[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 180 (Friday, September 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57103-57104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23211]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[FTA Docket No. FTA-2010-0033]
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 comment
about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's
(OMB) approval to reinstate 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 FTA's 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. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment
period soliciting comments was published on June 23, 2010.
DATES: Comments must be submitted before October 18, 2010. A comment to
[[Page 57104]]
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, 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 formulating, submitting, and
implementing 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: 2,416 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.
Issued On: September 13, 2010.
Ann M. Linnertz,
Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-23211 Filed 9-16-10; 8:45 am]
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