[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11196-11197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4391]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Department of Education.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education requests comments on the Free 
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes 
to use for the 2006-2007 award year. The FAFSA is completed by students 
and their families and the information submitted on the form is used to 
determine the students' eligibility and financial need for financial 
aid under the student financial assistance programs authorized under 
Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Title IV, HEA 
Programs). The Secretary also requests comments on changes under 
consideration for the 2006-2007 award year FAFSA.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 9, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted electronically through e-mail to 
[email protected]. Written comments and requests for copies of the 
proposed information collection requests should be addressed to Joseph 
Schubart, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Potomac 
Center, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20202-4700.
    In addition, interested persons can access this document on the 
Internet:
    (1) Go to IFAP at http://ifap.ed.gov;
    (2) Scroll down to ``Publications''.
    (3) Click on ``FAFSAs and Renewal FAFSAs'';
    (4) Click on ``By 2006-2007 Award Year'';
    (5) Click on ``Draft FAFSA Form/Instructions''.
    Please note that the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software, version 
4.0 or greater, is necessary to view this file. This software can be 
downloaded for free from Adobe's Web site: http://www.adobe.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Schubart (202) 245-6566. 
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 
1965, as amended (HEA), requires the Secretary, ``in cooperation with 
agencies and organizations involved in providing student financial 
assistance,'' to ``produce, distribute and process free of charge a 
common financial reporting form to be used to determine the need and 
eligibility of a student under'' the Title IV, HEA Programs. This form 
is the FAFSA. In addition, Section 483 authorizes the Secretary to 
include non-financial data items that assist States in awarding State 
student financial assistance.
    FSA has awarded a Front-End Business Integration contract that will 
re-engineer the front-end student aid application processes, 
disbursement processes, funds management, and customer service 
functions into a single integrated business solution. The first 
implementation activities are scheduled for January, 2007. For this 
reason, we propose to make minimal changes to the 2006-2007 FAFSA, and 
will consider recommendations for improving the FAFSA and the 
application process in the 2007-2008 development cycle.
    The draft 2006-2007 FAFSA (posted to the IFAP Web site) does not 
propose to add or to delete data elements. The questions appear in the 
same format and the same order as in 2005-2006. Several changes to the 
working on the 2006-2007 FAFSA are proposed as follows: (1) Page 1, 
``Using Your Tax Return'' is revised to note that applicants required 
to file a fax return must do so to receive student aid. (2) Page 2, 
Under Notes for Questions 43-45, two lines referring to filing on the 
Web are deleted. (3) Page 2, The paragraph beginning ``Investments 
include * * *'' is revised to direct applicants to a Web site for 
further guidance. (4) Pages 4 and 5,

[[Page 11197]]

Questions 32 and 70, option ``c'' is revised to indicate that ``I (and 
my parents) will not file and I am not (my parents are not) requires to 
file.'' (5) Page 8, Worksheet B, item 1, adds the word ``voluntary'' 
before ``contributions to tax-deferred pension and savings plans.'' A 
more detailed summary of changes is posted on the IFAP Web site. The 
Secretary requests comments on these proposed changes to wording, as 
well as suggestions for ways to further simplify the application for 
students, parents, and schools.
    The Secretary is publishing this request for comment under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq. Under that Act, ED must obtain the review and approval of the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before it may use a form to 
collect information. However, under procedure for obtaining approval 
from OMB, ED must first obtain public comment of the proposed form, and 
to obtain that comment, ED must publish this notice in the Federal 
Register.
    In addition to comments requested above, to accommodate the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Secretary is 
interested in receiving comments with regard to the following matters: 
(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 the respondents, including through the use of 
information technology.

    Dated: March 2, 2005.
Angela C. Arrington,
Leader, Information Management Case Service Team, Regulatory 
Information Management Services, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.

Federal Student Aid

    Type of Review: Revision.
    Title: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
    Frequency: Annually
    Affected Public: Individuals and families.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
     Responses: 14,867,558;
     Burden Hours: 7,598,016.
    Abstract: The FAFSA collects identifying and financial information 
about a student applying for Title IV, HEA program funds. This 
information is used to calculate the student's expected family 
contribution, which is used to determine a student's financial need. 
The information is also used for determining a student's eligibility 
for grants and loans under the Title IV, HEA Program. It is further 
used for determining a student's eligibility for State and 
institutional financial aid programs.
    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 2696. When 
you access the information collection, click on ``Download 
attachments'' to view. Written requests for information should be 
addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Potomac Center, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20202-4700. Requests may also 
be electronically mailed to the Internet address [email protected] or 
faxed to (202) 245-6621. Please specify the complete title of the 
information collection when making your request.

[FR Doc. 05-4391 Filed 3-7-05; 8:45 am]
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