[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 56 (Thursday, March 24, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15090-15091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5789]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary

[Document Identifier: OS-4040-New]


Notice of Proposed Requirement To Establish Government-wide 
Standard Data Elements for Use by All Federal Grant Making Agencies--
SF-424 Individual

AGENCY: Grants.gov Program Management Office, DHHS.

    In compliance with the requirement of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, the Grants.gov Program Management Office, one of the 26 E-
Government initiatives, managed by the Department of Health and Human 
Services is publishing the following summary of proposed collection for 
public comment. Interested individuals are invited to send comments 
regarding any aspect of this collection of information.
    Type of Information Collection Request: Emergency.
    Title of Information Collection Request: SF-424 Individual.
    Form/OMB No.: OS-4040-New.
    Use: The discretionary SF-424 was established as the government-
wide standard data set and form for Discretionary grant applications in 
July 31, 2003 [Federal Register Notice 68 FR 44974]. The SF-424 
consolidates grant application related data and forms currently used by 
Federal grant-making agencies and organizations for their discretionary 
grant programs and replaces numerous agency-specific forms. The effect 
has been to reduce the administrative burden to the Federal grants 
community, which includes applicants/grantees and Federal staff 
involved in grants-related activities.
    Use of the standard data elements was implemented through the 
electronic grants application process of Grants.gov, which was deployed 
in October 2003 and is part of the implementation of the Federal 
Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-
107). Federal agencies and applicants under discretionary grant 
programs now use the standard SF-424 discretionary data set and 
definitions for paper and electronic applications.
    Comments received on the SF-424 discretionary data set and form by 
the public included the need for a further streamlined version of the 
SF-424 for use by individuals. In response to this need, the SF-424 
Individual (SF-424 (I)) data set and form is proposed to support the 
streamlined application requirements of individuals and to reduce the 
administrative burden placed on this community. Although initially 
envisioned for use by the cultural agencies, such as NEA, NEH and IMLS 
for their applicant communities, the SF-424 (I) will support all grant-
making agencies where individuals, rather than organizations, can apply 
for Federal grants.
    Federal agencies will not be required to use the SF-424 (I) nor be 
required to collect all of the information included in the proposed 
data set. The agency will identify the data that must be provided by 
applicants through instructions that will accompany the application 
package.
    An estimate of the total burden was submitted during the first 
information collection package for the discretionary SF-424 on April 8, 
2003, Federal Register notice [68 FR 17090]. At that time, an estimated 
100,000 total number of responses with an estimated average time per 
response of 20 minutes per form were calculated. The collection 
information for the SF-424 (I) is estimated similarly, subject to 
change based on comments received during this public comment period.
    Frequency: Recordkeeping, Reporting, on occasion.
    Affected: Individuals.
    Total Annual Respondents: 100,000.
    Total Annual Responses: 100,000.
    Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
    To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms 
for the proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access the HHS 
Web site address at http://www.hhs.gov/oirm/infocollect/pending/ or e-
mail your request, including your address, phone number, OMB number, 
and OS document identifier, to [email protected], or call the Reports 
Clearance Office on (202) 690-6162. Written comments and 
recommendations for the proposed information collections must be mailed 
within 30-days directly to the Desk Officer at the address below: OMB 
Desk Officer: Katherine Astrich, OMB Human Resources and Housing 
Branch, Attention: (OMBOS-4040-New), New

[[Page 15091]]

Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20201.

    Dated: March 15, 2005.
Robert E. Polson,
Office of the Secretary, Paperwork Reduction Act Reports Clearance 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-5789 Filed 3-23-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4168-17-P