[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7627-7629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02781]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary

[15XD4523WS DS67011100 DWSNN0000.XB0000 DP6EG02]


Notice of Emergency Information Collection and Request for 
Comments: OMB Control Number 1093-0006, Volunteer Partnership 
Management

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior.

[[Page 7628]]


ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior announces an 
emergency information collection and seeks public comments on the 
provisions thereof.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by April 
13, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send your written comments to Marta Kelly, Office of the 
Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW., MS 7228-
MIB, Washington, DC 20240, fax 202-208-7239, or by email to 
[email protected]. Please mention that your comments concern the 
Volunteer Partnership Management program, OMB Control Number 1093-0006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, any explanatory information and related forms, see 
the contact information provided in the ADDRESSES section above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This information collection received emergency approval from OMB on 
December 16, 2014. This approval is good for six months and we are now 
requesting comments as part of the standard review process.
    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR part 
1320, which implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq., require that interested members of the public and 
affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)).
    Federal land management agencies are authorized to work with 
volunteers, youth programs, and partner organizations to plan, develop, 
maintain, and manage projects and service activities on public lands 
and adjacent projects throughout the nation. Agencies and partners may 
recruit, train, and accept the services of volunteers, youth programs, 
and partners to aid in interpretive functions, visitor services, 
conservation measures and development, research and development, 
recreation, and or other activities in nearly all areas of service. 
Volunteers, youth programs, and partners can be an efficient, 
effective, and cost-beneficial use of public resources. The 
participants of these efforts, especially youth, benefit from skill 
development and service learning that enhances their capacity to find 
meaningful employment opportunities and be stewards for public lands.
    In order to effectively engage hundreds of thousands of volunteers, 
youth participants, and partners in meaningful service activities at 
multiple locations, participating agencies and non-Federal 
organizations, we must collect information from youth program 
participants and volunteers who are interested in participating, 
supporting, and managing programs on public lands. The information 
collected from individuals includes contact information, demographic 
data including ethnicity and veterans and disability status. 
Information from partner organizations includes agreement, costs 
incurred, contact information, IRS status, public financial reports, 
and supporting documentation such as project completion reports, 
pictures, and hours contributed.
    The information will be collected through a web based platform that 
consists of five modules including: The National Park Service (NPS) 
Volunteer-In-Parks (VIP) Reporting Module, Youth Partner Tracking 
Module, Outreach Recruitment Resume Module, Partnerships Module, and 
the Cooperating Association Module. The NPS Volunteer-In-Parks (VIP) 
Reporting Module allows partners to provide information on the annual 
volunteer efforts they manage independently on behalf of the Federal 
agencies in communities and Federal lands through assistance programs. 
The Youth Partner Tracking module will collect data from individuals 
between the ages of 16 and 35 which is considered the eligibility age 
for youth programs under the 16 U.S.C. 1722 et seq., Public Lands Corps 
(PLC) Act and Interior Departmental Secretarial Order 3332. The 
Outreach-Recruitment Resume Module will collect data provided by 
citizens, including veterans and youth, seeking employment 
opportunities at career fairs, outreach events, military programs, and 
from Public Land Corps participants. The Partnerships Module collects 
information from various volunteer organizations which are under 
national agreements to manage services and programs on public lands for 
citizens and provides an annual summary of their activities. The 
Cooperating Association Module collects information from not-for-profit 
public lands partners under national agreements to manage bookstores 
and sales items with Federal agencies.
    This request for comments on the information collection is being 
published by the Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior 
and includes the use of common forms that can be leveraged by other 
Federal Agencies. The burden estimates reflected in this notice is only 
for the Department of the Interior. Other Federal Agencies wishing to 
use the common forms must submit their own burden estimates and provide 
notice to the public accordingly.

II. Data

    (1) Title: Volunteer Partnership Management.
    OMB Control Number: 1093-0006.
    Current Expiration Date: June 30, 2015.
    Type of Review: New Information Collection.
    Affected Entities: Potential and selected volunteers; youth program 
participants, veterans, prospective job applicants, cooperating 
associations, and partner organizations.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 28,433
    Frequency of responses: Typically once per year but could be as 
frequently as 26 times per year for time and expense reporting.
    (2) Annual reporting and recordkeeping burden:
    Total annual reporting per response: 5-60 minutes depending on the 
function being performed.
    Total number of estimated responses: 837,398.
    Total annual reporting: 70,770 hours.
    (3) Description of the need and use of the information: 
Participating natural and cultural resource agencies will use this 
information to manage agency volunteer, youth, outreach, recruitment 
and partner programs that support work on public lands. The Federal 
agencies will be more accountable to taxpayer by providing annual 
reports and program description of partnership activities which will be 
accessible on-line. Also, collecting youth program hours and 
demographic information will allow Federal agencies to provide better 
customer service to youth participants who have earned Public Lands 
Corps (PLC) credit for time served with the PLC, which may be used 
towards future Federal hiring; and provide former members of the PLC 
noncompetitive hiring status for a period of not more than 120 days 
after completion of PLC service.

III. Request for Comments

    The Departments invite comments on:
    (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agencies, including whether 
the information will have practical utility;
    (b) The accuracy of the agencies' estimate of the burden of the 
collection

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of information and the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used;
    (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 appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    ``Burden'' means the total time, effort, and financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide 
information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed 
to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install, and use 
technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and 
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and 
disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able 
to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, and 
to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit 
or otherwise disclose the information.
    All written comments, with names and addresses, will be available 
for public inspection. If you wish us to withhold your personal 
information, you must prominently state at the beginning of your 
comment what personal information you want us to withhold. We will 
honor your request to the extent allowable by law. If you wish to view 
any comments received, you may do so by scheduling an appointment with 
the Office of the Secretary by calling 202-208-7239. Valid picture 
identification is required for entry into the Department of the 
Interior.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
    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 Office of Management and Budget control number.

    Dated: February 4, 2015.
Mary Pletcher,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Capital and Diversity, Office of 
the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-02781 Filed 2-10-15; 8:45 am]
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