[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 149 (Thursday, August 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47733-47734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-16741]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2022-SCC-0098]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; GEPA 
Section 427 Guidance for All Grant Applications

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
proposing a revision of a currently approved information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
OCTOBER 3, 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-0098. 
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 6W208B, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection

[[Page 47734]]

activities, please contact Cleveland Knight, 202-987-0064.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department, 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 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: GEPA Section 427 Guidance for All Grant 
Applications.
    OMB Control Number: 1894-0005.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 18,550.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 55,650.
    Abstract: On October 20, 1994, the Improving America's Schools Act, 
Public Law 103-382 (The Act), became law. The Act added a provision to 
the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA). Section 427 of GEPA 
requires an applicant for assistance under Department programs to 
develop and describe in the grant application the steps it proposes to 
take to ensure equitable access to, and equitable participation in, its 
proposed project for students, teachers, and other program 
beneficiaries. Applicants have responded to the GEPA 427 requirements 
for approximately the last 27 years, and the current form expires in 
June 2023. In response to the Agency's Equity Plan resulting from the 
President's Executive Order 13985, we now propose we now propose to 
update that form by expanding the number of questions from one to four.
    These four questions are intended to help applicants for Department 
grant funds to be more intentional and specific as to identifying 
barriers to equitable access and how they will address those barriers 
consistent with the requirements of section 427 of GEPA. As with the 
existing form, applicants retain the flexibility to determine and 
define for themselves the barriers to ``equitable access'' and 
``equitable participation'' based on the design of their proposed grant 
projects and the participants and community the project proposes to 
serve.

    Dated: August 1, 2022.
Juliana Pearson,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2022-16741 Filed 8-3-22; 8:45 am]
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