Proposed Information Collection Activity; Office of Community Services (OCS) Community Economic Development (CED) Standard Reporting Format (OMB #0970-0386)

AGENCY:

Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and Families, HHS.

ACTION:

Request for public comment.

SUMMARY:

The Office of Community Services (OCS) is requesting a three-year extension of the semi-annual reporting format for Community Economic Development (CED) grantees, the Performance Progress Report (PPR), which collects information concerning the outcomes and management of CED projects (OMB #0970-0386, expiration 6/30/2020). There are no changes requested to the form.

DATES:

Comments due within 60 days of publication. In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children and Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described above.

ADDRESSES:

Copies of the proposed collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded by emailing infocollection@acf.hhs.gov. Alternatively, copies can also be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Attn: OPRE Reports Clearance Officer. All requests, emailed or written, should be identified by the title of the information collection.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description: OCS will continue collecting key information about projects funded through the CED program. The legislative requirement for this program is in Title IV of the Community Opportunities, Accountability and Training and Educational Services Act (COATS Human Services Reauthorization Act) of October 27, 1998, Public Law 105-285, section 680(b) as amended. The PPR collects information concerning the outcomes and management of CED projects. OCS will use the data to critically review the overall design and effectiveness of the program.

The PPR will continue to be administered to all active grantees of the CED program. Grantees will be required to use this reporting tool for their semi-annual reports to be submitted twice a year. The current PPR replaced both the annual questionnaire and other semi-annual reporting formats, which resulted in an overall reduction in burden for the grantees while significantly improving the quality of the data collected by OCS. OCS seeks to renew this PPR to continue to collect quality data from grantees. To ensure the burden on grantees is not increased, but that the information collected demonstrates the full impact of the program, OCS has conducted an in-depth review of the forms and requests no changes to the PPR.

Respondents: Active CED Grantees.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 387.

Comments: The Department specifically requests comments on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted within 60 days of this publication.

Authority: Section 680(a)(2) of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Act, 42 U.S.C. 9921.