2011-9956. Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Title: State Plan for the Temporary Assistance of Needy Families (TANF).

OMB No. 0970-0145.

Description: The State plan is a mandatory statement submitted to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services by the State. It consists of an outline specifying how the State's TANF program will be administered and operated and certain required certifications by the State's Chief Executive Officer. It is used to provide the public with information about the program.

Authority to require States to submit a State TANF plan is contained in section 402 of the Social Security Act, as amended by Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. States are required to submit new plans periodically (i.e., within a 27-month period).

We are proposing to continue the information collection without change.

Respondents: The 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Annual Burden Estimates

Instrument	Number of respondents	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Total burden hours
Title Amendments	18	1	3	54
State Plan	18	1	30	540

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 594.

In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described above. Copies of the proposed collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. E-mail address: [e-mail]. All requests should be identified by the title of the information collection.

The Department specifically requests comments 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) 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. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted within 60 days of this publication.

Robert Sargis,

Reports Clearance Officer.