[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8820-8821]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03268]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2022-SCC-0018]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; HEERF 
Quarterly Budget and Expenditure Reporting

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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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 March 15, 2022; and 
therefore, the Department is requesting public comments by March 14, 
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 April 18, 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-0018. 
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 Karen Epps, 202-453-6337.

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

[[Page 8821]]

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: HEERF Quarterly Budget and Expenditure 
Reporting.
    OMB Control Number: 1840-0849.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector; State, Local, and 
Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 20,680.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 103,400.
    Abstract: Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act, Public Law 116-136 
(March 27, 2020), authorizes the Secretary of Education to allocate 
formula grant funds to participating institutions of higher educations 
(IHEs). Section 18004(c) of the CARES Act allows the IHEs to use up to 
one-half of the total funds received to cover any costs associated with 
the significant changes to the delivery of instruction due to the 
coronavirus (with specific exceptions). Section 18004(a)(2) of the 
CARES Act authorizes the Secretary to make awards under parts A and B 
of title III, parts A and B of title V, and subpart 4 of part A of 
title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (``HEA''), to 
address needs directly related to the coronavirus. These awards are in 
addition to awards made in Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. 
Section 18004(a)(3) of the CARES Act, Pub. authorizes the Secretary to 
allocate funds for part B of Title VII of the HEA, for IHEs that the 
Secretary determines have the greatest unmet needs related to 
coronavirus.
    This information collection request includes additions and 
revisions to the quarterly budget and expenditure reporting form used 
by grantees under these sections of the CARES Act, as well as 
comparable sections of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) (Pub. L. 116-260) and the American 
Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (Pub. L. 117-2). These revisions to the 
collection will ensure the Department will be able to more effectively 
monitor the use of funds by grantees that have received awards under 
these sections. The majority of the quarterly report aligns closely 
with the recently-approved annual reporting form, for which 60- and 30-
day comment notices were published.
    Additional Information: The Department is requesting emergency 
approval to allow the revisions to be implemented and announced prior 
to the first quarter reporting deadline on April 10, 2022. If the 
Department is unable to implement the changes in time for this 
reporting deadline, the Department will be lacking critical information 
needed to monitor and provide technical assistance to HEERF grantees. 
Given the amount of HEERF funds that have been distributed, it is 
imperative that the Department has the information needed to ensure 
that all uses of funds are in accordance with the governing statutes 
and program guidance.

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. 2022-03268 Filed 2-15-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P