Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management; Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension Without Change; Comment Request; DOL Generic Solution for Solicitation for Funding Opportunity Announcement Responses

ACTION:

Notice of availability; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Labor (DOL), as part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), is soliciting comments concerning a proposed extension of the authorization to conduct the DOL Generic Solution for Solicitation for Funding Opportunity Announcement Responses information collection.

DATES:

Submit written comments on or before May 30, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Contact Michel Smyth by telephone at 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov to request additional information, including requesting a copy of this Information Collection Request (ICR).

Submit comments regarding this ICR, including suggestions for reducing the burden, by sending an email to DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov. Comments may also be sent to Michel Smyth, Departmental Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Room N-1301, Washington, DC 20210.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The DOL, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing information collections before submitting them to the OMB. This program helps to ensure requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements can be properly assessed.

Periodically the DOL solicits grant applications by issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement. To ensure grants are awarded to the applicant(s) best suited to perform the functions of the grant, applicants are generally required to submit a two-part application. The first part of DOL grant applications consists of submitting Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance. The second part of a grant application usually requires a technical proposal demonstrating the applicant's capabilities in accordance with a statement of work and/or selection criteria. This information collection is subject to the PRA.

A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless it is approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the PRA and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if the collection of information does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6. The DOL obtains OMB approval for this information collection under Control Number 1225-0086. The DOL intends to seek continued approval for this collection of information, without change, for an additional three years.

Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the individual listed in the ADDRESSES section above. Comments must be written to receive consideration, and they will be summarized and may be included in the request for OMB approval of the final ICR. The comments will also become a matter of public record. Comments responsive to this request will be made available on-line, without redaction, as part of the submission to OMB; therefore,

The DOL is particularly interested in comments that:

• 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.

Agency: DOL-Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management.

Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved collection.

Title of Collection: DOL Generic Solution for Solicitation for Funding Opportunity Announcement Responses.

OMB Control Number: 1225-0086.

Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; Private Sector—businesses or other for-profits and not for-profit institutions.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 5,500.

Frequency: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Responses: 6,000.

Estimated Average Time per Response: 25 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 150,000 hours.

Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).