2011-32513. Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY:

Department of Education.

ACTION:

Comment request.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Education (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden on the public and helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. The Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before February 21, 2012.

ADDRESSES:

Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be electronically mailed to [e-mail] or mailed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-4537. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that Federal agencies provide interested parties an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. The Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, publishes this notice containing proposed information collection requests at the beginning of the Departmental review of the information collection. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

Dated: December 15, 2011.

Kate Mullan,

Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.

Federal Student Aid

Type of Review: Revision.

Title of Collection: Fiscal Operations Report for 2011-2012 and Application to Participate for 2013-2014 Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate and Reallocation Form E40-4P.

OMB Control Number: 1845-0030.

Agency Form Number(s): E40-4P.

Frequency of Responses: Annually.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Federal Government; Not-for-profit institutions.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 4,258.

Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 32,963.

Abstract: The data submitted electronically in the Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) through FISAP on the web is used by the Department of Education (the Department) to determine the institution's funding need for the award year and monitor program effectiveness and accountability of fund expenditures. The Reallocation form is part of FISAP on the web. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended requires that if an institution anticipates not using all of its allocated funds for the Perkins, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant programs by the end of an award year, it must specify the anticipated remaining unused amount to the Secretary. This data collection is due to expire June 30, 2012. In addition to renewing the expiration date references to dates and award year dates have been updated on the forms and in the instructions for both documents. Two fields were removed from the FISAP due to the termination of the Academic Competitiveness Grant and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant programs. Additional clarifications were made to the FISAP instructions.

Copies of the proposed information collection request may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov,, by selecting the “Browse Pending Collections” link and by clicking on link number 4767. When you access the information collection, click on “Download Attachments” to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-4537. Requests may also be electronically mailed to [e-mail] or faxed to [phone]. Please specify the complete title of the information collection and OMB Control Number when making your request.

Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-[phone].