[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 183 (Friday, September 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 53042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20720]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; 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 
proposing an extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 25, 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 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 without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    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 
deobligate 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 deobligation and 
redistribution of these funds more efficiently, the Department is 
requesting an extension of approval of a short form that will allow 
these institutions to provide the Department with information regarding 
the funds being declined.

    Dated: September 21, 2021.
Kate Mullen,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-20720 Filed 9-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P