2013-23270. Proposed Renewal of Information Collection: Private Rental Survey

AGENCY:

Office of Acquisition and Property Management, Office of the Secretary, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Acquisition and Property Management, Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior, is announcing its intention to request renewal approval for the collection of information for “Private Rental Survey” OMB Control No. 1084-0033. This collection request has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) describes the nature of the information collection and the expected burden and cost.

DATES:

OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the information collection request, but may respond after 30 days; therefore, public comments should be submitted to OMB by October 25, 2013, in order to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior (1084-0033), by telefax at [phone] or via email to [e-mail]. Also, please send a copy of your comments to Doug Pokorney, Quarters Rental Program Manager, 7301 W. Mansfield Ave, Denver, CO 80235, or fax to: 303-969-6634, or by email to [e-mail]. Individuals providing comments should reference “Private Rental Survey” OMB Control No. 1084-0033.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request more information on this information collection or to obtain a copy of the collection instrument, please write or call Doug Pokorney, Quarters Rental Program Manager, 7301 W. Mansfield Ave, Denver, CO 80235, or fax to: 303-969-6634, or by email to [e-mail]. To see a copy of the entire ICR submitted to OMB, go to: http://www.reginfo.gov and select Information Collection Review, Currently Under Review.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-131), require that interested members of the public and affected parties have an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an information collection activity that the Office of Acquisition and Property Management has submitted to OMB for renewal.

Public Law 88-459 authorizes Federal agencies to provide housing for Government employees under specified circumstances. In compliance with OMB Circular A-45 (Revised), Rental and Construction of Government Quarters, a review of private rental market housing rates is required at least once every 5 years to ensure that the rental, utility charges, and charges for related services to occupants of Government Furnished Housing (GFH) are comparable to corresponding charges in the private sector. To avoid unnecessary duplication and inconsistent rental rates, the Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Interior Business Center (on behalf of the Office of Acquisition and Property Management), conducts housing surveys in support of employee housing management programs for the Departments of the Interior (DOI), Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Justice, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs. In this survey, two collection forms are used: OS-2000 covering “Houses—Apartments—Mobile Homes,” and OS-2001 covering “Trailer Spaces.”

This collection of information provides data that is essential for DOI and the other Federal agencies to manage GFH in accordance with the requirements of OMB Circular A-45 (Revised). If this information were not collected from the public, DOI and the other Federal agencies providing GFH would be required to use professional real estate appraisals of private market rental costs, again, in accordance with OMB Circular A-45.

II. Data

(1) Title: Private Rental Survey.

OMB Control Number: 1084-0033.

Current Expiration Date: September 30, 2013.

Type of Review: Information Collection Renewal.

Affected Entities: Individuals or households, Businesses and other for-profit institutions.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 1,700 for OS-2000 and 175 for OS-2001.

Frequency of response: Average 1.99 responses for OS-2000 and 1.26 responses for OS-2001.

(2) Annual reporting and record keeping burden:

Total annualized reporting per response: 6 minutes for form OS-2000 and 4 minutes for form OS-2001.

Total annualized reporting: 353 hours.

(3) Description of the need and use of the information: This information collection provides the data that enables DOI to determine open market rental costs for GFH. These rates in turn enable DOI and other Federal agencies to set GFH rental rates in accordance with the requirements of OMB Circular A-45 (Revised).

(4) As required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), a Federal Register notice soliciting comments on the information collection was published on July 8, 2013 (78 FR 40761). No comments were received. This notice provides the public with an additional 30 days in which to comment on the proposed information collection activity.

III. Request for Comments

The Department of the Interior invites comments on:

(a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection and the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d) ways to 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 collection techniques.

“Burden” means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

If you wish us to withhold your personal information, you must prominently state at the beginning of your comment what personal information you want us to withhold. We will honor your request to the extent allowable by law. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.

Dated: September 9, 2013.

Debra E. Sonderman,

Director, Office of Acquisition and Property Management.