[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65949-65950]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20232]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Workforce System Metrics

AGENCY: Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before November 27, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
via email to Patrick Bourke, Good Jobs Program Lead, Economic 
Development Administration, at [email protected] or [email protected]. 
Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive 
or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Patrick Bourke, Good Jobs Program Lead, Economic Development 
Administration, at (202) 579-0218 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Economic Development Administration (EDA) leads the Federal 
economic development agenda by promoting innovation and 
competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in 
the worldwide economy. Guided by the basic principle that sustainable 
economic development should be driven locally, EDA works directly with 
communities and regions to help them build the capacity for economic 
development based on local business conditions and needs. The Public 
Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. 3121 et 
seq.) is EDA's organic authority and is the primary legal authority 
under which EDA awards financial assistance. Under PWEDA, EDA provides 
financial assistance to both rural and urban distressed communities by 
fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and productivity through 
investments in infrastructure development, capacity building, and 
business development to attract private capital investments and new and 
better jobs to regions experiencing economic distress. Further 
information on EDA programs and financial assistance opportunities can 
be found at www.eda.gov.
    To effectively administer and monitor its economic development 
assistance programs, EDA collects certain information from applications 
for, and recipients of, EDA investment assistance. The purpose of this 
notice is to seek comments from the public and other Federal agencies 
on a request for a revision to the information collected from 
recipients of awards under the EDA American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Good 
Jobs Challenge. This is aligned with ensuring that Federal workforce 
investments are evidence-based and data-driven, and accountable to 
participants and the public. The original data collection instrument 
was filed under OMB 0610-0109. This request is to revise an existing 
question and add a new question to the current data collection 
instrument. The revised question will ask grantees to report 
participants' training status instead of asking if they have completed 
training, this will provide further disaggregated data. The new 
question will be asked of training providers to provide the total 
number of participants that completed the training program and have no 
plans to re-enroll in further training.

II. Method of Collection

    Data will be collected electronically.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0610-0109.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Affected Public: Recipients of ARPA Good Jobs Challenge awards, 
which may

[[Page 65950]]

include a(n): District Organization; Indian Tribe or a consortium of 
Indian Tribes; State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a 
State, including a special purpose unit of a state or local government 
engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities or a 
consortium of political subdivisions; Institution of Higher Education 
or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or Public or 
private non-profit organization or association, including labor unions, 
acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a 
State. Additionally, training providers and participants in regional 
workforce training systems will be affected.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: System Lead Entities: 32 
respondents, responding semiannually; Training Providers: 200 
respondents, responding quarterly; and Participants: 10,000 
respondents, responding once. As the Good Jobs Challenge is a new 
program, EDA anticipates that these estimates will continue to be 
further refined based on data determined post-award.
    Estimated Time per Response: System Lead Entity: 2 hours; Training 
Providers: 45 minutes per provider; Participants: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,728 hours.

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                                                                                                       Total
   Type of respondent  (annual)       Number of    Hours per  response  Number of  responses per  estimated time
                                     respondents                                  year                (hours)
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System Lead Entities.............              32  2..................  2 (Semiannual)..........             128
Training Providers...............           * 400  45 minutes per       4 (Quarterly)...........           1,200
                                                    training provider.
Participants.....................         * 4,200  5 minutes per        4 (Quarterly)...........           1,400
                                                    participant.
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    Total........................           4,632  ...................  ........................           2,728
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* The number of responses should be considered estimates given the Good Jobs Challenge intended impact. Given
  investment alignment and program priorities are founded on equity, there could be lower number of stakeholders
  participating given their efforts to work with individuals most underserved.

    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $161,007 (cost assumes 
application of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics third quarter 2021 mean 
hourly employer costs for employee compensation for professional and 
related occupations of $59.02).
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory for System Lead Entities and 
Training Providers.
    Legal Authority: The Public Works and Economic Development Act of 
1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq).

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-20232 Filed 9-25-23; 8:45 am]
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