2023-09503. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Foreign Gifts and Contracts Disclosures

AGENCY:

Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing a new information collection request (ICR).

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 5, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for proposed information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of publication of this notice. Click on this link www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain to access the site. Find this information collection request (ICR) by selecting “Department of Education” under “Currently Under Review,” then check the “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox. Reginfo.gov provides two links to view documents related to this information collection request. Information collection forms and instructions may be found by clicking on the “View Information Collection (IC) List” link. Supporting statements and other supporting documentation may be found by clicking on the “View Supporting Statement and Other Documents” link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Beth Grebeldinger, 202–377–4018.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department 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: Foreign Gifts and Contracts Disclosures.

OMB Control Number: 1845–NEW.

Type of Review: A new ICR.

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

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,043.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 40,860.

Abstract: Federal Student Aid (FSA) is requesting a new information collection to collect the required information from institutions regarding foreign gifts and contracts as specified in the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended. Section 117 of the HEA, codified at 20 U.S.C. 1011f, provides that institutions of higher education must file a disclosure report with the Secretary of Education on January 31 or July 31, whichever is sooner, under certain circumstances.

In June of 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) established a collection of information, Foreign Gifts and Contracts Disclosures, 1801–0006, through ED's Partner Enterprise Business Collaboration (PEBC) system. That collection is under an OMB control number for ED's Office of the General Counsel (OGC), which has worked closely with FSA in recent years with respect to administration of Section 117.

With this request for a new collection, the Department would be returning the collection of this information to FSA, which is the office with primary responsibility for the administration of Section 117 within the Department going forward. At present, the Department plans to continue to collect this data through its PEBC system with only slight modifications based on public comment.

Dated: May 1, 2023.

Kun Mullan,

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