[Federal Register: August 17, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 159)]
[Notices]
[Page 47560-47561]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17au06-108]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[FTA Docket No. FTA-2006-25631]
Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration invites public comments
about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's
(OMB) approval to renew the following information collections:
(1) Nondiscrimination as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs.
(2) Title VI as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs.
The collections involve our Nondiscrimination and Title VI
Programs. The information to be collected for the Nondiscrimination
Program is necessary to ensure that any employee or applicant for
employment is not discriminated against on the basis of race, color,
creed, sex, national origin, age or disability. The information to be
collected for the Title VI Program is necessary to ensure that service
and benefits are provided nondiscriminatorily without regard to race,
color, or national origin. We are required to publish this notice in
the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The
Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting
comments was published on May 30, 2006.
DATES: Comments must be submitted before September 18, 2006. A comment
to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of
publication.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sylvia L. Marion, Office of
Administration, Office of Management Planning, (202) 366-6680.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Nondiscrimination as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs (OMB
Number: 2132-0540).
Abstract: All entities receiving Federal financial assistance from
FTA are prohibited from discriminating against any employee or
applicant for employment because of race, color,
[[Page 47561]]
creed, sex, national origin, age, or disability. To ensure that FTA's
equal employment opportunity (EEO) procedures are followed, FTA
requires grant recipients to submit written EEO plans to FTA for
approval. FTA's assessment of this requirement shows that the
formulating, submitting, and implementing of EEO programs should
minimally increase costs for FTA applicants and recipients.
To determine a grantee's compliance with applicable laws and
requirements, grantee submissions are evaluated and analyzed based on
the following criteria. First, an EEO program must include an EEO
policy statement issued by the chief executive officer covering all
employment practices, including recruitment, selection, promotions,
terminations, transfers, layoffs, compensation, training, benefits, and
other terms and conditions of employment. Second, the policy must be
placed conspicuously so that employees, applicants, and the general
public are aware of the agency's EEO commitment.
The data derived from written EEO and affirmative action plans will
be used by the Office of Civil Rights in monitoring grantees'
compliance with applicable EEO laws and regulations. This monitoring
and enforcement activity will ensure that minorities and women have
equitable access to employment opportunities and that recipients of
Federal funds do not discriminate against any employee or applicant
because of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, age, or
disability.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 2,325 hours.
Title: Title VI as it applies to FTA Grant Programs.
Abstract: Section 601 of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
states: ``No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race,
color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied
the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance.'' This information
collection is required by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Title VI
Regulation, 28 CFR part 42, subpart F (section 42.406), and DOT Order
1000.12. FTA policies and requirements are designed to clarify and
strengthen these regulations. This requirement is applicable to all
applicants, recipients, and subrecipients receiving Federal financial
assistance. Experience has demonstrated that a program requirement at
the application stage is necessary to assure that benefits and services
are equitably distributed by grant recipients. The requirements
prescribed by the Office of Civil Rights accomplish that objective
while diminishing possible vestiges of discrimination among FTA grant
recipients. FTA's assessment of this requirement indicated that the
formulation and implementation of the Title VI program should occur
with a decrease in costs to such applicants and recipients.
All FTA grant applicants, recipients, and subrecipients are
required to submit applicable
Title VI information to the FTA Office of Civil Rights for review
and approval. If FTA did not conduct pre-award reviews, solutions would
not be generated in advance and program improvements could not be
integrated into projects. FTA's experience with pre-award reviews for
all projects and grants suggests this method contributes to maximum
efficiency and cost effectiveness of FTA dollars and has kept post-
award complaints to a minimum. Moreover, the objective of the Title VI
statute can be more easily attained and beneficiaries of FTA funded
programs have a greater likelihood of receiving transit services and
related benefits on a nondiscriminatory basis.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 5,332 hours.
ADDRESSES: All written comments must refer to the docket number that
appears at the top of this document and be submitted to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,
725--17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FTA Desk
Officer.
Comments are Invited On: Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the Department, including whether the information will have practical
utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Dated: August 14, 2006.
Ann Linnertz,
Acting Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-13570 Filed 8-16-06; 8:45 am]
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