Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 88 Part 2.djvu/987

 88

STAT.

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PUBLIC LAW 93-644-JAN. 4, 1975

2303

setting forth such proposed contract, agreement, grant, or other assistance has been submitted to the Governor of the State, and such plan has not been disapproved by the Governor within thirty days of such submission, or, if so disapproved, has been reconsidered by the Secretary and found by him to be fully consistent with the provisions and in furtherance of the purposes of this part. Funds to cover the costs of the proposed contract, agreement, grant, or other assistance shall be obligated from the appropriation which is current at the time the plan is submitted to the Governor. This section shall not, however, apply to contracts, agreements, grants, loans, or other assistance to any institution of higher education in existence on the date of enactment of this Act. "ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS

"SEC. 517. (a) Each Headstart agency shall observe standards of " ^ use 2928f. ^ organization, management, and administration which will assure, so far as reasonably possible, that all program activities are conducted in a manner consistent with the purposes of this part and the objective of providing assistance effectively, efficiently, and free of any taint of partisan political bias or personal or family favoritism. Each such , agency shall establish or adopt rules to carry out this section, which shall include rules to assure full staff accountability in matters governed by law, regulations, or agency policy. Each agency shall ^ Public ace; also provide for reasonable public access to information, including to information. " "'" but not limited to public hearings at the request of appropriate community groups and reasonable public access to books and records of the agency or other agencies engaged in program activities or operations involving the use of authority or funds for which it is responsible. Each such agency shall adopt for itself and other agencies using funds or exercising authority for which it is responsible, rules designed to establish specific standards governing salaries, salary increases, travel and per diem allowances, and other employee benefits; to assure that only persons capable of discharging their duties with competence and integrity are employed and that employees are promoted or advanced under impartial procedures calculated to improve agency performance and effectiveness; to guard against personal or financial conflicts of interests; and to define employee duties in an appropriate manner which will in any case preclude employees from participating, in connection with the performance of their duties, in any form of picketing, protest, or other direct action which is in violation of law. "(b) No financial assistance shall be extended under the Act in any case in which the Secretary determines that the costs of developing and administering a program assisted under the Act exceed 15 per centum of the total cosfs, including non-Federal contributions to such costs, of such program. The Secretary shall establish by regulation, criteria for determining (i) the costs of developing and administering such program and (ii) the total costs of such program. In any case in which the Secretary determines that the cost of administering such program does not exceed 15 per centum and such total costs but is, in his judgment, excessive, he shall forthwith require the recipient of such financial assistance to take such steps prescribed by him as will eliminate such excessive administrative cost, including the sharing by one or more Headstart agencies of a common director and other administrative personnel. The Secretary may waive the limitation prescribed by this paragraph for specific periods of time not to exceed six months

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