87 FR 17 pgs. 4007-4008 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Education Stabilization Fund—Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER I and GEER II) Recipient Data Collection Form

Type: NOTICEVolume: 87Number: 17Pages: 4007 - 4008
Docket number: [Docket No.: ED-2022-SCC-0009]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2022-01475 Filed 1-25-22; 8:45 am]
Agency: Education Department
Official PDF Version:  PDF Version
Pages: 4007, 4008

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2022-SCC-0009]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Education Stabilization Fund-Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER I and GEER II) Recipient Data Collection Form

AGENCY:

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct an emergency review of a revision of a currently approved collection.

DATES:

The Department is requesting emergency processing and OMB approval for this information collection by February 11, 2022; and therefore, the Department is requesting public comments no later than February 10, 2022. A regular clearance process is also hereby being initiated to provide the public with the opportunity to comment under the full comment period. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before March 28, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2022-SCC-0009. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily accept comments at ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the PRA Coordinator of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W208D, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Gloria Tanner, (202) 453-5596.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Education Stabilization Fund-Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER I and GEER II) Recipient Data Collection Form.

OMB Control Number: 1810-0748.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; Private Sector.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 3,326.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 40,612.


[top] Abstract: Under the current unprecedented national health emergency, the legislative and executive branches of government have come together to offer relief to those individuals and industries affected by the COVID-19 virus under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Pub. L. 116-136) authorized on March 27, 2020, and expanded through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. The Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER Fund) awards grants to Governors (States) and Outlying Areas for the purpose of providing local page 4008 educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education, and other education-related entities with emergency assistance as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This information collection requests emergency approval for a revision to a previously approved collection that includes annual reporting requirements to comply with the requirements of the GEER program and obtain information on how the funds were used by State and Local Education Agencies, institutions of higher education, and other education-related entities. Emergency processing is necessary to provide states with sufficient time to collect the required data on expenditures of GEER funds. The changes to the recently approved collection include Question 2a-d of the form to address the expenditure of GEER funds directly by the Governor's office (or another entity, such as the SEA, designated as the administrator of the GEER fund by the Governor's office).

The Department addressed all public comments from the recently approved information collection. The only change to the approved collection is to include a Yes/No question asked of prime grantees regarding whether they expended GEER funds directly. Grantees who respond in the affirmative are asked for the amount of their expenditures for administrative uses and non-administrative uses. When considering your comments, please refer to Attachment A, which outlines the additional questions.

Dated: January 20, 2022.

Kate Mullan,

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.

[FR Doc. 2022-01475 Filed 1-25-22; 8:45 am]

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