[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 144 (Wednesday, July 27, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49221-49223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17716]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-16-16ZX]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted 
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. The notice for the proposed 
information collection is published to obtain comments from the public 
and affected agencies.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (a) 
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the 
accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; (d) 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; and 
(e) Assess information collection costs.
    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570 or send an email to [email protected]. Direct written comments 
and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice to the 
Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 
Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written comments 
should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

    Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network)--
Existing Collection in use without an OMB Control Number--National 
Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    In September, 2000, the Pew Environmental Health Commission issued 
a report entitled ``America's Environmental Health Gap: Why the Country 
Needs a Nationwide Health Tracking Network.'' In this report, the 
Commission documented that the existing environmental health systems 
were inadequate and fragmented and recommended a ``Nationwide Health 
Tracking Network for disease and exposures.'' In response to the 
report, Congress appropriated funds in the fiscal year 2002's budget 
for the CDC to establish the National Environmental Public Health 
Tracking Network (Tracking Network).

[[Page 49222]]

    Continuously since 2008, and at the national level, the program 
collects data from (1) other CDC programs such as the National Center 
for Health Statistics, (2) other federal agencies such as the 
Environmental Protection Agency, (3) publically accessible systems such 
as the Census Bureau, and (4) funded and unfunded state and local 
health departments (SLHD). These data are integrated into and 
disseminated from the Tracking Network and used for analyses which can 
inform national programs, interventions, or policies; guide further 
development and activities within the Tracking Program; or advance the 
practice and science of environmental public health tracking. The 
Tracking Program also collects information from funded SLHD to monitor 
their progress related to their funding and for program evaluation. 
This information collection request (ICR) is focused on data and 
information gathered by the Tracking Program from SLHD.
    Due to voluntary program efforts to continuously improve 
compliance, the CDC recently determined that the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (PRA) should apply to the Tracking Network collections. Thus, the 
CDC requests a three-year PRA clearance to collect these data.
    One part of the collection involves health, exposure, and hazard 
data from SLHD. The Tracking Network provides the United States with 
accurate and timely standardized data from existing health, exposure, 
and hazard surveillance systems and supports ongoing efforts within the 
public health and environmental sectors. The goal of the Tracking 
Network is to improve health tracking, exposure and hazard monitoring, 
and response capacity. When such data are available, the Tracking 
Program obtains data from national or public sources in order to reduce 
the burden on SLHD. When data are not available nationally or 
publically, the Tracking Program relies on funded SLHD to obtain and 
submit these data to the Tracking Network. Data from unfunded SLHD are 
accepted but not requested or solicited.
    Data submitted annually by SLHD to the Tracking Program include: 
(1) Birth defects prevalence, (2) childhood lead blood levels, if a 
SLHD does not already report such data to CDC, (3) community drinking 
water monitoring, (4) emergency department visits, (5) 
hospitalizations, and (6) radon testing. The Tracking Program receives 
childhood lead blood levels data from CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning 
Prevention Program (under the Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning 
Surveillance System [HHLPSS--OMB Control No. 0920-0931, expiration date 
5/31/2018]). A metadata record, a file describing the original source 
and collection procedures for the data being submitted, is also 
submitted with each dataset (1 per dataset for a total of 6 metadata 
records per year) using the Tracking Program's metadata creation tool.
    Standardized extraction, formatting, and submission processes are 
developed in collaboration between CDC and SLHD for each dataset. 
Additions or modifications to these standardized datasets will also be 
developed collaboratively in order to improve the accuracy, 
completeness, efficiency, or utility of data submitted to CDC. Such 
changes will occur at most once a year. Examples of changes to data 
processes may include: (1) Addition of new variables or outcomes, (2) 
updates to case definitions, (3) modifications to temporal or spatial 
aggregation, and (4) changes in formatting for submission. As required, 
the Tracking Network will submit future additions and modifications as 
nonsubstantive change requests or revision ICRs.
    The other part of the collection involves program monitoring 
information from funded SLHD. In addition to standard reporting 
required by CDC's Procurement and Grants Office, the Tracking Program 
also collects information from funded SLHD for the purposes of program 
evaluation and monitoring. This information includes performance 
measures collected quarterly, a communications plan collected annually, 
an earned values management report collected quarterly, an evaluation 
plan collected annually, and Web site analytics collected quarterly as 
documents emailed to the Tracking Program.
    There are no costs for the respondents other than their time. The 
total estimated time burden is 25,320 hours. This estimate includes the 
time it takes to extract the data from the original data source(s), 
standardize and format the data to match the corresponding Tracking 
Network data form, and submit the data to the Tracking Network. In some 
cases, the data at the source are centralized and easily extracted. In 
other cases, like for radon data, the data are not. In those cases, the 
number of hours for extracting and standardizing the data is much 
greater. Four respondents have been added to the 26 SLHDs the program 
currently funds to account for the data voluntarily received from 
unfunded SLHDs and to allow for potential program growth over the next 
three years.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
          Type of respondent                    Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State and local health department.....  Birth defects prevalence              22               1              80
                                        Childhood lead blood                  18               1              80
                                         levels.
                                        Community drinking water              30               1             120
                                         monitoring.
                                        Emergency department                  26               1              80
                                         visits.
                                        Hospitalizations........              30               1              80
                                        Radon testing...........              16               1             120
                                        Metadata records........              30               6              20
                                        Program Management Tool               26               4              20
                                         (new awardees).
                                        Public Health Action                   4               4              20
                                         Report (existing
                                         awardees).
                                        Communications plan.....              30               1              20
                                        Earned value management               30               4              40
                                         report.
                                        Evaluation and                        30               1              20
                                         performance measurement
                                         strategy report.
                                        Website analytics.......              30               4               1
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[[Page 49223]]

Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Health Scientist, Acting Chief, Information Collection Review Office, 
Office of Scientific Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for 
Science, Office of the Director, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2016-17716 Filed 7-26-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P