[Federal Register: April 20, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 74)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 17909-17910]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20ap09-10]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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[[Page 17909]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
7 CFR Chapter XXXIV
Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders on the 1890 Institution
Capacity Building Grants Program
AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service,
USDA.
ACTION: Request for stakeholder input.
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SUMMARY: The 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program is
authorized under section 1417(b)(4) of the National Agricultural
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended
(NARETPA) (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(4)) and pursuant to the annual
appropriations made specifically for the 1890 Institution Capacity
Building Grants Program. Section 7107 of the Food, Conservation, and
Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA) (Pub. L. 110-246) amended section 1417(b)(4)
of NARETPA to add extension to the 1890 Institution Capacity Building
Grants Program. By this notice, the Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) is soliciting public comment
and stakeholder input from interested parties regarding the future
design and implementation of this program, particularly the addition of
extension to this program.
DATES: All written comments must be received by May 20, 2009.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by CSREES-2009-0007,
through the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: (202) 720-3398.
Mail: Paper, disk or CD-ROM submissions should be submitted to
Science and Education Resources Development (SERD) Unit; Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service; U.S. Department of
Agriculture; Mail Stop 2250; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.; Washington,
DC 20250-2250.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Ali Mohamed; Science and Education Resources
Development SERD Unit; Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Room 3101;
Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, SW.; Washington, DC 20024.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the Title,
``1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program'' and CSREES-2009-
0007. All comments received will be posted to http://
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ali Mohamed, (202) 720-5229 (phone),
(202) 720-3398 (fax), or mohamed@csrees.usda.gov, or Tim Grosser, (202)
690-0402 (phone), (202) 720-3398 (fax), or tgrosser@csrees.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background and Summary
Purpose
CSREES has existing regulations for this program at 7 CFR part
3406, 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program, which were
finalized on July 22, 1997 [62 FR 39329-39349]. Since then, CSREES
published an interim regulation for competitive and noncompetitive non-
formula Federal assistance programs (7 CFR part 3430) on August 1, 2008
[73 FR 44897-44909]. That interim regulation consolidates,
standardizes, and streamlines the Federal assistance processes for all
CSREES competitive and noncompetitive non-formula Federal assistance
programs, except the Small Business Innovation Research Grants Program
with implementing regulations at 7 CFR part 3403 and the Veterinary
Medicine Loan Repayment Program with implementing regulations under
development. The interim rule furthers the streamlining and
standardization efforts of the Federal Financial Assistance Management
Improvement Act of 1999, Public law 106-107 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note),
which sunset in November 2007, and is in accordance with the efforts of
CSREES and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to streamline and
simplify the entire Federal assistance process while meeting the ever-
increasing accountability and transparency standards.
As stated in the preamble to the August 1, 2008, regulatory notice,
CSREES organized the regulation as follows: Subparts A through E
provide administrative provisions for all competitive and
noncompetitive non-formula Federal assistance awards. Subparts F and
thereafter apply to specific CSREES programs. CSREES is, to the extent
practical, using the following subpart template for each program
authority: (1) Applicability of regulations; (2) purpose; (3)
definitions (those in addition to or different from Sec. 3430.2); (4)
eligibility; (5) project types and priorities; (6) funding
restrictions; and (7) matching requirements. Subparts F and thereafter
will contain the seven components in this order, to the extent
practical. Additional sections may be added for a specific program if
there are additional requirements or a need for additional rules for
the program (e.g., additional reporting requirements). In the preamble,
CSREES also states that it plans to review the existing program-
specific regulations, promulgate a separate subpart under 7 CFR part
3430 for the Federal assistance program regulations, and when
appropriate, cancel the existing program-specific regulation.
Accordingly, CSREES is proposing to add subpart L to 7 CFR part 3430
for the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program and is
soliciting stakeholder comment in the development of the subpart for
this program.
Section 7107 of the FCEA amended section 1417(b)(4) of NARETPA to
add extension to the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program.
With the FCEA amendment, CSREES is now authorized to award grants to
build teaching, research, and extension capacity in the food and
agricultural sciences at the 1890 Institutions eligible to receive
funds under the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.). To
develop the FY 2009 Request for Applications (RFA) for this program and
the associated implementing regulation, CSREES will consider
stakeholder input received pursuant to this notice. In addition to the
future design and implementation of the program, CSREES is soliciting
comments on how funds should be allocated among research, teaching,
extension, and for projects
[[Page 17910]]
combining two or more of these areas (e.g., research and extension).
Purpose of the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program
The 1890 Capacity Building Grants Program is intended to fund
projects that build teaching, research, and extension capacity in the
food and agricultural sciences at colleges and universities having
significant minority enrollments, and pursuant to annual appropriations
made available specifically by Congress for the 1890 Institutions. The
program is designed to build the institutional teaching, research, and
extension capacities of the eligible institutions through cooperative
programs with Federal and non-Federal entities. The program is designed
to achieve three major goals:
(1) To advance cultural diversity of the food and agricultural
scientific and professional work force by attracting and educating more
students from underrepresented groups;
(2) To strengthen linkages among the 1890 Institutions, other
colleges and universities, USDA, and private industry; and
(3) To enhance the quality of teaching, research, and extension
programs at the 1890 Institutions to more readily establish them as
full partners in the U.S. food and agricultural sciences higher
education system.
Implementation Plans
In developing the FY 2009 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants
Program RFA and the program-specific administrative regulations for
this program as subpart L to 7 CFR part 3430, Competitive and
Noncompetitive Non-Formula Federal Assistance Programs--General Award
Administrative Provisions, CSREES plans to consider all stakeholder
input and the written comments received in response to this notice.
CSREES anticipates releasing the FY 2009 RFA by May 31, 2009.
Done at Washington, DC, this 16th day of April 2009.
Colien Hefferan,
Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service.
[FR Doc. E9-9123 Filed 4-17-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P