[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 135 (Monday, July 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38071-38072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15283]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2021-SCC-0072]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Maintenance-of-Effort Requirements and Waiver Requests Under 
the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund and 
the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Department 
of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
proposing an extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
August 18, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be sent within 30 days of 
publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find 
this information collection request by selecting ``Department of 
Education'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then check ``Only Show 
ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. Comments may also be sent to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Britt Jung, (202) 453-6046.

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

[[Page 38072]]

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: Maintenance-of-Effort Requirements and Waiver 
Requests under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief 
(ESSER) Fund and the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund.
    OMB Control Number: 1810-0745.
    Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 81.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 358.
    Abstract: This is a request for an extension without change of an 
existing information collection, 1810-0745. In recognition of the 
immense challenges facing students, educators, staff, schools, LEAs, 
and SEAs right now, Congress has made additional ESSER and GEER funds 
available to SEAs and LEAs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to 
COVID-19 through the CRRSA Act and, most recently and significantly, 
the ARP Act. It is critical that States and Governors receive clear 
guidance on the MOE requirements under the CRRSA Act and the ARP Act to 
inform their spending decisions and implementation plans for the GEER 
and ESSER programs as SEAs and LEAs prepare to help schools return 
safely to in-person instruction, maximize in-person instructional time, 
sustain the safe operation of schools, and address the academic, 
social, emotional, and mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
This guidance and the associated collection provide States and 
Governors clear guidance they need to fully implement their GEER and 
ESSER programs. States and Governors have delayed distributing and 
spending funds due to the absence of guidance on the process for 
requesting waivers of MOE. Additionally, the Department will not be 
able to properly monitor GEER and ESSER recipients or provide technical 
assistance without collecting the MOE data and, when requested by 
States, grant MOE waiver requests.

    Dated: July 14, 2021.
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. 2021-15283 Filed 7-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P