[Federal Register: February 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 39)]
[Page 9305-9306]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27fe04-41]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection requests.

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SUMMARY: The Leader, Regulatory Information Management, Office of the 
Chief Information Officer, invites comments on the proposed information 
collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: An emergency review has been requested in accordance with the 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 3507(j)), since public harm is reasonably likely 
to result if normal clearance procedures are followed. Approval by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been requested by February 
24, 2004. A regular clearance process is also beginning. Interested 
persons are invited to submit comments on or before April 27, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the emergency review should be 
addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Attention: Melanie Kadlic, Desk Officer: Department of Education, 
Office of Management and Budget; 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, New 
Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or should be 
electronically mailed to the Internet address Melanie_Kadlic@omb.eop. 
gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Director of OMB 
provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity 
to comment on information collection requests. The Office of management 
and Budget (OMB) may amend or waive the requirement for public 
consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval 
process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate 
State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's 
ability to perform its statutory obligations. The Leader, Information 
Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer, publishes 
this notice containing proposed information collection requests at the 
beginning of the Departmental review of the information collection. 
Each proposed information collection, grouped by office, contains the 
following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g., new, revision, 
extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the 
collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the 
information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6) 
Reporting and/or Recordkeeping burden. ED invites public comment. The 
Department of Education 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 this information to be collected; and (5) how might the 
Department minimize the burden of this collection on respondents, 
including through the use of information technology.

    Dated: February 23, 2004.
Angela C Arrington,
Leader, Regulatory Information Management, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.

Office of Innovation and Improvement

    Type of Review: New.
    Title: DC School Choice Incentive Program.
    Abstract: This Program provides low-income parents that reside in 
DC with expanded options for acquiring a high quality education for 
their children. To be eligible for scholarships, participating students 
are DC residents and their household income does not exceed 185% of the 
poverty line.
    Additional Information: This request for an emergency clearance is 
to collect preliminary and time critical information from parents who 
may be interested in participating in the vitally important new 
initiative, the DC School Choice Incentive Program. This Program will 
give low-income parents in the District of Columbia more options for 
the education of their children and will provide the Nation with a 
unique opportunity to test and evaluate the impact of enhanced 
education choices. The statute calls for the Secretary of Education to 
carry out the Program in cooperation with the Mayor of the District of 
Columbia. The President and Secretary of Education have identified this 
initiative as a top education priority. Both kicked off the Program at 
an event at Archbishop Carroll High School on Friday, February 13 when 
they described the potential positive impact of increasing parental 
choices for improved educational opportunities for their children.
    Because of program was just enacted month, the Department of 
Education is conducting an expedited application process to award a 
grant by the end of March to an organization that will actually 
administer the scholarship program; however, the collection of certain 
eligibility and preference information (see attachment 1) now is 
critical to supporting the future grantee's work. The DC Mayor's Office 
will provide for the collection of this information and will make it 
available to the grantee as soon as the award is made. The grantee must 
confirm the eligibility of students, establish and conduct a lottery, 
and select and award the scholarships by June. All these are complex 
and time-consuming activities that will be greatly facilitated if we 
can collect the proposed information prior to the grant award. Because 
of the urgency of distributing this form and collecting information 
from interested participants, we are requesting OMB approval by 
February 24, 2004.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: Individuals or household.
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
     Responses: 3,000.
     Burden Hours: 450.
    Request for copies of the proposed information collection request 
may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse 

Pending Collections'' link and by clicking on link number 2466. When 
you access the information collection, click on ``Download 
Attachments'' to view. Written requests for information should be 
addressed to Vivian Reese, Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., Room 4050, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 
20202-4651 or in the e-mail address vivan.reese@ed.gov. Requests may 
also be electronically mailed to the internet address OCIO_RIMG@ed.gov 
or faxed to 202-708-9346. Please specify the complete title of the 
information collection when making your request.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements, contact Kathy Axt at her e-mail address: 
Kathy.Axt@ed.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for 

the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal

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Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
[FR Doc. 04-4316 Filed 2-26-04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000-01-M