[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 212 (Friday, November 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61276-61277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24233]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Request for 
Certification of Adult Victims of Human Trafficking

AGENCY: Office on Trafficking in Persons, Administration for Children 
and Families, HHS.

ACTION: Request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office on 
Trafficking in Persons (OTIP), is requesting a 3-year extension of the 
Request for Certification of Adult Victims of Human Trafficking (RFC) 
form (Office of Management and Budget (OMB) #: 0970-0454, expiration 2/
28/22). Minor revisions have been made to the form, including the 
addition of a few fields that will enable OTIP to be more responsive to 
congressional inquiries, federal reporting requirements, and the needs 
of victims.

DATES: Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with 
the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ACF is 
soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information 
collection described above.

ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the proposed collection of 
information and submit comments by emailing [email protected]. 
All requests should be identified by the title of the information 
collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 61277]]

    Description: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
provides letters of certification to foreign national victims of severe 
forms of trafficking in persons under the authority of the Trafficking 
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), as amended 22 U.S.C. Section 
7105(b)(1)(C) and (E). HHS delegated this authority to OTIP. 
Certification is required for foreign national adult victims of human 
trafficking in the United States to apply for federally funded benefits 
and services.
    OTIP developed a form for potential victims and their advocates, 
including case managers, attorneys, law enforcement officers, service 
providers, and other representatives to provide the required 
information for certification to HHS in accordance with the TVPA of 
2000, as amended. The RFC form (formerly titled Trafficking Victims 
Tracking System) was renamed in order to create continuity between the 
RFC and Request for Assistance for Child Victims of Human Trafficking 
(RFA) forms (OMB Control Number 0970-0362).
    Since the RFC form originally received clearance, OTIP modernized 
its request process and launched Shepherd, an online case management 
system, to process requests for certification and assistance on behalf 
of foreign national adult and minor victims of trafficking. The PDF 
version of the form should only be used in exceptional circumstances 
when the online case management system is inaccessible. If a requester 
encounters issues submitting a request through Shepherd, they may 
submit the RFC form to OTIP as a password protected PDF to 
[email protected]. The form asks the requester for their 
identifying information, identifying information for the foreign 
national adult in the event the form is submitted by a case manager, 
and information describing the victim's case management service needs. 
The minor revisions made to this form enable OTIP to better fulfill its 
mandate in accordance with the TVPA of 2000, as amended. These 
revisions also enable OTIP to be more responsive to congressional 
inquiries, federal reporting requirements, and the needs of victims, as 
the information provided will be factored into policy and program 
development efforts.
    Respondents: Potential victims of a severe form of trafficking in 
persons and their advocates, including case managers, attorneys, law 
enforcement officers, service providers, and other representatives.

                                                                 Annual Burden Estimates
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                                                                                      Total number of   Average burden
                             Instrument                              Total number of   responses per      hours per       Total burden    Annual burden
                                                                       respondents       respondent        response          hours            hours
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Request for Certification of Adult Victims of Human Trafficking....           1,300                1                1            1,300              433
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 433.
    Comments: The Department specifically requests comments on (a) 
whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.
    Authority: 22 U.S.C. 7105.

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-24233 Filed 11-4-21; 8:45 am]
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