[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 4033]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01524]



[[Page 4033]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB Review; 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 30 days of publication. OMB must make a 
decision about the collection of information between 30 and 60 days 
after publication of this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, 
a comment is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it 
within 30 days of publication.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. You can 
also obtain copies of the proposed collection of information by 
emailing [email protected]. All emailed requests should be 
identified by the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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.
    Authority: 22 U.S.C. 7105.

Mary B. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-01524 Filed 1-25-22; 8:45 am]
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