[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 231 (Monday, December 4, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84183-84184]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26511]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2023-0051]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments
for a New Information Collection
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request
described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
to renew an information collection. We published a Federal Register
Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information
collection on September 26, 2023. We are required to publish this
notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Please submit comments by January 3, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number
0051 by any of the following methods:
Website: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janelle Hinton, (202) 941-6744/[email protected]; Martha Kenley, (202) 604-6979/[email protected], Department of Transportation, Federal Highway
Administration, Office of Civil Rights, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Supportive Services (DBE/
SS).
Background: The DBE/SS regulations (23 CFR 230.204(c)) require
State DOT recipients to provide a detailed Statement of Work (SOW)
outlining the proposed services and budget, approximated, based on the
provided estimated funding allocation. State DOTs must submit a SOW
that conforms to the purpose of the program, regulatory requirements,
and federal cost principles to be eligible for funding. State DOTs send
their proposed SOWs to the respective FHWA Division Office for review
and approval, and the Division Offices sends the SOWs to HCR for
concurrence and obtaining approvals necessary for allocating funds.
While HCR has created guidance for State DOTs to follow in creating
their SOWs, currently they are submitted in paper form and the contents
and size of the submissions vary. Providing State DOTs with a SOW
template available through the Civil Rights Connect System will
streamline the SOW creation, submission, review, and approval process.
The DBE/SS regulations (23 CFR 230.204(h)) require State DOT
recipients to provide reports to FHWA as a condition of receiving
federal funding.
[[Page 84184]]
Although the regulations require reporting, there is no prescribed
format for reporting this information to FHWA. Thus, FHWA receives
varied reports that often lack the critical information necessary to
evaluate whether the metrics identified in the State DOT's SOW have
been met, and the number and demographic breakdown of DBEs that have
participated in the program. Without this data provided in a manner
that can easily be converted into national reports, FHWA is unable
provide meaningful stewardship and oversight or to measure the
effectiveness of DBE/SS Programs nationally. The national picture
created by this report will enable HCR to indicate notable
implementation efforts and improve its deployment of technical
assistance to FHWA divisions offices. Also, standardized data will
improve FHWA's ability to meaningfully respond to stakeholder
inquiries, including Congress, regarding program accomplishments.
Further, with standardized data of program results, FHWA can better
support requests for additional funding.
The information required to populate the DBE/SS SOW template is
based on existing requirements found in 23 CFR 230, subpart C;
therefore, State DOTs should have the information to populate the SOW
readily available. The information will merely be entered in an
electronic fillable form as opposed to submitting a paper copy. The
electronic system will also directly pre-populate the State's Annual
Accomplishment Report with the metrices identified in the State's SOW.
The information FHWA proposes to collect in its DBE/SS Accomplishment
Report is based on existing reporting requirements found in 23 CFR 230,
subpart B and the State DOT's individual detailed statement of work;
therefore, State DOTs should have this information readily available.
In addition, the fillable format will streamline the State's reporting
process by eliminating the States' need to duplicate language from the
SOW into the Annual Report.
While the requirements will not change, use of the SOW template and
Accomplishment Report form will benefit State DOTs and FHWA by making
the submissions more uniform in size and content, streamlining the
submission and review process, and pair the performance metrics more
easily with their accomplishments. By providing the SOW template along
with this reporting format, FHWA aims to improve its stewardship and
oversight of the DBE/SS Program, while ensuring State DOTs are
effectively administering these discretionary grants for the benefit of
DBEs.
Respondents: State Departments of Transportation Agencies
responsible for submitting DBE/SS Statement of Work for the purpose of
increasing the capacity and to improve the overall business practices
of DBEs.
Frequency: DBE/SS SOW are submitted annually (upon funding
availability); Accomplishment Reports are submitted every year by July
31st.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: The estimated number of
hours for each of the 52 recipients to compile and submit the requested
data is estimated to be no more than four employee hours annually.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: The estimated total annual
burden for 53 recipients is 212 hours annually.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of
this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed
collection is necessary for the FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of
the estimated burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to enhance the quality,
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that
the burden could be minimized, including the use of electronic
technology, without reducing the quality of the collected information.
The agency will summarize and/or include your comments in the request
for OMB's clearance of this information collection.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued On: November 28, 2023.
Jazmyne Lewis,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-26511 Filed 12-1-23; 8:45 am]
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