2021-10201. Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Impact Aid Electronic Data Collection (EDC) Program Questionnaire

AGENCY:

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing a new collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before July 13, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2021-SCC-0074. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily accept comments at [e-mail]. Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the PRA Coordinator of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W208D, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Nicholas Di Taranto, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), 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, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 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. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Impact Aid Electronic Data Collection (EDC) Program Questionnaire.

OMB Control Number: 1810-NEW.

Type of Review: New collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 30.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8.

Abstract: The Impact Aid Program (IAP) in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) at the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) requests clearance for the Electronic Data Collection (EDC) Program Questionnaire. This is a new information collection request. As part of the Impact Aid 7003 application, Local Educational Agency's (LEA) are required to submit data concerning federally-connected children within their LEA. In the past LEAs have collected this information using paper forms, but more recently, and particularly this past year, there has been more interest from LEAs to collect this data electronically. The purpose of the EDC program is to reduce administrative burden and to create a set of best practices to assist other LEAs in the development their own electronic systems. The questionnaire will allow IAP staff to provide in depth technical assistance to LEAs and potentially increase efficiency and reduce costs associated with the Impact Aid data collection process. Prior to Impact Aid approval of an EDC program, the LEA must successfully demonstrate that their system complies with all requirements of the Impact Aid program: U.S.C. 7703 and 7705, and regulations at 34 CFR 222.39-35.

Dated: May 11, 2021.

Kate Mullan,

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.