[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 226 (Friday, November 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72487-72488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25691]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Community Living

[OMB Control Number 0985-0044]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Public Comment Request; State Plan for Independent Living Instrument 
and Instructions

AGENCY: Administration for Community Living, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is announcing an 
opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed collection of 
information listed above. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish a notice in the 
Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, 
including each proposed extension of an existing collection of 
information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the 
notice. This Proposed Extension of a Currently Approved Collection (ICR 
Ext) solicits comments on the information collection requirements 
related to the State Plan for Independent Living under the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information must be submitted 
electronically by 11:59 p.m. (EST) or postmarked by January 24, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit electronic comments on the information collection 
request to: Peter Nye at [email protected]. Submit written 
comments on the collection of information to Administration for 
Community Living, Washington, DC 20201, Attention: Peter Nye.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peter Nye, Administration for 
Community Living, Washington, DC 20201, (202) 795-7606, or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal 
agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. 
``Collection of information'' is defined in and includes agency 
requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, 
keep records, or provide information to a third party. The PRA requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each 
proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before 
submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this 
requirement, ACL is publishing a notice of the proposed collection of 
information set forth in this document.
    With respect to the following collection of information, ACL 
invites comments on our burden estimates or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including:
    (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of ACL's functions, including whether the 
information will have practical utility;
    (2) the accuracy of ACL's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used to determine burden estimates;
    (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on

[[Page 72488]]

respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.
    Legal authority for the State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) is 
contained in Chapter 1 of Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 
as amended by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ([the Act], 
Pub. L. 113-128). Section 704 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that, 
to be eligible to receive financial assistance under Chapter 1, ``a 
State shall submit to the Department, and obtain approval of, a State 
plan containing such provisions as the Department may require.'' ACL 
approval of the SPIL is required for states to receive federal funding 
for both the Independent Living Services State grants and Centers for 
Independent Living (CIL) programs. Federal statute and regulations 
require the collection of this information every three years. The 
current three-year approval period for the SPIL expires March 31, 2023. 
The SPIL Instrument is the template for SPILs; the SPIL Instructions 
explain the Instrument and give tips about how to draft SPILs.
    The Office of Independent Living Programs (OILP) is proposing minor 
revisions based on OILP and the technical assistance provider revising 
the Instrument and Instructions to resolve issues that SILCs have 
reported having with their SPILs, and to increase the Instrument's and 
Instructions' clarity, conciseness, and precision. For example,
     The revised Instrument and Instructions correct 
grammatical and punctuation errors.
     The revised Instructions add lines for each core service.
     The revised Instrument and Instructions clarify the 
definition, and example, of state match.
    These updates were recommended by the technical assistance provider 
and analyzed by all the independent living project officers who work 
directly with SPILs and the issues that they plan for. The SPIL is 
jointly developed by the chairperson of the Statewide Independent 
Living Council and the directors of the CILs in the state, after 
receiving public input from individuals throughout the State, and 
signed by the chairperson of the SILC, acting on behalf of--and at the 
direction of--the SILC, the director of the designated State entity, 
and not less than 51 percent of the directors of the CILs in the State. 
ACL reviews the SPIL for compliance with the Rehabilitation Act and 45 
CFR part 1329 and approves the SPIL. The SPIL serves as a primary 
planning document for continuous monitoring of, and technical 
assistance to, the state independent living (IL) programs to ensure 
appropriate planning, financial support and coordination, and other 
assistance to appropriately address, statewide, needs for the provision 
of IL services in the state.
    The proposed data collection tools may be found on the ACL website 
for review at https://www.acl.gov/about-acl/public-input.
    Estimated Program Burden: ACL estimates the burden associated with 
this collection of information as follows: 56 Statewide Independent 
Living Councils (SILCs) will respond to the requirement for a SPIL 
every three years. Each state's SILC will take approximately 60 hours 
to develop the SPIL for a total of approximately 3,360 hours. This 
estimate is based on amounts of time SILCs have reported previously 
spending to complete the SPIL. ACL does not expect the change in 
Instrument and Instructions to take more or less time than the 
currently approved information collection. Therefore, there is no 
change to the estimated reporting burden.

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                                                     Number of     Responses per     Hours per     Annual burden
       Respondent/data collection activity          respondents     respondent       response          hours
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Statewide Independent Living Councils...........              56               1              60           3,360
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    Total.......................................              56               1              60           3,360
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    Dated: November 19, 2022.
Alison Barkoff,
Acting Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging.
[FR Doc. 2022-25691 Filed 11-23-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4154-01-P