[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 83 (Monday, May 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26532-26533]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09185]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0074]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; HEERF 
No Cost Extension (NCE) Request Form

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 new information collection.

DATES: The Department requested emergency processing from OMB for this 
information collection request on ED-2023-SCC-0074 by May 3, 2023. As a 
result, the Department is providing the public with the opportunity to 
comment under the full comment period. Interested persons are invited 
to submit comments on or before June 30, 2023.

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-2023-SCC-0074. 
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, the Department 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 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 Manager of the Strategic 
Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W203, 
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, 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. The Department 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: HEERF No Cost Extension (NCE) Request Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1840-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; 
Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 720.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 360.
    Abstract: The Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) 
authorizes the Secretary of Education to allocate formula grant funds 
to participating institutions of higher education (IHEs) to address 
impacts of COVID-19. To date, the Department has made over 18,000 
awards to over 5,100 IHEs totaling $76.3 billion. In both volume of 
grants and amount of funding, HEERF is one of the largest grant 
programs in agency history. On June 30, 2023, the project period for 
most HEERF grants will end and any remaining unliquidated grant funds 
will be returned to Treasury. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.308(e)(2) and 34 
CFR 75.261(a), grantees have the option to receive up to a twelve-month 
No-Cost Extension (NCE) of their grant project periods. The Department 
is requesting emergency approval of a new information collection to 
allow for HEERF grantees to request an extension beyond June 30, 2023 
and ensure that grantees have a thought-out plan for using their 
remaining HEERF grant funds to address the lingering effects and 
impacts related

[[Page 26533]]

to COVID-19. In addition, the Department is requesting emergency 
clearance and OMB approval by May 3, 2023 in order to streamline the 
review and approval process as well as ensure that the reasons for 
requesting an extension of the HEERF project period beyond June 30, 
2023 meet the applicable legal requirements. As such, the Department 
has created a data collection form for HEERF grantees to provide the 
information required to request NCEs for up to an additional twelve 
months to spend their remaining HEERF grant balances. The form requests 
information that is required under 2 CFR 200.308(e)(2) and 34 CFR 
75.261(a) to grant NCEs. The Department has attempted to reduce burden 
on grantees by requesting, prospectively, much of the same information 
that grantees report on in their HEERF annual performance reports. 
Providing a streamlined process for NCE requests will speed the process 
of reviewing and approving NCE requests and help ensure grantees are 
able to spend down their funds in a reasonable timeframe while focusing 
on the pressing needs of their students and institutions.

    Dated: April 26, 2023.
Kun 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. 2023-09185 Filed 4-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P