[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 178 (Friday, September 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43380-43381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19560]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Public Comment Request; Extension of a Currently Approved Information 
Collection; Annual Performance Reports for the Centers for Independent 
Living (CILs), Designated State Entities (DSEs), and Statewide 
Independent Living Councils (SILC) (704 Parts I and II Reports)

AGENCY: Independent Living Administration, Administration on 
Disabilities, Administration for Community Living, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is announcing 
that the proposed collection of information listed above has been 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
clearance as required under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the 
PRA). This 30-day notice requests comments on the information 
collection requirements related to a proposed Extension Without Changes 
of a Currently Approved Information Collection (ICR Ext) (OMB approval 
number 0985-0023). The extension would allow ACL to continue to collect 
information necessary to determine grantee compliance with Title VII of 
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended by the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act of 2014.
    ACL received a large number of public comments resulting from a 60-
day Federal Register notice for the 704 Part II report. In response to 
the comments, ACL is proposing to extend the currently approved forms 
for one year while we work on a revision that addresses all the 
comments from the 60-day notice regarding the updated form.

DATES: Submit written comments on the collection of information by 
October 16, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the collection of information: By 
fax at 202.395.5806 or by email to [email protected], Attn: 
OMB Desk Officer for ACL.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Veronica Hogan at (202) 795-7365 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal 
agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. 
``Collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 
1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of 
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a 
third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) 
requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal 
Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including 
each proposed extension or update of an existing collection of 
information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. The 
proposed data collection represents an extension of a currently 
approved information collection.
    In order to comply with the above requirement, the Independent 
Living Administration (ILA) is requesting approval of an extension of a 
previously approved collection, the Centers for Independent Living 
Program Performance Report (704 Part II), and the Independent Living 
Services Program Performance Report (704 Part I) annual reports (0985-
0043). Sections 704(m)(4)(D), 706(d), 721(b)(3), and 725(c) of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973

[[Page 43381]]

(Rehabilitation Act), as amended by the Workforce Innovation and 
Opportunity Act (WIOA, Pub. L. 113-128), and the corresponding 
regulations at 45 CFR part 1329, require centers for independent living 
(CILs) to submit annual performance reports to the Administrator of the 
Administration for Community Living (ACL) in order to receive 
continuation funding under the IL Parts B and C programs.
    The 704 reports are submitted annually by all Centers for 
Independent Living, designated State entities and Statewide Independent 
Living Councils receiving IL Parts B and C funds. The 704 Parts I and 
II reports are used by ACL to assess grantees' compliance with title 
VII of the Act, with section 1329 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 
and with applicable provisions of the HHS regulations at 45 CFR part 
75. The 704 Parts I and II reports serve as the primary basis for ACL's 
monitoring activities in fulfillment of its responsibilities under 
sections 706 and 722 of the Act. The 704 Parts I and II reports also 
enable ACL to collect qualitative and quantitative data to track 
performance outcomes and efficiency measures of the IL programs with 
respect to the annual and long-term performance targets established in 
compliance with the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) reporting 
requirements. The 704 Parts I and II reports are also used by ACL to 
design CIL and SILC training and technical assistance programs 
authorized by section 721 of the Act.

Comments in Response to the 60-Day Federal Register Notice

    A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register in Vol. 82, 
No. 35, pg. 11471 on February 23rd, 2017. A Notice of Correction was 
published in the Federal Register in Vol. 82, No. 42 pg. 12610 on March 
6th, 2017, announcing that ACL had made changes to the submission 
instructions, the public comments closing date was incorrect, the 
public comments email box was incorrect, and the core services were 
misstated in the original Federal Register posting ACL received 
comments from 50 (Fifty) organizations that provided 221 (Two Hundred 
and Twenty-One) individual comments about the proposed information 
collection. ACL reviewed all of the comments. The majority of the 
comments that ACL received expressed concerns over inclusion of sexual 
orientation and gender identity questions in the reporting instrument 
and asked that those questions be removed; the separate demographics 
and services provided to individuals with significant disabilities, and 
the need for clarification on the definitions and instructions as well 
as revisions to the IL core services and additional services sections 
of the updated reporting instrument. Further deliberation is needed to 
ensure that we appropriately address all of the concerns. This work 
will inform a redesign of the proposed information collection forms 
prior to the expiration of the extension.

Annual Burden Estimates

    A copy of the existing Centers for Independent Living (CILs), 
designated State entities (DSEs) and Statewide Independent Living 
Councils (SILCs) Annual Performance Reports (704 Parts I and II reports 
can be found on ACL's Web site at: https://www.acl.gov/about-acl/public-input. The 704 Report's estimated hour burden per respondent 
each for the Part I (IL Part B) and Part II (IL Part C) in 2017 remains 
unchanged at 35 hours from 2014 because the current data collection 
instrument is the same as the one approved in 2014.
    The total estimated hour burden also remains the same because the 
number of respondents, 412, has not changed since the 2014 approval.
    The aggregate total hour burden for 412 Parts I and II 704 Report 
is estimated at 14,385, as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Number of DSEs    Frequency of    Average burden
                   Report                     and SILCs (Part   responses per      hours per       Total annual
                                                     B)              year           response       burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
704 Report, Part I..........................              55                1               35            1,925
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Number of IL     Frequency of    Average burden
                   Report                      Centers (Part    responses per      hours per       Total annual
                                                     C)              year           response       burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
704 Report, Part II.........................             356                1               35           12,460
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 14,385.

    Dated: September 11, 2017.
Mary Lazare,
Principal Deputy Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-19560 Filed 9-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4154-01-P