[Federal Register: December 23, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 247)]
[Notices]
[Page 78767-78769]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23de08-57]
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ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection,
Comment Request; Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments
AGENCY: U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The EAC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take
this opportunity to comment on proposed information collections; and
recordkeeping requirements. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the
proposed
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collections of information and/or recordkeeping requirements are
necessary for the proper performance of the agency's functions,
including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed
information collections and/or recordkeeping requirements, including
the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected or records to be kept; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of
the information collections and/or recordkeeping requirements on
respondents. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be
summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval.
DATES: You must submit comments on or before 5 PM Eastern Standard Time
on February 23, 2009.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the proposed information
collections and/or recordkeeping requirements by any of the following
methods. Please submit your comments via only one of the methods
described.
E-mail: Send comments to havainfo@eac.gov with ``Comments
for [Title of Regulation]'' in the subject line.
Fax: Send to ``EAC Regulations'' at (202) 566-3128.
Comments sent by fax must be limited to 6 pages.
Mail: Send to ``EAC Regulations'' at U.S. Election
Assistance Commission, 1225 New York Avenue, Suite 1100, Washington, DC
20005. Comments sent by mail must be unbound, be on paper no larger
than 8.5'' by 11''; and be submitted in duplicate. Mailed comments will
not accepted in electronic form (floppy disk, CD, etc.).
Hand Delivery/Courier: Deliver to Suite 1100, 1225 New
York Avenue, Washington, DC 20005 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except federal holidays. Comments submitted by hand
delivery must be unbound, be on paper no larger than 8.5'' by 11''; and
be submitted in duplicate. Comments sent by courier or hand delivery
will not be accepted in electronic form (floppy disk, CD, etc.).
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
regulation title (i.e. ``Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants
and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments'') for this
information collection/recordkeeping requirement. Please also identify
comments on regulatory text by subpart and section. Note that all
comments received will be publicly posted, including any personal
information provided. The EAC will post comments without change unless
the comment contains profanity or material that is prohibited from
disclosure by law.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tamar Nedzar, Attorney, U.S. Election
Assistance Commission, 1225 New York Avenue NW., Suite 1100,
Washington, DC 20005. Telephone (202) 566-3100.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments:
OMB Number: Pending.
Type of Review: Regular submission.
Summary of Information Collections and Recordkeeping Requirements:
(Full text of regulation at www.eac.gov; and available upon written
request).
11 CFR 9423.12(c)--Written notice to grantee or subgrantee. This
section requires the awarding official to provide each of its grantees
and subgrantees with written notice of any special conditions and/or
restrictions on the grantee or subgrantee because it is considered
``high risk'' and the reasons for imposing the conditions or
restrictions. The notice will also include any corrective actions to
the grantees' management systems to meet required management standards
that must be taken before the grantee or subgrantee will be removed
from being high risk, the time allowed for completing these corrective
actions, and the method of requesting reconsideration of the
conditions/restrictions imposed.
11 CFR 9423.20(a)--Financial management systems. This section
requires a State to create financial management systems for itself as
well as its subgrantees and cost-type contractors. These systems must
allow for States to prepare reports and permit the tracing of funds
adequately enough to establish that such funds have not been used
inappropriately.
11 CFR 9423.20(b)--Financial management systems. This section
requires grantees and subgrantees to maintain financial management
systems to support financial reporting; maintain accounting records;
control and account for all cash, real and personal property, and other
assets and assure that they are used for authorized purposes; show
budget control; follow applicable regulations in determining allowable
costs; maintain source documentation; and establish procedures to
ensure the receipt of reports on cash balances and cash disbursements
from subgrantees to prepare cash transactions reports to the awarding
agency.
11 CFR 9423.20(c)--Awarding agency review. This section provides
that the awarding agency may review the adequacy of the financial
management system of any applicant for financial assistance as part of
a pre-award review or at any time subsequent to the award.
11 CFR 9423.24(g)--Appraisal of real property. This section
provides that an independent appraiser set the market value or fair
rental value of real property held by the grantee and that the value or
rate be certified by the grantee. This requirement will also be imposed
by the grantee on subgrantees.
11 CFR 9423.30--Prior written approval of post-award budget/project
changes. Section 9423.30(a) requires certain types of post-award
changes in budget and projects specified in paragraphs (c) and (d) of
this section to have prior written approval of EAC. The format for the
request is specified in paragraph (f).
11 CFR 9423.30(f)(3)--Prior approval decision. This section
provides that the grantee promptly review budget/program change
requests from subgrantees and approve or disapprove the request in
writing. If applicable, EAC would need to approve the grantee's request
for changes to its project before the grantee could approve the
subgrantee's request.
11 CFR 9423.32(b)--Equipment. This section requires that each
grantee establish proper sales procedures to sell property and adequate
maintenance procedures to keep the property in good condition.
11 CFR 9423.32(f)--Inventory list. This section requires a grantee
to submit to EAC an annual inventory of all federally owned property
for which it is accountable.
11 CFR 9423.36(g)(1)--Awarding agency review. This section provides
that the awarding agency review technical specifications on proposed
procurements to ensure that the item/service specified is the one being
proposed for purchase.
11 CFR 9423.40(b)--Nonconstruction performance reports. This
section provides that EAC may require grantees to submit performance
reports annually or more frequently, as necessary. For the 55 HAVA
grantees and 5 election data grantees, this report is due annually. The
20 college mock election grantees report twice a year.
11 CFR 9423.40(d)--Significant developments. This section requires
grantees to inform EAC of any problems, delays, or adverse conditions
which would inhibit the grantee's ability to meet the objective of the
award. This disclosure must include a statement of the action taken, or
contemplated, and any assistance needed to resolve the situation.
Grantees must also inform EAC of any favorable developments that
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would allow time schedules and objectives to be met sooner and/or at
less cost than was anticipated.
11 CFR 9423.41(d)--Request for advance or reimbursement. This
section requires that grantee requests for Treasury check advance
payments and for reimbursement under nonconstruction grants be
submitted on SF-270.
11 CFR 9423.42--Recordkeeping. This section requires grantees and
subgrantees to retain all required records for three years from the
starting date.
11 CFR 9423.42(b)(3)--Transfer of records. This section provides
that the awarding agency may request transfer of records to its custody
when it determines that the records possess long-term retention value.
11 CFR 9423.50--Closeout. This section requires the grantee to
submit all financial, performance, and other reports required as a
condition of the grant. This includes the final performance or progress
report (SF-PPR), the Federal Financial Report (SF-425) or Outlay Report
and Request for Reimbursement for Construction Programs (SF 271), the
final request for payment (SF 270), invention disclosure, and
Federally-owned property report.
Needs and Uses: On March 12, 1987, President Reagan signed a
memorandum directing all affected Executive departments and agencies to
simultaneously issue a common rule that adopted governmentwide terms
and conditions for grants to State and local governments. The
departments and agencies followed the guidelines of OMB Circular A-102,
and adopted the wording of the Circular verbatim, with their statutory
deviations. The common rule was issued on March 11, 1988, and has been
updated periodically to reflect new legislation and Executive Orders.
EAC, which was created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, is
codifying the common rule at 11 CFR part 9423, and this regulation
includes the OMB-required reporting and recordkeeping. The pre-award
information, (SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance), is used to
qualify and select grant applications. The post-award information, (SF-
425, Federal Financial Report; SF-270, Request for Advance or
Reimbursement; and SF-271 Outlay Report & Request for Reimbursement for
Construction Programs), is used to monitor grantee performance. The
after-the-grant information, (SF-425, Federal Financial Report), is
used to close out the grant awards. The information is necessary to
ensure minimum fiscal control and accountability for Federal funds and
deter fraud, waste, and abuse.
Information Collection Associated With Regulations
Affected Public: EAC grant recipients.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 467.
Total Annual Responses: 467.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 347 hours.
Recordkeeping Requirement Associated With Regulations
Affected Public: EAC grant recipients.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 5,087.
Total Annual Responses: 5,087.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 33,913 hours.
Thomas R. Wilkey,
Executive Director, U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
[FR Doc. E8-30538 Filed 12-22-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-KF-P