[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 40 (Wednesday, February 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12314-12315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-4722]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: 
Comment Request

    In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public 
comment on proposed data collection projects (section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
Title 44, United States Code, as amended by the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13), the Health Resources and Services 
Administration (HRSA) publishes periodic summaries of proposed projects 
being developed for submission to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. To request more 
information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the data 
collection plans and draft instruments, email [email protected] or 
call the HRSA Reports Clearance Officer at (301) 443-1984.
    Comments are invited on: (a) The proposed collection of information 
for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency; (b) the 
accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting 
Program FY 2012 Competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement (OMB No. 
0915-xxxx)--[New]

    On March 23, 2010, the President signed into law the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act (the Act). Section 2951 of the Act 
amended Title V of the Social Security Act by adding a new section, 
511, which authorized the creation of the Maternal, Infant, and Early 
Childhood Home Visiting Program, (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3590enr.txt.pdf, pages 
216-225). The Act responds to the diverse needs of children and 
families in communities at risk and provides an unprecedented 
opportunity for collaboration and partnership at the Federal, State, 
and community levels to improve health and development outcomes for at 
risk children through evidence-based home visiting programs.
    Under this program, a funding opportunity announcement for formula-
based funding for States was issued in June 2011. The same level of 
funding, $125,000,000, was made available to States according to the 
same formula as in FY 2010. These two-year grants were awarded to 
support States in implementing their Updated State Plans that were 
submitted during the summer of 2011.
    Additionally, a competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) 
was issued in June 2011 to allow interested States to apply for one of 
two possible grants: Development Grants and Expansion Grants. 
Development Grants were intended to support States and jurisdictions 
with modest evidence-based home visiting programs to expand the depth 
and scope of these efforts, with the intent to develop the 
infrastructure and capacity needed to seek an Expansion Grant in the 
future. Expansion Grants were intended to recognize states and 
jurisdictions that had already made significant progress towards a 
high-quality home visiting program or embedding their home visiting 
program into a comprehensive, high-quality early childhood system. 
Among eligible applicants to the competitive grant program, 13 States 
were awarded Development Grants and nine States were awarded Expansion 
Grants. Currently, the 54 States and eligible jurisdictions 
participating in the formula-funded program have begun implementing 
their State Home Visiting Plans. Because the FY 2011 grants were for 
two-years, no additional FOA will be issued this year for the formula 
program, but the State grantees will be completing non-competing 
progress reports in order to secure the release of their FY 2012 
allocations. The 22 States that received competitive grant funding have 
also begun to carry out their proposed programs, integrating them with 
their formula-based programming. These competitive grants are for two 
years (Development Grants) and four years (Expansion Grants) 
respectively, and those grantees will also be completing non-
competitive progress reports for FY 2012.
    The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program 
intends to make an additional $84,484,397 available for Development and 
Expansion Grants in FY 2012. With the concurrence of the Secretary, ten 
more Expansion Grants, totaling $71,359,043, will be awarded (by rank 
order) from among high-ranking applicants under the FY 2011 
announcement. The FY 2012 competitive FOA will announce approximately 
$12,000,000 for new Development Grants. The intent of these Development 
Grants is identical to that announced in FY 2011, which is to support 
States and jurisdictions with modest evidence-based home visiting 
programs to expand the depth and scope of these efforts, with the 
intent to develop the infrastructure and capacity needed to seek an 
Expansion Grant in the future. It is anticipated that there will be 
awarded between four and eight Development Grants. The total grant 
award may range between $1 million to $3 million annually. Applicants 
may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $3 million per year. The 
project period is two (2) years.
    The annual estimate of burden is as follows:

[[Page 12315]]



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                                                     Number of     Responses per     Hours per     Total burden
                   Instrument                       respondents     respondent       response          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction....................................              30               1               8             240
Needs Assessment................................              30               1              16             480
Methodology.....................................              30               1              24             720
Work Plan.......................................              30               1              16             480
Resolution of Challenges........................              30               1               8             240
Evaluation and Technical Support Capacity.......              30               1              24             720
Organizational Information......................              30               1               8             240
Additional Attachments..........................              30               1              24             720
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............            3840
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    Email comments to [email protected] or mail the HRSA Reports 
Clearance Officer, Room 10-29, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, 
Rockville, MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days 
of this notice.

    Dated: February 22, 2012.
Reva Harris,
Acting Director, Division of Policy and Information Coordination.
[FR Doc. 2012-4722 Filed 2-28-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P