[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 212 (Tuesday, November 3, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 59327-59328] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-29313] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, OMB Control Number 1076-0135, ``Public Law 102-477 Reporting,'' was submitted to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review and reinstatement under 5 CFR 1320.10. The first notice requesting comments about the collection was published in the Federal Register on February 24, 1998 (63 FR 9240-9241). DATES: Written comments must be received on or before December 3, 1998. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for Department of the Interior, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 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, D.C. 20240. 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. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or additional copies of the information collection instructions and the February 22, 1998 Federal Register should be directed to Lynn Forcia, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 4640-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240 and Telephone: 202-219-5270. (This is not a toll-free number.) SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: A Reporting System for the P.L. 102-477 Demonstration Project, expired on March 31, 1998. This is a request for reinstatement of a slightly modified previously approved information collection request. I. 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 11 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. II. 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 instructions. 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 forms were developed by a partnership of tribes and representatives of all three Federal agencies, to standardize terms and definitions, eliminate duplication and reduce frequency of collection. [[Page 59328]] Respondents: Tribes participating in Public Law 102-477 will report annually. Currently, there are 22 grantees participating in the program. Burden: We estimate that completion of the reporting requirements will require 10 hours per year to complete for each grantee, times 22 grants equals 220 burden hours. Public Comments and Responses All comments were considered in preparing BIA's response. The desk officer for Department of Labor at OMB verbally recommended that we add the following questions to the reporting forms in order to provide three additional items of information for the Department of Labor's new Welfare to Work program. Add to the Program Statistical report form: 1. ``Welfare to work recipients entered unsubsidized employment.'' 2. ``Placements with duration of 180 days or more.'' Add to the Narrative portion of the report, one sentence: 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.'' The P.L. 102-477 Tribal Work Group formed a subcommittee to review all P.L. 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 recommendations from the Office of Management and Budget as follows. To the Program Statistical report form: 1. In the program consolidation authorized under P.L. 102-477, grantees no longer identify participants in each activity separately because the funding sources are not identified for each participant. Therefore, the subcommittee recommendation was added: ``Long-term TANF recipients entered unsubsidized employment.'' 2. 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 participant eligibility for services. Therefore, we have decided to add the following question to the form: ``Placements with duration of 90 days or more.'' 3. The subcommittee agreed with the Office of Management and Budget that it was appropriate to add one sentence to the narrative instruction, and is as follows: ``The narrative should show the extent of participation in any welfare to work activities, e.g., the number of participants and the services such as job readiness, supportive services, and any post employment services provided to place long-term welfare recipients into employment and the success of such services.'' The Bureau of Indian Affairs also received comments from five P.L. 102-477 grantees and one other interested party, stating that the existing format has allowed tribes to spend more time providing services to clients and less time completing report forms. Grantees stated that initiation of a P.L. 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 comments from any of the other participating Federal agencies. We have incorporated the additions recommended by the P.L. 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. Dated: October 23, 1998. Kevin Gover, Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs. [FR Doc. 98-29313 Filed 11-2-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-02-P