Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection; Comments Requested

AGENCY:

Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Rural Housing Service's intention to request an extension for a currently approved information collection in support of the Community Facilities Grant Program.

DATES:

Comments on this notice must be received by June 1, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robin M. Jones, Management Analyst, Regulations Management Division, Innovation Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, South Building, Washington, DC 20250-1522. Telephone: (202) 772-1172. Email: robin.m.jones@usda.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) requires that interested members of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an information collection that will be submitted to OMB for extension and revision.

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 will have practical utility; (b) The accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (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 those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments may be sent by the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and, in the lower “Search Regulations and Federal Actions” box, select “Rural Housing Service” from the agency drop-down menu, then click on “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select RHS-21-CF-0006 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through the site's “User Tips” link.

Title: Community Facilities Grant Program.

OMB Control Number: 0575-0173.

Expiration Date of Approval: October 31, 2021.

Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information collection.

Abstract: Community Programs, a division of the Rural Housing Service (RHS), is part of the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development mission area. The Agency is authorized by Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926), as amended, to make grants to public agencies, nonprofit corporations, and Indian tribes to develop essential community facilities and services for public use in rural areas. These facilities include schools, libraries, child care, hospitals, clinics, assisted-living facilities, fire and rescue stations, police stations, community centers, public buildings, and transportation. Through its Community Programs, the Department of Agriculture is striving to ensure that such facilities are readily available to all rural communities.

Information will be collected by the field offices from applicants, consultants, lenders, and public entities. The collection of information is considered the minimum necessary to effectively evaluate the overall scope of the project.

Failure to collect information could have an adverse impact on effectively carrying out the mission, administration, processing, and program requirements.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2.09 hours per response.

Respondents: Public bodies, nonprofit corporations and associations, and federally recognized Indian tribes.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1085.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 3.27.

Estimated Number of Responses: 3550

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 7,428 hours.

Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Robin M. Jones, Regulations and Paperwork Management Branch, at (202) 772-1172, Email: robin.m.jones@usda.gov.

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become matter of public record.