[Federal Register: September 15, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 178)]
[Notices]
[Page 54556-54557]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15se05-35]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
[Document Identifier: OS-4040-0004 (Formerly OMB-0348-0043)]
Grants.gov Program Management Office; Agency Information
Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Agency: Office of the Secretary, Grants.gov Program Management
Office, HHS. In compliance with the requirement of section
3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Grants.gov
Program Management Office, one of the 26 E-Government initiatives,
managed by the Department of Health and Human Services is publishing
the following summary of proposed collection for public comment.
Interested individuals are invited to send comments regarding any
aspect of this collection of information or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including any of the following subjects: (1)
The necessity and utility of the proposed information collection for
the proper performance of the agency's functions; (2) the accuracy of
the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology to minimize the information collection burden.
Type of Information Collection Request: Regular, Revision of a
currently approved collection;
Title of Information Collection: SF-424 Application for Federal
Assistance;
Form/OMB No.: OS-4040-0004 (Formerly OMB-0348-0043);
The SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance (OMB control number
0348-0043) was cleared by OMB for emergency use on July 31, 2003,
Federal Register notice [68 FR 44974]. OMB has since assigned the
responsibility for this government-wide standard form to the Grants.gov
Program Management Office and therefore the SF-424 Application for
Federal Assistance OMB control number was changed in April 2005 from
0348-0043 to 4040-0004.
Use: In the Federal Register notice published April 8, 2003 [68 FR
17090], OMB proposed to establish a government-wide standard set of
data elements and definitions for grant-related applications. After
consultation with the public, OMB added four data elements to the
existing Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Application for Federal Assistance
data elements and established the data as the standard core data set
for use on both paper and electronic applications. After obtaining
emergency clearance, July 31, 2003, Federal Register notice, [68 FR
44974], use of the standard data elements was implemented through the
electronic grants application process of Grants.gov, and was deployed
in October 2003 as part of the implementation of the Federal Financial
Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-107).
OMB recognized that a transition period would be needed to provide
agencies time to adapt their application forms and systems to the SF-
424 core data set and to phase out the use of the old forms. OMB
committed to a one-year transition period and further committed to
reevaluate the data set at the end of the transition period. Following
the expiration of the transition period, a cross-agency working group
recommended revisions to the SF-424 core data set and form. Based on
these recommendations, the Grants.gov Program office now proposes the
addition of the following three new standard data elements to the SF-
424 data set and form: Requesting entity's Province to collect non-US
geographic subdivision data for international address purposes, if
applicable. Requesting entity's Point of Contact's Organizational
Affiliation, if applicable. Requesting entity's Point of Contact's
Title, if applicable.
The Grants.gov Program office further proposes deletion of the
requesting entity's designation of construction or non-construction
type of submission data element. Also proposed are non-data collection
related changes, i.e., renaming of data elements. These changes are
presented in the supporting statement found on the HHS Web site at
http://www.hhs.gov/oirm/infocollect/pending.
Federal agencies will not be required to collect all of the
information included in the data set. The agency will identify the data
that must be provided by applicants through instructions that will
accompany the application package.
The efforts to address potential future revisions to the SF-424A
and SF-424C budget forms and categories and to evaluate the SF-424B and
SF-424D assurance language are separate efforts to be undertaken by the
Pub. L. 106/107 working groups and have no impact upon the proposed
revisions to the SF-424 data set or form.
An estimate of the total burden was submitted during the first
information collection package for the SF-424 on April 8, 2003, Federal
Register notice [68 FR 17090]. The estimate has been updated based on
the Paperwork Reduction Act Worksheets (OMB 83-C) received from the
agencies. Collectively, the agencies plan to receive 142,223
applications annually and estimate that it takes applicants one hour on
average to complete each application. Cumulatively, the agencies report
the total burden to applicants to be 146,758 hours.
Frequency: Recordkeeping, Reporting, on occasion.
Affected: Federal, State, Local and Tribal governments; farms; non-
profit institutions, and other for-profit.
Total Annual Respondents: 77,576;
Total Annual Responses: 142,223;
Average Burden Per Response: 1 hour;
To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms
for the proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access the HHS
Web site address at http://www.hhs.gov/oirm/infocollect/pending/ or e-
mail your request, including your address, phone number, OMB number,
and OS document identifier, to naomi.cook@hhs.gov, or call the Reports
Clearance Office on (202) 690-6162. Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed information collections must be mailed
within 60 days of this notice directly to the OS Paperwork Clearance
Officer designated at the following address: Department of Health and
Human Services, Office of the Secretary, Assistant Secretary for
Budget, Technology, and Finance, Office of Information and Resource
Management, Attention: Naomi Cook (4040-0004), Room 531-H, 200
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington DC 20201.
[[Page 54557]]
Dated: September 3, 2005.
Robert E. Polson,
Office of the Secretary, Paperwork Reduction Act Reports Clearance
Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-18287 Filed 9-14-05; 8:45 am]
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