[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 24, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54988-54989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22418]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
7 CFR Chapter XXXIV
Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders Regarding Programs for
the Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities
AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for stakeholder input.
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SUMMARY: The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service (CSREES) is requesting stakeholder input in developing
regulations for identifying and certifying institutions as Hispanic-
serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACUs), which comprise
a new group of cooperating educational institutions established in
section 7101 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA)
or Public Law 110-246. In addition, CSREES is requesting stakeholder
input in developing regulations for the five new programs for HSACUs
authorized under section 7129 of FCEA. By this notice, CSREES is
designated to act on behalf of the Secretary of Agriculture in
soliciting public comment from interested parties regarding the
implementing regulations to be developed for identifying HSACUs and the
new programs for HSACUs.
DATES: The meeting will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2008, from 3
p.m. to 6:30 p.m. All comments not presented or submitted for the
record at the meeting must be received by close of business Monday,
October 27, 2008, to be considered.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Denver at
Colorado Convention Center at 650 15th Street Denver, CO 80202. You may
submit comments, identified by CSREES-2008-0004, by any of the
following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
E-mail: [email protected]. Include CSREES-2008-0004 in the
subject line of the message.
Fax: (202) 720-2030.
Mail: Paper, disk or CD-ROM submissions should be submitted to:
John Miklozek; Multicultural Alliances, Science and Education Resources
Development Unit; Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Mail Stop 2251; 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-2251.
Hand Delivery/Courier: HSACU; Multicultural Alliances, Science and
Education Resources Development Unit; Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room
3253; Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and CSREES-2008-0004. All comments received will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Miklozek, (202) 720-1254
(phone), (202) 720-2030 (fax), or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Additional Meeting and Comment Procedures
Persons wishing to present oral comments at the October 12, 2008,
meeting are requested to pre-register by contacting Mr. John Miklozek
at (202) 720-1254, by fax at (202) 720-2030 or by e-mail to
[email protected]. Participants may reserve one 5-minute comment
period. More time may be available, depending on the number of people
wishing to make a presentation and the time needed for questions
following presentations. Reservations will be confirmed on a first-
come, first-served basis. Written comments may also be submitted for
the record at the meeting. All other attendees may register at the
meeting. All comments not presented or submitted for the record at the
meeting must be received by close of business Monday, October 27, 2008,
to be considered. All comments and the official transcript of the
meeting, when they become available, may be reviewed on the CSREES Web
page for six months. Participants who require a sign language
interpreter or other special accommodations should contact Mr. Miklozek
as directed above. A Spanish language interpreter will be present.
[[Page 54989]]
Background and Purpose
Section 7101 of the FCEA recently established a new group of
cooperating educational institutions known as the Hispanic-serving
Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACUs). Section 1404 of the
National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of
1977 (``NARETPA'') (7 U.S.C. 3103) defines HSACUs as colleges or
universities that qualify as Hispanic-serving institutions (as defined
in section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a)
and that offer associate, bachelors, or other accredited degree
programs in agriculture-related fields. HSACUs do not include 1862
institutions (as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601).
The FCEA amends section 406(b) of the Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7626(b)) by
expanding the eligibility for the CSREES Integrated Research,
Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Programs to include HSACUs.
In addition, section 7129 of the FCEA authorizes the following five
new programs for HSACUs: The HSACU Endowment Fund, the HSACU Equity
Grants Program, the HSACU Institutional Capacity-Building Grants
Program, the HSACU Fundamental and Applied Research Grants Program, and
the HSACU Extension Grants Program. The first four programs are
authorized in section 1456 of NARETPA (7 U.S.C. 3243), and the fifth
program is authorized in section 3(b)(4) of the Smith-Lever Act (7
U.S.C. 343(b)(4)).
CSREES is requesting stakeholder input in the identification and
certification of institutions as HSACUs and on the implementation of
the five new HSACU programs.
Implementation Plans
CSREES plans to consider stakeholder input received from this
public meeting, as well as other written comments, in developing an
implementing regulation for the identification and certification of
institutions as HSACUs by Spring 2009; with a separate implementing
regulation for the new HSACU programs to follow.
Done at Washington, DC, this 19th day of September, 2008.
Colien Hefferan,
Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service.
[FR Doc. E8-22418 Filed 9-23-08; 8:45 am]
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