[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 5 (Friday, January 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1410-1411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-358]


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COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED


Information Collection Submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act; Nonprofit 
Agency Recordkeeping Requirements

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely 
Disabled.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or 
Severely Disabled (The Committee) has submitted the collection of 
information listed below to OMB for approval under the provisions of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. This notice solicits comments on that 
collection of information.

DATES: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has up to 60 days to 
approve or disapprove information collection but may respond after 30 
days. Therefore, to ensure maximum consideration, your comments should 
be received by OMB by February 7, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Mail your comments on the recordkeeping requirements to the 
Desk Officer for the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind 
or Severely Disabled, OMB, Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, via facsimile or e-mail using the following fax number and e-
mail address: (202) 395-6566 (fax); [email protected] (e-mail). 
Please provide a copy of your comments to Janet Yandik, Information 
Management Specialist, Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind 
or Severely Disabled, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, Jefferson Plaza 2, 
Suite 10800, Arlington, VA, 22202-3259; (703) 603-0655 (fax); or 
[email protected] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anissa Craghead, Regulatory Affairs 
Specialist, Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or 
Severely Disabled, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, Jefferson Plaza 2, 
Suite 10800, Arlington, VA, 22202-3259; phone (703) 603-0033; fax (703) 
603-0655; or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which implement provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), require that 
interested members of the public and affected agencies have an 
opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping 
activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). The Committee has submitted a request 
to OMB to renew its approval of the collection of information for 
nonprofit agency responsibilities related to recordkeeping. The 
Committee is requesting a 3-year term of approval for this information 
collection activity.
    Federal agencies 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. The OMB control number for this 
collection of information is 3037-0005.
    The Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Act of 1971 (41 U.S.C. 46-48c) is 
the authorizing legislation for the JWOD Program. The JWOD Program 
creates jobs and training opportunities for people who are blind or who 
have other severe disabilities. Its primary means of doing so is by 
requiring Government agencies to purchase selected products and 
services from nonprofit agencies employing such individuals. The JWOD

[[Page 1411]]

Program is administered by the Committee. Two national, independent 
organizations, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and NISH, help 
State and private nonprofit agencies participate in the JWOD Program.
    The implementing regulations for the JWOD Act, which are located at 
41 CFR Chapter 51, detail the recordkeeping requirements imposed on 
nonprofit agencies participating in the JWOD Program. Section 51-2.4 of 
the regulations describes the criteria that the Committee must consider 
when adding a product or service to its Procurement List. One of these 
criteria is that a proposed addition must demonstrate a potential to 
generate employment for people who are blind or severely disabled. The 
Committee decided that evidence that employment will be generated for 
those individuals consists of recordkeeping that tracks direct labor 
and revenues for products or services sold through a JWOD Program 
contract. This recordkeeping can be done on each individual JWOD 
project or by product or service family.
    In addition, Sec.  51-4.3 of the regulations requires that 
nonprofit agencies keep records on direct labor hours performed by each 
worker and keep an individual record or file for each blind or severely 
disabled individual documenting that individual's disability and 
capabilities for competitive employment. The records that nonprofit 
agencies must keep in accordance with Sec.  51-4.3 of the regulations 
constitute the bulk of the hour burden associated with this OMB control 
number.
    On October 4, 2004, we published in the Federal Register (69 FR 
59185-59186) a notice requesting public comment on these recordkeeping 
requirements for 60 days, ending December 3, 2004. By that date, we 
received one comment. That commenter, a participating nonprofit agency, 
supported our efforts to renew this recordkeeping requirement.
    The information collection renewal request seeks approval for the 
Committee to continue to ensure compliance with recordkeeping 
requirements established by the authority of the JWOD Act and set forth 
in the Act's implementing regulations. A renewal of the approval for 
this collection would also help ensure that the Committee has the 
ability to confirm the suitability of products and services on its 
Procurement List. The recordkeeping requirements described in this 
document are the same as those currently imposed on nonprofit agencies 
participating in the JWOD Program.
    Title: Nonprofit Agency Responsibilities, 41 CFR 51-2.4 and 51-4.3.
    OMB Control Number: 3037-0005.
    Description of Collection: Recordkeeping.
    Description of Respondents: Nonprofit agencies participating in the 
JWOD Program.
    Annual Number of Respondents: About 650 nonprofit agencies will 
annually participate in recordkeeping.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: The recordkeeping burden is estimated to 
average 5 hours per respondent. Total annual burden is 3,250 hours.
    We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
our agency's functions, including whether the information will have 
practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of 
the collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents.

    Dated: January 4, 2005.
Sheryl D. Kennerly,
Director, Information Management.
[FR Doc. 05-358 Filed 1-6-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6353-01-P