[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4007-4008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01475]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2022-SCC-0009]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Education Stabilization Fund--Governor's Emergency Education Relief 
Fund (GEER I and GEER II) Recipient Data Collection Form

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

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct an 
emergency review of a revision of a currently approved collection.

DATES: The Department is requesting emergency processing and OMB 
approval for this information collection by February 11, 2022; and 
therefore, the Department is requesting public comments no later than 
February 10, 2022. A regular clearance process is also hereby being 
initiated to provide the public with the opportunity to comment under 
the full comment period. Interested persons are invited to submit 
comments on or before March 28, 2022.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2022-SCC-0009. 
Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov 
site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily 
accept comments at [email protected]. Please include the docket ID 
number and the title of the information collection request when 
requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments 
submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period 
will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments 
submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the PRA 
Coordinator of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, 
LBJ, Room 6W208D, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Gloria Tanner, (202) 453-5596.

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: Education Stabilization Fund--Governor's 
Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER I and GEER II) Recipient Data 
Collection Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1810-0748.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; 
Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 3,326.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 40,612.
    Abstract: Under the current unprecedented national health 
emergency, the legislative and executive branches of government have 
come together to offer relief to those individuals and industries 
affected by the COVID-19 virus under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and 
Economic Security (CARES) Act (Pub. L. 116-136) authorized on March 27, 
2020, and expanded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief 
Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, and the American Rescue Plan 
(ARP) Act. The Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER Fund) 
awards grants to Governors (States) and Outlying Areas for the purpose 
of providing local

[[Page 4008]]

educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education, and 
other education-related entities with emergency assistance as a result 
of the coronavirus pandemic. This information collection requests 
emergency approval for a revision to a previously approved collection 
that includes annual reporting requirements to comply with the 
requirements of the GEER program and obtain information on how the 
funds were used by State and Local Education Agencies, institutions of 
higher education, and other education-related entities. Emergency 
processing is necessary to provide states with sufficient time to 
collect the required data on expenditures of GEER funds. The changes to 
the recently approved collection include Question 2a-d of the form to 
address the expenditure of GEER funds directly by the Governor's office 
(or another entity, such as the SEA, designated as the administrator of 
the GEER fund by the Governor's office).
    The Department addressed all public comments from the recently 
approved information collection. The only change to the approved 
collection is to include a Yes/No question asked of prime grantees 
regarding whether they expended GEER funds directly. Grantees who 
respond in the affirmative are asked for the amount of their 
expenditures for administrative uses and non-administrative uses. When 
considering your comments, please refer to Attachment A, which outlines 
the additional questions.

    Dated: January 20, 2022.
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. 2022-01475 Filed 1-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P