[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9638-9639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03722]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[2231A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900; OMB Control Number 1076-0183]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Secretarial 
Elections

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are proposing to renew an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
March 24, 2022.

[[Page 9639]]


ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior by email at [email protected]; or 
via facsimile to (202) 395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments 
to Steven Mullen, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of 
Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action--Indian Affairs, U.S. 
Department of the Interior, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Suite 229, 
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104; or by email to [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 1076-0183 in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Jeanette Hanna, Deputy Bureau Director, Indian 
Services, Office of Indian Services, BIA, by email at 
[email protected] or telephone at (202) 208-2874. You may also 
view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and 
continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact 
of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information 
collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired 
format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
September 7, 2021 (86 FR 50153). No comments were received.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, email 
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you 
should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Abstract: Under the Indian Reorganization Act, Tribes have the 
right to organize and adopt constitutions, bylaws, and any amendments 
thereto, and ratify charters of incorporation, through elections called 
by the Secretary of the Interior, according to rules prescribed by the 
Secretary. See 25 U.S.C. 476, 477, 503. The Secretary's rules for 
conducting these elections, known as ``Secretarial elections,'' and 
approving the results are at 25 CFR 81. In most cases, the Tribe 
requests a Secretarial election; however, an individual voting member 
of a Tribe may also request a Secretarial election by petition. These 
rules also establish the procedures for an individual to petition for a 
Secretarial election.
    The BIA requires the Tribe to submit a formal request for 
Secretarial election, including: A Tribal resolution; the document or 
language to be voted on in the election; a list of all Tribal members 
who are age 18 or older in the next 120 days (when the election will 
occur), including their last known addresses, voting districts (if 
any), and dates of birth, in an electronically sortable format.
    While much of the information the Tribe prepares for a Secretarial 
election (e.g., list of members eligible to vote) would be required if 
the Tribe instead conducted its own Tribal election, the Secretary's 
rules establish specifics on what a Tribal request or petition for 
election must contain. These specifics are necessary to ensure the 
integrity of Secretarial elections and allow the BIA and Tribal 
personnel the ability to consistently administer elections.
    Title of Collection: Secretarial Elections.
    OMB Control Number: 1076-0183.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Federally recognized Tribes and their 
members.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 252,041.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 252,041.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 15 minutes to 
40 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 64,305.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain a Benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $146,160.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

Steven Mullen,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs 
and Collaborative Action--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2022-03722 Filed 2-18-22; 8:45 am]
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