[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 204 (Thursday, October 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56653-56654]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28346]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
In compliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS), has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) the following request for emergency review. We are requesting an
emergency review because the collection of this information is needed
prior to the expiration of the normal time limits under OMB's
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 and is essential to the mission of the
Department. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 authorized the Department
of Labor (DoL) to implement a new grant program to fund state and local
efforts to get the hardest-to-serve welfare recipients into employment.
The statute directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development, to develop a plan to evaluate how
Welfare-to-Work (WtW) grants to states and tribes have been used. An
interim evaluation report is due to Congress by January 1, 1999, and a
final report is due by January 1, 2001.
DoL announced the first WtW competitive grants in May. The first
formula grant funds were distributed to states in February. Once
formula grant funds are awarded by DoL, states require additional time
to distribute funds to substate operating entities. Since the WtW
program operators have not had the WtW funds very long, it would not be
feasible to collect the baseline information before fall 1998.
Following the normal clearance procedures would cause the statutory
deadline of January 1, 1999 to be missed.
Without emergency approval of the proposed information collections
described below, the Department could not submit to Congress by January
1, 1999 the interim evaluation report for the Welfare-to-work grant
program, as required by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.
DHHS is requesting that OMB grant emergency approval by October 26,
1998 for 180 days.
Title and Description of Information Collection: Multi-site
Evaluation of the Welfare-to-Work Grants Program--
[[Page 56654]]
NEW--As required by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, DHHS is planning a
four-year project to evaluate the effectiveness of welfare-to-work
initiatives undertaken though competitive and formula grants awarded by
the U.S. Department of Labor. DHHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary
for Planning and Evaluation, in conjunction with DoL and the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has designed an
evaluation that will involve several rounds of data collection for
grantees and grant program participants. The information collection
instruments in this request for OMB approval consist of an all-grantee
mail survey to gather baseline program information, and a protocol for
conducting 35 site visits to gather more detailed preliminary
information. Respondents: State and Local Governments, Businesses or
Other For-profit Organizations, Not-for-profit Institutions; Burden
Information for the Mail Survey--Number of Respondents: 548; Number of
Responses per Respondent: one; Average Burden per Response: .95 hours;
Total Burden for Mail Survey: 521 hours-- Burden Information for the
Site Visits--Number of Respondents: 280; Number of Responses per
Respondent: one; Average Burden per Response: 1 hour; Total Burden of
Site Visits: 280 hours. Total Burden: 801 hours.
To request more information or a copy of the proposed data
collection, please contact Alana Landey on 202-401-6636.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information
collection should be immediately sent directly to the OMB Desk Officer
designated at the following address: OMB Human Resources and Housing
Branch, Attention: Allison Eydt, New Executive Office Building, Room
10235, Washington, DC 20503. Comments may be faxed to Ms. Eydt at 202-
395-5167.
Please send a copy of your comments to Cynthia Agens Bauer, OS
Reports Clearance Officer, Room 503H, Humphrey Building, 200
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC, 20201.
Dated: October 14, 1998.
Dennis P. Williams,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Budget.
[FR Doc. 98-28346 Filed 10-21-98; 8:45 am]
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