[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5207-5208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1478]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Affairs is seeking comments from the 
public on a renewal of an information collection, Verification of 
Indian Preference for Employment in the BIA and the Indian Health 
Service (IHS), as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The BIA is 
now seeking comments from interested parties to renew the clearance.

DATES: Submit comments on or before March 31, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Written comments can be sent to Daisy West, Chief, Division 
of Tribal Government Services, Office of Indian Services, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW., Mail 
Stop 4513-MIB, Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Colliflower, Tribal 
Relations Specialist, Division of Tribal Government Services, (202) 
513-7627.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Indian Preference Form is 
to encourage qualified Indians to seek preference in employment with 
the BIA and the IHS. BIA collects information under the proposed 
regulations to ensure compliance with Indian preference hiring 
requirements.

Request for Comments

    The Department of the Interior invites comments on:
    (a) The accuracy of the burden hours, including the validity of the 
methodology used and assumptions made;
    (b) The necessity of the information for proper performance of the 
bureau functions, including its practical utility;
    (c) The quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and
    (d) Suggestions to reduce the burden including use of automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology.
    The public is advised that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, 
and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OM clearance number. For example, 
this collection is listed by OMB as Control No. 1076-0160, and it 
expires October 5, 2008. The response is voluntary to obtain or retain 
a benefit.

[[Page 5208]]

    Please submit your comments to the person listed in the ADDRESSES 
section. Please note that comments, names and addresses of 
commentators, are open for public review during the hours of 8 a.m. to 
3 p.m., EST, Monday through Friday except for legal holidays. Before 
including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire 
comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to 
withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Information Collection Abstract

    The information collection relates only to individuals applying for 
employment with the BIA and the IHS. The tribe's involvement is limited 
to verifying membership information submitted by the applicant.
    OMB control number: 1076-0160.
    Type of review: Renewal.
    Brief description of collection: The information will be used to 
establish that certain persons who are of Indian descent receive 
preference when appointments are made to vacancies in positions with 
the BIA and IHS as well as in any unit that has been transferred intact 
from the BIA to a Bureau or office within the Department of the 
Interior or the Department of Health and Human Services and that 
continues to perform the functions formerly performed as part of the 
BIA and IHS. You are eligible for preference if (a) you are a member of 
a federally recognized Indian tribe; (b) you are a descendant of a 
member and you were residing within the present boundaries of any 
Indian reservation on June 1, 1934; (c) you are an Alaska Native; or 
(d) you possess one-half degree Indian blood derived from tribes that 
are indigenous to the United States. The information is submitted in 
order to retain a benefit, namely, preference in employment with the 
BIA and IHS.
    Affected entities: Qualified Indian applicants and the tribe's 
involvement in verifying membership information submitted by the 
applicant.
    Estimated number of respondents: 5,000.
    Estimated time per response: 30 minutes.
    Number of annual responses: 5,000.
    Total annual burden hours: 2,500 hours.

    Dated: January 22, 2008.
Carl J. Artman,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
 [FR Doc. E8-1478 Filed 1-28-08; 8:45 am]
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