[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 14, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37459-37460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14978]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Treasury, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)). The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund 
(the Fund) within the Department of the Treasury is soliciting comments 
concerning its Conflict of Interest package that contract personnel 
will be required to complete and submit as a prerequisite for 
evaluating applications for Federal financial assistance under the 
Community Development Financial Institutions Program (the CDFI 
Program).

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before August 16, 2000 
to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all comments, in writing, to the Director, Community 
Development Financial Institutions Fund, U.S. Department of the 
Treasury, 601 13th Street, NW., Suite 200 South, Washington, DC 20005, 
Facsimile (202) 622-8244.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the Conflict of Interest package should be directed, in 
writing, to the Office of Legal Counsel, Community Development 
Financial Institutions Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 601 13th 
Street, NW., Suite 200 South, Washington, DC 20005, by calling (202) 
622-9018, or by sending an email to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Conflict of Interest Package for Community Development 
Financial Institutions Fund Non Federal Readers.
    OMB Number: New number.
    Abstract: The mission of the Fund is to promote economic 
revitalization and community development through investment in and 
assistance to community development financial institutions (CDFIs). 
CDFIs are financial institutions that, among other things, have a 
primary mission of community development and whose principal activities 
are targeted toward serving underserved people and/or residents of 
distressed communities. The Fund fulfills its mission principally 
through the CDFI Program through which the Fund provides financial 
assistance to CDFIs. The Fund makes funding determinations through a 
competitive evaluation and selection process. As part of its initial 
substantive review of applications under the CDFI Program, the Fund 
frequently utilizes a peer review process of three person reader teams. 
Each team typically comprises one Federal employee reader and two non-
Federal employee readers whose services are acquired under contract.
    Consistent with the Federal Acquisition Regulations provisions on 
conflicts of interest, the Fund seeks to identify and evaluate 
potential conflicts of interest as early in the acquisition process as 
possible and avoid, neutralize, or mitigate significant potential 
conflicts before non-Federal employees are selected to serve as readers 
under the CDFI Program. Specifically, the Fund seeks to collect 
information from prospective contractors/readers to avoid their 
participation in the evaluation or process of selection of applications 
where such participation creates a conflict of interest or an 
appearance of a conflict of interest.
    Current Actions: The Fund plans to send a Conflict of Interest 
package to prospective contractors/readers early in 2001 for purposes 
of identifying and evaluating potential conflicts of interest 
associated with their evaluation of applications under the CDFI 
Program--Core Component. The Fund anticipates that the initial 
substantive review of applications under the Core Component will take 
place in the first quarter of 2001.
    Type of review: New collection.
    Affected Public: Contractors.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 80.
    Estimated Annual Time Per Respondent: 45 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 60 hours.

Requests for Comments

    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will 
become a matter of public record. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 
the proposed collection of information is necessary to identify and 
evaluate conflict of interests and/or appearances of conflicts of 
interest and whether such collection will have practical utility; (b) 
the accuracy of the Fund's estimate of the

[[Page 37460]]

burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the requested information on 
prospective contractors/readers through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, such as permitting 
electronic submission of responses with electronic signatures.

    Authority: 12 U.S.C. 4703 and 48 CFR subpart 9.5.

    Dated: June 8, 2000.
Ellen Lazar,
Director, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.
[FR Doc. 00-14978 Filed 6-13-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-70-P