2019-21424. Agency Information Collection Activities; Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Program

AGENCY:

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are proposing to renew an information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before December 2, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on this information collection request (ICR) by mail to Ms. Sunshine Jordan, Acting Division Chief, Office of Indian Services—Division of Self-Determination, 1849 C Street NW, MS 4513-MIB, Washington, DC 20240, telephone: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

Please reference OMB Control Number 1076-0136 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Ms. Sunshine Jordan by telephone at: [phone]; or by email at: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.

We are soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the BIA; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the BIA enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the BIA minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Abstract: The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) authorizes and directs the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to contract or compact with and fund Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations that choose to take over the operation of programs, services, functions and activities (PSFAs) that would otherwise be operated by the BIA. These PSFAs include programs such as law enforcement, social services, and tribal priority allocation programs. The contracts and compacts provide the funding that the BIA would have otherwise used for its direct operation of the programs had they not been contracted or compacted by the Tribe, as authorized by 25 U.S.C. 450 et. seq.

Congressional appropriations are divided among BIA and Tribes and Tribal organizations to pay for both the BIA's direct operation of programs and for the operation of programs by Tribes and Tribal organizations through Self-Determination contracts and compacts. The regulations implementing ISDEAA are at 25 CFR 900.

The data is maintained by BIA's Office of Indian Services, Division of Self-Determination. The burden hours for this continued collection of information are reflected in the Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden in this notice.

Title of Collection: Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Programs.

OMB Control Number: 1076-0136.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Federally recognized Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations and contractors.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 567.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 7,063.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 4 hours to 122 hours.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 127,127 hours.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain a Benefit.

Frequency of Collection: Annually.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $0.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

Elizabeth K. Appel,

Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs.