[Federal Register: April 17, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 74)]
[Notices]
[Page 19029-19032]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17ap03-118]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Section 167, the National
Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP), and Housing Assistance Grants
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Department of
Labor.
ACTION: Notice of formula allocations for the Program Year (PY) 2003
National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP), and for the Housing Assistance
Grants; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Under section 182(d) of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of
1998, ETA is publishing the PY 2003 allocations for the NFJP authorized
under section 167 of the WIA, and for the housing assistance grants
authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 (Pub. L.
108-7). The NFJP program allocations are distributed to the states by a
formula that estimates, by state, the relative demand for NFJP
services. The housing assistance allocations are distributed among the
12 agricultural regions established for the National Agricultural
Worker Survey (NAWS). The allocations in this notice apply to the
Program Year (PY) beginning July 1, 2003.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 31, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to Ms. Alina M. Walker, Acting
Chief, Division of Seasonal Farmworker Programs, Room C-5325,
Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. The e-mail address is
walker.alina@dol.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Alina M. Walker, Acting Chief,
Division of Seasonal Farmworker Programs, Room C-5325, Employment and
Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. The telephone number is (202) 693-
2706. (This is not a toll-free number.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background. On May 19, 1999, we published a notice of formula
allocations with a new formula for allocating funds available for the
NFJP (formerly referred to as the section 402 Migrant and Seasonal
Farmworker (MSFW) Program) in the Federal Register at 64 FR 27390 (May
19, 1999). The notice explained how the new formula achieved its
purpose of distributing funds geographically by state service area on
the basis of each area's relative share of farmworkers who are eligible
for enrollment in the NFJP. The new formula consists of a rational
combination of multiple data sets that were selected to yield the
relative share distribution of eligible farmworkers. The combined-data
formula is substantially more relevant to the purpose of aligning the
allocations with the eligible population than the allocations
determined by the prior formula.
As stated in our notice of May 19, 1999, PY 2003 is the first year
the allocation formula is scheduled to be applied without adjustment
for the hold-harmless provisions described in section IV of the notice.
However, as explained in section III of this notice, the Consolidated
Appropriations Resolution, 2003 (Pub. L. 108-7) requires that no area
receive less than 85% of its 1998 level. Section III also explains the
methodology used for PY 2003 to allocate all funds under the formula
that are not required to satisfy the 85% requirement. This methodology
produces a more equitable result than the one applied for each of the 4
years of the hold-harmless phase. The methodology under the hold-
harmless phase funded all states at their required minimum level before
allocating the remaining funds in accordance with the formula. One
result of this change is that the Rhode Island area is allocated its
full share in PY 2003.
II. Limitations on Uses of Section 167 Funds. In appropriating the
funds for PY 2003, Congress provided in its Consolidated Appropriations
Resolution, 2003 (Pub. L. 108-7) as follows: ``That, notwithstanding
any other provision of law or related regulation, $77,836,000 shall be
for carrying out section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998,
including $72,686,000 for formula grants, $4,640,000 for migrant and
seasonal housing, and $510,000 for other discretionary purposes * * *.
'' The Conference Agreement includes a 0.65 percent across-the-board
rescission to discretionary budgetary resources provided in divisions A
through K of this Act, as well as to any previously enacted fiscal year
2003 advanced appropriations. A total of $72,213,541 for formula
grants, and $4,609,840 for housing assistance, is allocated as a result
of applying this requirement.
III. PY 2003 Allocation Formula. The first step of the formula for
PY 2003 distributes the total formula funds of $72,213,541 based on the
same relative share of eligible farmworkers derived from the combined
datasets described above, which is unchanged from PY 2002. Congress,
furthermore, in its Appropriations Conference Report 108-010, provided
that those states impacted by formula reductions from the prior year
would receive no less than 85 percent of their comparable 1998
allocation levels. Consequently, the amount for each State calculated
in step one was compared to an amount equal to 85 percent of each
State's PY 1998 allocation. If the 1998 comparison level was higher for
a State, that amount was assigned to that State. All such States'
assigned 1998 comparison levels were added and these States were
removed from the remaining calculations. For the remaining States whose
formula amounts were higher, their formula amounts were added and the
total was compared to the total amount of remaining funds. Since there
were less funds remaining available, each remaining State's formula
amount was reduced by the same proportion the total remaining available
funds bore to the total remaining States' formula amounts. This reduced
distribution was again tested against the 1998 comparison level and the
above process was repeated until there were no remaining States being
assigned the 1998 comparison level. Each State's final allocation was
either the assigned 1998 comparison level or the final proportionally
reduced formula amount.
IV. State Combinations: We anticipate a single plan of service for
operating the PY 2003 NFJP in the jurisdiction comprised of Delaware
and Maryland and the jurisdiction comprised of Rhode Island and
Connecticut.
V. Housing Assistance Allocations: The funds available for new
grants to provide housing assistance to eligible farmworkers in PY 2003
will be awarded to applicants selected under the competition for the
housing assistance grants. This notice provides information on how ETA
will be guided in the geographic distribution of the housing assistance
funds.
The Department is relying on the allocation formula to distribute
the housing assistance funds among 12 agricultural regions. The
arrangement of the regions is the one used by the Department in its
application of the data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey
(NAWS) to the allocation formula. These regions are identical to the
regions established for the NAWS with the exception that the NAWS
recognizes Oklahoma as one of the Southern Plains states. The 12
regions established for these allocation objectives are as follows:
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Delta/South East: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
North East 1: Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode
Island, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Appalachia: Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and
Virginia.
Mountain 3: Arizona and New Mexico.
Northeast 2: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Lake District: Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Pacific Southwest: California.
Florida Peninsula: Florida.
Southern Plains: Texas.
Mountain 1 & 2: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.
Corn Belt/Northern Plains: Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota.
Pacific Northwest: Oregon and Washington.
PY 2003 Allocations: The first table in the attachment provides the
allocations for the NFJP in PY 2003. NFJP grantees will use these
figures in preparing the PY 2003 grant plans. The result of the
regional allocation of the housing assistance funds is provided in the
second table, entitled ``Worker Housing Assistance PY 2003/Regional
Allocations''.
Signed in Washington, DC, this 11th day of April, 2003.
Emily Stover DeRocco,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
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[FR Doc. 03-9520 Filed 4-16-03; 8:45 am]
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