[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 179 (Tuesday, September 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55503-55504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22011]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1121-0269]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection 
eComments Requested; Reinstatement, With Change, of a Previously 
Approved Collection for Which Approval has Expired: 2014 Census of 
Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL-14)

AGENCY: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice

ACTION: 60-day Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs, 
Bureau of Justice Statistics, will be submitting the following 
information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
November 17, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have additional comments 
especially on the estimated public burden or associated response time, 
suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed information collection 
instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact 
Matthew Durose, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh 
Street NW., Washington, DC 20531 (email: [email protected]; 
telephone: 202-307-0765).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Written comments and suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of 
information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of 
the following four points:

--Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the Bureau of Justice 
Statistics, including whether the information will have practical 
utility;
--Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
--Evaluate whether and if so how the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected can be enhanced; and
--Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
    Overview of this information collection:
    (1) Type of Information Collection: Reinstatement of the Census of 
Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories, with changes, a previously 
approved collection for which approval has expired.
    (2) The Title of the Form/Collection: 2014 Census of Publicly 
Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories.
    (3) The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: The form number for the 
questionnaire is CFCL-14. The applicable component within the 
Department of Justice is the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in the 
Office of Justice Programs.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: This information collection is a census of 
federal, state, and local publicly funded forensic crime laboratories 
that analyze physical evidence collected during criminal investigations 
and the administration of justice. The primary goals of the work under 
this clearance are to produce a national roster of publicly funded 
forensic crime laboratories operating in 2014 and to collect accurate 
and reliable information about their services and resources. The 
CPFFCL-14 will provide national statistics on laboratory personnel, 
budgets, workloads, forensic backlogs, and quality assurances (e.g., 
accreditations, proficiency testing, and examiner certifications). BJS 
will expand the scope of the CPFFCL-14 to capture additional 
information about an emerging forensic science discipline known as 
digital and multimedia evidence. BJS plans to publish this information 
in reports and reference it when responding to queries from the U.S. 
Congress, Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Supreme Court, 
state officials, international organizations, researchers, students, 
the media, and others interested in criminal justices statistics.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: 510 respondents 
at 2.9 hours each. Respondents have the option to provide responses 
using either paper or

[[Page 55504]]

web-based questionnaires. The burden estimate is based on feedback from 
respondents gathered during pilot testing.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: There is an estimated 1,479 annual total burden 
hours associated with this collection.
    If additional information is required contact: Jerri Murray, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two 
Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE., 3E.405B, Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: September 11, 2014.
Jerri Murray,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2014-22011 Filed 9-15-14; 8:45 am]
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