[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 246 (Friday, December 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65939-65940]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-31441]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection requests.

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SUMMARY: The Leader, Regulatory Information Management, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, invites comments on the proposed information 
collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: An emergency review has been requested in accordance with the 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 3507 (j)), since public harm is reasonably 
likely to result if normal clearance procedures are followed. Approval 
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been requested by 
January 2, 2002. A regular clearance process is also beginning. 
Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before February 
19, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the emergency review should be 
addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Attention: Karen Lee, Desk Officer: Department of Education, Office of 
Management and Budget; 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, New Executive 
Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or should be electronically 
mailed to the internet address [email protected]. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Director of OMB 
provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity 
to comment on information collection requests. The Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) may amend or waive the requirement for public 
consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval 
process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate 
State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's 
ability to perform its statutory obligations. The Leader, Information 
Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer, publishes 
this notice containing proposed information collection requests at the 
beginning of the Departmental review of the information collection. 
Each proposed information collection, grouped by office, contains the 
following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g., new, revision, 
extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the 
collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the 
information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6) 
Reporting and/or Recordkeeping burden. ED invites public comment. The 
Department of Education is especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to 
the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be 
processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden 
accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the 
Department minimize the burden of this collection on respondents, 
including through the use of information technology.

    Dated: December 17, 2001.
John Tressler, Leader,
Regulatory Information Management, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

    Type of Review: New.
    Title: Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants.
    Abstract: To ensure equal opportunity for all applicants including 
small community-based, faith-based and religious groups, it is 
essential to collect information that allows Federal agencies to 
determine the level of participation of such organizations in Federal 
grant programs while ensuring that such information is not used in 
grant-making decisions.
    Additional Information: The Department requests emergency 
processing for the ``Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for 
Applicants'' which tracks the participation level of faith-based and 
community organizations in grant programs. The ability to utilize this 
form immediately is critical to the implementation of President's 
Bush's Faith-based and Community Initiative established by an Executive 
Order dated January 29, 2001 and to carry out the mandate of Section 
3(b) of that order. As Congress may enact authorizing and appropriating 
legislation for the U.S. Department of Education in mid December 2001, 
it will be necessary to roll out grant application materials as soon as 
possible to expeditiously fund much needed social programs in Fiscal 
Year 2002. Since this form must be included in grant application 
packages, delay in the approval of this form could delay the funding of 
grant programs. Since this unanticipated event, the Department has 
consulted with the Office of Management and Budget, the White House 
Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives as well as the four 
Centers for Faith-based and Community Initiatives at the Department of 
Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, and the Department of Justice. The Department 
requests approval by January 2, 2002.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public:  Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or 
Tribal Gov't, SEAs or LEAs.
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: 
      Responses: 17,000,
      Burden Hours: 1,360.
    Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
should be addressed to Vivian Reese, Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4050, Regional Office Building 3, 
Washington, DC 20202-4651, or should be electronically mailed to the 
internet address [email protected], or should be faxed to 202-708-9346.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements, contact Kathy Axt at (540) 776-7742 or via her internet 
address [email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal

[[Page 65940]]

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

[FR Doc. 01-31441 Filed 12-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P