[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 174 (Monday, September 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73130-73132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20175]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Submission for Review: 3206-0246, CyberCorps[supreg]: Scholarship 
for Service (SFS) Registration System

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Human Resources Solutions 
offers the general public and other Federal agencies the opportunity to 
comment on the extension with change of a currently approved 
information collection request (ICR): 3206-0246, CyberCorps[supreg]: 
Scholarship for Service (SFS) Registration system.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and should be received within 30 
calendar days from the date of this publication. This process is 
conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be sent within 30 days of 
publication of

[[Page 73131]]

this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection request by selecting ``Office of Personnel 
Management'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then check ``Only Show 
ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this ICR, with applicable 
supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting: U.S. Office of 
Personnel Management, Student Programs Branch, Attention: Laura 
Knowles, 601 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106-2826, via phone at 
202-606-1200, or via electronic email at: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CyberCorps[supreg] Scholarship for 
Service (SFS) Program was established by the National Science 
Foundation, in collaboration with the U.S. Office of Personnel 
Management and the Department of Homeland Security, in accordance with 
the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-274) as amended 
by the National Defense Authorization Act and CHIPS and Science Act and 
codified at 15 U.S.C. 7442. This initiative reflects the critical need 
for Information Technology (IT) professionals, industrial control 
system security professionals, and security managers in government. The 
goals of the CyberCorps[supreg] Scholarship for Service (SFS) Program 
are to: (1) increase the number of qualified and diverse cybersecurity 
candidates for government cybersecurity positions; (2) improve the 
national capacity for the education of cybersecurity professionals and 
research and development workforce; (3) hire, monitor, and retain high-
quality CyberCorps[supreg] graduates in the cybersecurity mission of 
Federal Government; and (4) strengthen partnerships between 
institutions of higher education and Federal, State, local, and Tribal 
governments. OPM partners with NSF in this program by aiding in 
matching SFS students to potential agencies, coordinating students' 
transition into government employment, monitoring students' compliance 
with program requirements, and assessing whether the program helps meet 
the personnel needs of the Federal Government for information 
infrastructure protection.
    The SFS Program provides funds to institutions of higher education 
for student scholarships in support of education in areas relevant to 
cybersecurity and cybersecurity-related aspects of other related fields 
as appropriate, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, 
and aerospace. Students identified by their institutions for SFS 
Scholarships must meet selection criteria based on prior academic 
performance, likelihood of success in obtaining the degree, and 
suitability for government employment. Each scholarship recipient, as a 
condition of receiving a scholarship under the program, enters into an 
agreement under which the recipient agrees to work during the summer 
between academic terms and to work for a period equal to the length of 
the scholarship, following receipt of the student's degree, in a 
position related to cybersecurity and in the cyber security mission 
of--
    (1) an executive agency (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 105);
    (2) Congress, including any agency, entity, office, or commission 
established in the legislative branch;
    (3) an interstate agency;
    (4) a State, local, or Tribal government;
    (5) a State, local, or Tribal government-affiliated non-profit that 
is critical infrastructure (as defined in section 1016(e) of the USA 
Patriot Act (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)); or
    (6) as an educator in the field of cybersecurity at a qualified 
institution of higher education that provides SFS scholarships.
    Additionally, scholarship recipients agree to provide OPM (in 
coordination with the NSF) and the qualified institution of higher 
education with annual verifiable documentation of post-award employment 
and up-to-date contact information.
    As required by 15 U.S.C. 7442, a SFS scholarship recipient is 
financially liable to the United States if the individual: fails to 
maintain an acceptable level of academic standing; is dismissed from 
the applicable institution of higher education for disciplinary 
reasons; withdraws from the eligible degree program before completing 
the program; declares that they do not intend to fulfill the post-award 
employment obligation; or fails to maintain or fulfill any of the post-
graduation or post-award employment obligations or requirements. 
Failure to satisfy the academic requirements of the program or to 
complete the service requirement results in forfeiture of the 
scholarship award, which must either be repaid or reverted by the 
institution to a student loan pro-rated accordingly to reflect partial 
service completed.
    Approval of the CyberCorps[supreg]: Scholarship for Service (SFS) 
Registration system is necessary to continue management and operation 
of the program and to facilitate the timely registration, selection, 
placement, and monitoring of program-enrolled scholarship recipients in 
Government agencies.
    The burden estimate associated with this request is increasing from 
past years. This is due to three primary reasons: an increased number 
of scholars, increased reporting requirements, and reassessment of 
previous reporting of burden estimates. Each year NSF awards grants to 
additional universities to use for scholarships under the SFS program 
which increases the number of students that receive scholarships, and 
consequently, the number of scholars that need to be monitored through 
the completion of their service commitment. Each student awarded a 
scholarship must register their profile and resume with the SFS website 
for the successful facilitation of their placement with a government 
agency, and they must maintain up-to-date profile and employment 
information through program completion. The annual employment 
verification and profile maintenance was not previously collected, and 
to meet this requirement, scholars and their affiliated academic 
officials must report employment and up-to-date profile information. 
Finally, the previous information collection requests only included new 
scholars registering with the SFS portal. Costs attributable to the 
requirement for scholars to provide annual employment verification and 
to maintain an up-to-date profile have been captured in this burden 
estimate in addition to the information collected from academic and 
agency officials.
    The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Human Resources Solutions 
Division, offers the general public and other Federal agencies the 
opportunity to comment on an existing information collection request 
(ICR) 3206-0246, SFS Registration System. The information collection 
was previously published in the Federal Register at 86 FR 17219 
allowing for a 60-day public comment period. No comments were received 
for this information collection. The purpose of this notice is to allow 
an additional 30 days for public comments.
    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is particularly 
interested in comments that:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. 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;

[[Page 73132]]

    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. Identify ways in which OPM can 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 submissions of responses.

Analysis

    Agency: CyberCorps[supreg]: Scholarship for Service, Office of 
Personnel Management.
    Title: Scholarship for Service (SFS) Program Internet Site.
    OMB Number: 3206-0246.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Number of Respondents: 1,303.
    Estimated Time per Respondent:
    New Scholars: 30 minutes.
    Existing Scholars: 15 minutes.
    Principal Investigators/Academic Officials: 35 minutes.
    Agency Officials: 10 minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 965 hours.

    Office of Personnel Management.
Alexys Stanley,
Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2024-20175 Filed 9-6-24; 8:45 am]
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