[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 26, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62507-62508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-23873]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[FTA Docket No. FTA-2004-19452]


Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information 
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. The Federal 
Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments was 
published on July 6, 2004.

DATES: Comments must be submitted before November 26, 2004. A comment 
to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of 
publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sylvia L. Marion, Office of 
Administration, Office of Management Planning, (202) 366-6680.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: United We Ride State Coordination 
Grants (OMB Number: 2132-0562).
    Abstract: The U.S. Departments of Transportation (DOT), Health and 
Human Services (HHS), Labor (DOL) and Education (DoED), have launched 
United We Ride (UWR), a five part initiative to enhance the 
coordination on human service transportation. UWR intends to break down 
the barriers between programs and set the stage for local and State 
partnerships that generate common sense solutions and deliver A-plus 
performance for those individuals who depend on transportation services 
to participate fully in community life. The UWR five initiatives 
include: (1) The Framework for Action, (2) A National Leadership Forum 
on Human Service Transportation Coordination, (3) State Leadership 
Awards, (4) State Coordination Grants, and (5) Help Along the Way.
    The Congress and the Executive Branch are interested in ensuring 
that various human service transportation activities funded by various 
Federal programs are better coordinated. The General Accounting Office 
(GAO) issued a report on ``Transportation Disadvantaged Populations'' 
(June 2003) that identified 62 different Federal programs across eight 
Federal agencies that provide funding that may be used to support 
community transportation services.
    The report points out that there are multiple public and private 
agencies that provide human service transportation in any one 
community, and services vary greatly in terms of eligibility 
requirements, hours or scope of operation, specific destinations and 
quality.
    Given the multiplicity of programs and the significant dollar 
amounts spent, more effective coordination is needed to ensure better 
service to more people. This is especially true when Federal, State, 
and local budgets for human service activities are under extreme 
financial pressure.
    As also indicated by GAO, many objectives have been achieved; 
however, the fragmentation and lack of coordination within supporting 
agencies continues to be a challenge. On February 24, 2004, President 
Bush signed an Executive Order Number 13330 on Human Service 
Transportation Coordination establishing the Federal Interagency 
Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility and requiring attention to 
the obstacles outlined by GAO.
    The President's Executive Order requires agencies to identify and 
implement strategies for enhancing coordinated services within a one-
year period. The United We Ride initiative

[[Page 62508]]

includes a State Coordination Grant that provides support to help 
States address the issues outlined both by GAO and by the President in 
the Executive Order.
    FTA requested an emergency approval from OMB for the United We Ride 
State Coordination Grant Initiative in a Federal Register notice dated 
May 21, 2004. OMB approved the request on June 22, 2004. This approval 
expires on December 31, 2004.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 500 hours.

ADDRESSES: All written comments must refer to the docket number that 
appears at the top of this document and be submitted to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FTA Desk 
Officer.
    Comments Are Invited On: Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

    Dated: October 19, 2004.
Ann M. Linnertz,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-23873 Filed 10-25-04; 8:45 am]
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