[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 119 (Friday, June 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37081-37082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-13246]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2020-SCC-0088]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Eligibility of Students at Institutions of Higher Education for Funds 
Under the CARES Act

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is

[[Page 37082]]

requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct an 
emergency review of a new information collection.

DATES: Since an initial notice was published prematurely on June 9, 
2020, ED is issuing this new emergency notice again, and approval by 
the OMB has been requested by June 17, 2020. A regular clearance 
process is also hereby being initiated. Interested persons are invited 
to submit comments on or before August 18, 2020.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2020-SCC-0088. 
Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov 
site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily 
accept comments at [email protected]. Please include the docket ID 
number and the title of the information collection request when 
requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments 
submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period 
will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments 
submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the 
Director of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, 
LBJ, Room 6W-208D, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Gaby Watts, 202-453-7195.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with 
an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The 
Department of Education is especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to 
the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be 
processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden 
accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the 
Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, 
including through the use of information technology. Please note that 
written comments received in response to this notice will be considered 
public records.
    Title of Collection: Eligibility of Students at Institutions of 
Higher Education for Funds under the CARES Act.
    OMB Control Number: 1840-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector; State, Local, and 
Tribal Governments; Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1,553,009.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 536,478.
    Abstract: The U.S. Department of Education is requesting an 
emergency clearance of this information collection request to allow for 
immediate outreach to institutions of higher eduction (IHEs) to meet 
the requirements of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security 
Act or the CARES Act, Public Law 116-136 (March 27, 2020). This will 
help to ensure that the distribution of the CARES Act funds is managed 
by IHEs in accordance with the clarification as discussed in the 
Interim Final Rule. The Department is requesting emergency clearance 
and OMB approval of our emergency and 60 day public comment period with 
this filing. The Department will publish a 30 Federal Register notice 
as required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information 
collection after the end of the 60 day notice.
    Additional Information: An emergency clearance approval for the use 
of the system is described below due to the following conditions:
    Section 18004 of the Act authorizes the Secretary of Education 
(``Secretary'') to allocate formula grant funds to participating 
institutions of higher educations (IHEs). It requires the IHEs to use 
no less than fifty percent of the funds received to provide emergency 
financial aid grants to students for expenses related to the disruption 
of campus operations due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses 
under a student's cost of attendance such as food, housing, course 
materials, technology, health care, and child care). ED is requesting 
an emergency clearance so that IHEs may appropriately determine which 
individuals attending their institution are eligible to receive 
emergency financial aid grants under the CARES Act.

    Dated: June 16, 2020.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-13246 Filed 6-18-20; 8:45 am]
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