E8-21558. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested

ACTION:

60-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Extension of a currently approved collection; Victim of Crime Act, Crime Victim Assistance Grant Program, Subgrant Award Report.

Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information collection is published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for “sixty days” until November 17, 2008. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.

If you have comments especially on the estimated public burden or associated response time, suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed information collection instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact DeLano Foster [phone], Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, 810 7th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20531.

Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of the following four points:

—Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

—Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

—Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

—Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Overview of This Information Collection

(1) Type of Information Collection: Extension of a currently approved collection.

(2) Title of the Form/Collection: Victims of Crime Act, Victim Assistance Grant Program, Subgrant Award Report.

(3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the Department of Justice sponsoring the collection: Form number: 1121-0142. Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

(4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well as a brief abstract: Primary: State government. Other: None. The VOCA, Crime Victim Assistance Grant Program, Subgrant Award Report is a required submission by state grantees, within 90 days of their awarding a subgrant for the provision of crime victim services. VOCA and the Program Guidelines require each state victim assistance office to report to OVC on the impact of the Federal funds, to certify compliance with the eligibility requirements of VOCA, and to provide a summary of proposed activities. This information will be aggregated and serve as supporting documentation for the Director's biennial report to the President and to the Congress on the effectiveness of the activities supported by these grants. This request is for an extension of a currently approved reporting instrument, with no revisions.

(5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of time estimated for an average respondent to respond/reply: The number of VOCA-funded victim assistance programs varies widely from State to State. A review of information currently available to this Office on the number of active victim assistance programs in 15 States selected for variance in size and population revealed that a State would be responsible for entering subgrant data for as many as 436 programs (California) to as few as 12 programs (District of Columbia).

The estimated time to enter a record via the Grants Management System is three minutes (.05 hour). Therefore, the estimated clerical time can range from 36 minutes to 22 hours, based on the number of records that are entered. It would take 295 hours to enter 5,900 responses electronically [5,900 x .05 hour].

(6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated with the collection: The current estimated burden is 295 (5,900 responses × .05 hour per response = 295 hours). There is no increase in the annual recordkeeping and reporting burden.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lynn Bryant, Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Patrick Henry Building, Suite 1600, 601 D Street, NW., Washington, DC 20530.

Dated: September 10, 2008.

Lynn Bryant,

Department Clearance Officer, PRA,U.S. Department of Justice.