366.32—Under what circumstances may the DSU make grants?
(a)
To be eligible to award grants under this subpart and to carry out section 723 of the Act for a fiscal year, the Director must submit to the Secretary for approval an application at the time and in the manner that the Secretary may require and that includes, at a minimum—
(1)
Information demonstrating that the amount of funds earmarked by the State for the general operation of centers meets the requirements in § 366.29(a)(1); and
(2)
A summary of the annual performance reports submitted to the Director from centers in accordance with § 366.50(n).
(b)
If the amount of funds earmarked by the State for the general operation of centers meets the requirements in § 366.29(a)(1), the Secretary approves the application and designates the Director to award the grants and carry out section 723 of the Act.
(c)
If the Secretary designates the Director to award grants and carry out section 723 of the Act under paragraph (b) of this section, the Director makes grants to eligible agencies in a State, as described in § 366.2, for a fiscal year from the amount of funds allotted to the State under section 721(c) and (d) of the Act.
(d)
(1)
In the case of a State in which there is both a DSU responsible for providing IL services to the general population and a DSU responsible for providing IL services for individuals who are blind, for purposes of subparts D and E of this part, the “Director” shall be the Director of the general DSU.
(2)
The State units described in paragraph (d)(1) of this section shall periodically consult with each other with respect to the provision of services for individuals who are blind.
(e)
The Director may enter into assistance contracts with centers to carry out section 723 of the Act. For purposes of this paragraph, an assistance contract is an instrument whose principal purpose is to transfer funds allotted to the State under section 721 (c) and (d) of the Act and this part to an eligible agency to carry out section 723 of the Act. Under an assistance contract, the DSU shall assume a role consistent with that of the Secretary under section 722 of the Act. If the DSU uses an assistance contract to award funds under section 723 of the Act, the DSU may not add any requirements, terms, or conditions to the assistance contract other than those that would be permitted if the assistance contract were a grant rather than an assistance contract. Under an assistance contract, as defined in this paragraph, the role of the DSU is to ensure that the terms of the assistance contract, which are established by chapter 1 of title VII of the Act and the implementing regulations in this part and 34 CFR part 364, are satisfied.
(f)
The Director may not enter into procurement contracts with centers to carry out section 723 of the Act. For purposes of this paragraph, a procurement contract is an instrument whose principal purpose is to acquire (by purchase, lease, or barter) property or services for the direct benefit or use of the DSU. Under a procurement contract, the DSU prescribes the specific services it intends to procure and the terms and conditions of the procurement.
(g)
In the enforcement of any breach of the terms and conditions of an assistance contract, the DSU shall follow the procedures established in §§ 366.40 through 366.45.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1820-0018)