[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 118 (Thursday, June 19, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36837-36838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15498]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR


Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians Request for 
Comments on New Information Collection for 25 CFR 115

AGENCY: Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Information Collection.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians is 
seeking comments on a collection of information concerning Individual 
Indian Money

[[Page 36838]]

(IIM) Accounts as covered in 25 CFR 115. This is a new collection for 
the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. Previously, 
this information collection had been submitted and cleared as a Bureau 
of Indian Affairs responsibility. When this collection is approved by 
the Office of Management and Budget, the Bureau of Indian Affairs 
collection will be allowed to expire.

DATES: Submit comments on or before August 18, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sarah Yepa at Office of Trust Funds 
Management, Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, 505 
Marquette, NW, Suite 1000, Albuquerque, NM 87102.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may request further information or 
obtain copies of the proposed information collection request from Sarah 
Yepa @ (505) 816-1003 or by telefacsimile @ (505) 816-1377.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information provided through information 
collection requirements is used to facilitate better processing of 
deposits, investments, and distribution of monies held in trust by the 
Special Trustee for individual Indians and tribal governments. The 
information is used in the administration of these accounts on deposit; 
the procedures necessary to deposit and retrieve funds from these 
accounts; the procedures for handling certain transactions, such as 
cashing checks, reporting lost checks, reporting stolen checks, 
stopping payment on checks; and general verification of account 
information.
    This program is assigned to the Office of Special Trustee and will 
be removed from the Bureau of Indian Affairs collection when this 
request is approved by the Office of Management and Budget and given a 
new number. The collection has been reviewed and 998,036 burden hours 
have been removed from the public burden; 114,700 burden hours are part 
of the federal burden; the remainder are the result of re-evaluating 
the number of responses for each collection. Our review resulted in a 
reduction of responses from 1,997,500 to 820,175; this is a reduction 
of 1,177,325 responses. We reviewed the number of respondents. We added 
the 500 tribes to the 285,000 IIM accounts, for a total of 285,500 
respondents.

Request for Comments

    The Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians requests 
your comments on this collection concerning:
    (a) The necessity of this information collection for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility;
    (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (hours and 
cost) of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) ways we could enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (d) ways we could minimize the burden of the collection of the 
information on the respondents, such as through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Please note that an agency may not sponsor or request, and an 
individual need not respond to, a collection of information unless it 
has a valid OMB Control Number.
    It is our policy to make all comments available to the public for 
review at the location listed in the ADDRESSES section during regular 
business hours, Monday through Friday except for legal holidays. If you 
wish to have your name and/or address withheld, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your comments. We will honor your 
request according to the requirements of the law. All comments from 
organizations or representatives will be available for review. We may 
withhold comments from review for other reasons.
    OMB Control Number: 1035-0XXX.
    Type of review: New collection.
    Title: Trust Funds for Tribes and Individual Indians, 25 CFR 115.
    Brief Description of collection: This information collection is 
used to process deposits, investments, and distribution of monies held 
in trust by the Special Trustee for individual Indians and tribal 
governments and in the administration of these accounts. The 
respondents submit information in order to gain or retain a benefit, 
namely, access to funds held in trust. This collection covers 12 
different kinds of submissions with the burden ranging from \1/2\ hour 
to 16\1/2\ hours.
    Respondents: Individual tribal members or tribes who wish to some 
activity on their account.
    Number of Respondents: 285,500.
    Estimated Time per Response: Varies from \1/2\ hour to 16\1/2\ 
hours.
    Estimated Number of Responses annually: 820,175.
    Frequency of Response: As needed.
    Total Annual Burden to Respondents: 579,089 hours.

    Dated: June 16, 2003.
Richard V. Fitzgerald,
Director, Trust Regulatory Policies and Procedures.
[FR Doc. 03-15498 Filed 6-18-03; 8:45 am]
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