Information Collection Submission to OMB for Reinstatement Under Paperwork Reduction Act

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Information Collection Submission to OMB for Reinstatement Under

Paperwork Reduction Act

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, as

amended (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that an

information collection request was submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs for review and extension under 5 CFR 1320.10. The first notice

requesting comments about OMB Control Number 1076-0135, ``Public Law

102-477 Reporting,'' was published in the Federal Register on October

1, 1999 (64 FR 53403-53404).

[[Page 788]]

DATES: Written comments must be received by February 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the Office of Information

and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention:

Desk Officer for Department of the Interior, Docket Library, Room

10102, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503. A copy should be sent

to Lynn Forcia, Office of Economic Development, Bureau of Indian

Affairs, 1849 C Street, NW, Mail Stop 4640-MIB, Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or

additional copies of the information collection instructions and the

October 1, 1999 Federal Register Notice (64 FR 53403-53404) should be

directed to Lynn Forcia, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the

Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 4640-MIB, Washington, DC 20240 and

(202) 219-5270. (This is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Report System for the Public Law 102-477

Demonstration Project expires January 31, 2000. This is a request for

an extension of a previously approved information collection request.

Abstract: The information collection is needed to document

satisfactory compliance with statutory requirements of the various

integrated programs. Public Law 102-477 authorizes tribal governments

to integrate federally funded employment, training and related services

programs into a single, coordinated, comprehensive service delivery

plan. Funding agencies include the Department of the Interior,

Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is statutorily required to serve as the

lead agency. Section II of this Act requires that the Secretary of the

Interior make available a single universal report format which shall be

used by a tribal government to report on integrated activities and

expenditures undertaken. The Bureau of Indian Affairs shares the

information collected from these reports with the Department of Labor

and Department of Health and Human Services.

Method of Collection: Tribal governments voluntarily participating

in Public Law 102-477 are required to annually complete two single

page, one-sided report forms and one narrative report, which includes

four pages of instruction. They replace 166 pages of instructions and

applications representing three different agencies and twelve different

funded but related programs. We estimate a 95 percent reduction in

reporting, which is consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act and

goals of the National Performance Review. The statistical and narrative

report will be used to demonstrate how well a plan was executed in

comparison to proposed goals. The financial status report will be used

to track cash flow, and will allow an analysis of activities versus

expenditures and expenditures to approved budget. It is a slightly

modified SF 269-A (short form). These report forms and narrative are

limited but satisfy the Department of Health and Human Services,

Department of Labor and the Department of the Interior. They reduce the

burden on tribal governments by consolidating data collection for

employment, training, education, child care and related service

programs. The reports are due annually. These forms have been developed

within a partnership between tribes and representatives of all three

Federal agencies, to standardize terms and definitions, eliminate

duplication and reduce frequency of collection.

Respondents: Tribes participating in Public Law 102-477 will report

annually. We currently anticipate there will be 37 grantees

participating in the program as of January 1, 2000.

Burden: We estimate that completion of the reporting requirements

will require 10 hours per year to complete for each grantee, times 37

grants equals 370 burden hours.

Public Comments and Responses

All comments were considered in preparing BIA's response. The

comments received relating to the information collection and OMB's

responses are summarized below. The Office of Management and Budget

verbally recommended that we add questions to the reporting forms in

order to provide additional information for the Department of Labor's

new Welfare to Work program.

The Public Law 102-477 Tribal Work Group formed a subcommittee to

review all Public Law 102-477 report forms including the OMB requested

additions. The subcommittee included representatives from the Central

Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians, Kodiak Area Native Association,

the Shoshone Bannock Tribes, the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, the

Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe and the Indian and Native American

Employment and Training Coalition. The subcommittee responded to the

three recommendations from the Office of Management and Budget as

follows: two suggestions for the Program Statistical report form, and

one sentence for the Narrative portion of the report:

1. ``Welfare to Work recipients entered unsubsidized employment.''

Tribal subcommittee response: In the program consolidation

authorized under Public Law 102-477 grantees no longer identify

participants in each activity separately because the funding sources

are not identified for each participant. Therefore, the subcommittee

recommended the following addition to the form, and we have added:

``Long term TANF recipients entered unsubsidized employment.''

2. ``Placements with duration of 180 days or more.''

Tribal subcommittee response: The subcommittee stated that tracking

participants for 180 days is very costly in terms of additional time

and expense that could otherwise be spent toward finding unsubsidized

employment for individuals. Therefore, the subcommittee recommended

that grantees track clients for 90 days instead of 180 days. Tracking

participants for 90 days would also be consistent with existing

Department of Labor, JTPA requirements and because the participants

continue to remain eligible for services during those 90 days.

Therefore, we have decided to add the following question to the form:

``Placements with duration of 90 days or more.''

3. ``The narrative should show the extent of participants in any

Welfare to Work activities; e.g., the number of participants and what

activities were included.''

Tribal subcommittee response: The subcommittee agreed with the

Office of Management and Budget that it was appropriate to add one

sentence to the narrative instruction as follows: ``The narrative

should show the extent of participants in any Welfare to Work

activities; e.g., the number of participants and what activities were

included.''

The Bureau of Indian Affairs also received comments from five

Public Law 102-477 grantees and one other interested party, stating

that the existing format has allowed tribes to spend more providing

services to clients and less time completing report forms. Grantees

stated that initiation of a Public Law 102-477 program resulted in the

integration of several programs and resulted in the elimination of

distinction between related tribal employment and training participants

based on the source of funds for the services. The grantees stated they

wanted no additional information collection elements and requested a

face-to-face meeting with OMB prior to making any changes to the

existing forms. We did not receive any written

[[Page 789]]

comments from any of the other participating Federal agencies. We have

incorporated the additions recommended by the Public Law 102-477

subcommittee because we believe the additional information is necessary

to provide the Department of Labor and the Office of Management and

Budget with the information necessary to adequately manage and evaluate

the Welfare to Work program. The collection of the additional

information is the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish

this goal and to limit information collection and reporting

requirements for grantee tribes, many with limited resources.

OMB is required to make a decision concerning this information

collection request between 30 and 60 days after publication of this

document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment will receive the

best consideration by OMB if it is submitted early during this comment

period. Written comments and recommendations concerning this

information collection should be sent directly to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for

the Department of the Interior, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th

Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: December 22, 1999.

Kevin Gover,

Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 00-282 Filed 1-5-00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-02-P