[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 169 (Thursday, September 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52103-52104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17429]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary

[Document Identifier: OS-4040-0003]


Grants.gov Program Management Office; Agency Information 
Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Grants.gov Program Management Office, 
HHS.
    In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) 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 or any other aspect of this collection of 
information, including any of the following subjects: (1) The necessity 
and utility of the proposed information collection for the proper 
performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology to 
minimize the information collection burden.
    Type of Information Collection Request: Regular;
    Title of Information Collection: SF-424 Short Organizational;
    Form/OMB No.: OS-4040-0003;
    Use: On March 24, 2005, the Grants.gov Program Management Office, 
one of the 26 E-Government initiatives, managed by HHS, published the 
proposed SF-424 Short Organizational (Short) collection for public 
comment in the Federal Register (70 FR 15089).
    Interested individuals were invited to send comments regarding any 
aspect of this collection of information. This notice indicates request 
for extension of OMB clearance for the SF-424 (Short), and also 
responds to comments received on the March 24, 2005, Federal Register 
notice.
    The SF-424 (short) is a simplified, alternative government-wide 
data set and application cover page for use by Federal grant-making 
agencies. Agencies may use the SF-424 (Short) for grant programs not 
requiring all the data that is required on the SF-424 core data set and 
form. This information collection request also includes two additional 
government-wide forms, the Key Contacts form and the Project Abstract 
form, each of which can be used in conjunction with the SF-424 to 
collect supplemental applicant data. The Key Contacts form is an 
optional form that the agencies may use to collect additional key 
contact or point of contact information. The Project Abstract form is 
also an optional form that provides the mechanism for the applicant to 
attach a file that contains an abstract of the project, in a format 
specified by the agency.
    The SF-424 (Short) and supplemental data set and forms are 
currently available for use as part of the electronic

[[Page 52104]]

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 (Public Law 106-107). The standard 
data set replaces numerous agency data sets and reduces the 
administrative burden placed on the grants community. Federal agencies 
are not 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.
    Comments sent to OMB by the public, questioned the need to collect 
the Social Security Number (SSN) for the Project Director and/or the 
Primary Contact/Grants Administrator. Grants.gov responded to this 
comment by revising the application cover page to indicate that SSN is 
optional and adding the following statement, ``Disclosure of SSN is 
voluntary. Please see the application package instructions for the 
agency's authority and routine uses of the data.'' In addition, OMB has 
also requested that Grants.gov, in consultation with other agencies, 
investigate options for a unique identifier other than SSN. Grants.gov 
plans to address this condition through its newly formed Agency User 
Group.
    The estimate of the total burden of the collection information has 
been updated based on the Paperwork Reduction Act Worksheets (OMB 83-C) 
received from the agencies. Currently, six agencies plan to use the SF-
424 (Short) in lieu of the SF-424 for eligible grant programs. 
Collectively, the agencies plan to receive 8,549 applications annually 
and estimate that it takes applicants 25 minutes on average to complete 
each application. Cumulatively, these organizations report the total 
burden to applicants to be 3,652 hours.
    Frequency: Recordkeeping, Reporting, on occasion.
    Affected: Federal, State, Local and Tribal governments; farms; non-
profit institutions, and other for-profit.
    Total Annual Respondents: 8,276.
    Total Annual Responses: 8,549.
    Average Burden Per Response: 25 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 60 days of this notice directly to the OS Paperwork Clearance 
Officer designated at the following address: Department of Health and 
Human Services, Office of the Secretary, Assistant Secretary for 
Budget, Technology, and Finance, Office of Information and Resource 
Management, Attention: Naomi Cook (4040-0003), Room 531-H, 200 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington DC 20201.

    Dated: August 18, 2005.
Robert E. Polson,
Office of the Secretary, Paperwork Reduction Act Reports Clearance 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-17429 Filed 8-31-05; 8:45 am]
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