Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 2.djvu/872

 112 STAT. 1756 PUBLIC LAW 105-244—OCT. 7, 1998 Federal Register, publication. 20 USC 1098c. Reports. Deadline. (C) by Striking "1992" and inserting "1998"; (D) by striking "The Secretary shall follow the guidance provided in sections 305.82-4 and 305.85-5 of chapter 1, Code of Federal Regulations, and any successor recommendation, regulation, or law."; (E) by stnking "participating in the regional meetings"; (F) by striking **240-day" and inserting "360-day"; and (G) by striking "section 431(g)" and inserting section 437(e)"; and (3) by adding at the end the following: "(2) EXPANSION OF NEGOTIATED RULEMAKING.— Al l regulations pertaining to this title that are promulgated after the date of enactment of this paragraph shall be subject to a negotiated rulemaking (including the selection of the issues to be negotiated), unless the Secretary determines that applying such a requirement with respect to given regulations is impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the public interest (within the meaning of section 553(b)(3)(B) of title 5, United States Code), and publishes the basis for such determination in the Federal Register at the same time as the proposed regulations in question are first published. All published proposed regulations shall conform to agreements resulting from such negotiated rulemaking unless the Secretary reopens the negotiated rulemaking process or provides a written explanation to the participants in that process why the Secretary has decided to depart from such agreements. Such negotiated rulemaking shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (1), and the Secretary shall ensure that a clear and reUable record of agreements reached during the negotiations process is maintained.". SEC. 490E. YEAR 2000 REQUIREMENTS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. Part G of title IV (20 U.S.C. 1088 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 'SEC. 493A. YEAR 2000 REQUIREMENTS AT THE DEPARTMENT. "(a) PREPARATIONS FOR YEAR 2000.—In order to ensure that the processing, delivery, and administration of grant, loan, and work assistance provided under this title is not interrupted due to operational problems related to the inability of computer systems to indicate accurately dates after December 31, 1999, the Secretary of Education shall— "(1) take such actions as are necessary to ensure that all internal and external systems, hardware, and data exchange infrastructure administered by the Department that are necessary for the processing, delivery, and administration of the grant, loan, and work assistance are Year 2000 compliant by March 31, 1999, such that there will be no business interruption after December 31, 1999; "(2) ensure that the Robert T. Stafford Federal Student Loan Program and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program are equal in level of priority with respect to addressing, and that resources are managed to equally provide for successful resolution of, the Year 2000 computer problem in both programs by December 31, 1999; "(3) work with the Department's various data exchange partners under this title to fully test all data exchange routes

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