Job Training Partnership Act: Veterans' Employment Programs Under Title IV, Part C; Removal of Regulations

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

20 CFR Part 626

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training

20 CFR Part 1005

Job Training Partnership Act: Veterans' Employment Programs Under

Title IV, Part C; Removal of Regulations

AGENCY: The Employment and Training Administration and the Office of

the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training, Labor.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration and the Office of

the Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training (OASVET)

propose to remove regulations for Veterans' Employment Programs

authorized under title IV, part C, of the Job Training Partnership Act.

Removal of the regulations is proposed because of the reduced number of

states applying for state formula allocated monies, and the need to

improve the delivery of services. Upon removal as proposed, a more

competitive process will be established to increase effectiveness and

the efficiency of the program.

DATES: Written comments must be received no later than April 7, 1994.

Draft copies of the proposed rule were provided to States at an earlier

date.

ADDRESSES: Comments shall be addressed to the Assistant Secretary for

Veterans' Employment and Training, U.S. Department of Labor, 200

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210; Attention: Mr. Hary P.

Puente-Duany, Office of Veterans' Employment, Reemployment and

Training, room S-1316.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Hary P. Puente-Duany at (202) 219-9110 (this is not a toll-free

number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)

establishes programs to prepare youth and adults facing serious

barriers to employment for participation in the labor force by

providing job training and other services that will result in increased

employment and earnings, increased educational and occupational skills,

and decreased welfare dependency, thereby improving the quality of the

United States work force and enhancing the productivity and

competitiveness of the Nation. General program requirements for JTPA

programs are set forth at JTPA section 141.

Pursuant to title IV, part C, of JTPA, the Secretary of Labor

conducts programs to meet the employment and training needs of service-

connected disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam era, and veterans

who are recently separated from military service. These programs are

described at JTPA section 441. The programs are administered through

the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training,

who conducts the programs through grants, contracts, and cooperative

agreements with public agencies and private non-profit organizations.

The Department of Labor (DOL) issued regulations at 20 CFR part

1005 to more specifically define the manner in which the funds from

this program would be disbursed. See 54 FR 39354 (September 26, 1989);

and 48 FR 49198 (October 24, 1983). Program administration will be

greatly enhanced as the result of the elimination of these regulations

by increasing competition and lowering administration costs through

larger grant amounts.

Part 1005 identifies the process used to provide grant funds to

states for Federal training programs for veterans. At the conclusion of

this rulemaking, it is anticipated that for Program Year 1994 (July 1,

1994, through June 30, 1995), a Solicitation for Grant Applications

(SGA) will be developed and disseminated, in lieu of regulations for

the title IV-C programs. The present formula-based annual grants will

be replaced by multi-year competitive grants. This will result in fewer

grants of greater dollar value, and will enable recipients of the

grants to extend expanded service(s) to eligible veterans. Eligibility

for grant application will be based on the statute and the Solicitation

for Grant Applications.

Since the inception of Veterans' Employment Programs, the funding

available for distribution to the States has decreased, thus making the

``formula grants to States'' process less efficient and less effective,

compared to other JTPA titles and similar programs. In Program Year

1992, only 38 States participated in the JTPA title IV-C program. Many

smaller States elected not to participate rather than receiving the

minimum allocation of $55,000. By having larger competitive grants,

services can be targeted to those eligible veterans in the ``most

needed'' areas. Greater customer satisfaction is expected to be

realized.

Immediate results will manifest themselves in the form of:

Eliminated regulations; larger, but fewer grants; replacement of the

``old'' SGA process with SGA's that can be renewed, modified or changed

as deemed necessary and drawn to incorporate by reference the essential

parts and requirements of the JTPA and the Departmental JTPA

regulations. See, e.g., 20 CFR parts 627 and 636; and 29 CFR parts 96-

98. It will be possible for JTPA title IV-C programs to be created to

better enhance and complement other JTPA programs that do not focus on

veterans' services, while continuing efforts to improve the targeting

of employment and training services to eligible veterans who face

serious barriers to employment. Larger multi-year grants will allow for

enhancement of the quality of services provided and the outcomes

attained by strengthening program activity through increased efficiency

in the management of grants, improving the linkages between services

provided and local labor market needs, and ensuring the provision of a

coherent system of outcome-oriented human resource services through

changes in the direction and focus of the Veterans' Employment Programs

to eligible veterans.

It is important to complete all tasks necessary to remove the

present JTPA title IV-C regulations to have appropriate authority and

flexibility to announce and issue an SGA for program year 1994, in the

manner detailed above.

This rulemaking supersedes that portion of the rulemaking announced

at 56 FR 5124 (February 7, 1991) that related to JTPA title IV-C

programs. In the comment period on that proposed rule (February 7

through April 8, 1991) no substantive comments were received with

respect to the proposals related to JTPA title IV-C regulations.

Proposed Rule

Accordingly, it is proposed that title 20, Code of Federal

Regulations, be amended as follows:

CHAPTER V--EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

PART 626--INTRODUCTION TO THE REGULATIONS UNDER THE JOB TRAINING

PARTNERSHIP ACT

1. The authority citation for part 626 continues as follows:

Authority: 29 U.S.C. 1579(a); Sec. 6305f), Public Law 100-418,

102 Stat. 1107; 29 U.S.C. 179i(e).

Sec. 626.2 [Amended]

2. Section 626.2 is amended by removing from paragraph (a) the

phrase ``, with the exception of the veterans' employment program's

chapter IX regulations of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for

Veterans' Employment and Training, which are set forth as part 1005 of

title 20''.

Sec. 626.3 [Amended]

3. Section 626.3 is amended by removing from paragraph (a) the

phrase ``and part 1005 of chapter IX (Veterans' employment programs

under title IV, part C of the Job Training Partnership Act)''.

Sec. 626.4 [Amended]

4. Section 626.4 is amended:

a. By removing from the introductory text the citation ``and

1005''; and

b. By removing from the consolidated table of contents the entry

for part 1005 of chapter IX.

CHAPTER IX--OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT

AND TRAINING, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

PART 1005--VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS UNDER TITLE IV, PART C OF

THE JOB TRAINING PARTNERSHIP ACT (REMOVED)

5. Part 1005 of Chapter IX is removed.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 2nd day of March, 1994.

Douglas Ross,

Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training.

Preston M. Taylor, Jr.,

Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training.

[FR Doc. 94-5229 Filed 3-7-94; 8:45 am]

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