[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24568-24569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09652]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket ID DoD-2016-OS-0047]


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, 
Technology and Logistics, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and 
Engineering announces a proposed public information collection and 
seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited 
on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information 
collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of 
the information collection on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by June 27, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: ODCMO, Directorate for Oversight and Compliance, 
4800 Mark Center Drive, ATTN: Mailbox 24, Alexandria, VA 22350-1700.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency 
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The 
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the 
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the 
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without 
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information. Any 
associated form(s) for this collection may be located within this same 
electronic docket and downloaded for review/testing. Follow the 
instructions at http://www.regulations.gov for submitting comments. 
Please submit comments on any given form identified by docket number, 
form number, and title.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this 
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and 
associated collection instruments, please write to the Department of 
Defense Basic Research Office, ATTN: Wade Wargo, 4800 Mark Center 
Drive, Suite 17C08, Alexandria, VA 22350-3600, or call Wade Wargo at 
571-372-2941.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Representations to 
Implement Appropriation Act Provisions on Felony Convictions and Unpaid 
Federal Tax Liabilities, OMB Control Number 0704-0494.
    Needs and Uses: The information collection requirement is necessary 
to enable DoD awarding officials to exercise due diligence and continue 
to comply with provisions found in Sections 745 and 746 of the 
Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2016 
(Division E of Pub. L. 114-113, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
2016), as well as similar provisions that future years' appropriations 
acts may include. The requirements of these provisions were originally 
enacted in three Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 appropriations acts that made 
funds available to DoD Components for obligation. The details of the 
provisions in the three FY 2012 acts varied somewhat but they generally 
required DoD to consider suspension or debarment before using 
appropriated funding to enter into a grant or cooperative agreement 
with a corporation if the awarding official was aware that the 
corporation had an unpaid federal tax liability or was convicted of a 
felony criminal violation within the preceding 24 months. The FY 2012 
provisions were in:
     Sections 8124 and 8125 of the Department of Defense 
Appropriations Act, 2012 (Division A of Pub. L. 112-74, the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012);
     Section 514 of the Military Construction and Veterans 
Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (Division H of 
Pub. L. 112-74); and
     Sections 504 and 505 of the Energy and Water Development 
Appropriations Act, 2012 (Division B of Pub. L. 112-74).
    Generally, the requirements related to these provisions of the FY 
2012 appropriations acts have been included in each subsequent fiscal 
year's appropriations acts. Since FY 2015, the provisions related to 
felony convictions and unpaid federal tax liabilities have been enacted 
in the government-wide general provisions portion of the Financial 
Services and General Government Appropriations Act.
    Affected Public: Not-For-Profit institutions; Individuals or 
Households; Business or Other For-Profit; Farms; Federal Government; or 
State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Annual Burden Hours: 1,250.
    Number of Respondents: 2,500.
    Responses per Respondent: 6.
    Annual Responses: 15,000.
    Average Burden per Response: 5.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondents are entities submitting applications or proposals to 
Department of Defense Components that may result in the award of grants 
or cooperative agreements. Under a competitive program, each entity 
will be required to submit representations with its application or 
proposal to disclose whether it is a corporation that has an 
outstanding tax liability or has been convicted of a felony criminal 
violation within the past 24 months. Most applicants for DoD awards 
submit electronic applications through Grants.gov and the 
representations would be electronically attached to the applicant's SF 
424 (OMB Control Number 4040-0004).
    A memorandum to DoD Components from the Assistant Secretary of 
Defense for Research and Engineering specifies wording of the 
representations to be used for continuing obligations of FY 2012 
appropriations and provides guidance on tailoring of the wording, if 
needed, to conform to provisions of future appropriations acts. The 
memorandum may be viewed at the DoD Basic Research Office Web site 
(http://www.acq.osd.mil/rd/basic_research/funding/documents/appropriations_act_provisions.pdf).
    An awarding official prior to making a grant or cooperative 
agreement award will use the information provided by the 
representations in judging whether the entity recommended to receive 
the award is eligible to do so--i.e., to decide whether the agency must 
first consider suspension or debarment of the entity and determine that 
further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the 
Government. An entity that fails to submit a required representation 
therefore will be ineligible to receive a grant or cooperative 
agreement from the agency.


[[Page 24569]]


    Dated: April 21, 2016.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2016-09652 Filed 4-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-06-P