Reallotment of FY 1997 Funds for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

Reallotment of FY 1997 Funds for Low Income Home Energy

Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

AGENCY: Office of Community Services, ACF, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice of final determination concerning funds available for

reallotment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with section 2607(b)(1) of the Low Income Home

Energy Assistance Act, title XXVI of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation

Act of 1981, as amended (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.), a notice was

published in the Federal Register on August 6, 1998 announcing the

Secretary's preliminary determination that $82,025 in FY 1997 Low

Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds may be available

for reallotment to other LIHEAP grantees and offering the State which

is the source of funds a period for comments, which closed August 31,

1998. No comments were received.

Therefore, in accordance with the requirements of section

2607(a)(2)(C), $82,025 will be reallotted to most current LIHEAP

grantees based upon the current allocation formula contained in section

2604 of the Act and under the terms of applicable State/Tribe

agreements, except that HHS will not issue grants under $25 because the

cost of issuing the grant for that amount is greater than the amount of

the grant. These reallotted funds are being distributed by statutory

formula to States, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, and insular

areas that are currently grantees under the LIHEAP program for FY 1998.

No other entities may apply for or receive the funds from HHS.

The reallotted funds must be treated by LIHEAP grantees receiving

them as

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an amount appropriated for FY 1998. As FY 1998 funds, they will be

subject to all of the requirements of the Act, including section

2607(b)(2), which requires that a grantee must obligate 90 percent of

its total block grant allocation for a fiscal year by the end of the

fiscal year for which the funds are appropriated, that is, by September

30, 1998.

For Further Information Contact: Janet Fox, Director, Division of

Energy Assistance, Office of Community Services, 370 L'Enfant

Promenade, SW, Washington, DC 20447; telephone (202) 401-9351.

Dated: September 18, 1998.

Donald Sykes,

Director, Office of Community Services.

[FR Doc. 98-25881 Filed 9-25-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184-01-M