[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 221 (Tuesday, November 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71787-71788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29190]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2015-ICCD-0093]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Guaranty Agencies Security Self-Assessment and Attestation

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension of an 
existing information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 17, 2015

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2015-ICCD-
0093. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the

[[Page 71788]]

Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand 
delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those 
submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written 
requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or 
delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information 
Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 2E105, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Beth Grebeldinger, 202-377-4018.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with 
an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 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 the respondents, 
including through the use of information technology. Please note that 
written comments received in response to this notice will be considered 
public records.
    Title of Collection: Guaranty Agencies Security Self-Assessment and 
Attestation.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-0134.
    Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 28.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8,848.
    Abstract: The E-Government Act (Pub. L. 107-347) passed by the 
107th Congress and signed into law by the President in December 2002 
recognized the importance of information security to the economic and 
national security interests of the United States. Title III of the E-
Government Act, entitled the Federal Information Security Management 
Act (FISMA) requires each federal agency to develop, document, and 
implement an agency-wide program to provide information security for 
the information and information systems that support the operations and 
assets of the agency, including those provided or managed by another 
agency, contractor, or other source. FISMA, along with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 and the Information Technology Management Reform 
Act of 1996 (Clinger-Cohen Act), explicitly emphasizes a risk-based 
policy for cost-effective security.
    FSA is initiating a formal assessment program of the Guaranty 
Agencies that will ensure the continued confidentiality and integrity 
of data entrusted to FSA by students and families. The assessment will 
identify security deficiencies based on the Federal standards described 
in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
publications. The comprehensive self-assessment links all questions 
with a NIST control. This collection of information impacts 28 
independently owned Guaranty Agencies (GAs) dispersed throughout the 
U.S. Each agency is under signed agreement with the Department of 
Education to service Federal Family Education Loans that have been 
turned over from the lending institutions to the GAs for the purpose of 
student loan collections.

    Dated: November 10, 2015.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-29190 Filed 11-16-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P