[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 13, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15932-15933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05718]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
    Title: Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and Examiner 
Applications.
    OMB Control Number: 0693-0006.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (revision of a currently 
approved information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 850 (50--Awardees; 800--Examiners).
    Average Hours per Response: Award Applications, 74 hours; Examiner 
Applications, 1 hour.
    Burden Hours: 4,500.
    Needs and Uses: Public Law 100-107, the Malcolm Baldrige Quality 
Improvement Act of 1987, established an annual U.S. National Quality 
Award. The Secretary of Commerce leads and

[[Page 15933]]

NIST develops and manages the Award in corporation with the private 
sector. The purposes of the Award are to promote competitiveness and 
quality awareness, recognize the performance achievements of U.S. 
companies, and share successful strategies and practices. The law 
explicitly states that ``An organization may qualify for an award only 
if it permits a rigorous evaluation of the way in which its business 
and other operations have contributed to improvements in quality.'' The 
failure to collect the information required of the Award and Examiner 
applicants would make it impossible to evaluate the applications and 
grant the Awards, and violate our statutory responsibilities.
    Revision: New Baldrige Award eligibility rules require applicants 
for the national award first receive the top-tier award from a 
Baldrige-based state or sector program. This intentionally reduced the 
number of national applications in an effort to strengthen Baldrige-
based programs and to highlight the quality of national applications. 
The new eligibility rules therefore bring the most mature, best-
qualified organizations to the national program.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; not-
for-profit institutions; education and health care institutions, and 
government entities may apply for the Award. Individuals with expertise 
in the business, education, health care, and/or nonprofit fields are 
eligible to apply to become members of the Malcolm Baldrige National 
Quality Award Board of Examiners.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: Jasmeet Seehra, (202) 395-3123.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Jasmeet Seehra, OMB Desk Officer, FAX number (202) 395-5167 or via 
the Internet at [email protected].

    Dated: March 7, 2013.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-05718 Filed 3-12-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P