Proposed Information Collection Activity; Provision of Child Support Services in IV-D Cases Under the Hague Child Support Convention; Federally Approved Forms (OMB #0970-0488)

AGENCY:

Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for Children and Families, HHS.

ACTION:

Request for public comment.

SUMMARY:

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is requesting a three-year extension of the Hague Child Support Forms (OMB #0970-0488, expiration 4/30/2020). 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: On January 1, 2017, the 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance entered into force for the United States . This multilateral Convention contains groundbreaking provisions that, on a worldwide scale, establish uniform, simple, fast, and inexpensive procedures for the processing of international child support cases. Under the Convention, U.S. states process child support cases with other countries that have ratified the Convention under the requirements of the Convention and Article 7 of the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA 2008). In order to comply with the Convention, the U.S. implements the Convention's case processing forms.

State and Federal law require states to use federally approved case processing forms. Section 311(b) of UIFSA 2008, which has been enacted by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, requires states to use forms mandated by Federal law. 45 CFR 303.7 also requires child support programs to use federally approved forms in intergovernmental IV-D cases unless a country has provided alternative forms as a part of its chapter in a Caseworker's Guide to Processing Cases with Foreign Reciprocating Countries.

Respondents: State agencies administering a child support program under title IV-D of the Social Security Act.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 13,001.

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: 42 U.S.C. 654(20) and 666(f).