Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Request for Duty-Free Entry of Scientific Instrument or Apparatus

AGENCY:

International Trade Administration.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted on or before February 14, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all written comments to Towanda Carey, ITA Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, OCFAO, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via the internet at PRAcomments@doc.gov). Comments will generally be posted without change. Please do not include information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or proprietary information. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted may be publicly accessible.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Dianne Hanshaw, Enforcement and Compliance (E&C), phone number 202-482-1661, or via the internet at Dianne.Hanshaw@trade.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security (“DHS”) are required to determine whether nonprofit institutions established for scientific or educational purposes are entitled to duty-free entry for scientific instruments the institutions import under the Florence Agreement. Form ITA-338P enables: (1) DHS to determine whether the statutory eligibility requirements for the institution and the instrument are fulfilled, and (2) Commerce to make a comparison and finding as to the scientific equivalency of comparable instruments being manufactured in the United States. Without the collection of the information, DHS and Commerce would not have the necessary information to carry out the responsibilities of determining eligibility for duty-free entry assigned by law.

II. Method of Collection

A copy of Form ITA-338P is provided on and downloadable from a website at http://enforcement.trade.gov/sips/sipsform/ita-338p.pdf or the potential applicant may request a copy from the Department. The applicant completes the form and then forwards it via mail to DHS.

Upon acceptance by DHS as a valid application, the application is transmitted to Commerce for further processing.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0625-0037.

Form Number(s): ITA-338P.

Type of Review: Regular submission.

Affected Public: State or local government; Federal agencies; not for-profit institutions.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 65.

Estimated Time per Response: 2 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 130.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $2,138.

IV. Request for Comments

Comments are invited 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 (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (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 respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.