[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 76 (Thursday, April 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20760-20761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8003]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Office of Loan Repayment; Submission for OMB Review; Comment 
Request; National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs

    Summary: In compliance with the requirement of Section 
3507(a)(1)(D) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of 
Loan Repayment, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has submitted 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and 
approve the information collection listed below. This proposed 
information collection was previously published in the Federal Register 
on December 10, 2004, and allowed 60 days for public comment. No 
responses to the notice were received. The purpose of this notice is to 
allow an additional 30 days for public comment. The National Institutes 
of Health may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not 
required to respond to, an information collection that has been 
extended, revised, or implemented on or after October 1, 1995, unless 
it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The programs have 
existing data collections with an OMB control number (OMB No. 0925-
0361, expiration date 12/31/2004). An extension has been granted until 
March 2005 due to an administrative delay caused by a change in office 
responsible for the LRPs.

Proposed Collection

    Title: National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs.
    Type of Information Collection Request: Revision of a currently 
approved collection (OMB No. 0925-0361, expiration date 12/31/04, 
extension granted until 03/05).
    Form Numbers: NIH 2674-1, NIH 2674-2, NIH 2674-3, NIH 2674-4, NIH 
2674-5, NIH 2674-6, NIH 2674-7, NIH 2674-8, NIH 2674-9, NIH 2674-10, 
NIH 2674-11, NIH 2674-12, NIH 2674-13, NIH 2674-14, NIH 2674-15, NIH 
2674-16, NIH 2674-17, NIH 2674-18, and NIH 2674-19.
    Need and Use of Information Collection: The NIH makes available 
financial assistance, in the form of educational loan repayment, to 
M.D., Ph.D., Pharm. D., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M., D.C., and N.D. degree 
holders, or the equivalent, who perform biomedical or biobehavioral 
research in NIH intramural laboratories or who perform research that is 
supported by a domestic non-profit institution or a U.S. Government 
(Federal, state, local) entity for a minimum of 2 years (3 years for 
the General Research LRP) in research areas supporting the mission and 
priorities of the NIH.
    The AIDS Research Loan Repayment Program (AIDS-LRP) is authorized 
by Section 487A of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 288-1); the 
Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from 
Disadvantaged Backgrounds (CR-LRP) is authorized by Section 487E (42 
U.S.C.

[[Page 20761]]

288-5); the General Research Loan Repayment Program (GR-LRP) is 
authorized by Section 487C of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
288-3); the Loan Repayment Program Regarding Clinical Researchers (LRP-
CR) is authorized by Section 487F (42 U.S.C. 288-5a); the Pediatric 
Research Loan Repayment Program (PR-LRP) is authorized by Section 487F 
(42 U.S.C. 288-6); the Extramural Clinical Research LRP for Individuals 
from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (ECR-LRP) is authorized by an amendment 
to Section 487E (42 U.S.C. 288-5); the Contraception and Infertility 
Research LRP (CIR-LRP) is authorized by Section 487B (42 U.S.C. 288-2); 
and the Health Disparities Research Loan Repayment Program (HD-LRP) is 
authorized by Section 485G (42 U.S.C. 287c-33).
    The Loan Repayment Programs can repay up to $35,000 per year toward 
a participant's extant eligible educational loans, directly to lenders, 
in addition to salary and benefits. The information proposed for 
collection will be used by the Office of Loan Repayment to determine an 
applicant's eligibility for participation in the program.
    Frequency of Response: Initial application and annual renewal 
application.
    Affected Public: Applicants, financial institutions, recommenders, 
and advisors.
    Type of Respondents: Physicians, other scientific or medical 
personnel, and institutional representatives. The annual reporting 
burden is as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Estimated
                                                 Number of        number of     Average  burden   Annual burden
             Type of respondents                respondents     responses  per     hours  per    hours requested
                                                                  respondent        response
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intramural LRPs:
    Initial Applicants......................               75                1             8.98           673.50
    Recommenders............................              225                1             0.38            85.50
    Financial Institutions..................                8                1             0.33             2.64
                                             ------------------
        Subtotal............................              308  ...............  ...............           761.64
                                             ==================
Extramural LRPs:
    Initial Applicants......................            1,600                1            10.30        16,480.00
    Recommenders............................            4,800                1             0.38         1,824.00
    Advisors/Supervisors....................            1,600                1             1.15         1,840.00
    Financial Institutions..................              160                1             0.33            52.80
                                             ------------------
        Subtotal............................            8,160  ...............  ...............       20,196.880
                                             ==================
Extramural LRPs:
    Renewal Applicants......................              800                1             7.81         6,248.00
    Recommenders............................            2,400                1             0.38           912.00
    Advisors/Supervisors....................              800                1             1.15           920.00
                                             ------------------
        Subtotal............................            4,000  ...............  ...............         8,080.00
                                             ==================
        Total...............................           12,468  ...............  ...............        29,038.44
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The annualized cost to respondents is estimated at $996,420.66. 
There are no Capital Costs, Operating Costs, and/or Maintenance Costs 
to report.
    Request for Comments: Written comments and/or suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies should address one or more of the 
following points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the function of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (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 those who are to 
respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    Direct Comments to OMB: Written comments and/or suggestions 
regarding the item(s) contained in this notice, especially regarding 
the estimated public burden and associated response time, should be 
directed to the: Office of Management and Budget, Office of Regulatory 
Affairs, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503, Attention: Desk Officer for NIH. To request more information on 
the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data collection plans 
and instruments, contact: Alfred C. Johnson, Ph.D., Deputy Director, 
Office of Loan Repayment and Scholarship, National Institutes of 
Health, 6011 Executive Blvd, Room 206 (MSC 7650), Bethesda, Maryland 
20892-7650. Dr. Johnson can be contacted via e-mail at 
[email protected] or by calling 301-402-6425.
    Comments Due Date: Comments regarding this information collection 
are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days 
of the date of this publication.

    Dated: April 12, 2005.
Raynard S. Kington,
Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 05-8003 Filed 4-20-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M