04-25991. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Title: Refugee Resettlement Program Estimates: CMA, ORR-1.

OMB No.: 0970-0030.

Description: The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) reimburses, to the extent of available appropriations, certain non-Federal costs for the provision of cash and medical assistance to refugees, along with allowable expenses in the administration of the Refugee Resettlement Program. ORR needs sound State estimates of likely expenditures for refugee cash, medical, and administrative (CMA) expenditures so that it can anticipate Federal costs in upcoming quarters. If Federal costs are anticipated to exceed budget allocations, ORR must take steps to reduce Federal expenses, such as limiting the number of months of eligibility for Refugee Cash Assistance and Refugee Medical Assistance.

To meet the need for reliable State estimates of anticipated expenses, ORR has developed a single-page form in which States estimate the average number of recipients for each category of assistance, the average unit cost over the next 12 months, and the expense for the overall administration of the program. This form, the ORR-1, must be submitted prior to the beginning of each Federal fiscal year. Without this information, ORR would be out of compliance with the intent of its legislation and otherwise unable to estimate program costs adequately.

In addition, the ORR-1 serves as the State's application for reimbursement of its CMA expenses. Submission of this form is thus required by section 412(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which provides that “no grant or contract may be awarded under this section unless an appropriate proposal and application * * * are submitted to, and approved by, the appropriate administering official.”

Respondents: State governments.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Total burden hours
ORR-1	48	1	.5	24

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 24.

Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. All requests should be identified by the title of the information collection. E-mail address: [e-mail].

OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attn: Desk Officer for ACF, [e-mail].

Dated: November 17, 2004.

Robert Sargis,

Reports Clearance Officer.