[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 58 (Monday, March 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16390-16391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-06418]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[DT64101000.DSB4A0000.T7AC00.24IA; OMB CONTROL NUMBER 1035-0005]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Tribal Trust 
Evaluations for Compact Tribes

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, Bureau of 
Trust Funds Administration (formerly known as the Office of the Special 
Trustee for American Indians), Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of 
the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
we, the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (BTFA, formerly known as 
the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians) are proposing 
to renew an information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 28, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to Nina Alexander, Bureau of Trust Funds Administration 
Director of Federal Information Resources, 4400 Masthead NE, 
Albuquerque, NM 87109; or by email to [email protected]. Please 
reference Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1035-
0005 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Nina Alexander by email at 
[email protected] or by telephone at 505-273-1620.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA and 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval under the 
PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor, and you are not required to respond 
to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid 
OMB control number.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on 
new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This 
helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements 
and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public 
understand our information collection requirements and provide the 
requested data in the desired format.

[[Page 16391]]

    We are especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 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) How might the agency 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 submission of response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: As codified in 25 U.S.C. 4001, The American Indian Trust 
Fund Management Reform Act of 1994 (the Reform Act) makes provisions 
for the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration (formerly known as the 
Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians) to administer trust 
fund accounts for individuals and tribes. This collection of 
information is required to fulfill the mission of the Bureau of Trust 
Funds Administration (BTFA) and the Secretary of the Interior's 
responsibility for evaluating all Public Law 93-638 Compact Tribes 
administering or managing trust programs, functions, services, and/or 
activities on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. This 
responsibility is federally mandated pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 458cc(d) and 
25 CFR 1000.350. The BTFA, Office of Trust Risk, Evaluation and 
Compliance currently performs the evaluations by collecting Tribal 
trust data and documentation from approximately 126 Compacted Tribes. 
These evaluations are conducted by performing desk reviews (via email 
questionnaires, and teleconferences), and on-site visits. The results 
are documented in a final report which is submitted to the Tribe(s) 
with copies to select government officials. The data is also reported 
in the annual report to Congress through the Office of Self-Governance.
    The original 2018 request for the OMB Form 1035-0005 to be approved 
included language regarding the automation of the questionnaires that 
make up the 1035-0005 collection. This would have provided the 
Compacted Tribes access to the questionnaires through a Tribal 
Evaluation System (TES) that the Office of the Special Trustee for 
American Indians (OST) was developing. System development reviews 
identified a number of problematic issues with TES, including potential 
vulnerabilities to the system. As a result, the system development 
ended, which lead to the system being formally decommissioned by OST in 
2020. This request for renewal of 1035-0005 is for the continued 
approved use of the collection (questionnaires) only.
    Title of Collection: Tribal Trust Evaluations, 25 CFR 1000.350.
    OMB Control Number: 1035.
    Form Number: 0005.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Public Law 93-638 Compacted Tribes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 64 Tribes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 640.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 3 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,920.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Maintain a Benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Bi-Annually.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-Hour Burden Cost: $71,654.
    (64 respondents x average of 10 questionnaires per year x 3 hours 
per questionnaire = 1,920 x $37.32 (Business and Financial Operations 
Classification) = $71,654.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

John Montel,
Associate Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-06418 Filed 3-26-21; 8:45 am]
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