[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 209 (Tuesday, November 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60463-60464]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23872]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-22-1262; Docket No. CDC-2021-0111]


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.

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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 National HIV Behavioral 
Surveillance among Transgender Women (NHBS-Trans). CDC is requesting 
approval to continue collecting standardized HIV-related behavioral 
data from transgender women at risk for HIV.

DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before January 3, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2021-
0111 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 H21-8, 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 H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; 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;
    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; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System--among Transgender 
Women (NHBS-Trans) (OMB Control No. 0920-1262, Exp. 04/30/2022)--
Revision--National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB 
Prevention (NCHHSTP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The purpose of this data collection is to monitor behaviors of 
transgender women at high risk for infection that are related to Human 
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) transmission and prevention in the United 
States. This includes recruiting, interviewing and providing HIV 
testing and referral to services (as needed) following CDC protocol. 
The proposed respondents are 300 adult minority transgender women in up 
to 14 cities (4,200 interviews total) who will each respond one time 
over the course of the three-year pilot. The information will be 
collected over a three-year period beginning no later than two months 
after OMB approval. NHBS-Trans provides information to help prevent HIV 
among transgender women. Preventing HIV, especially among high-risk 
groups, is an effective strategy for reducing individual, local, and 
national healthcare costs. The utility of this information is to 
provide CDC and local health department staff with data for evaluating 
progress towards local and national public health goals, such as 
reducing new HIV infections, increasing the use of condoms, and 
targeting high risk groups by describing and monitoring the HIV risk 
behaviors, HIV seroprevalence and incidence, and HIV prevention

[[Page 60464]]

experiences of persons at highest risk for HIV infection.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requests a three-
year approval for a revised information collection. Data will be 
collected through anonymous, in-person interviews conducted with 
persons systematically selected from up to 14 cities throughout the 
United States; these MSAs were chosen based on having high HIV 
prevalence. A brief screening interview will be used to determine 
eligibility for participation in the behavioral assessment. 
Participants will be recruited through respondent-driven sampling, a 
scientifically proven recruitment strategy for reaching hidden, hard-
to-reach, or stigmatized populations. Interview data will be recorded 
on secure portable computers, without internet connections. Data will 
be transferred to secure, encrypted data servers. Data will be stored 
at CDC and shared with local health departments in accordance with 
existing data use agreements and the Assurance of Confidentiality for 
HIV/AIDS Surveillance Data. Data will be disseminated in aggregate 
through academic and agency publications, presentations, and reports. 
All required data collection and activities will be anonymous.
    Personally identifiable information (PII) is not included in the 
data collection. The CDC Privacy Officer has assessed this package for 
applicability of 5 U.S.C. 552a. The Privacy Act is not applicable 
because PII is not being collected under this CDC funded activity. The 
NHBS-Trans formative interview and optional HIV testing are anonymous 
(neither names nor Social Security numbers are collected). Data that 
will be collected through NHBS-Trans, while sensitive, are not 
personally identifying. The data from the behavioral assessment will 
provide estimates of (1) behavior related to the risk of HIV and other 
sexually transmitted diseases, (2) prior testing for HIV, and (3) use 
of HIV prevention services. All persons interviewed will also be 
offered an HIV test and will participate in a pre-test counseling 
session. No other federal agency systematically collects this type of 
information from persons at risk for HIV infection. These data have 
substantial impact on prevention program development and monitoring at 
the local, state, and national levels.
    The burden table below shows the estimated annualized burden hours 
for the participants' time. Annually, 1,540 participants will complete 
an eligibility screener (an average of 5 minutes to complete), 1,400 
participants will complete the Behavioral Assessment (an average of 40 
minutes to complete), and 1,400 will complete the Recruiter Debriefing 
Form (an average of two minutes to complete). The total estimated 
annualized burden is 1,110 hours. Participation of respondents is 
voluntary. There are no costs to respondents other than their time.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
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Persons Screened..............  Eligibility                1,540               1            5/60             129
                                 Screener.
Eligible Participants.........  NHBS-Trans                 1,400               1           40/60             934
                                 Interview.
Peer Recruiters...............  Recruiter                  1,400               1            2/60              47
                                 Debriefing.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............           1,110
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2021-23872 Filed 11-1-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P