[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61009-61010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24583]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Semi-Annual and 
Annual Data Collection Instruments for Economic Development 
Administration Grantees (Non-Infrastructure Programs)

AGENCY: Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the 
proposed information collections, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before January 13, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments, requests for additional 
information, or requests for copies of the proposed information 
collection instrument and instructions to Ksenia Shadrina, Lead 
Performance and Program Evaluation Analyst, Performance and National 
Programs Division, Economic Development Administration U.S. Department 
of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Mail Stop 71030, Washington, 
DC 20230, or via email at [email protected] or [email protected]. All 
comments received are part of the public record. Comments will 
generally be posted without change. All Personally Identifiable 
Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by 
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential 
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice are a part of the 
public record and will be made available to the public, which may 
include posting them on the Regulations.gov website. Comments will 
generally be posted without change. Please do not include information 
of a confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or 
proprietary information. All Personally Identifiable Information (for 
example, name and address) voluntarily submitted may be publicly 
accessible. If you send an email comment, your email address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket. Please note that comments that include a 
message stating the confidentiality of the communication will be 
treated as public comments and will be made available to the public.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Economic Development Administration (EDA) leads the Federal 
economic development agenda by promoting innovation and 
competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in 
the worldwide economy. The Public Works and Economic Development Act of 
1965 (PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.) is EDA's organic authority and is 
the primary legal authority under which EDA awards grants. Under PWEDA, 
EDA provides financial assistance to both rural and urban distressed 
communities by fostering entrepreneurship, innovation and productivity 
through investments in infrastructure development, capacity building 
and business development in order to attract private capital 
investments and new and better jobs to regions experiencing substantial 
and persistent economic distress.
    EDA's expansive portfolio of programs, the changing economy, and 
advances in the field of program evaluation make updates to EDA's 
methods for performance measurement and program evaluation necessary in 
order to ensure transparency, accountability, and effectiveness of EDA 
investments. The recently passed Foundations for Evidence-Based 
Policymaking Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-435) further emphasizes the 
importance of updating existing methodologies for performance 
measurement and program evaluation to align with evolving best 
practices.
    EDA proposes revising Forms ED-916, ED-917, and ED-918, which are 
currently used to collect limited performance information on sponsored 
activities and resulting outcomes from the grantees receiving 
assistance under just three of EDA's non-infrastructure programs: 
Partnership Planning, University Center, and the Trade and Adjustment 
Assistance for Firms, respectively. The revised Forms ED-916, ED-917, 
and ED-918 would instead comprehensively cover all of EDA's non-
infrastructure programs: Economic Adjustment Assistance (non-
infrastructure projects), including new Revolving Loan Funds; Planning; 
Local Technical Assistance, including University Centers; Regional 
Innovation Strategies; Research and National Technical Assistance; and 
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms. The data on program-sponsored 
activities and associated outcomes will be collected on semi-annual and 
annual bases, respectively.
    The revised data collection instruments were developed through 
cooperative agreements with a number of leading research institutions, 
most notably SRI International. The methodology and applications for 
the instruments are described in the Innovative Metrics for Economic 
Development report and Toolkit for Economic Development Practitioners 
that are available on EDA's website at www.eda.gov/performance/.
    EDA does not propose to revise the remaining fourth form under this 
information collection, Form ED-915, which is used to collect 
information on infrastructure and existing revolving loan fund (RLF) 
projects funded through awards from EDA's Public works and Economic 
Adjustment Assistance programs. Form ED-915 would instead

[[Page 61010]]

be extended without change; however, EDA plans to revise Form ED-915 in 
the future to update the information collected on infrastructure 
projects. Note that all RLF awards made after the implementation of the 
revised Forms ED-916, ED-917, and ED-918 will be required to report 
performance information using those Forms; this requirement may be 
extended to all RLF awards when Form ED-915 is revised.

II. Method of Collection

    The information will be collected through online data collection 
instruments. The information will be used by EDA personnel to monitor 
recipients' compliance with EDA's statutory and regulatory requirements 
and specific terms and conditions relating to individual awards, as 
well as for performance measurement and program evaluation analyses to 
ensure effectiveness of EDA's programs. The information collected will 
not be disseminated to the public, except at the aggregated level in 
studies and reports.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0610-0098.
    Form Number(s): ED-915, ED-916, ED-917, ED-918.
    Type of Review: Revision of a Currently Approved Collection (Forms 
ED-916, ED-917, ED-918) and Extension (without revision) of a Currently 
Approved Collection (Form ED-915).
    Affected Public: EDA award recipients: State and local governments, 
institutions of higher education, not-for-profit organizations, and 
Indian Tribes.
    Estimated Number of Respondents:

Revised Forms ED-916, ED-917, and ED-918:
    Semi-annual: 550 respondents
    Annual: 550 respondents
Extended (without revision) Form ED-915: 500 respondents
Total annual number of responses: (550 x 3) + 500 = 2,150 respondents

    Estimated Time per Response:
Revised Forms ED-916, ED-917, and ED-918:
    Semi-annual: 2.5 hours x 2 times per year
    Annual: 6 hours once per year
Extended (without revision) Form ED-915: 8 hours

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:
Revised Forms ED-916, ED-917, and ED-918:
    Semi-annual: 2,750 burden hours per year
    Annual: 3,300 burden hours per year
Extended Form ED-915: 4,000 hours
Total hours: 10,050 burden hours per year

    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $576,568 (cost assumes 
application of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics second quarter 2019 mean 
hourly wage for professional and related occupations of $57.37).

IV. Request for Comments

    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 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection. All public comments will become a matter of public record.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2019-24583 Filed 11-8-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-WH-P