[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 39 (Monday, March 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9088-9089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-4333]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests.

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SUMMARY: The IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management 
Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed 
information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995.

DATES: An emergency review has been requested in accordance with the 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 3507(j)), since public harm is reasonably likely 
to result if normal clearance procedures are followed. Approval by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been requested by March 2, 
2009.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the emergency review should be 
addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Attention: OMB Desk Officer, Department of Education, Office of 
Management and Budget; 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10222, New Executive 
Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or faxed to (202) 395-6974.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Director of OMB 
provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity 
to comment on information collection requests. The Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) may amend or waive the requirement for public 
consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval 
process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate 
State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's 
ability to perform its statutory obligations. The IC Clearance 
Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of 
Management, publishes this notice containing proposed information 
collection requests at the beginning of the Departmental review of the 
information collection. Each proposed information collection, grouped 
by office, contains the following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g., 
new, revision, extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) 
Summary of the collection; (4) Description of the need for, and 
proposed use of, the information; (5) Respondents and frequency of 
collection; and (6) Reporting and/or Recordkeeping burden. ED invites 
public comment.
    The Department of Education is especially interested in public 
comment addressing the following issues: (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 
respondents, including through the use of information technology.


[[Page 9089]]


    Dated: February 24, 2009.
Angela C. Arrington,
IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, 
Office of Management.

Office of Postsecondary Education

    Type of Review: New.
    Title: Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program.
    Abstract: The Department of Education is requesting emergency 
clearance of all documents associated with this clearance by March 2, 
2009 to meet Congressional legislative mandates. This data collection 
is necessary to conduct an auction for the rights to originate PLUS 
loans to parent borrowers under the Federal PLUS Program authorized by 
Section 428B of Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (HEA), for the period beginning on or after July 1, 2009 and 
ending June 30, 2011. The HEA, as amended by the Higher Education 
Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA), requires that the right to originate 
PLUS loans to new parent borrowers under the Federal PLUS Program be 
determined through a competitive sealed bid, one-round auction to be 
conducted for each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico 
(State). The information requested is necessary to determine whether 
the winning bidders will be able to make and service the PLUS loans 
made to parents as a result of the auction as well as to conduct the 
auction itself.
    Additional Information: The U.S. Department of Education requests 
that OMB grant an emergency clearance by March 2, 2009 for all 
documents associated with the Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program 
for PLUS loans, so that Congressional legislative mandates may be 
satisfied. The Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program for PLUS loans is 
a new Federal Family Education Loan program. This pilot program was 
mandated by Congress in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 
2007 (CCRAA) and in the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended, 
Title IV, Part I, Section 499, Competitive Loan Auction Pilot Program. 
We are requesting permission for an emergency clearance to allow 
eligible lenders to participate in the prequalification process. We 
must meet the deadline set by Congress to have the pilot program in 
place and running by July 1, 2009, so that lenders may process student 
aid applications.
    The Department will conduct The Competitive Loan Auction Pilot 
Program in two parts. First, lenders must submit a prequalification 
form that collects specific information necessary for the Department to 
determine if the lender has the financial and technological resources 
necessary to make loans to parents under the PLUS loan program in the 
state(s) in which the lender will bid. Secondly, once pre-qualified, 
lenders may submit a bid which is the lowest special allowance payment 
(SAP), as defined in Section 438 of the HEA, they are willing to accept 
for Federal PLUS Loans made pursuant to the auction. Only two eligible 
lenders (as defined in Section 435(d) of the HEA) meeting the pre-
qualification requirements will be identified for each State and they 
will be the sole eligible lenders authorized to originate Federal PLUS 
loans to new parent borrowers. The Department must have clearance of 
the documents by March 2, 2009 so that the prequalification process can 
begin, the subsequent auction held, and winning bidders notified so 
they will have sufficient time to operationalize their business 
processes.
    Frequency: Biennally.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

     Responses: 25.
     Burden Hours: 18.

    Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse 
Pending Collections'' link and by clicking on link number 3966. 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., 
LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-4537. Requests may also be electronically 
mailed to the Internet address [email protected] or faxed to 202-401-
0920. Please specify the complete title of the information collection 
when making your request.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements should be electronically mailed to [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.

[FR Doc. E9-4333 Filed 2-27-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P