[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 5, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 537-538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27329]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2021-0038]


Request for Comments on a Previously Approved Information 
Collection: Information Associated With the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs 
Protection (AMJP) Program

AGENCY: Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
abstracted below is being forwarded to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and comments. A Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information 
collection was published on September 21, 2021. No comments were 
received.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before February 4, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the burden estimate, including 
suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Office of Management and 
Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the Office of the Secretary of 
Transportation, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503.
    Comments are invited on: Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information related to this ICR, 
including applicable supporting documentation may be obtained by 
contacting Alexus Jenkins-Reid in the Office of the Secretary of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, via 
telephone at (202) 366-5112, or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Information Associated with the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs 
Protection (AMJP) Program.
    Form Numbers: New collection, Forms AMJP-1A.2.2, AMJP-1A.2.3, AMJP-
1A.2.4, AMJP-1A.6.4, AMJP-1A.6.5, AMJP-1A.6.6, AMJP-1A6.7 (available at 
https://www.transportation.gov/amjp/resources-recipients).
    OMB Control Number: 2106-0048.
    Type of Request: Renewal and update of Information Collection 
previously approved.
    Abstract: The Department of Transportation (DOT) hereby asks the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew and revise an 
information collection that was approved under an emergency clearance 
approval by OMB through November 30, 2021.
    On March 11, 2021, the ``American Rescue Plan Act of 2021'' (ARPA), 
Public Law (P.L.) 117-2, was enacted. Sections 7201 and 7202 
established the ``Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection'' (AMJP) 
program. The stated purpose of the program is ``to provide public 
contributions to supplement compensation of an eligible employee 
group'' (which is defined in the statute), by entering into agreements 
with qualifying business entities to pay up to half of the payroll 
costs for that group of employees for up to six months, in return for 
several commitments, including a commitment that the company will not 
involuntarily furlough or lay off employees within that group. 
Individual employees (including contract employees) are not eligible to 
apply for assistance under this program.
    Application for assistance under the AMJP was voluntary. No 
business was required to apply. To be eligible, however, businesses 
were required to meet all the requirements set forth in the law. 
Therefore, DOT was required to collect certain information from 
applicants to determine eligibility. DOT must also verify the accuracy 
of specific payment requests from approved applicants, in accordance 
with other laws and regulations governing Federal financial assistance 
programs, including (but not limited to) the Antideficiency Act, the 
Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), the 
Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019, and applicable provisions in 
2 CFR part 200, among others.
    The ARPA required DOT to reduce funding on a pro rata basis if 
eligible requests exceeded available funds. Therefore, DOT originally 
planned to conduct a single-round, expedited application process to 
identify all eligible requests before beginning the award process. 
Accordingly, DOT developed a process and system to enable businesses to 
apply for financial assistance under the AMJP. DOT used an online, web-
based system to collect the information outlined in the notice at 86 FR 
19695. OMB provided emergency approval on May 26, 2021, with 
information collection control number 2106-0048.
    DOT subsequently announced the beginning of the application process 
on June 14, 2021, via notice at 86 FR 31573. DOT posted the application 
instructions online at https://www.transportation.gov/AMJP/apply. The 
application process was open for four weeks, from June 14, 2021 through 
July 13, 2021. DOT subsequently reopened the application process for 
another four-week period ending September 1, 2021. On November 8, 2021, 
DOT made the decision to reopen the application process for one final 
period ending December 13, 2021.
    DOT has publicly announced more than 470 offers of financial 
assistance under the AMJP, totaling more than $666 million, resulting 
from the first two application processes. As of the signature date of 
this notice, DOT has awarded 446 financial assistance agreements, 
totaling approximately $597 million. DOT is renewing and updating this 
information collection. DOT will continue to require eligible 
recipients to attest that they continue to meet all the original 
eligibility requirements as previously outlined, as well as the 
following information:
     A sworn certification as to the complete and accurate 
nature of all information provided, including all supporting 
documentation, subject to civil or criminal penalties. The specific 
certification language is in the forms referenced above and section 4.8 
of the General Terms And Conditions Under The Aviation Manufacturing 
Jobs Protection Program.\1\
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    \1\ See https://www.transportation.gov/amjp/resources-recipients 
for text of a sample AMJP agreement, including the General Terms and 
Conditions.
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     After DOT determines eligibility and enters into an 
agreement with the applicant (referred to hereafter as ``the 
recipient''), DOT will also require the recipient to provide the actual 
aggregate total cost of compensation for the Eligible Employee Group 
during the period of the agreement with DOT, in order for DOT to review 
and approve actual disbursements pursuant to the agreement. Recipients 
will be required to provide supporting documentation in sufficient 
detail to substantiate the

[[Page 538]]

actual costs, specifically excluding any Personally Identifiable 
Information (PII) for any individual employees. Recipients will also be 
required to provide additional supporting information and 
certifications in support of disbursement requests. See Forms AMJP-1A-
6.4, AMJP-1A-6.6, and AMJP-1A-6.7.
     DOT may also ask recipient businesses to submit voluntary 
reports regarding demographic data associated with the workforce that 
is and is not included in the Eligible Employee Group. This would be 
voluntary on the part of the employer and based solely on voluntary 
data self-reported by employees, disaggregated from any Personally 
Identifiable Information in order to avoid any potential privacy 
concerns. If a statistically valid sample can be developed, then it may 
be possible to extrapolate for reporting and program evaluation 
purposes. Such information may be used to support program evaluation.
     DOT may also ask recipient businesses to identify how they 
first learned about the AMJP program. Such information may be useful in 
implementation of future financial assistance programs.
    DOT has updated the following estimated public burden figures based 
on the actual number of applications received as well as observations 
during the application review process. In order to help reduce the 
burden on recipients (and particularly on small businesses), DOT 
decided to make an initial disbursement shortly after award of each 
agreement. The initial disbursement is up to 50 percent of the award 
amount. This provides the recipient businesses with an immediate cash 
infusion, while also reducing the total number of disbursements and the 
cumulative paperwork required. DOT announced this decision in the 
application package published on June 15, 2021.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 600 eligible business entities in 
the aviation manufacturing, maintenance, repair, and overhaul services 
based in the United States.
    Estimated Number of Responses: See ``Annual Estimated Total Burden 
Hours,'' below.
    Frequency of Collection: One-time application (already completed), 
to be followed by disbursement requests and final closeout reports 
(including supporting payroll documentation and reporting 
requirements).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Total burden, 16,800 hours (28 
hours per respondent including 4 hours for each of 2 disbursement 
requests; 14 hours for required forms; 2 hours for voluntary 
demographic data; and 4 hours for closeout documentation).\2\
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    \2\ DOT published these figures in the 60-day notice on 
September 21, 2021. As of that date, DOT believed that the 
application process had been concluded, and therefore no longer 
included figures associated with the AMJP application process (which 
DOT did include in the original request for emergency approval 
published on April 14, 2021). DOT subsequently reopened the 
application process for a third and final round, with an application 
deadline of December 13, 2021. If another 150 applicants apply, then 
this would represent an additional burden of 2,400 hours at an 
estimated cost of $89,740.50.
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    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 12, 2021.
Brian Elliott Black,
Program Director, Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection (AMJP) 
Program.
[FR Doc. 2021-27329 Filed 1-4-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P