[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 42 (Friday, March 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13470-13471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03639]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1123-0014]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection 
eComments Requested; New Collection

AGENCY: Office of the Pardon Attorney, Department of Justice.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Pardon Attorney, Department of Justice, is 
submitting the following information collection request to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: The Department of Justice encourages public comment and will 
accept input until April 3, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have additional comments 
especially on the estimated public burden or associated response time, 
suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed information collection 
instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact: 
Kira Gillespie, Deputy Pardon Attorney, Office of the Pardon Attorney, 
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Main Justice--RFK Building, Washington, DC 
20530; [email protected]; (202) 616-6073.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Written comments and suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of 
information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of 
the following four points:

--Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the Office of the Pardon 
Attorney, including whether the information will have practical 
utility;
--Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
--Evaluate whether and if so how the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected can be enhanced; and
--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 responses.

Overview of the Information Collection

    1. Type of Information Collection: New Collection.
    2. The Title of the Form/Collection: Application for Certificate of 
Pardon for Simple Marijuana Offense.
    3. The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: There is no agency form 
number for this collection. The applicable component within the 
Department of Justice is the Office of the Pardon Attorney.
    Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well 
as a brief abstract:
    The President issued a Proclamation on Granting Pardon for the 
Offense of Simple Possession Marijuana (Proclamation) on October 6, 
2022. In that proclamation, he directed the Attorney General, acting 
through the Pardon Attorney, to develop procedures to ``administer and 
effectuate the issuance of certificates of pardon to eligible 
applicants . . . . as soon as reasonably practicable.'' The 
Proclamation specifically commands the Pardon Attorney to ``develop and 
announce application procedures.''
    Accordingly, the Pardon Attorney has developed the subject form to 
collect information from potential pardon recipients. The application 
asks applicants to confirm that the petitioner is U.S. citizen or 
lawful permanent resident who was lawfully in the country at the time 
the marijuana offense occurred; the alien registration or citizenship 
number of a lawful permanent resident or naturalized citizen applicant; 
information regarding the specific court in which the applicant was 
charged or convicted and the date of said conviction, if any; 
information regarding the applicant's race, gender, and ethnicity; 
identifying information regarding the applicant's date and place of 
birth; and documentation of the applicant's charge or convictions.
    Abstract: The information collected from the Certificate 
Application will primarily be used to determine whether the applicant 
qualifies for pardon under the terms of the Proclamation. The 
information may also be used to provide statistical analysis of the 
demographics of pardon recipients and applicants.
    4. An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of 
time

[[Page 13471]]

estimated for an average respondent to respond: Although the number of 
persons who may qualify for pardon under the terms of this Proclamation 
is currently unknowable, the Office of the Pardon Attorney estimate 
that a potential pool of at least 20,000 applicants may apply. The 
application for the certificate is simple, and will not take long to 
complete, between 10 and 30 minutes. The applicants must also provide 
proof of their prior convictions or charges, which we estimate would 
take anywhere between 10 minutes to two hours of effort, including 
research, phone calls, and conversations with necessary personnel to 
attain the appropriate documentation. Therefore, the Pardon Attorney 
estimates that it would take approximately 20 minutes, but likely no 
longer than 2.5 hours per individual to provide the information 
necessary for the collection.
    5. An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: Considering the above projected figures, the low-
end estimate would be 20,000 x 20 minutes = 400,000 minutes, or 
approximately 6,667 hours of total burden on the public. The high-end 
estimate is 20,000 x 2.5 hours = 50,000 hours of total burden on the 
public.
    If additional information is required contact: John R. Carlson, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two 
Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE, 4W-218, Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: February 3, 2023.
John R. Carlson,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2023-03639 Filed 3-2-23; 8:45 am]
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