[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12830-12831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03341]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0210]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Foreign Institution Reporting Requirements Under the CARES Act

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Department is proposing a new information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
March 21, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of 
publication of this notice. Click on this link www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain to access the site. Find this information collection request 
(ICR) by selecting ``Department of Education'' under ``Currently Under 
Review,'' then check the ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. 
Reginfo.gov provides two links to view documents related to this 
information collection request. Information collection forms and 
instructions may be found by clicking on the ``View Information 
Collection (IC) List'' link. Supporting statements and other supporting 
documentation may be found by clicking on the ``View Supporting 
Statement and Other Documents'' link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Beth Grebeldinger, (202) 377-
4018.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is especially interested in 
public comment addressing the following issues: (1) is this collection 
necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this 
information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the 
estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on 
the respondents, including through the use of information technology. 
Please note that written comments received in response to this notice 
will be considered public records.

[[Page 12831]]

    Title of Collection: Foreign Institution Reporting Requirements 
under the CARES Act.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-NEW.
    Type of Review: New ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; 
Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 104.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 52.
    Abstract: The Department of Education (the Department) is 
requesting a new information collection, 1845-NEW, Foreign Institution 
Reporting Requirements under the CARES Act, be made available for full 
clearance with public comment. Section 3510(a) of the CARES Act, Public 
Law 116-136 (March 27, 2020), authorized the Secretary of Education 
(Secretary) to permit a foreign institution, in the case of a public 
health emergency, major disaster or emergency, or national emergency 
declared by the applicable government authorities in the country in 
which the foreign institution is located, to provide any part of an 
otherwise eligible program to be offered via distance education for the 
duration of such emergency or disaster and the following payment period 
for purposes of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070 et seq.). Additionally, under section 3510(d) of the CARES Act, 
the Secretary may allow a foreign institution to enter into a written 
arrangement with an institution of higher education located in the 
United States that participates in the Federal Direct Loan Program 
under part D of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087a et seq.) for the purpose of allowing a student of the foreign 
institution who is a borrower of a loan made under such part to take 
courses from the institution of higher education located in the United 
States. The CARES Act requires foreign institutions that use either 
type of authority described above to report such use to the Secretary. 
Institutions are required to report use of either distance education or 
written arrangements to the Department no later than 30 days after it 
begins offering coursework online to Direct Loan recipients. The 
Department must also collect specific information from a school that 
requests a waiver in order to determine if the school is eligible to 
receive the waiver. On May 12, 2020, Federal Student Aid, an Office of 
the Department, notified foreign institutions of the new authority and 
requested that any foreign institution who wished to utilize this new 
authority to respond with information specified in the email. This 
information collection was discontinued following the discontinuation 
of the national COVID-19 emergency status. However, due to other global 
situations we are now requesting a new collection to allow for the on-
going use of the CARES Act waiver.

    Dated: February 13, 2024.
Kun Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2024-03341 Filed 2-16-24; 8:45 am]
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