[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 122 (Tuesday, June 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41630-41631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13569]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[30Day-23-1175]


Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted the information 
collection request titled ``Environmental Public Health Tracking 
Network (Tracking Network)'' to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. CDC previously published a ``Proposed 
Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations'' 
notice on December 20, 2022 to obtain comments from the public and 
affected agencies. CDC received one comment related to the previous 
notice. This notice serves to allow an additional 30 days for public 
and affected agency comments.
    CDC will accept all comments for this proposed information 
collection project. The Office of Management and Budget is particularly 
interested in comments that:

    (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected;
    (d) 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; and
    (e) Assess information collection costs.

    To request additional information on the proposed project or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call 
(404) 639-7570. Comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Direct 
written comments and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in 
this notice to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management 
and Budget, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 
395-5806. Provide written comments within 30 days of notice 
publication.

Proposed Project

    Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) 
(OMB Control No. 0920-1175, Exp. 7/31/2023)--Revision--National Center 
for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    The CDC is submitting a three-year Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 
Revision Information Collection Request (ICR) for ``Environmental 
Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network)'' (OMB Control No. 
0920-1175, Expiration Date 7/31/2023). This ICR is sponsored by the 
Environmental Public Health Tracking Section (Tracking Section), 
Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice (DEHSP), National 
Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) at CDC.
    In September 2000, the Pew Environmental Health Commission issued a 
report entitled America's Environmental Health Gap: Why the Country 
Needs a Nationwide Health Tracking Network. The Commission documented a 
critical gap in ``knowledge that hinders our national efforts to reduce 
or eliminate diseases that might be prevented by better managing 
environmental factors'' due largely to the fact that existing 
environmental health systems were inadequate and fragmented. They 
described a lack of data for the leading causes of mortality and 
morbidity, a lack of data on exposure to hazards, a lack of 
environmental data with applicability to public health, and barriers to 
integrating and linking existing data. To address this critical gap, 
the Commission recommended a ``Nationwide Health Tracking Network'' for 
disease and exposures. In response to the report and this critical gap, 
Congress appropriated funds in the fiscal year 2002 budget for the CDC 
to establish the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program 
(Tracking Program) and Network and has appropriated funds each year 
thereafter to continue this effort.
    The Tracking Program includes State and Local Health Departments 
(SLHD) which collaborate to: (1) build and maintain the Tracking 
Network; (2) advance the practice and science of environmental public 
health tracking; (3) communicate information to guide environmental 
health policies and actions; (4) enhance tracking workforce and 
infrastructure; and (5) foster collaborations between health and 
environmental programs.
    In spring of 2022, under Notice of Funding Opportunity CDC-RFA-
EH22-2202, the CDC's Tracking Program

[[Page 41631]]

funded 33 state and local public health programs (funded SLHD). These 
recipients were selected through a competitive objective review process 
and are managed as CDC cooperative agreements. Awards are for five 
years and are renewed through an Annual Performance Report (APR)/
Continuation Application. The Tracking Program collects data from 
recipients about their activities and progress for the purposes of 
program evaluation and monitoring (hereafter referenced as program 
data).
    Environmental public health tracking is the ongoing collection, 
integration, analysis, and dissemination of health, exposure, and 
hazard data (hereinafter referenced as Tracking Network data) to inform 
public health actions that protect the population from harm resulting 
from exposure to environmental contaminants. The Tracking Network 
provides data from existing health, exposure, and hazard surveillance 
systems and supports ongoing efforts within the public health and 
environmental sectors to improve data collection, accessibility, and 
dissemination as well as analytic and response capacity. Data that were 
previously collected for different purposes and stored in separate 
state and local systems are now available in a nationally standardized 
format allowing programs to begin bridging the gap between health and 
the environment.
    CDC is requesting approval for an increase of seven additional 
annual respondents from the 30 approved under the previous ICR and 
five-year NOFO (No. CDC-RFA-EH17-1702). In spring of 2022, under the 
new five-year NOFO (No. CDC-RFA-EH22-2202), the CDC's Tracking Program 
funded 33 state and local public health programs (funded SLHD). CDC is 
now requesting approval for up to 37 annual respondents. This number 
reflects the current 33 SLHD respondents plus four to allow for future 
funding of new SLHD or to collect voluntary responses from unfunded 
SLHD.
    Data from recipients or other SLHD are submitted annually following 
standardized procedures. Tracking network data submitted annually by 
recipients and other SLHD to the Tracking Program include seven 
datasets and the metadata form, specifically (1) birth defects 
prevalence, (2) childhood blood lead levels, (3) drinking water 
monitoring, (4) emergency department visits, (5) hospitalizations, (6) 
radon testing, (7) biomonitoring, and (8) metadata. The Tracking 
Program will begin using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) for 
its Electronic Data Capture System (EDCS) needs, which is an easy-to-
use, free software tool that is useful for programmatic deliverable 
management and data capture. Using an EDCS significantly reduces the 
burden by optimizing the data capture method to eliminate the need for 
personnel to complete manual data cleaning and organization before 
using data for analysis and evaluation upon submission.
    Based on the above changes, CDC requests OMB approval for an 
estimated 14,384 annualized burden hours. There is no cost to 
respondents other than their time to participate.

                                        Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Number of    Average burden
          Type of respondent                    Form name            Number of     responses per   per response
                                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State and Local Health Department.....  Birth defects prevalence              30               1              40
                                        Childhood blood lead                  37               1              40
                                         levels.
                                        Drinking water                        37               1              50
                                         monitoring.
                                        Emergency department                  37               1              40
                                         visits.
                                        Hospitalizations........              37               1              40
                                        Radon testing...........              25               1              50
                                        Biomonitoring...........              25               1              40
                                        Metadata records........              37               2              20
                                        Work Plan Template......              37               1              21
                                        Program Accomplishments               37               2              20
                                         and Public Health
                                         Actions Report.
                                        Performance Measures                  37               1              20
                                         Report.
                                        PHA Impact Follow Up                  37               2            0.25
                                         Form.
                                        Communications plan.....              37               1               2
                                        Web Stats Template......              37               2               1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health 
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2023-13569 Filed 6-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P