[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 244 (Friday, December 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82480-82481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27819]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-21-21BG; Docket No. CDC-2020-0118]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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

SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed and/or 
continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed 
information collection project titled the Prevention Research Centers 
(PRC) National Program Evaluation Reporting System (PERS). The purposes 
of the information collection system are to monitor progress on PRC 
program inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes; support program 
management, evaluation, and improvement; facilitate internal and 
external reporting; and demonstrate accountability for Congressional 
funding. CDC has received and incorporated feedback from PRCs on the 
current version of PERS.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before February 16, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2020-
0118 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to Regulations.gov.

    Please note:  Submit all comments through the Federal 
eRulemaking portal (regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address 
listed above.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7118; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(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. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Prevention Research Centers National Program Evaluation Reporting 
System (PERS)--NEW--National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and 
Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    In 1984, Congress passed Public Law 98-551 directing the Department 
of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to establish Centers for Research 
and Development of Health Promotion and
    Disease Prevention. Beginning in 1986, the CDC received funding to 
lead the Prevention Research Centers (PRC) Program. Each PRC receives 
funding from the CDC to establish its core infrastructure and functions 
and conduct a core research project. Core research projects reflect 
each PRC's area of expertise and community needs. PRC core research 
projects align with the health disparities and goals outlined in 
Healthy People 2020 and Healthy People 2030. PRCs also have the 
opportunity to apply for additional competitive CDC funding to complete 
special interest projects (SIPs) to focus on a topic of interest or a 
gap in scientific evidence.
    In 2018, the CDC published program announcement DP19-001 for the 
current PRC Program funding cycle (September 30, 2019--September 29, 
2024). Twenty-six PRCs were selected through a competitive, external, 
peer-review process. The program is now in its second year of the 
current five-year funding cycle. Each PRC is housed within an 
accredited school of public health or an accredited school of

[[Page 82481]]

medicine or osteopathy with a preventive medicine residency program. 
The PRCs conduct outcomes-oriented, applied prevention research, on 
priority public health topics using a multi-disciplinary and community-
engaged approach. Partners include, but are not limited to, state, 
local, and tribal health departments, departments of education, schools 
and school districts, community-based organizations, healthcare 
providers, and health organizations. Partners collaborate with the PRCs 
to assess community needs; identify research priorities; set research 
agendas; conduct research projects and related activities such as 
training and technical assistance; translate research findings; and 
disseminate research results to public health practitioners, other 
researchers, and the general public.
    In 2020, CDC convened a work group consisting of representatives 
from 11 PRCs to review proposed data fields in PERS and provide 
feedback to CDC. Their feedback was used to refine the data fields and 
ensure feasibility of the data collection and reporting by PRCs. These 
data will be used for program monitoring and evaluation purposes.
    CDC's proposed information collection plan is as follows: CDC will 
use the information reported by PRCs through PERS to identify training 
and technical assistance needs, respond to requests for information 
from Congress and other sources, monitor grantees' compliance with 
cooperative agreement requirements, evaluate progress made in achieving 
goals and objectives, and inform program improvement efforts. In 
addition, these monitoring data will support CDC's ability to describe 
the impact and effectiveness of the PRC Program.
    The CDC currently funds 26 PRCs and each center will annually 
report the required information to the CDC through PERS during years 3-
5 of the cooperative agreement. The average, estimated annualized 
burden per respondent is 25 hours. The total, estimated, annualized 
burden for all respondents is 650 hours. The proposed web-based data 
collection system will allow data entry during the entire year, which 
will enable respondents to distribute burden throughout each funding 
year. Response burden is estimated to decrease significantly in years 
four and five, because cumulative reporting means some sections will 
require little to no editing through the funding cycle. The average 
estimated annualized burden for year three is expected to be 32 hours 
whereas the average estimated annualized burden for years four and five 
is expected to be 21 hours.
    OMB approval is requested for three years, which will cover the 
last three years in the current funding cycle. As stated in the program 
announcement, PRC Program recipients are required to report data in 
PERS. There are no costs to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRCs..........................  PERS............              26               1              25             650
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-27819 Filed 12-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P