[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 159 (Thursday, August 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47560-47561]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13570]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[FTA Docket No. FTA-2006-25631]


Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

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. The 
Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
comments was published on May 30, 2006.

DATES: Comments must be submitted before September 18, 2006. A comment 
to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of 
publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sylvia L. Marion, Office of 
Administration, Office of Management Planning, (202) 366-6680.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Nondiscrimination as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs (OMB 
Number: 2132-0540).
    Abstract: All entities receiving Federal financial assistance from 
FTA are prohibited from discriminating against any employee or 
applicant for employment because of race, color,

[[Page 47561]]

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 the 
formulating, submitting, and implementing of 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.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 2,325 hours.
    Title: Title VI as it applies to FTA Grant Programs.
    Abstract: 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), 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.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 5,332 hours.

ADDRESSES: All written comments must refer to the docket number that 
appears at the top of this document and be submitted to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
725--17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FTA Desk 
Officer.
    Comments are Invited On: Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

    Dated: August 14, 2006.
Ann Linnertz,
Acting Associate Administrator for Administration.
 [FR Doc. E6-13570 Filed 8-16-06; 8:45 am]
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