[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33458-33459]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11349]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Submission for OMB Review; 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 year. The FAFSA is completed by students and 
their

[[Page 33459]]

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 FAFSA.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
July 8, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Education Desk Officer, 
Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, New 
Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or faxed to (202) 395-
6974.
    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.

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 
wording 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 tax 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, 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) required 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: June 2, 2005.
Angela C. Arrington,
Leader, Information Management Case Services 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 or families.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
    Responses: 14,762,847.
    Burden Hours: 7,624,153.
    Abstract: The FAFSA collects identifying and financial information 
about a student applying for Title IV, Higher Education Act (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 to determine the student's 
eligibility for grants and loans under the Title IV, HEA Programs. It 
is further used for determining a student's eligibility for State and 
institutional financial aid programs.
    Requests for copies of the 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.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements should be directed to Joseph Schubart at (202) 245-6566 or 
via his e-mail address [email protected]. 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.

[FR Doc. 05-11349 Filed 6-7-05; 8:45 am]
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