Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 2.djvu/272

 112 STAT. 1156 PUBLIC LAW 105-220—AUG. 7, 1998 29 USC 726. Deadline. Publication. Effective date. Effective date. Federal Register, publications. Regulations. assistance program under section 112 and funds reserved pursuant to section 110(c) to carry out part C) to reimburse members of the Council for reasonable and necessary expenses of attending Council meetings and performing Council duties (including child care and personal assistance services), and to pay compensation to a member of the Council, if such member is not employed or must forfeit wages from other employment, for each day the member is engaged in performing the duties of the Council. "(h) HEARINGS AND FORUMS.— The Council is authorized to hold such hearings and forums as the Council may determine to be necessary to carry out the duties of the Council. "SEC. 106. EVALUATION STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS. "(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— "(1) IN GENERAL.— "(A) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS AND INDICATORS. — The Commissioner shall, not later than July 1, 1999, establish and publish evaluation standards and performance indicators for the vocational rehabilitation program carried out under this title. "(B) REVIEW AND REVISION. —Effective July 1, 1999, the Commissioner shall review and, if necessary, revise the evaluation standards and performance indicators every 3 years. Any revisions of the standards and indicators shall be developed with input from State vocational rehabilitation agencies, related professional and consumer organizations, recipients of vocational rehabilitation services, and other interested parties. Any revisions of the standards and indicators shall be subject to the publication, review, and comment provisions of paragraph (3). "(C) BASES. — Effective July 1, 1999, to the maximum extent practicable, the standards and indicators shall be consistent with the core indicators of performance established under section 136(b) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. "(2) MEASURES. —The standards and indicators shall include outcome and related measures of program performance that facilitate the accomplishment of the purpose and policy of this title. "(3) COMMENT. —The standards and indicators shall be developed with input from State vocational rehabilitation agencies, related professional and consumer organizations, recipients of vocational rehabilitation services, and other interested parties. The Commissioner shall publish in the Federal Register a notice of intent to regulate regarding the development of proposed standards and indicators. Proposed standards and indicators shall be published in the Federal Register for review and comment. Final standards and indicators shall be published in the Federal Register. "(b) COMPLIANCE.— "(1) STATE REPORTS.— In accordance with regulations established by the Secretary, each State shall report to the Commissioner after the end of each fiscal year the extent to which the State is in compliance with the standards and indicators. "(2) PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT. — "(A) PLAN.—If the Commissioner determines that the performance of any State is below established standards,

�