[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45629-45630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16429]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2020-SCC-0122]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Higher 
Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Data Collection Form

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 
proposing a new information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
September 28, 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-0122. 
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 6W208D, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Beatriz Ceja, 202-377-3711, or 
email [email protected].

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)6239 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: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) 
Data Collection Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1840-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Organizations; 
Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 5,170.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 7,756.
    Abstract: This information collection supports the annual 
collection of data pertaining to the uses of funds under the Higher 
Education Emergency Education Relief Fund (HEER Fund). Section 18004(a) 
of the CARES Act, Public Law 116-136 (March 27, 2020), authorized the 
Secretary of Education to allocate formula grant funds to participating 
institutions of higher education (IHEs). Section 18004(c) of the CARES 
Act allows IHEs to use up to one-half of the total funds received to 
cover any costs associated with the significant changes to the delivery 
of instruction due to the coronavirus (with specific exceptions). This 
information collection request includes the reporting requirements in 
order to comply with the requirements of the CARES Act and obtain 
information on how the funds were used. The information will be 
reviewed by U.S. Department of Education (Department) employees to 
ensure that HEER funds are used in accordance with section 18004 of the 
CARES Act, and will be shared with the public to promote transparency 
regarding the allocation and uses of funds.
    HEER Reporting Requirements: Data collected through this 
information collection will inform Department monitoring and oversight, 
and public reporting and is in addition to reporting already required 
under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 
(FFATA), Public Law 109--282, as amended by the Digital Accountability 
and Transparency Act (DATA Act), Public Law 113--101.
    HEER Reporting Timeframe: The anticipated reporting periods and 
associated deadlines for this information collection are as follows:
    The First Annual Report is due on January 29, 2021 and applies to 
the reporting period from March 13, 2020 through June 30, 2020. The 
Second Annual Report is due on September 30, 2021 and applies to the 
reporting period from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. The Third 
Annual Report is due on September 20, 2022 and applies to the reporting 
period from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022.
    Directed Questions: The Department requests input from data 
submitters and stakeholders on the following directed questions. Please 
note that in addition to these questions, public comments are 
encouraged on all of the changes proposed. While these questions are 
directed to IHE data submitters, comments from all stakeholders on 
these topics are welcome.
    (1) What data in this form will be difficult to collect or report 
and why? Are there changes that could be made to improve the quality of 
the data or reduce the burden?
    (2) The Department believes the data requested under this 
collection will be valuable for multiple purposes, such as measuring 
program performance and informing future program design. The Department 
is interested in learning the extent to which others, particularly 
stakeholders at the State and local level, agree that this data is 
valuable for their own purposes and whether there is additional data 
that would be valuable for the Department to collect from its grantees?
    (3) The Department is interested in reducing the burden of data 
collection and making use of existing data when at all possible. For 
example, are there

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alternative methods to collect data or data that is already collected 
on institutional expenditures related to HEER funding under section 
18004a of the CARES Act?
    (4) Will the proposed method for collecting the number of FTE 
positions created or retained as a result of HEER funds awarded to IHEs 
yield accurate data? Is there an alternative methodology that would 
improve the accuracy of the data?

    Dated: July 24, 2020.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2020-16429 Filed 7-28-20; 8:45 am]
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