[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 787-789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-282]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Information Collection Submission to OMB for Reinstatement Under 
Paperwork Reduction Act

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, as 
amended (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that an 
information collection request was submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs for review and extension under 5 CFR 1320.10. The first notice 
requesting comments about OMB Control Number 1076-0135, ``Public Law 
102-477 Reporting,'' was published in the Federal Register on October 
1, 1999 (64 FR 53403-53404).


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DATES: Written comments must be received by February 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: 
Desk Officer for Department of the Interior, Docket Library, Room 
10102, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503. A copy should be sent 
to Lynn Forcia, Office of Economic Development, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, 1849 C Street, NW, Mail Stop 4640-MIB, Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
additional copies of the information collection instructions and the 
October 1, 1999 Federal Register Notice (64 FR 53403-53404) should be 
directed to Lynn Forcia, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the 
Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 4640-MIB, Washington, DC 20240 and 
(202) 219-5270. (This is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Report System for the Public Law 102-477 
Demonstration Project expires January 31, 2000. This is a request for 
an extension of a previously approved information collection request.
    Abstract: The information collection is needed to document 
satisfactory compliance with statutory requirements of the various 
integrated programs. Public Law 102-477 authorizes tribal governments 
to integrate federally funded employment, training and related services 
programs into a single, coordinated, comprehensive service delivery 
plan. Funding agencies include the Department of the Interior, 
Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services. 
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is statutorily required to serve as the 
lead agency. Section II of this Act requires that the Secretary of the 
Interior make available a single universal report format which shall be 
used by a tribal government to report on integrated activities and 
expenditures undertaken. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shares the 
information collected from these reports with the Department of Labor 
and Department of Health and Human Services.
    Method of Collection: Tribal governments voluntarily participating 
in Public Law 102-477 are required to annually complete two single 
page, one-sided report forms and one narrative report, which includes 
four pages of instruction. They replace 166 pages of instructions and 
applications representing three different agencies and twelve different 
funded but related programs. We estimate a 95 percent reduction in 
reporting, which is consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act and 
goals of the National Performance Review. The statistical and narrative 
report will be used to demonstrate how well a plan was executed in 
comparison to proposed goals. The financial status report will be used 
to track cash flow, and will allow an analysis of activities versus 
expenditures and expenditures to approved budget. It is a slightly 
modified SF 269-A (short form). These report forms and narrative are 
limited but satisfy the Department of Health and Human Services, 
Department of Labor and the Department of the Interior. They reduce the 
burden on tribal governments by consolidating data collection for 
employment, training, education, child care and related service 
programs. The reports are due annually. These forms have been developed 
within a partnership between tribes and representatives of all three 
Federal agencies, to standardize terms and definitions, eliminate 
duplication and reduce frequency of collection.
    Respondents: Tribes participating in Public Law 102-477 will report 
annually. We currently anticipate there will be 37 grantees 
participating in the program as of January 1, 2000.
    Burden: We estimate that completion of the reporting requirements 
will require 10 hours per year to complete for each grantee, times 37 
grants equals 370 burden hours.

Public Comments and Responses

    All comments were considered in preparing BIA's response. The 
comments received relating to the information collection and OMB's 
responses are summarized below. The Office of Management and Budget 
verbally recommended that we add questions to the reporting forms in 
order to provide additional information for the Department of Labor's 
new Welfare to Work program.
    The Public Law 102-477 Tribal Work Group formed a subcommittee to 
review all Public Law 102-477 report forms including the OMB requested 
additions. The subcommittee included representatives from the Central 
Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians, Kodiak Area Native Association, 
the Shoshone Bannock Tribes, the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, the 
Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe and the Indian and Native American 
Employment and Training Coalition. The subcommittee responded to the 
three recommendations from the Office of Management and Budget as 
follows: two suggestions for the Program Statistical report form, and 
one sentence for the Narrative portion of the report:
    1. ``Welfare to Work recipients entered unsubsidized employment.''
    Tribal subcommittee response: In the program consolidation 
authorized under Public Law 102-477 grantees no longer identify 
participants in each activity separately because the funding sources 
are not identified for each participant. Therefore, the subcommittee 
recommended the following addition to the form, and we have added: 
``Long term TANF recipients entered unsubsidized employment.''
    2. ``Placements with duration of 180 days or more.''
    Tribal subcommittee response: The subcommittee stated that tracking 
participants for 180 days is very costly in terms of additional time 
and expense that could otherwise be spent toward finding unsubsidized 
employment for individuals. Therefore, the subcommittee recommended 
that grantees track clients for 90 days instead of 180 days. Tracking 
participants for 90 days would also be consistent with existing 
Department of Labor, JTPA requirements and because the participants 
continue to remain eligible for services during those 90 days. 
Therefore, we have decided to add the following question to the form: 
``Placements with duration of 90 days or more.''
    3. ``The narrative should show the extent of participants in any 
Welfare to Work activities; e.g., the number of participants and what 
activities were included.''
    Tribal subcommittee response: The subcommittee agreed with the 
Office of Management and Budget that it was appropriate to add one 
sentence to the narrative instruction as follows: ``The narrative 
should show the extent of participants in any Welfare to Work 
activities; e.g., the number of participants and what activities were 
included.''
    The Bureau of Indian Affairs also received comments from five 
Public Law 102-477 grantees and one other interested party, stating 
that the existing format has allowed tribes to spend more providing 
services to clients and less time completing report forms. Grantees 
stated that initiation of a Public Law 102-477 program resulted in the 
integration of several programs and resulted in the elimination of 
distinction between related tribal employment and training participants 
based on the source of funds for the services. The grantees stated they 
wanted no additional information collection elements and requested a 
face-to-face meeting with OMB prior to making any changes to the 
existing forms. We did not receive any written

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comments from any of the other participating Federal agencies. We have 
incorporated the additions recommended by the Public Law 102-477 
subcommittee because we believe the additional information is necessary 
to provide the Department of Labor and the Office of Management and 
Budget with the information necessary to adequately manage and evaluate 
the Welfare to Work program. The collection of the additional 
information is the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish 
this goal and to limit information collection and reporting 
requirements for grantee tribes, many with limited resources.
    OMB is required to make a decision concerning this information 
collection request between 30 and 60 days after publication of this 
document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment will receive the 
best consideration by OMB if it is submitted early during this comment 
period. Written comments and recommendations concerning this 
information collection should be sent directly to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
the Department of the Interior, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th 
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: December 22, 1999.
Kevin Gover,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 00-282 Filed 1-5-00; 8:45 am]
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