(a) The regulations in this part implement Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,” issued July 14, 1982, and amended on April 8, 1983. These regulations also implement applicable provisions of section 401 of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968.

(b) These regulations are intended to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened Federalism by relying on state processes and on state, areawide, regional and local coordination for review of proposed federal financial assistance.

(c) These regulations are intended to aid the internal management of the Agency, and are not intended to create any right or benefit enforceable at law by a party against the Agency or its officers.

Agency means ACTION, the National Volunteer Agency.

Order means Executive Order 12372, issued July 14, 1982, and amended April 8, 1983 and titled “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”

Director means the Director of ACTION, or an official or employee of the Agency acting for the Director under a delegation of authority.

State means any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

The Director publishes in the Federal Register a list of the Agency's programs that are subject to these regulations.

The Director, to the extent practicable, consults with and seeks advice from all other substantially affected federal departments and agencies in an effort to assure full coordination between such agencies and ACTION regarding programs covered under these regulations.

(a) A state may select any ACTION program published in the Federal Register in accordance with § 1233.3 of this part for intergovernmental review under these regulations. Each state, before selecting programs and activities, shall consult with local elected officials.

(b) Each state that adopts a process shall notify the Director of the Agency's programs selected for that process.

(c) A state may notify the Director of changes in its selections at any time. For each change, the state shall submit to the Director an assurance that the state has consulted with local elected officials regarding the change. The Agency may establish deadlines by which states are required to inform the Director of changes in their program selections.

(d) The Director uses a state's process as soon as feasible, depending on individual programs, after the Director is notified of its selections.

(a) The Director provides opportunities for consultation by elected officials of those state and local governments that would provide the nonfederal funds for, or that would be directly affected by, proposed federal financial assistance from the Agency. For those programs covered by a state process under § 1233.6, the Director, to the extent permitted by law:

(1) Uses the official state process to determine views of state and local elected officials; and,

(2) Communicates with state and local elected officials, through the official state process, as early in a program planning cycle as is reasonably feasible to explain specific plans and actions.

(b) The Director provides notice to directly affected state, areawide, regional, and local entities in a state of proposed federal financial assistance if:

(1) The state has not adopted a process under the Order; or

(2) The assistance involves a program not selected for the state process.

(a) Except in unusual circumstances, the Director gives state processes or directly affected state, areawide, regional and local officials and entities:

(1) At least 30 days from the date established by the Director to comment on proposed federal financial assistance in the form of noncompeting continuation awards; and

(2) At least 60 days from the date established by the Director to comment on proposed federal financial assistance other than noncompeting continuation awards.

(b) This section also applies to comments in cases in which the review, coordination, and communication with the Agency have been delegated.

(a) The Director follows the procedures in § 1233.10 if:

(1) A state office or official is designated to act as a single point of contact between a state process and all federal agencies, and

(2) That office or official transmits a state process recommendation for a program selected under § 1233.6.

(b)(1) The single point of contact is not obligated to transmit comments from state, areawide, regional or local officials and entities where there is no state process recommendation.

(2) If a state process recommendation is transmitted by a single point of contact, all comments from state, areawide, regional, and local officials and entities that differ from it must also be transmitted.

(c) If a state has not established a process, or is unable to submit a state process recommendation, state, areawide, regional and local officials and entities may submit comments either to the applicant or to the Agency, or both.

(d) If a program is not selected for a state process, state, areawide, regional and local officials and entities may submit comments either to the applicant or to the Agency, or both. In addition, if a state process recommendation for a nonselected program is transmitted to the Agency by the single point of contact, the Director follows the prodecures of § 1233.10 of this part.

(e) The Director considers comments which do not constitute a state process recommendation submitted under these regulations and for which the Director is not required to apply the procedures of § 1233.10 of this part, when such comments are provided by a single point of contact, by the applicant, or directly to the Agency by a commenting party.

(a) If a state process provides a state process recommendation to the Agency through its single point of contact, the Director either:

(1) Accepts the recommendation;

(2) Reaches a mutually agreeable solution with the state process; or

(3) Provides the single point of contact with a written explanation of the Agency's decision, in such form as the Director in his or her discretion deems appropriate. The Director may also supplement the written explanation by providing the explanation to the single point of contact by telephone, other telecommunication, or other means.

(b) In any explanation under paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the Director informs the single point of contact that:

(1) The Agency will not implement its decision for at least ten days after the single point of contact receives the explanation; or

(2) The Director has reviewed the decision and determined that, because of unusual circumstances, the waiting period of at least ten days is not feasible.

(c) For purpose of computing the waiting period under paragraph (b)(1) of this section, a single point of contact is presumed to have received written notification 5 days after the date of mailing of such notification.

In an emergency, the Director may waive any provision of these regulations.