Disabilities (Center).

Background:

The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate a center that will design, develop, and disseminate digital 1 open educational 2 tools and resources to build the capacity of educators to use practices supported by evidence (as defined in this notice) and improve results for students with disabilities.

Educators' 3 use of instructional and intervention practices supported by evidence is a critical factor in improving developmental and learning outcomes (e.g., academic, social, emotional, behavioral) for all students, especially students with disabilities. Effective educators support students' growth toward improved outcomes and also tend to play an important role in supporting the families of students with disabilities (Jaquith, Mindich, Wei, & Darling-Hammond, 2010; Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, 2012).

While there are a wide range of proven strategies that may be used to support and enhance the overall effectiveness of educators, digital learning tools and resources are playing an increasingly important role in building the capacity of educators to use practices supported by evidence and improve results for students with disabilities. Educators need access to high-quality digital learning tools and resources that can be used to supplement both formal and informal pre-service and in-service training on best practices in improving results for students with disabilities. Resources are most effective when they are accessible and linked to clearly defined learning outcomes (U.S. Department of Education, 2016).

Since 2001, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has funded national centers dedicated to improving education outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities birth through age 21 years, through the use of effective practices supported by evidence and interventions delivered through a variety of online means (e.g., http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/). These digital tools and resources (e.g., modules, case studies) are widely used by faculty at institutions of higher education (IHEs) to enhance pre-service training courses for educators. However, the demand for high-quality digital learning tools and resources continues to grow, speaking to the need to develop more content addressing new topics and to ensure that existing tools and resources remain up to date.

Through this Center, OSEP proposes to design, develop, and disseminate innovative digital open educational tools and resources that: (1) Are accessible to as wide a range of users as possible. This includes, but is not limited to, printed and online documents in all formats (e.g., Word, PDF, HTML, videos, webinars, and podcasts). A resource that can provide information to accomplish this is Web AIM: Web Accessibility in Mind at Utah State University (see http://webaim.org); (2) use existing and emerging technologies to support pre-service and in-service training for educators; and (3) demonstrate multiple pathways to learning for educators.

Priority:

The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate a center that will design, develop, and disseminate digital open educational tools and resources to build the capacity of educators to use practices supported by evidence and improve results for students with disabilities. The Center must achieve, at a minimum, the following outcomes:

(a) Design, develop, and deliver innovative accessible digital open educational tools and resources to enhance educators' knowledge, skills, and competencies in developing, delivering, and evaluating instruction and intervention supported by evidence to students with disabilities;

(b) Ensure that the tools and resources developed by the Center are licensed through an open access licensing authority;

(c) Increase the capacity of pre-service training programs to expand the range of instructional practices and interventions supported by evidence included in their curricula for educators who will serve students with disabilities and their families;

(d) Increase the capacity of State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and other professional development providers to select and deliver professional development supported by evidence, using digital learning tools and resources, and to certify knowledge or skill acquisition by participants; and

(e) Increase the capacity of educators to independently increase their knowledge, skills, and use of instructional practices and interventions supported by evidence.

In addition to these programmatic requirements, to be considered for funding under this priority, applicants must meet the application and administrative requirements in this priority, which are:

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Significance of the Project,” how the proposed project will—

(1) Identify and address present and ongoing needs for educators to use instructional practices and interventions supported by evidence to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, including students with high-intensity needs 4 and their families. To meet this requirement, the applicant must—

(i) Demonstrate knowledge of current needs of personnel preparation programs, SEAs, LEAs and other professional development providers and challenges that they face in building the capacity of educators to use instructional practices and interventions supported by evidence in school settings to improve outcomes for students with disabilities;

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of existing and emerging needs for digital learning tools and resources for use in pre-service and in-service training programs to expand the depth and breadth of coverage of instructional practices and interventions supported by evidence;

(iii) Identify existing needs and recent developments in using technology to enhance adult learning, and emerging pedagogical strategies in the use of technology for teaching and learning in conjunction with pre-service and in-service training programs. To meet this requirement, the applicant must—

(A) Demonstrate knowledge of and expertise developing accessible, digital open educational tools and resources to enhance pre-service or in-service training programs that build the capacity of educators to use instructional practices and interventions supported by evidence to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, which may include identifying experience and providing data showing outcomes from previous work in this area;

(B) Demonstrate knowledge of and expertise using emerging technologies to support teaching and learning of educators, which may include identifying experience and providing data showing outcomes from previous work with personnel preparation or ongoing professional development programs in this area;

(C) Demonstrate knowledge of and expertise using effective approaches to systematically disseminating knowledge using digital open educational tools and resources to a variety of entities such as IHEs, SEAs, LEAs, and other programs that provide pre-service preparation and in-service professional development for educators, which may include identifying experience and providing data showing outcomes from previous work in this area;

(D) Demonstrate knowledge of and expertise using digital tools and resources to assess learning and competence, track progress and accomplishments, and validate knowledge, skills, and competencies learned, which may include identifying experience and providing data showing outcomes from previous work in this area;

(E) Demonstrate knowledge of and expertise implementing technical assistance (TA) strategies supported by evidence to a variety of entities such as IHEs, SEAs, LEAs, and other programs that provide personnel preparation or professional development for educators, which may include identifying experience and providing data showing outcomes from previous work in this area; and

(F) Demonstrate knowledge of and expertise using technology for delivery of TA or digital teaching designed to support learning for faculty and professional development providers, which may include identifying experience, and providing data showing outcomes from previous work in this area.

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the Project Services,” how the proposed project will—

(1) Ensure equal access to digital learning tools and resources for members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe how it will—

(i) Identify the needs of the intended recipients including individuals enrolled in personnel preparation programs and educators seeking professional development; and

(ii) Ensure that digital tools and resources meet the needs of the intended recipients by creating materials in formats and languages accessible to the intended recipients served by IHE faculty, SEA and LEA professional development providers, and others, as appropriate;

(2) Achieve the intended outcomes. To meet this requirement, the applicant must provide—

(i) Measureable intended project goals and objectives consistent with the intended outcomes specified in this notice; and

(ii) The logic model by which the proposed project will achieve its intended outcomes. A logic model used in connection with this priority communicates how a project will achieve its intended outcomes and provides a framework for both the formative and summative evaluations of the project;

(3) Use a conceptual framework to develop project plans and activities, describing any underlying concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, or theories, as well as the presumed relationships or linkages among these variables, and any empirical support for this framework;

(4) Be based on current research and make use of practices supported by evidence. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(i) The current research on educators' use of instructional practices and interventions supported by evidence in school settings to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, including students with high-intensity needs, and their families;

(ii) The current research on use of digital learning tools and resources by structured programs and individual learners for pre-service preparation and in-service professional development;

(iii) The current research about adult learning principles and implementation science that will inform the proposed product design, development, dissemination, and TA services; and

(iv) How the proposed project will incorporate current practices supported by evidence in the design, development and delivery of its digital learning tools and resources;

(5) Develop and disseminate digital learning tools and resources, and deliver training and technical assistance services that are of high quality, and sufficient intensity and duration to achieve the intended outcomes of the proposed project. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(i) Its proposed approach to universal, general TA,5 which must identify how the project will design, develop, and disseminate accessible and high-quality digital learning tools and resources, at no cost to recipients, on topics addressing use of instructional practices and interventions supported by evidence in school settings to improve outcomes for students with disabilities that can be—

(A) Integrated into structured pre-service personnel preparation courses and curricula, in-service professional development programs, and personalized learning plans for educators;

(B) Used in both traditional and nontraditional learning environments (e.g., teacher preparation academies, rural communities, charter schools);

(C) Used as a stand-alone learning opportunity, or connected and sequenced to provide multiple pathways to learning with clear, specific learning goals that are aligned to objectives in a personnel preparation program (e.g., professional practice standards, professional licensure or certification), or strategic statewide (e.g., State Systemic Improvement Plans), local, or personal professional learning plans for educators to increase knowledge, skills, and use of practices supported by evidence to improve outcomes for students with disabilities;

(D) Developed to expand the depth of digital learning tools and resources by covering content from basic knowledge to advanced skills and demonstrate different levels of pedagogical intensity (i.e., requires personnel to have knowledge and skills in identifying and implementing multiple interventions at different levels of intensity, supported by evidence) based on students' needs; and

(E) Employed to assess learning and competence, track progress and accomplishment, and validate knowledge, skills and competencies learned, and potentially earn credentials.

(ii) A multi-tiered plan for disseminating these resources which should include, at a minimum, clear strategies for disseminating resources to targeted populations (e.g., IHEs, SEAs, LEAs, and other programs that provide preparation or professional development for educators, parents) linked to measurable outcomes.

(iii) Its proposed approach to targeted, specialized TA,6 which must identify how the project will—

(A) Identify potential recipients and their potential uses of Center digital learning tools and resources under this approach;

(B) Assist pre-service and in-service training programs in incorporating accessible, high-quality digital learning tools and resources into their curricula. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe how it will—

(1) Measure the readiness of potential targeted TA recipients to work with the project, assessing, at a minimum, their current technical capacity and proposed strategies for linking new and emerging technology resources to personnel preparation or professional development learning objectives, available resources and strategies for ensuring technology updates and improvements, and ability to build capacity for ongoing personnel preparation or professional development program reform and continuous improvement at the program level;

(2) Select and provide targeted, specialized TA to IHEs, SEAs, or other professional development providers on how to incorporate Center learning tools and resources into their curricula. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(i) How the Center proposes to identify specific training needs or areas that would benefit a targeted group of IHEs, SEAs, or professional development providers; and

(ii) How the Center proposes to develop and deliver customized training and TA in response to the identified needs;

(3) Collaborate with other federally funded projects on how to integrate Center digital open educational tools and resources into projects' TA and professional development activities.

(C) Implement TA services that maximize efficiency. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(1) How the proposed project will use existing and emerging technologies, professional development strategies, and innovation to achieve the intended outcomes specified in the Priority section of this notice;

(2) With whom the proposed project will communicate and collaborate on an ongoing basis, including but not limited to other OSEP-funded investments (see www.osepideasthatwork.org/find-center-or-grant/find-a-center), and how the proposed collaborations will promote the use of this Center's digital tools and resources by other federally funded investments to achieve the intended outcomes of their projects; and

(3) If applicable, how the proposed project will use non-project resources to achieve the intended project outcomes;

(4) Develop and maintain an organizational structure needed to:

(i) Efficiently and effectively design, develop, and disseminate Center digital learning tools and resources;

(ii) Assess learning, track progress and accomplishments, and validate knowledge, skills, and competencies learned and potentially earn credentials;

(iii) Disseminate information and deliver training and technical support to users of Center digital learning tools and resources; and

(iv) Promote long-term sustainability of Center digital learning tools and resources by identifying reliable means to replace and upgrade content and its infrastructure.

(c) In the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the Evaluation Plan,” include an evaluation plan for the project as described in the following paragraphs. The evaluation plan must describe: Measures of progress in implementation, including the extent to which the project's digital learning tools and resources have reached its target population; measures of intended outcomes or results of the project's activities in order to evaluate those activities; and how well the goals or objectives of the proposed project, as described in its logic model, have been met.

The applicant must provide an assurance that, in designing the evaluation plan, it will—

(1) Designate, with the approval of the OSEP project officer, a project liaison staff person with sufficient dedicated time, experience in evaluation, and knowledge of the project to work in collaboration with the Center to Improve Program and Project Performance (CIP3),7 the project director, and the OSEP project officer on the following tasks:

(i) Revise, as needed, the logic model submitted in the grant application to provide for a more comprehensive measurement of implementation and outcomes and to reflect any changes or clarifications to the model discussed at the kick-off meeting;

(ii) Refine the evaluation design and instrumentation proposed in the grant application consistent with the logic model (e.g., prepare evaluation questions about significant program processes and outcomes; develop quantitative or qualitative data collections that permit both the collection of progress data, including fidelity of implementation, as appropriate, and the assessment of project outcomes; and identify analytic strategies); and

(iii) Revise, as needed, the evaluation plan submitted in the grant application such that it clearly—

(A) Specifies the measures and associated instruments or sources for data appropriate to answer the evaluation questions, suggests analytic strategies for those data, provides a timeline for conducting the evaluation, and includes staff assignments for completion of the plan;

(B) Delineates the data expected to be available by the end of the second year for use during the project's evaluation (3+2 review) for continued funding described under the heading Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project; and

(C) Can be used to assist the project director and the OSEP project officer, with the assistance of CIP3, as needed, to specify the performance measures to be addressed in the project's Annual Performance Report;

(2) Cooperate with CIP3 staff in order to accomplish the tasks described in paragraph (1) of this section; and

(3) Dedicate sufficient funds in each budget year to cover the costs of carrying out the tasks described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this section and implementing the evaluation plan.

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Adequacy of Project Resources,” how—

(1) The proposed project will encourage applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability, as appropriate;

(2) The proposed key project personnel, consultants, and subcontractors have the qualifications and experience to carry out the proposed activities and achieve the project's intended outcomes;

(3) The applicant and any key partners have adequate resources to carry out the proposed activities; and

(4) The proposed costs are reasonable in relation to the anticipated results and benefits.

(e) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the Management Plan,” how—

(1) The proposed management plan will ensure that the project's intended outcomes will be achieved on time and within budget. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe—

(i) Clearly defined responsibilities for key project personnel, consultants, and subcontractors, as applicable; and

(ii) Timelines and milestones for accomplishing the project tasks;

(2) Allocation of key project personnel and any consultants and subcontractors and how these allocations are appropriate and adequate to achieve the project's intended outcomes;

(3) The proposed management plan will ensure that the project's products and services are of high quality, relevant, and useful to recipients; and

(4) The proposed project will benefit from a diversity of perspectives, including those of families, educators, TA providers, researchers, and policy makers, among others, in its development and operation.

(f) Address the following application requirements The applicant must—

(1) Include, in Appendix A, a logic model that depicts, at a minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, and intended outcomes of the proposed project.

(2) Include, in Appendix A, a conceptual framework for the project;

(3) Include, in Appendix A, personnel-loading charts and timelines, as applicable, to illustrate the management plan described in the narrative;

(4) Include, in the budget, attendance at the following:

(i) A one and one-half day kick-off meeting in Washington, DC, after receipt of the award, and an annual planning meeting in Washington, DC, with the OSEP project officer and other relevant staff during each subsequent year of the project period.

(ii) A two and one-half day project directors' conference in Washington, DC, during each year of the project period;

(iii) Two annual two-day trips to attend Department briefings, Department-sponsored conferences, and other meetings, as requested by OSEP; and

(iv) A one-day intensive 3+2 review meeting in Washington, DC, during the last half of the second year of the project period;

(5) Include, in the budget, a line item for an annual set-aside of five percent of the grant amount to support emerging needs that are consistent with the proposed project's intended outcomes, as those needs are identified in consultation with and approved by the OSEP project officer. With approval from the OSEP project officer, the project must reallocate any remaining funds from this annual set-aside no later than the end of the third quarter of each budget period;

(6) Maintain a high-quality Web site, with an easy-to-navigate design, that meets government or industry-recognized standards for accessibility; and

(7) Include, in Appendix A, an assurance to assist OSEP with the transfer of pertinent resources and products and to maintain the continuity of services to States during the transition to this new award period and at the end of this award period, as appropriate.

Fourth and Fifth Year of the Project:

In deciding whether to continue funding the project for the fourth and fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), as well as—

(a) The recommendation of a 3+2 review team consisting of experts selected by the Secretary. This review will be conducted during a one-day intensive meeting that will be held during the last half of the second year of the project period;

(b) The timeliness with which, and how well, the requirements of the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the project; and

(c) The quality, relevance, and usefulness of the project's products and services and the extent to which the project's products and services are aligned with the project's objectives and likely to result in the project achieving its intended outcomes.

References:

Definitions:

For the purposes of this priority:

Supported by evidence means supported by at least strong theory.

Strong theory means a rationale for the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice that includes a logic model. (34 CFR 77.1)

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities and requirements. Section 681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the public comment requirements of the APA inapplicable to the priority in this notice.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474.

Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested $83,700,000 for the Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY 2017, of which we intend to use an estimated $1,200,000 for this competition. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2018 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.

Maximum Awards: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $1,200,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.

Estimated Number of Awards: 1.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs, including public charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations; freely associated States and outlying areas; Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching.

3. Eligible Subgrantees: (a) Under 34 CFR 75.708(b) and (c) a grantee may award subgrants—to directly carry out project activities described in its application—to the following types of entities: SEAs; LEAs, including public charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations; freely associated States and outlying areas; Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations suitable to carry out the activities proposed in the application.

(b) The grantee may award subgrants to entities it has identified in an approved application.

4. Other General Requirements: