[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7411-7412]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02133]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
[OMB Number 1123-0014]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection
eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection;
Application for Certificate of Pardon for Simple Possession of
Marijuana
AGENCY: Office of the Pardon Attorney, Department of Justice.
ACTION: 60-Day notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of the Pardon Attorney, Department of Justice
(DOJ), will be 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: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until
April 2, 2024.
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]; 202-616-6070.
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 Bureau of Justice
Statistics, 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.
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 had
developed the subject form to collect information from potential pardon
recipients, which was granted full approval under OMB Number 0123-0014,
on September 5, 2023.
On December 22, 2023, the President issued a second proclamation
that broadened the pardon to additional persons convicted of simple
possession of marijuana under Federal or D.C. code law.
The second proclamation expanded the statutes of conviction
eligible for a pardon, the circumstances under which eligible persons
have been pardoned, and the time frame covered by the pardon.
Consequently, the number of persons eligible to apply for a certificate
proving the pardon has also increased.
Importantly, there is virtually no change to the burden that an
individual applicant will incur: the application continues to ask
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; information regarding their current
citizenship status, and if naturalized, the date or if a lawful
permanent resident, the date that status was attained; the alien
registration or citizenship number of a
[[Page 7412]]
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.
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.
Overview of This Information Collection
1. Type of Information Collection: Revision of a previously
approved collection.
2. The Title of the Form/Collection: Application for Certificate of
Pardon for Simple Possession of Marijuana.
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.
4. Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as
well as the obligation to respond: Affected Public: Individuals or
households. The obligation to respond is voluntary.
5. An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of
time estimated for an average respondent to respond: Available
information suggests that the new proclamation has approximately
doubled the potential applicant pool. However, the review of the
applications received within a 10-month time frame indicates that 1,500
applicants annually is a reasonable projection. We estimate an average
of 120 minutes for each applicant to respond to the collection.
6. An estimate of the total annual burden (in hours) associated
with the collection: Considering the above projected figures, we
estimate hours of annual burden to the public.
7. An estimate of the total annual cost burden associated with the
collection, if applicable: $0.
Total Burden Hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Total annual Time per Total annual
Activity respondents Frequency responses response burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application.................. 1,500 1/annually...... 1,500 2 hrs.......... 3,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unduplicated Totals...... 1,500 ................ 1,500 ............... 3,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If additional information is required contact: Darwin Arceo,
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.
Dated: January 30, 2024.
Darwin Arceo,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2024-02133 Filed 2-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-29-P