Notice of Proposed information Collection Requests

AGENCY:

Department of Education.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed information collection requests.

SUMMARY:

The Leader, Regulatory Information Management, Office of the Chief Information Officer, invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

An emergency review has been requested in accordance with the Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 3507 (j)), since public harm is reasonably likely to result if normal clearance procedures are followed. Approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been requested by April 10, 2002. A regular clearance process is also beginning. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 3, 2002.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments regarding the emergency review should be addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Karen Lee, Desk Officer: Department of Education, Office of Management and Budget; 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or should be electronically mailed to the Internet address KarenF.Lee@omb.eop.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Director of OMB provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may amend or waive the requirement for public consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's ability to perform its statutory obligations. The Leader, Information Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer, publishes this notice containing proposed information collection requests at the beginning of the Departmental review of the information collection. Each proposed information collection, grouped by office, contains the following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g., new, revision, extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6) Reporting and/or Recordkeeping burden. ED invites public comment. 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 respondents, including through the use of information technology.

Office of Educational Research and Improvement

Type of Review: New.

Title: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program—Phase I—Grant Application Package.

Abstract: This application package invites small business concerns to submit a Phase I research application for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This is in response to Pub. L. 106-554, the “Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000, H.R. 5667” (the “Act”) enacted on December 21, 2000. The Act requires certain agencies, including the Department of Education (ED), to establish a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program by reserving a statutory percentage of their extramural research and development budgets to be awarded to small business concerns for research or R&D through a uniform, highly competitive, three-phase process each fiscal year.

Additional Information: The Act further requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue policy directives for the general conduct of the SBIR programs within the Federal Government. In order to avoid public harm and comply with the law and SBA Policy Directives, the Department is requesting an emergency clearance by April 10, 2002. This is the only way to assure that applicants have an adequate response time, that their applications receive an expert peer review, and that their awards are made before the end of the fiscal year.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

 Responses: 250.

 Burden Hours: 10,000.

Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov , by selecting “Browse Pending Collections” and clicking on link number. When you access the information collection, click on “Download Attachments” to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to Vivian Reese, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4050, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651 or to the e-mail address vivian.reese@ed.gov. Requests may also be electronically mailed to the Internet address OCIO_RIMG@ed.gov or faxed to 202-708-9346. Please specify the complete title of the information collection when making your request.

Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be directed to Kathy Axt at (540) 776-7742 or via her Internet address Kathy.Axt@ed.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.