[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 161 (Friday, August 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50555-50556]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21093]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Acquisition and Property Management


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of Acquisition and Property Management (PAM), Office of 
the Secretary, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of planned request for extension/revision of a currently 
approved information collection (OMB Control Number 1006-0009) and 
request for comment.

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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and 
respondent burden, PAM invites the public and other Federal agencies to 
comment on a proposal to extend and revise the currently approved 
collection of information discussed below for a survey of the private 
sector housing rental market using forms entitled Private Rental 
Survey. We intend to submit this collection of information to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. The Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) provides that an agency may not conduct or 
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: Submit written comments by October 17, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand carry comments to the Department of the 
Interior; Office of Acquisition and Property Management; Attention: 
Linda Tribby; Mail Stop 5512; 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240. 
Comments may also be submitted electronically to 
[email protected]. Our practice is to make comments, including 
names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review 
during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that 
we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to 
the extent allowable by law. There may be circumstances in which we 
would withhold from the record a respondent's identity, as allowable by 
the law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must 
state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we 
will not consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Tribby, Departmental Quarters 
Program Manager, telephone (202) 219-0728.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:
    Title: Private Rental Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 1084-NEW (replaces OMB No. 1006-0009).
    Bureau Form Number: OS-2000 and OS-2001 (replace Bureau of 
Reclamation Forms 7-2226 and 7-2227).
    Abstract: Public Law 88-459 authorizes Federal agencies to provide 
housing for Government employees under specified circumstances. In 
compliance with OMB Circular A-45 (Revised), Rental and Construction of 
Government Quarters, a review of private rental market housing rates is 
required at least once every 5 years to ensure that the rental, utility 
charges, and charges for related services to occupants of Government 
Furnished Quarters (GFQ) are comparable to corresponding charges in the 
private sector. To avoid unnecessary duplication and inconsistent 
rental rates, PAM conducts housing surveys in support of quarters 
management programs for the Departments of the Interior (DOI), 
Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Justice, Transportation, Treasury, 
Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs. DOI's Bureau of 
Reclamation previously performed these

[[Page 50556]]

information collections under the currently approved OMB Control No. 
1006-0009. This collection of information provides data that helps DOI 
as well as other Federal agencies to manage GFQ in compliance with the 
requirements of OMB Circular A-45 (Revised). If the collection activity 
were not performed, there would be no basis for determining open market 
rental costs for GFQ.
    Frequency of Collection: Each of 14 regions is surveyed every third 
year; this equates to four to five regions surveyed each year.
    Description of Respondents: Individual property owners and small 
businesses or organizations (real estate managers, appraisers, or 
property managers).
    Estimated Annual Responses: 3,500.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 688 
hours. There are no recordkeeping requirements.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' 
Burden: None.
    Comments: We will summarize written responses to this notice and 
address them in our submission for OMB approval. We specifically 
solicit your comments on the following questions:
    (a) Is the proposed collection of information necessary for us to 
properly perform our functions, and will it be useful?
    (b) Is the estimate of the burden hours of the proposed collection 
reasonable?
    (c) Do you have any suggestions that would enhance the quality, 
clarity, or usefulness of the information to be collected?
    (d) Is there a way to minimize the information collection burden on 
respondents, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology?
    PAM Information Collection Clearance Officer: Debra E. Sonderman, 
(202) 208-6352.

    Dated: August 14, 2000.
Debra E. Sonderman,
Director, Office of Acquisition and Property Management.
[FR Doc. 00-21093 Filed 8-17-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-RF-P