[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 105 (Friday, May 31, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25233-25234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11402]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection; Secure Rural Schools Act
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and
organizations on the extension of the information collection, Secure
Rural Schools Act.
DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before July 30, 2019
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will
be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to
Leanne Veldhuis, National Secure Rural Schools Program Coordinator,
USDA Forest Service, Washington Office--Yates Building, 1400
Independence Avenue, Mailstop #1158, Washington, DC 20250; all comments
should identify OMB 0596-0220.
The public may inspect comments received at website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/pts/countyfunds/certification.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leanne Veldhuis, National Secure Rural
Schools Program Coordinator, by phone at 202-649-1177 or via email at
[email protected].
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through
Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Secure Rural Schools Act.
OMB Number: 0596-0220.
Expiration Date of Approval: August 31, 2019.
Type of Request: Extension.
Abstract: The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination
Act of 2000 (the Act) (16 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), as reauthorized in
Public Law 115-141, requires the appropriate official of a county that
receives funds under Title III of the Act to submit to the appropriate
Secretary an annual certification that the funds expended have been
used as authorized.
The appropriate official of each participating county will be
requested to report the amount of Title III funds expended in the
applicable year in these categories as specified in the Act:
(1) To carry out authorized activities under the Firewise
Communities Program;
(2) To reimburse the participating county for search and rescue and
other emergency services, including firefighting and law enforcement
patrols;
(3) To cover training costs and equipment purchases directly
related to the emergency service described in paragraph (2); and
(4) To develop and carry out community wildfire protection plans.
The information collection will identify the participating county,
the year in which the expenditures were made, the name, title, and
signature of the certifying official; and the date of the
certification. The certification will include a statement that all
expenditures were for uses authorized under the Act and that the
proposed uses were published and had a 60-day comment period and were
submitted to the appropriate Secure Rural Schools Act resource advisory
committee(s), if any, as described in Section 302(b) of the Act.
Beginning with the certification due on February 1, 2019, the
information collection also will request the county to certify the
amount of Title III funds received since October of 2008 that has not
been obligated as of September 30th of the previous year. This
collection is necessary in the certification due on February 1, 2022,
to determine the amount of Title III funds that must be returned to the
United States Treasury under section 304(b) of the Act. Collection of
this information in 2019 is consistent with a recent audit of county
uses of Title III funds by the Government Accountability Office (http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-775). A county's procedure for and
documentation of its obligation of Title III funds should be consistent
with its procedures to obligate funds from other Federal sources.
In summary, the February 1, 2019, information collection will
certify Title III funds expended in calendar year 2018, and the amount
of Title III funds not obligated as of September 30, 2018. The February
1, 2020, information collection will certify Title III funds expended
in calendar year 2019 and the amount of Title III funds not obligated
as of September 30, 2019.
The determination of who is the appropriate certifying official is
at the discretion of the county and borough and will vary depending on
county or borough organization. For unorganized boroughs in Alaska and
for participating counties in Vermont, a state official may provide the
information.
The information will be collected in the form of conventional
correspondence such as a letter and, at the respondent's option,
attached tables or similar graphic display. The Forest Service provides
an optional form for the convenience of respondents. At the
respondent's discretion, the information may be submitted by hard copy
and/or electronically scanned and included as an attachment to
electronic mail.
Under the Act, the first response was required by February 1, 2010
for funds expended in 2009. Responses are required by February 1st of
the following year each year Title III funds are expended. The Act
requires Title III funds to be obligated by September 30, 2021, or be
returned to the U.S. Treasury; therefore, the funds are likely to be
expended or returned in 2021 and the final certification of
expenditures could be made by February 1, 2022.
The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management
are also authorized to participate in this information collection
because the Bureau of Land Management administers Federal lands in
western
[[Page 25234]]
Oregon covered by the Act. The information will be reviewed by the
appropriate Secretary, or designee, to verify that participating
counties have certified that funds were expended as authorized in the
Act and to identify amounts not obligated by September 30th of the
previous year. The information also may be used by the Department of
the Interior because it is relevant to its Payments in Lieu of Taxes
(PILT) program.
Estimate of Annual Burden per Respondent: The estimated time
required for each respondent to collect, prepare and submit the
information is 24 hours each year, including an estimated 20 hours for
collection and four hours for preparation and submission.
Type of Respondents: Respondents are county officials.
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 344 county officials are
expected to respond each year.
Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: The Act
requires only one response for each participating county for each year
expenditures are made, except that sixteen counties in western Oregon
will respond separately to the Department of the Interior and the
Department of Agriculture.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: The estimated time
required for all respondents (344 counties) to collect, prepare, and
submit the information is 8,256 hours each year.
Comment Is Invited
Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the
functions of the agency, including whether the information will have
practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's
estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents, including the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
All comments received in response to this notice, including names
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record.
Comments will be summarized and included in the request for Office of
Management and Budget approval.
Dated: May 14, 2019.
Victoria Christiansen,
Chief, Forest Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-11402 Filed 5-30-19; 8:45 am]
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