oppFOA-ETA-18-06-cfda17.207-cidFOA-ETA-18-06-instructions.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR:

STATE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING REVIEW AND REFORM

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: FOA-ETA-18-06

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 17.207

KEY DATES: The closing date for receipt of applications under this Announcement is May 14, 2018. We must receive applications no later than 4:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

ADDRESSES: Address mailed applications to:

The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, Office of Grants Management Attention: Ms. Melissa Abdullah, Grant Officer Reference FOA-ETA-18-06 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716 Washington, DC 20210

For complete application and submission information, including online application instructions, please refer to Section IV.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Background B. Program Purpose C. Program Authority

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Award Type and Amount B. Period of Performance

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing or Matching C. Other Information

1. Application Screening Criteria

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

IV. Application and Submission Information A. How to Obtain an Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission

1. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”

2. Project Budget

3. Project Narrative

A. Preparing the Project Narrative

(1) Statement of Need

(2) Project Design

(3) Expected Outputs and Outcomes

(4) Organizational, Administrative and Fiscal Capacity

(5) Budget and Budget Justification

4. Attachments to the Project Narrative C. Submission Date, Time, Process and Address

1. Hardcopy Submission

2. Electronic Submission through Grants.gov

D. Intergovernmental Review E. Funding Restrictions

1. Indirect Costs

2. Salary and Bonus Limitations

3. Intellectual Property Rights

F. Other Submission Requirements file://eta-940-01.eta.dir.labor.gov/shared/eta/06%20-%20Grants%20Management/Occ%20Licensing/PY%202017/State%20Licensing%20FOA%20%20SIMS%20851903/OGM%20formatted%20revise%20for%20Dept%20clearance/Application_for#_SF-424,_

V. Application Review Information A. Criteria B. Review and Selection Process

1. Merit Review and Selection Process

2. Risk Review Process

VI. Award Administration Information A. Award Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

1. Administrative Program Requirements

2. Other Legal Requirements

3. Other Administrative Standards and Provisions

4. Special Program Requirements

C. Reporting

1. Quarterly Financial Reports

2. Quarterly Performance Reports

VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

A. Web-Based Resources B. Industry Competency Models and Career Clusters C. WorkforceGPS Resources D. SkillsCommons Resources

IX. OMB Information Collection

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Over the past several decades, the share of U.S. workers holding an occupational license has grown. Available evidence suggests that the share of the U.S. workforce covered by licensing laws grew fivefold in the second half of the 20th century, from less than 5 percent in the early 1950s to over 25 percent today. When designed and implemented carefully, licensing can benefit consumers through higher quality services and improved health and safety standards. However, licensing can also reduce employment opportunities.

Because most occupations are licensed at the state level, licensed practitioners must typically acquire a new license when they move across state lines. This can entail various procedural hurdles, such as paying fees, filling out administrative paperwork, and submitting an application and waiting for it to be processed. Moreover, because each state sets its own licensing requirements, these often vary from state to state, and licensed individuals seeking to move from one state to another often discover that they must meet new qualifications (such as education, experience, training, and testing) to continue to work in their occupation. In many cases, there may be no documented procedures or provisions for recognition of licenses from other states.

The resulting costs in both time and money can discourage people from moving, or, for those who must relocate, may compel them to leave the career.

Finally, licensing requirements may have disproportionate impacts on certain populations. For example, transitioning servicemembers and veterans may not receive maximum credit for education and training received while in the military or may experience difficulties in filling gaps between military training and training required for a civilian license. Military spouses often must relocate to a different state, but may not be permitted to use their previous license to practice in a new state, despite having relevant qualifications and work experience (such as in teaching or nursing). As another example, in some states, individuals with criminal records may face blanket barriers to working in licensed occupations, with little consideration of whether the conviction is related or relevant to the nature or conditions of the work performed.

In response to these challenges, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL” or “the Department”) Employment and Training Administration (ETA), announces the availability of approximately $4.5 million in grant funds authorized by the FY 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act, as clarified by language and instructions set forth in House Report 114-699 and Senate Report 114-274, for the State Occupational Licensing Review and Reform grant program. Individual states can apply for between $100,000 and $450,000 for a three-year grant. An association of states can apply for up to $1,000,000 for a three-year grant. The Department intends to fund approximately 10-20 states, and may also fund one to two associations of states.

The overarching goal of this grant program is to provide states with the means to review and streamline occupational licensing requirements in state-identified occupations and to promote portability of state licenses to and from other states, which is of particular concern to dislocated workers and military families. States will objectively analyze the relevant licensing criteria, potential portability issues, and determine whether licensing requirements are overly broad or burdensome in presenting barriers to specific populations, such as those with criminal records or convicted offenders. States may consider the potential of alternative approaches that would be adequate to protect public health and safety.

Each applicant is required to explain and justify their planned use of the funds in the grant application. Successful applicants will use the grant funds to pay for staff support and subject matter expert consultation to review both existing and pending licensing regulations and requirements to achieve the grant’s goal to support review and reform of occupational licensure and regulation to increase access to employment, as well as worker mobility and portability of qualifications. The project may include staff and research support for an existing, new, or expanded state task force or commission on occupational licensing.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. BACKGROUND

This grant program builds on work that the Department of Labor began in FY 2016, with an appropriation of $7.5 million to fund an occupational licensing project.

Through a limited competition, the Department awarded a single cooperative agreement, described below. In FY 2017, Congress appropriated the same amount for the Department “to address ways in which harmonizing licensing requirements across States can reduce barriers to labor market entry and mobility including for dislocated workers, transitioning servicemembers, and veterans,” as stated in H.

Rept. 114-699 and similar language in S. Rept. 114-274.

With the first appropriation in FY 2016, DOL awarded a three-year cooperative agreement to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and its partners, the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of State Governments (CSG).

Through an application process, NCSL selected 11 states1 to participate in a consortium to receive targeted technical assistance and begin work to review and streamline occupational licensing requirements for certain occupations. That Occupational Licensing Policy Learning Consortium (“the Consortium”) will improve the understanding of occupational licensure issues among the participating states by: 1) providing a forum for the selected state team members and the expanded stakeholder group to learn about occupational licensing best practices; 2) becoming familiar with and discussing the existing licensing policies in their state; 3) identifying current policies that create unnecessary barriers to labor market entry; and 4) creating an action plan that focuses on removing barriers to labor market entry and improves portability and reciprocity for select occupations.

In addition, the NCSL project is producing research and technical assistance products on a variety of relevant occupational licensing issues and promising practices. The project is

1 The eleven states participating in the Occupational Licensing Policy Learning Consortium are Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, Utah, and Wisconsin.

focusing on 34 commonly licensed occupations that require less than a baccalaureate or graduate degree. These technical assistance resources, which will be available and applicable to all states, will include educational materials and guidance on interstate licensing compacts and briefing papers on the particular licensing barriers faced by four different populations: low-income and unemployed or dislocated workers; transitioning servicemembers/veterans and military spouses; persons with criminal records; and immigrants with work authorization. One product from that project that may be a useful resource is a report titled, “The State of Occupational Licensing: Research, State Policies and Trends.” The report is available at:

http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/HTML_LargeReports/occupationallicensing_final.htm.

For a brief description of this project and its planned deliverables, see Appendix A.

B. PROGRAM PURPOSE

This Announcement solicits applications for the State Occupational Licensing Review and Reform grant program. The purpose of this program is to provide states with the means to review and streamline occupational licensing requirements in state-identified occupations and to promote portability of state licenses to other states, which is of particular concern to dislocated workers and military families. States will objectively analyze the relevant licensing criteria, potential portability issues, and whether licensing requirements are overly broad or burdensome.

This grant program will fund states or association(s) of states to: 1) review and streamline occupational licensing requirements in state identified occupations over the three-year grant period and, 2) promote portability of state licenses to and from other states. States will objectively analyze the relevant licensing criteria, potential portability issues, and whether licensing requirements are overly broad or burdensome. States are encouraged to consider the potential of alternative approaches to licensing that would be adequate to protect public health and safety (such as professional certification). See Appendix B for examples of other regulatory alternatives to licensing.

Achieving improvements in licensure requires a collaborative approach across state government, including the governor, state legislature, and relevant agencies and oversight bodies. To reflect this reality, applicants for this State Occupational Licensing Review and Reform project will need to assemble diverse teams that reflect these executive, legislative, and other organizational entities that play a key role in occupational licensing policy considerations. The entities will form a partnership that will work together to review their state’s approach to occupational regulation and existing licensing requirements and develop recommendations for reform. (See Appendix C for examples of policy questions to ask when considering occupational licensing proposals.)

Each participating state will be required to undertake the following activities throughout the grant period of performance that will help them achieve the project objectives in reviewing and reforming their state licensing requirements (additional activities also may be proposed):

http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/HTML_LargeReports/occupationallicensing_final.htm

i. Select licensed sectors and/or occupations in the state that will be the focus of the project, with the goal of streamlining occupational licensing requirements in state-identified occupations and promoting portability of state licenses to other states.

ii. Conduct an analysis of existing state licensing requirements for the selected occupations which includes:

a. Reviewing the extent of alignment with similar requirements in other states— for example, are the number of hours of training required reasonable and comparable to other states. See The National Occupational Licensing Database for 34 occupations across all 50 states.

b. Exploring and identifying the extent of and which changes might be needed to permit a state to join one or more existing or emerging interstate licensing compacts. (See Appendix D for list of and links to some existing interstate licensing compacts.)

c. Considering intended purpose, how well the requirements achieve that purpose and any potential unintended consequences.

d. Identifying potential unjustified barriers to entry or mobility (including provisions regarding the treatment of persons with criminal records or convicted offenders).

e. Identifying sub-specialties that might be excepted from full licensing. For example, some sub-specialties do not present the same safety concerns as others (for example, in cosmetology, providers of limited services that do not involve the use of harsh chemicals do not incur the same safety concerns as full-service providers).

f. Identifying ways to align with national industry-recognized certifications that would permit a certification to be adopted as a multi-state standard, either as part of state licensing requirements or in lieu of licensing.

g. Exploring factors involved in balancing possible beneficial aspects of existing occupational licensing frameworks, such as protecting the health and safety of consumers and adequate training of practitioners, with possible negative aspects of current frameworks such as barriers to labor market entry and worker relocation.

h. Determining how best to regulate particular occupations. Evaluate possible alternatives to the current licensing framework, as well as other regulatory alternatives to licensing such as, state or private industry-recognized certification, mandatory or voluntary bonding or insurance, and government registration. (See Appendix B)

i. Examining particular labor market licensing barriers for veterans, and transitioning servicemembers and persons with criminal records/convicted offenders, as well as low-income, unemployed, and dislocated workers.

iii. Engage and consult with stakeholders, such as representatives of industry, small businesses, and other affected individuals.

iv. Develop recommendations and implementation plans to join one or more existing or emerging interstate licensing compacts. If the state is already part of several licensing compacts and does not anticipate joining additional compacts, the state needs to describe how its current level of participation supports the goals of this project to increase licensing portability. If an interstate licensing compact under consideration requires additional qualifications or new admission requirements for http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/occupational-licensing-statute-database.aspx entrants that are not generally required by most states, describe how participation in the compact would support the goals of increasing access and portability.

v. Develop approaches to better publicize the availability of military spouse licensing solutions already authorized, such as licensure by endorsement, temporary licensing, or expedited processing.

vi. Develop recommendations to remove unnecessary licensing barriers preventing former convicted offenders from gaining meaningful employment and reintegration to society. Where barriers are not eliminated, work to limit denials based on criminal history to those situations where conviction is relevant to the occupational license sought, and public health and safety would be potentially at risk by granting license.

vii. Develop recommendations, document rationale, and propose revisions to state occupational regulation and licensure requirements based on the state’s review and analysis, and stakeholder input.

To lead these broad-based state-level efforts, the Department of Labor is inviting state governments and existing associations of states to apply for the grant funding. Applicants will be required to explain and justify their planned use of the funds in the grant application.

Each applicant will develop a plan of action that describes the scope and detail of how the project will accomplish the proposed work and include timelines for completion of work over the three-year period. Work plans must include all of the required activities listed in the Project Narrative Section IV.B.3. Allowable costs include: hiring staff support, engaging subject matter experts as consultants, and convening meetings or providing meeting facilitation for in-state meetings (virtual or in-person) with key stakeholders.

Staff support and consultation with subject matter experts may also be used to support an existing or new state task force or commission, including representatives from industry, to review both existing and pending licensing regulations and requirements, sometimes referred to as either sunrise or sunset commissions. Because grant funds may not be used for lobbying (see section VI.B.1.b., New Restrictions on Lobbying, and Section VI.B.2.b, Lobbying or Fundraising the U.S. Government with Federal Funds), awardee activities related to potential legislative changes must be limited to review and analysis.

The states participating through this grant program will have an opportunity to strengthen relationships among key policymakers across the state; develop and implement a state action plan that focuses on improving portability and reciprocity for select occupations, and on removing barriers to labor market entry to improve the economic viability of the state.

C. PROGRAM AUTHORITY

This program is authorized by the FY 2017 Consolidated Appropriations Act, as clarified by language and instructions set forth in House Report 114-699 and Senate Report 114-274.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. AWARD TYPE AND AMOUNT

Funding will be provided in the form of a grant.

We expect availability of approximately $4,500,000 to fund approximately 10-20 grants.

An individual state government may apply for an amount between $100,000 and $450,000 and an association of states may apply for an amount up to $1,000,000.

Note: if the applicant is one of the 11 states in the Occupational Licensing Policy Learning Consortium (“Consortium”) formed under the Department’s grant to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and partners in 2017, the Department will consider the benefits the state already receives through the Consortium when evaluating the state’s application for this new award and the appropriate award amount (if selected). See Eligible Applicants, Section III.A. for more information.

Awards made under this Announcement are subject to the availability of Federal funds.

In the event that additional funds become available, the Department reserves the right to use such funds to select additional grantees from applications submitted in response to this Announcement.

B. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is 36 months with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2018.

This performance period includes all necessary implementation and start-up activities.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

• State Government entities or an existing association of states.

State government entities may include, but are not limited to, those responsible for workforce development, regulatory oversight agencies, postsecondary education, or occupational licensing entities. Eligible entities may also include an existing national or regional association of state governments, representing multiple states and/or tribal areas, such as an association of state governors, state legislatures, state workforce agencies or other similar organizations that are already in existence, rather than a consortium or partnership of states formed for the purpose of applying for this funding opportunity. Each state is limited to one individual application for this FOA but may also be a member of one or more associations that submits an application.

The applicant must also be able to issue contracts to any entity for which a contracting relationship is critical to the success of the grant.

State applicants are required to demonstrate partnerships with or support from 1 and 2 below, and at least one of the state agencies listed in 3 and 4:

1. Governor’s office;

2. Legislative leadership;

3. State agency responsible for workforce development;

4. State agency(ies) responsible for occupational licensing.

Associations of states also must demonstrate commitments from elected officials (governors and/or legislative leadership) representing the states participating in the project.

The 11 states in the current NCSL project (listed in Appendix A) are eligible to apply for funding through this funding opportunity announcement. However, because these states are already receiving extensive technical assistance, facilitated meetings, and consultations with subject matter experts, we anticipate that they will require minimal funding, and these states must explain and justify how they will use the funds in a way that avoids duplication of and augments what they are already doing through the NCSL project. This explanation must be provided in the Project Narrative and Project Budget.

Additionally, these states will need to address the assistance they have already received through the NCSL project in the Statement of Need required at Section IV.B.3.A.1.

See Section IV.B.3.A for further details.

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

This program does not require cost sharing or matching funds. Including such funds is not one of the application screening criteria and applications that include any form of cost sharing or match will not receive additional consideration during the review process.

Instead, the agency considers any resources contributed to the project beyond the funds provided by the agency as leveraged resources. Section IV.B.2 provides more information on leveraged resources.

C. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Screening Criteria

You should use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package to ensure that the application has met all of the screening criteria. Note that this checklist is only an aid for applicants and should not be included in the application package. We urge you to use this checklist to ensure that your application contains all required items. If your application does not meet all of the screening criteria, it will not move forward through the merit review process.

Application Requirement Instructions Complete?

The deadline submission requirements are met Section IV.C

Eligibility Section III.A

If submitted through Grants.gov, the components of the application are saved in any of the specified formats and are not corrupt. (The Department will attempt to open the document, but will not take any additional measures in the event of problems with opening.)

Section

IV.C.2

Application for Federal funds request is at least $100,000 but does not exceed

$450,000 for an individual states, or does not exceed $1,000,000 for an association of states.

Section II.A

SAM Registration Section

IV.B.1

SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance Section

IV.B.1

SF-424 includes a DUNS Number Section

IV.B.1

SF-424A, Budget Information Form Section

IV.B.2

Budget Narrative Section

IV.B.2

Project Narrative Section

IV.B.3

2. Number of Applications Applicants May Submit

Each applicant may only submit one application to represent a state or an association.

The Department will not consider multiple applications from the same state government or U.S. territory or possession. However, as noted above, a state that submits one individual application may also be a member of one or more existing associations that submits an application. If an applicant submits multiple applications, the Department will only consider the most recently received application that met the deadline. If the most recent application is disqualified for any reason, the Department will not replace it with an earlier application.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. HOW TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

This FOA, found at www.grants.gov and https://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm, contains all of the information and links to forms needed to apply for grant funding.

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

Applications submitted in response to this FOA must consist of four separate and distinct parts:

1. The SF-424 “Application for Federal Assistance:”

2. Project Budget;

3. Project Narrative; and

4. Attachments to the Project Narrative.

You must ensure that the funding amount requested is consistent across all parts and sub-parts of the application.

1. SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance”

• You must complete the SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance” (available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1

• In the address field, fill out the nine-digit (plus hyphen) zip code. Nine-digit zip codes can be found on the USPS website at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action.

• The SF-424 must clearly identify the applicant and must be signed by an individual with authority to enter into a grant agreement. Upon confirmation of an award, the individual signing the SF-424 on behalf of the applicant is considered the Authorized Representative of the applicant. As stated in block 21 of the SF-424 form, the signature of the Authorized Representative on the SF- 424 certifies that the organization is in compliance with the Assurances and Certifications form SF-424B (available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1).

You do not need to submit the SF-424B with the application.

Requirement for DUNS Number All applicants for Federal grant and funding opportunities must have a DUNS number, and must supply their DUNS Number on the SF-424. The DUNS Number is a nine-digit identification number that uniquely identifies business entities. If you do not have a DUNS Number, you can get one for free through the D&B website:

https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do .

Grant recipients authorized to make subawards must meet these requirements related to DUNS Numbers:

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.doleta.gov/grants/find_grants.cfm https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1 https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.do

• Grant recipients must notify potential subawardees that no entity may receive a subaward from you unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.

• Grant recipients may not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its DUNS number to you.

(See, Appendix A to 2 CFR section 25.)

Requirement for Registration with SAM Applicants must register with the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting an application. Find instructions for registering with SAM can at https://www.sam.gov.

A recipient must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the SAM database after the initial registration, the applicant is required to review and update the registration at least every 12 months from the date of initial registration or subsequently update its information in the SAM database to ensure it is current, accurate, and complete. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicant is the entity that meets the eligibility criteria and has the legal authority to apply and to receive the award. If an applicant has not fully complied with these requirements by the time the Grant Officer is ready to make a Federal award, the Grant Officer may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

2. Project Budget

You must complete the SF-424A Budget Information Form (available at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html#sortby=1). In preparing the Budget Information Form, you must provide a concise narrative explanation to support the budget request, explained in detail below.

Budget Narrative: The budget narrative must provide a description of costs associated with each line item on the SF-424A. The Budget Narrative should also include a section describing any leveraged resources provided (as applicable) to support grant activities.

Leveraged resources are all resources, both cash and in-kind, in excess of this award.

Valuation of leveraged resources follows the same requirements as match. Applicants are encouraged to leverage resources to increase stakeholder investment in the project and broaden the impact of the project itself.

Use the following guidance for preparing the Budget Narrative:

Personnel: List all staff positions by title (both current and proposed) including the roles and responsibilities. For each position give the annual salary, the percentage of time devoted to the project and the amount of each position’s salary funded by the grant.

https://www.sam.gov/

Fringe Benefits: Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement, etc.

Travel: For grantee staff only, specify the purpose, number of staff traveling, mileage, per diem, estimated number of in-state and out-of-state trips, and other costs for each type of travel.

Equipment: Identify each item of equipment you expect to purchase which has an estimated acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit (or if your capitalization level is less than $5,000, use your capitalization level) and a useful lifetime of more than one year (see 2 CFR 200.33 for the definition of Equipment). List the quantity and unit cost per item.

Items with a unit cost of less than $5,000 are supplies, not “equipment”. In general, we do not permit the purchase of equipment during the last funded year of the grant.

Supplies: Identify categories of supplies (e.g. office supplies) in the detailed budget and list the item, quantity, and the unit cost per item. Supplies include all tangible personal property other than “equipment” (see 2 CFR 200.94 for the definition of Supplies).

Contractual: Under the Contractual line item, delineate contracts and subawards separately. Contracts are defined according to 2 CFR 200.22 as a legal instrument by which a non-Federal entity purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a Federal award. A subaward, defined by 2 CFR 200.92, means an award provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal award received by the pass-through entity. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a Federal program.

For each proposed contract and subaward, specify the purpose and activities to be provided, and the estimated cost.

Construction: Construction costs are not allowed and this line must be left as zero.

Minor alterations to adjust an existing space for grant activities (such as a classroom alteration) may be allowable. We do not consider this as construction and you must show the costs on other appropriate lines such as Contractual.

Other: Provide clear and specific detail, including costs, for each item so that we are able to determine whether the costs are necessary, reasonable and allocable. List any item, such as stipends or incentives, not covered elsewhere here.

Indirect Costs: If you include an amount for indirect costs (through a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement or De Minimis) on the SF-424A budget form, then include one of the following:

a) If you have a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), provide an explanation of how the indirect costs are calculated. This explanation should include which portion of each line item, along with the associated costs, are included in your cost allocation base. Also, provide a current version of the NICRA.

or

b) If you intend to claim indirect costs using the 10 percent de minimis rate, please confirm that your organization meets the requirements as described in 2 CFR 200.414(f). Clearly state that your organization has never received a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), and your organization is not one described in Appendix VII of 2 CFR 200, paragraph (D)(1)(b).

Applicants choosing to claim indirect costs using the de minimis rate must use Modified Total Direct Costs (see 2 CFR 200.68 below for definition) as their cost allocation base.

Provide an explanation of which portion of each line item, along with the associated costs, are included in your cost allocation base. Note that there are various items not included in the calculation of Modified Total Direct Costs. See below the definitions to assist you in your calculation.

2 CFR 200.68 Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) means all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $25,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards under the award). MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000. Other items may only be excluded when necessary to avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, and with the approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs.

The definition of MTDC in 2 CFR 200.68 no longer allows for any sub-contracts to be included in the calculation. You will also note that participant support costs are not included in modified total direct cost. Participant support costs are defined below.

2 CFR 200.75 Participant Support Cost means direct costs for items such as stipends or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with conferences, or training projects.

See Section IV.E.1 for more information. Additionally, the following link contains information regarding the negotiation of Indirect Cost Rates at DOL:

https://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm.

Note that the SF-424, SF-424A, and Budget Narrative must include the entire Federal grant amount requested (not just one year).

Do not show leveraged resources on the SF-424 and SF-424A. You should describe leveraged resources in the Budget Narrative.

Applicants should list the same requested Federal grant amount on the SF-424, SF- 424A, and Budget Narrative. If minor inconsistencies are found between the budget http://www.dol.gov/oasam/boc/dcd/index.htm amounts specified on the SF-424, SF-424A, and the Budget Narrative, ETA will consider the SF-424 the official funding amount requested. However, if the amount specified on the SF-424 would render the application nonresponsive, the Grant Officer will use his or her discretion to determine whether the intended funding request (and match if applicable) is within the responsive range.

3. Project Narrative

A. Preparing the Project Narrative The Project Narrative must demonstrate your capability to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Announcement. It provides a comprehensive framework and description of all aspects of the proposed project. It must be succinct, self-explanatory, and well organized so that reviewers can understand the proposed project.

For an individual state applicant, the Project Narrative is limited to 15 double-spaced single-sided 8.5 x 11 inch pages with Times New Roman 12 point text font and 1-inch margins. For an applicant that is an association of states, the Project Narrative is limited to 20 double-spaced single-sided 8.5 x 11 inch pages with Times New Roman 12 point text font and 1-inch margins. You must number the Project Narrative beginning with page number 1.

We will not read or consider any materials beyond the specified page limit in the application review process.

Note, however, that an applicant may choose to use charts to provide some of its information and provide the charts as attachments. These attachments will not be counted against the page limit for the Project Narrative.

The following instructions provide all of the information needed to complete the Project Narrative. Carefully read and consider each section, and include all required information in your Project Narrative. The agency will evaluate the Project Narrative using the evaluation criteria and rating factors identified below. You must use the same section headers identified below for each section of the Project Narrative.

If the applicant is one of the 11 states in the Occupational Licensing Policy Learning Consortium, the applicant must acknowledge the assistance currently being received and describe what the state expects to do with the additional resources requested through this grant application to augment that effort as appropriate throughout the Project Narrative.

(1) Statement of Need (20 points) Scoring under this heading will be based on the extent to which the discussion of the following criteria is clear, logical, and an accurate interpretation of available data. All data must include citations of sources. The applicant must provide:

a) General Statement of Need. (4 points) Clearly describe in both quantitative and qualitative terms the need for the project in the applicant’s state or states, including:

i. The nature and scope of the problem. (2 points)

ii. The general consequences of not addressing the need. (2 points)

b) Current Licensing Framework. (4 points) Provide a comprehensive and clear description of the regulatory environment of occupational licensing in the state or states, that includes the following:

i. A brief overview of the regulatory environment that describes how it is structured, including a list of the state agencies that regulate occupations or have oversight over occupational licensing entities (e.g., licensing boards) and the total number types and names of the licensing entities within each umbrella or oversight agency, as well as a list of any interstate occupational licensing compacts of which states in the application are current members. (2 points)

ii. A clear description of the composition and responsibilities of any sunrise and/or sunset commissions or other similar entities that review new proposals for licensure (sunrise) or reviews the continued need for existing licensing requirements on a periodic basis (sunset) if they currently exist in the state related to occupational licensing. (2 points)

c) Prior Involvement in Licensing Review and Reform. (4 points) Clearly describe involvement in any previous occupational licensing review or reform efforts.

i. Describe previous strategies or activities to address occupational licensing barriers to entry or mobility and any lessons learned or takeaways. (2 points)

ii. Provide an overview of any recent (in the past year or two) or pending legislation regarding occupational licensing. (2 points)

d) Focus Areas. (8 points) A clear description of the specific licensed occupations and associated challenges you will focus on and the rationale for focusing on them. The description must include:

i. A clear identification of the occupation(s) or categories of occupation you will target for this effort. Include a rationale for each occupation selected indicating the statewide impact of choosing the occupation(s), such as the percent of workers in the state or region in that occupation, the expected future growth in the state or region, wages, and citing sources for the data. Other relevant occupational data may also be included. Applicants are required to focus on at least four target occupations, a majority of which must be included among the list of licensed occupations requiring less than a four-year degree listed in Appendix E. Applicants are welcome to include one or more other occupations that are particularly relevant to the occupational licensing landscape and unique needs in their proposed project work.

(2 points)

ii. A clear description of the applicant’s proposed approach to exploring options and developing recommended actions for joining additional interstate licensing compacts or a justification for why this requirement does not apply. (2 points)

iii. A clear description of how the applicant will address labor market licensing barriers for one or more of the following populations:

veterans, military spouses, and transitioning servicemembers, as well as low-income, unemployed, and dislocated workers. The description must include what strategies will be employed to meet these populations’ unique needs. (2 points)

iv. A clear description of how the applicant will address unnecessary licensing barriers preventing former convicted offenders or person with a criminal record from gaining meaningful employment and reintegration to society. (2 points)

(2) Project Design (52 points) The project design must present a detailed set of activities that demonstrate a cohesive, well-designed, and feasible approach to implement the project.

All proposed project designs must incorporate the following components geared toward achieving the objectives described in Section I.B Program Purpose.

a) Approach for Review and Analysis. (8 points) The applicant must include a description of how it plans to conduct the occupational licensing review through research and analysis. The applicant’s research approach will be evaluated by how comprehensive, responsive, and feasible the activities are within the period of performance. A complete description will include the following:

i. The extent to which the proposed review addresses the occupations and licensing barriers identified within the statement of need. (2 points)

ii. The full range of comparative analyses of the licensing requirements in the states or states, against relevant considerations, including those listed in Section I.B.ii. of Program Purpose. (2 points)

iii. A clear description of how the applicant will explore options and alternatives for determining how best to regulate particular occupations to remove or reduce barriers to entry and promote interstate labor mobility. (2 points)

iv. A full review of licensing requirements against the requirements of an existing or emerging interstate occupational licensure compact for one or more occupations. (2 points)

b) Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach. (4 points) Applicants must describe the strategy for engaging all stakeholders–industry; employers, including small business and entrepreneurs; and workers. A complete description will include the following:

i. Effective and comprehensive strategies for outreach to potential stakeholders to solicit input and feedback. (2 points)

ii. Thoroughly-described methods the applicant will deploy for consultation with stakeholders. (2 points)

c) Development of Recommendations for Reform. (20 points) The applicant must describe its approach to develop recommendations that support the portability of licenses and reduce unnecessary barriers to labor market entry. A complete description will include the following:

i. A well-conceived approach for developing recommendations that take into account the review and analysis and stakeholder input. (4 points)

ii. A clear description of their approach for developing a thorough implementation plan that will provide justification for the proposed recommendations. (4 points)

iii. Evidence of a plan for joining one or more existing or emerging interstate occupational licensing compacts. Or, if the state is already part of several licensing compacts and does not anticipate joining additional compacts, the applicant needs to describe how the state’s current level of participation supports the goals of this project to promote licensing portability. If an interstate licensing compact under consideration requires additional qualifications or new admission requirements for entrants that are not generally required by most states, describe how participation in the compact would support the goals of increasing access and portability. (4 points)

iv. A clear description of approaches to better publicize the availability of military spouse licensing solutions already authorized, such as licensure by endorsement, temporary licensing, or expedited processing. (4 points)

v. A complete explanation of how the project design will incorporate one or more best practices with regard to occupational licensing. The applicant must provide citations for the source(s) used to identify best practice(s). A primary resource–though others may be used–is the report, “The State of Occupational Licensing: Research, State Policies and Trends” found at:

http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/Documents/employ/Licensing/State _Occupational_Licensing.pdf. This report includes a list of best practices on page 12. For convenience, this material can also be found at Appendix F. (4 points)

d) Partnership Strategy. (8 points) Applicants will be rated based on the demonstrated strength of their partnerships. This section must include:

i. A list of partner agencies and a description of those partnerships

(including their roles and contributions, and how each partner supports the overall partnership). (4 points);

ii. A description of any relevant partners that will be assembled to work on various aspects of this project and the extent to which these proposed partners represent the issues involved. As stated in Section III.A., these proposed partners must include the governor’s office;

legislative leadership; and the state workforce agency or other state http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/Documents/employ/Licensing/State_Occupational_Licensing.pdf http://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/Documents/employ/Licensing/State_Occupational_Licensing.pdf agencies that either contain licensing agencies or oversee licensing boards or requirements, such as state departments of health, transportation, or education; relevant licensing entities; or postsecondary education institutions, as applicable. Partnerships also may include representatives of industry, businesses, or professions or of associations of state licensing boards or interstate licensure compacts. (4 points)

e) Support Letters. (6 points) Each applicant must demonstrate commitment through letters of support. The requirements for individual state applicants differ from those for an association of states.

For Individual State Applicants:

Each applicant must include a letter of support on official letterhead from each state government entity below, indicating support for the state’s grant application. Each letter should briefly outline the entity’s goals and identify the entity’s representative for the project and that person’s expertise related to the project. For example, the governor’s letter should describe the role of the governor’s office, name the lead person who will represent the governor’s office on the project, and describe the person’s relevant expertise. These letters do not count against the project narrative page limit. Each state must have one or more signed agency support letters from:

i. The governor or the governor’s designee as per applicable state law.

(2 points)

ii. Legislative leadership (State Senate President, Speaker of the

House/Assembly or chair of a relevant state legislative committee). (2 points)

iii. The leader of the state’s workforce agency, and/or other state agency(ies) responsible for occupational licensing. (2 points)

For Applicants that are an Association of States:

Each applicant must include a letter of support on official letterhead from an elected official that serves as the chair or other leadership position for the association. In addition, applicants must demonstrate support from the participating states in the proposed project, indicating support for the association’s grant application. These letters can include commitments from governors, legislative leaders or state agencies involved in licensing.

Each letter should briefly outline the entity’s goals and identify the entity’s representative for the project and that person’s expertise related to the project. For example, the letter from the association chair should describe the commitment of the association and of the member states that will be participating in the project. These letters do not count against the project narrative page limit. Each applicant must have signed support letters from:

i. The chair or leadership of the association. (2 points)

ii. Participating member state entities, such as governors, legislative leadership (State Senate President, Speaker of the House/Assembly or chair of a relevant state legislative committee) or the leader of the state’s workforce agency, and/or other state agency(ies) responsible for occupational licensing. (4 points)

f) Work Plan. (6 points) Provide a Work Plan that explains how you will implement the activities…