[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 103 (Tuesday, May 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30716-30717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8289]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[Docket No. FTA-2006-24903]


Notice of Request for the Extension of Currently Approved 
Information Collections

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration invites public comments 
about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's 
(OMB) approval to renew the following information collections:
    (1) Nondiscrimination as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs.
    (2) Title VI as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs.
    The collections involve our Nondiscrimination and Title VI 
Programs. The information to be collected for the Nondiscrimination 
Program is necessary to ensure that any employee or applicant for 
employment is not discriminated against on the basis of race, color, 
creed, sex, national origin, age or disability. The information to be 
collected for the Title VI Program is necessary to ensure that service 
and benefits are provided nondiscriminatorily without regard to race, 
color, or national origin. We are required to publish this notice in 
the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments must be submitted before July 31, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand deliver comments to the U.S. Department 
of Transportation, Dockets Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590; telefax comments to (202) 
493-2251; or submit electronically at http://dms.dot.gov. All comments 
should include the docket number in this notice's heading. All comments 
may be examined and copied at the above address from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. If you desire a 
receipt, you must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope or 
postcard or, if you submit your comments electronically, you may print 
the acknowledgement page.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Schneider, FTA Office of 
Civil Rights, (202) 493-0175.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested parties are invited to send 
comments regarding any aspect of these information collections, 
including: (1) The necessity and utility of the information collection 
for the proper performance of the functions of the FTA; (2) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways to 
minimize the collection burden without reducing the quality of the 
collected information. Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of 
these information collections.
    Title: Nondiscrimination as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs.
    OMB Control No.: 2132-0542.
    Background: All entities receiving Federal financial assistance 
from FTA are prohibited from discriminating against any employee or 
applicant for employment because of race, color, creed, sex, national 
origin, age, or disability. To ensure that FTA's equal employment 
opportunity (EEO) procedures are followed, FTA requires grant 
recipients to submit written EEO plans to FTA for approval. FTA's 
assessment of this requirement shows that formulating, submitting, and 
implementing EEO programs should minimally increase costs for FTA 
applicants and recipients.
    To determine a grantee's compliance with applicable laws and 
requirements, grantee submissions are evaluated and analyzed based on 
the following criteria. First, an EEO program must include an EEO 
policy statement issued by the Chief Executive Officer covering all 
employment practices, including recruitment, selection, promotions, 
terminations, transfers, layoffs, compensation, training, benefits, and 
other terms and conditions of employment. Second, the policy must be 
placed conspicuously so that employees, applicants, and the general 
public are aware of the agency's EEO commitment.
    The data derived from written EEO and affirmative action plans will 
be used by the Office of Civil Rights in monitoring grantees' 
compliance with applicable EEO laws and regulations. This monitoring 
and enforcement activity will ensure that minorities and women have 
equitable access to employment opportunities and that recipients of 
federal funds do not discriminate against any employee or applicant 
because of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, age, or 
disability.
    Respondents: FTA grant recipients.
    Estimated Annual Burden on Respondents: 15.5 hours for each of the 
150 EEO submissions.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 2,325 hours.
    Frequency: On occasion, every 3 years, annually.
    Title: Title VI as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs.
    OMB Control No.: 2132-0542.
    Background: Section 601 of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 
states: ``No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, 
color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied 
the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or 
activity receiving federal financial assistance.'' This information 
collection is required by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Title VI 
Regulation, 28 CFR part 42, subpart F (Section 42.406),

[[Page 30717]]

and DOT Order 1000.12. FTA policies and requirements are designed to 
clarify and strengthen these regulations. This requirement is 
applicable to all applicants, recipients, and subrecipients receiving 
Federal financial assistance. Experience has demonstrated that a 
program requirement at the application stage is necessary to assure 
that benefits and services are equitably distributed by grant 
recipients. The requirements prescribed by the Office of Civil Rights 
accomplish that objective while diminishing possible vestiges of 
discrimination among FTA grant recipients. FTA's assessment of this 
requirement indicated that the formulation and implementation of the 
Title VI program should occur with a decrease in costs to such 
applicants and recipients.
    All FTA grant applicants, recipients, and subrecipients are 
required to submit applicable Title VI information to the FTA Office of 
Civil Rights for review and approval. If FTA did not conduct pre-award 
reviews, solutions would not be generated in advance and program 
improvements could not be integrated into projects. FTA's experience 
with pre-award reviews for all projects and grants suggests this method 
contributes to maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness of FTA dollars 
and has kept post-award complaints to a minimum. Moreover, the 
objective of the Title VI statute can be more easily attained and 
beneficiaries of FTA funded programs have a greater likelihood of 
receiving transit services and related benefits on a nondiscriminatory 
basis.
    Respondents: FTA grant recipients.
    Estimated Annual Burden on Respondents: Approximately 15.6 hours 
for each of the 316 Title VI respondents.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 4,942 hours.
    Frequency: Annual.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed 
collection is necessary for FTA's performance; (2) the accuracy of the 
estimated burden; (3) ways for FTA to enhance the quality, usefulness, 
and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that the burden 
could be minimized without reducing the quality of the collected 
information. The agency will summarize and/or include your comments in 
the request for OMB's clearance of this information collection.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued On: May 24, 2006.
Ann Linnertz,
Acting Associate Administrator for Administration.
 FR Doc. E6-8289 Filed 5-26-06; 8:45 am]
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