[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]


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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.

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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
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                                  Number of                       Total  annual      Time per      Total annual
           Activity              respondents       Frequency        responses        response     burden (hours)
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Application..................           1,500  1/annually......           1,500  2 hrs..........           3,000
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    Unduplicated Totals......           1,500  ................           1,500  ...............           3,000
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    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