[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 3, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56284-56285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-22319]


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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 
September 6, 2002. A regular clearance process is also beginning. 
Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 
4, 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

[[Page 56285]]

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: August 27, 2002.
John D. Tressler,
Leader, Regulatory Information Management Group, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Type of Review: New.
    Title: State-Flex Application.
    Abstract: Application for State-Flexibility Authority (``State-
Flex''). By statute, the Department can grant State-Flex to up to 7 
SEAs through a competitive process. State-Flex SEAs receive (1) the 
flexibility to consolidate certain Federal formula funds reserved for 
State administration and State-level activities for any educational 
purpose authorized under the ESEA to assist the SEAs, and the local 
educational agencies (LEAs) with which it enters into performance 
agreements, in making adequate yearly progress and narrowing 
achievement gaps; (2) the authority to specify how LEAs in the State 
use Innovative Program funds under Part A of Title V; and (3) the 
authority to, in turn, enter into performance agreements with four to 
ten LEAs in the State (half of which must be high poverty LEAs), 
permitting those LEAs to consolidate certain Federal funds and to use 
those funds for any ESEA purpose consistent with the SEA's State-Flex 
plan. The purpose of State-Flex is to assist SEAs and LEAs in those 
states to meet the State's definition of adequate yearly progress (AYP) 
and narrowing achievement gaps.
    Additional Information: Flexibility provisions are one of the 
hallmarks of the No Child Left Behind Act, and early implementation of 
these flexibility provisions is a high priority for the Department; the 
State Flexibility Authority is arguably the most prominent of these 
provisions. An emergency clearance is necessary to enable prospective 
applicants sufficient time to prepare a competitive application; 
otherwise, harm to the public would thus occur if this clearance is not 
approved.
    Frequency: Semi-Annually.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Gov't, SEAs or LEAs.
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
      Responses: 21.
      Burden Hours: 13,440.
    Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse 
Pending Collections'' link and by clicking on link number 2136. When 
you access the information collection, click on ``Download 
Attachments'' to view. Written requests for information should be 
addressed to Vivian Reese, Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., Room 4050, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 
20202-4651 or to the e-mail address [email protected]. Requests may 
also be electronically mailed to the Internet address [email protected] 
or faxed to 202-708-9346. Please specify the complete title of the 
information collection when making your request.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements, contact Kathy Axt via her e-mail address 
[email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 
1-800-877-8339.

[FR Doc. 02-22319 Filed 8-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P