2023-10503. Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, this notice announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the information collection and its expected burden. On March 2, 2023, FRA published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 16, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Find the particular ICR by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Arlette Mussington, Information Collection Clearance Officer, at email: [e-mail] or telephone: [phone] or Ms. Joanne Swafford, Information Collection Clearance Officer, at email: [e-mail] or telephone: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to issue two notices seeking public comment on information collection activities before OMB may approve paperwork packages. See44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. On March 2, 2023, FRA published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register soliciting public comment on the ICR for which it is now seeking OMB approval. See88 FR 13224. FRA has received no comments related to the proposed collection of information.

Before OMB decides whether to approve this proposed collection of information, it must provide 30-days' notice for public comment. Federal law requires OMB to approve or disapprove paperwork packages between 30 and 60 days after the 30-day notice is published. 44 U.S.C. 3507(b)–(c); 5 CFR 1320.10(b); see also60 FR 44978, 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes the 30-day notice informs the regulated community to file relevant comments and affords the agency adequate time to digest public comments before it renders a decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. Therefore, respondents should submit their respective comments to OMB within 30 days of publication to best ensure having their full effect.

Comments are invited on the following ICR regarding: (1) Whether the information collection activities are necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FRA's estimates of the burden of the information collection activities, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimates; (3) ways for FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of information collection activities on the public, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

The summary below describes the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB clearance as the PRA requires:

Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service.

OMB Control Number: 2130–0593.

Abstract: This collection of information is necessary to enable FRA to garner customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, consistent with its commitment to improving service delivery. The information collected from FRA's customers and stakeholders will help ensure users have an effective, efficient, and satisfying experience with FRA's programs. This feedback will provide insights into customer and stakeholder perceptions, experiences, and expectations, provide an early indicator of issues with service, and focus attention on areas where communication, training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or services. This collection will allow ongoing, collaborative, and actionable communications between FRA and its customers and stakeholders. It also allows feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of program management. If this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and stakeholders on FRA's services will be unavailable.

Improving FRA's programs requires ongoing assessment of service delivery. FRA will collect, analyze, and interpret information gathered through this generic clearance to identify strengths and weaknesses of current services and make improvements to service delivery based on feedback. The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: timeliness, appropriateness, information accuracy, courtesy, service delivery efficiency, and issue resolution. FRA will assess responses in order to plan and inform efforts seeking to improve the quality of service offered to the public.

FRA will only submit a collection for approval under this generic clearance under the following conditions:

• The information gathered is only used internally for general service improvement and program management purposes and is not intended for public release;
• The information gathered is not used to substantially inform significant policy decisions;
• The information gathered will yield qualitative information; FRA will not design the collection or expect it to yield statistically reliable results or use it as though the results are generalizable to the study population;
• Participation in the collection is voluntary;
• The collection is low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and is low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;
• The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies;
• The collection is directed to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the OMB program or may have experience with the OMB program soon after receiving the collection; and
• With the exception of information needed to provide remuneration for focus group participants and cognitive laboratory studies, personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained by FRA.

Type of Request: Extension without change (revised estimates) of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Governments.

Form(s): N/A.

Respondent Universe: 5,750.

Frequency of Submission: Once per request.

Total Estimated Annual Responses: 5,750.

Total Estimated Annual Burden: 475 hours.

FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of information that does not display a currently valid OMB control number.

Authority:44 U.S.C. 3501–3520.

Brett A. Jortland,

Deputy Chief Counsel.