[Federal Register: April 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 72)]
[Notices]
[Page 19824-19825]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14ap04-32]
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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 Acting Leader, Regulatory Information Management Group,
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 April 13,
2004. A regular clearance process is also beginning. Interested persons
are invited to submit comments on or before June 14, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the emergency review should be
addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Attention: ED Desk Officer: Department of Education, Office of
Management and Budget; 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, New Executive
Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or faxed to (202) 395-6974.
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 Acting Leader,
Regulatory 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 the 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: April 9, 2004.
Jeanne Van Vlandren,
Acting Leader, Regulatory Information Management Group, Office of the
Chief Information Officer.
Office of Innovation and Improvements
Type of Review: Revision.
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 time critical information from parents who are 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. Because the
Program was just enacted in late January, the Department of Education
conducted an expedited application process that awarded a grant in late
March to the Washington Scholarship Fund, an organization that will
actually administer the scholarship program. The grantee must
immediately distribute scholarship applications to interested parents,
collect preliminary information for the required evaluation, and design
and conduct a lottery that will select the scholarship recipients--all
before June. Because of the urgency of distributing this scholarship
form and collecting information from interested participants, we are
requesting emergency clearance by April 13, 2004.
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: Individuals or household.
Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
Responses: 3,000.
Burden Hours: 1,000.
Requests 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 2468. When
you access the information collection, click on ``Download
Attachments'' to view. Written requests for information should be
addressed to Vivian Reese,
[[Page 19825]]
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4050, Regional
Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651 or to 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 Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
[FR Doc. 04-8455 Filed 4-13-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P