[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 102 (Friday, May 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28819-28820]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11358]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2021-SCC-0080]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Voluntary Decline of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds 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 
requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct an 
emergency review of a new information collection.

DATES: OMB approved this information collection under emergency 
processing on May 10, 2021. A regular clearance process is also hereby 
being initiated. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on 
or before July 27, 2021.

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-2021-SCC-0080. 
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 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Karen Epps, 202-453-6337.

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: Voluntary Decline of Higher Education 
Emergency Relief Funds Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1840-0856.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 125.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 63.
    Abstract: Funding for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund 
(HEERF) is provided by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic 
Security Act (CARES Act) (Pub. L. 116-136), the Coronavirus Response 
and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) (Pub. L. 116-
260) and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117-2). 
Institutions eligible for funding under these statutes may elect to 
voluntarily decline all or a portion of their HEERF grant awards, in 
which case the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) will then 
de-obligate the funds from the institution's G5 account and will later 
redistribute the funds to other institutions with greater needs due to 
the coronavirus. In order to process the de-obligation and 
redistribution of these funds more efficiently, the Department is 
requesting approval of a short form that will allow these institutions 
to provide the Department with information regarding the funds being 
declined.
    Additional Information: The Department received emergency clearance 
for this information collection in order to issue awards in a timely

[[Page 28820]]

manner. Due to the heightened risk associated with proprietary 
institutions, the Department determined it necessary to obtain 
additional certifications prior to making further awards under the 
(a)(4) funding stream. Without approval of the Required Proprietary 
Institution Certifications form, the Department would have been forced 
to delay making ARP (a)(4) awards to these institutions. Delay of ARP 
(a)(4) awards would be particularly problematic, as Congress has 
designated these funds as being solely directed to emergency financial 
aid grants to students at these institutions.

    Dated: May 25, 2021.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-11358 Filed 5-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P