[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3532-3533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1297]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Proposed Projects

    Title: Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Evaluation 42-
Month Survey.
    OMB No.: New Collection.
    Description: The Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) 
Evaluation is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families 
(ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),\1\ and 
involves the conduct of a multi-year evaluation that studies the net 
impact and cost-benefits of programs designed to help Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients, former TANF recipients 
or families at risk of needing TANF benefits retain and advance in 
employment.\2\ The ERA Evaluation involves 15 random assignment 
experiments in eight states, testing a diverse set of strategies 
designed to promote stable employment and/or career advancement for 
low-income people. The ERA Evaluation will generate rigorous data on 
the implementation, effects and costs of these alternative approaches. 
The data collected as part of the 42-month survey will be used for the 
following purposes:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The U.S. Department of Labor has also provided funding to 
support the ERA project.
    \2\ From the Department of Health and Human Services RFP No.: 
105-99-8100.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     To study ERA's long-term impacts on employment, earnings, 
participation, educational attainment and income;
     To gather data on a wider range of outcome measures than 
is available through welfare or Unemployment Insurance records in order 
to understand how individuals were affected by ERA; participation in 
employment and education activities; educational attainment; employment 
history; marriage, household composition and child care; housing; 
household income; household food insecurity; health coverage and 
status; and child outcomes;
     To build upon data collected as part of the earlier 12-
month survey wave;
     To conduct non-experimental analyses, in addition to 
experimental analyses, and provide a descriptive picture of the 
circumstances of low-wage workers; and
     To obtain participation information important to the 
evaluation's cost-benefits component.
    Respondents: The respondents of the 42-month survey are Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) applicants, current and former 
TANF recipients or individuals in families at risk of needing TANF 
benefits (working poor and hard-to-employ) who are in the research 
sample in a subset of the 15 programs participating in the ERA 
Evaluation. Survey participants will be administered a telephone survey 
approximately 42 months after the date they were enrolled in the 
research sample and randomly assigned to the treatment or control 
group. For those individuals who cannot be reached by phone, survey 
firm staff will attempt to contact them in person. A total of

[[Page 3533]]

approximately 3,500 participants will complete the survey over a two-
year period (1,750 respondents annually).

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Number of
              Instrument                   Number of     responses per  Average burden hours per   Total burden
                                          respondents     respondent            response               hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
42-Month Survey.......................           1,750               1  45 minutes (or .75               1,312.5
                                                                         hours).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,312.5.
    In compliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and 
Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the 
information collection described above. Copies of the proposed 
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded 
by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of 
Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, 
SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. E-mail 
address: [email protected]. All requests should be identified by 
the title of the information collection.
    The Department specifically requests comments on: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.

    Dated: January 18, 2005.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-1297 Filed 1-24-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M