[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 169 (Friday, August 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70659-70660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19485]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[245A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900; OMB Control Number 1076-0094]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Law and Order 
on Indian Reservations--Marriage & Dissolution Applications

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are proposing to renew an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
September 30, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) should be sent within 30 days of 
publication of this notice to the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs (OIRA) through https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRA/icrPublicCommentRequest?ref_nbr=202405-1076-006 or by visiting https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain and selecting ``Currently under 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' and then scrolling down to the 
``Department of the Interior.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Steven Mullen, Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action--Indian 
Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1001 Indian School Road NW, 
Suite 229, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104; [email protected]; (202) 924-
2650. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. You may also 
view the ICR at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/Forward?SearchTarget=PRA&textfield=1076-0094.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we 
provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an 
opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our 
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting 
burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection 
requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
June 21, 2024 (89 FR 52076). No comments were received.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the

[[Page 70660]]

agency, including whether or not the information will have practical 
utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency 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 response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. 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 can 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.
    Abstract: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is seeking renewal of 
the approval for the information collection conducted under 25 CFR 
11.600(c) and 11.606(c). This information collection allows the Clerk 
of the Court of Indian Offenses to collect personal information 
necessary for a Court of Indian Offenses to issue a marriage license or 
dissolve a marriage. Courts of Indian Offenses have been established on 
certain Indian reservations under the authority vested in the Secretary 
of the Interior by 5 U.S.C. 301 and 25 U.S.C. 2, 9, and 13, which 
authorize appropriations for ``Indian judges.'' The courts provide for 
the administration of justice for Indian tribes in those areas where 
the tribes retain jurisdiction over Indians, exclusive of State 
jurisdiction, but where tribal courts have not been established to 
exercise that jurisdiction and the tribes has, by resolution or 
constitutional amendment, chosen to use the Court of Indian Offenses. 
Accordingly, Courts of Indian Offenses exercise jurisdiction under 25 
CFR 11. Domestic relations are governed by 25 CFR 11.600, which 
authorizes the Court of Indian Offenses to conduct and dissolve 
marriages.
    In order to obtain a marriage licenses in a Court of Indian 
Offenses, applicants must provide the six items of information listed 
in 25 CFR 11.600(c), including identifying information, such a Social 
Security number, information on previous marriage, relationship to the 
other applicant, and a certificate of the results of any medical 
examination required by applicable tribal ordinances or the laws of the 
State in which the Indian country under the jurisdiction of the Court 
of Indian Offenses is located. To dissolve a marriage, applicants must 
provide the six items of information listed in 25 CFR 11.606(c), 
including information on occupation and residency (to establish 
jurisdiction), information on whether the parties have lives apart for 
at least 180 days or if there is serious marital discord warranting 
dissolution, and information on the children of the marriage and 
whether the wife is pregnant (for the court to determine the 
appropriate level of support that may be required from the non-
custodial parent). See 25 CFR 11.601. Two forms are used as part of 
this information collection, the Marriage License Application and the 
Dissolution of Marriage Application.
    Title of Collection: Law and Order on Indian Reservations--Marriage 
& Dissolution Applications, 25 CFR 11.
    OMB Control Number: 1076-0094.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 260 per year, on 
average.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 260 per year, on 
average.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 15 minutes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 65 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain a Benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $6,500 (approximately 
$25 per application for processing fees).

Authority

    An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Steven Mullen,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs 
and Collaborative Action--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-19485 Filed 8-29-24; 8:45 am]
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