Thank you for your testimony at the Subcommittee's September 19, 1986
oversight hearing on the National Partnership to Prevent Drug and Alcohol
Abuse. In order to further complete the record and to satisfy the
requests for information made by Congressman Tauke and myself during the
hearing, I would appreciate your providing the following material:

· the name of the private source which you indicated paid for the
preparation of the National Partnership's grant application;

the details of all Aspen Systems Corporation tasks and costs
relating to the National Partnership, beginning with the January
1985 meeting in Williamsburg;

a detailed breakdown of the types and amounts of National
Partnership expenses incurred under the federal grant;

copies of vitae and any other information used by the Office to
determine that the peer reviewers were experts in the field of drug
and alcohol abuse prevention; and

copies of the documents which specifically show that the peer
reviewers found the National Partnership's grant application to be
of outstanding merit, as well as copies of the proposal review
criteria from the Office's Peer Review Manual and from the
applicable regulations.

Finally, in discussing the fact that the grant award was backdated to
cover "some pre-agreed-upon costs," I mentioned during the hearing that
such an arrangement suggests that assurances were given to the National
Partnership that the grant award would be forthcoming. Is this the case,
and if so, who gave these assurances?

(57)

Mr. Verne L. Speirs
October 17, 1986
Page Two

Your cooperation in providing this information is greatly appreciated. Both this letter and your response will be included in the printed hearing record.

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention

Washington, D.C. 20531

81 OCT 1986

The Honorable Dale E. Kildee

Chairman

Subcommittee on Human Resources
Committee on Education and Labor
House of Representatives

Washington, D. C. 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

This is in response to your letter requesting information regarding the National Partnership to Prevent Drug and Alcohol Abuse Among Youth to be included in the record of the hearing on this subject.

The following materials are enclosed: information concerning the work of Aspen Systems related to the Partnership; copies of documents regarding the peer review of the Partnership application; minutes from Board of Directors meetings; a memorandum from the Office of General Counsel about the liability of the Partnership directors; and a listing of Partnership expenditures up to June 30, 1986.

We have been unable to trace the source of the private funds that paid for preparation of the Partnership's application. However, we understand this money was provided either by the Partnership president, Mr. Rex Tompkins, or by the Miller Brewing Company. Inasmuch as Federal grant funds were not used, we have no records indicating the source of the payment.

In addition, in signing the assistance award, former OJJDP Administrator Alfred Regnery approved the expenditure of funds by the Partnership for project costs incurred prior to the date of the grant award. I am enclosing a memorandum provided to the OJJDP project monitor concerning this subject. The date of the award to the Partnership was October 10, 1985. However, in order to cover the costs incurred in carrying out approved award activities commenced between August 1 and October 10, the date of the start of the project period was established as August 1, 1985. Had OJJDP wished to do so, it could have provided a full 12-month project period beginning October 10 and approved costs incurred between August 1 and October 10 as "preagreement costs." Either action is an allowable assistance award procedure.

I trust this information will prove helpful to the Subcommittee. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of additional assistance in the Subcommittee's inquiry into this matter.

Sincerely,

Verne L. Spei
Acting Administrator

Enclosures