Workforce Investment Act; Native American Employment and Training Allotments

AGENCY:

Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

This Notice announces the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) section 166 final allotments for both the Supplemental Youth Services (SYS) and the Comprehensive Services (CS) programs for Program Year (PY) 2004. These individual grantee allotments are based on formulas defined in the section 166 program regulations at 20 CFR 668.296(b) for the Comprehensive Services program and 20 CFR 668.440(a) for the Supplemental Youth Services program. The rationale for the formulas is the same as described in the Interim Final Rule and the Final Rule published in the Federal Register on April 15, 1999 at 64 FR 18683 and on August 11, 2000 at 65 FR 49373-49375, respectively, and has been in effect for prior years of section 166 funding under WIA. Barring any changes which may arise as the result of WIA reauthorization legislation, the criteria used in these funding formulas will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.

ADDRESSES:

Submit any written comments on the formulas used to allot these funds to the Employment and Training Administration, Office of Financial and Administrative Management, Room N-4702, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210, Attention: Ms. Sherryl Bailey, (202) 693-2813 (voice), (202) 693-2859 (fax), e-mail: bailey.sherryl@dol.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Greg Gross, Division of Indian and Native American Programs, Office of National Programs, (202) 693-3752 (voice) (this is not a toll-free number) or 1-800-877-8339 (TTY) or speech-to-speech at 1-877-877-8982 (these are toll-free numbers), (202) 693-3818 (fax), e-mail: gross.gregory@dol.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Labor (DOL or Department) is announcing final WIA section 166 formula allotments for PY 2004 (July 1, 2004—June 30, 2005) for both the Supplemental Youth Services and Comprehensive Services programs. This document provides information on the amount of funds available during PY 2004 to section 166 grantees with a two-year Comprehensive Services plan as approved by the Grant Officer, Mr. Eric Luetkenhaus. These allotments are based on the funds appropriated in the Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2004 (Division E, title I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004, Pub. L. 108-199). The attached table displays both the PY 2004 Supplemental Youth Services allotments and the PY 2004 Comprehensive Services allotments.

Supplemental Youth Services Allotments. Pursuant to WIA section 127(b)(1)(C)(i)(I), PY 2004 SYS funds are $14,925,890, which represents 1.5 percent of the total PY 2004 WIA youth activities funding level of $995,059,306. These funds are available and only allotted to those section 166 grantees (usually federally-recognized tribes or consortia thereof) serving certain areas in which Native American youth reside. These are areas on or near reservations, Native areas in the State of Alaska, tribal jurisdictional areas in Oklahoma, and Native Hawaiian youth in Hawaii. There are no set-asides or other deductions from the total amount listed above, nor are any funds held in reserve. The entire amount of $14,925,890 has been or will be awarded to the grantees listed in the accompanying table, of which $4,037,342 has been transferred to the Department of the Interior for those grantees participating in the demonstration under Pub. L. 102-477 (see explanation below).

Comprehensive Services Allotments. WIA section 174(a)(2)(A) authorizes not less than $55,000,000 to fund the section 166 Comprehensive Services program each program year. However, the rescissions contained in Pub. L. 108-199 reduced the total available amount for PY 2004 to $54,675,500. Of this amount, $540,000 was reserved for technical assistance and training purposes pursuant to the regulations at 20 CFR 668.296(e); $54,135,500 was to be allotted to the section 166 grantees. Of this amount, $7,936,653 was transferred to the Department of the Interior, Office of Self-Governance and Self-Determination, for grantees participating in the demonstration under Pub. L. 102-477, the Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992, as amended. The tribes participating in the “477 program” are identified with an asterisk (*) in the following allotment table.

Use of 2000 Decennial Census Data. The 1990 Decennial Census data were used to calculate the PY 2004 funding formulas. The decision to postpone the implementation of 2000 Decennial Census data for a year (until PY 2005) was recommended by the Census Work Group of the Native American Employment and Training Council and approved as a formal recommendation to the Department by the entire Council in official session. This decision was based in part on the fact that respondents to the 2000 Census had the capability to indicate multiple races/ethnic groups on their forms, requiring that the Department make decisions concerning which data set to use to calculate future section 166 funding formulas. The Department invites comments from the public on this decision, as well as recommendations or suggestions on how to utilize the 2000 Census data in the WIA section 166 program.