83 FR 12945 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Higher Education Hurricane and Wildfire Relief Program Application

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 58 (March 26, 2018)

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 new information collection.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 58 (Monday, March 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12945-12946]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06028]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2018-ICCD-0028]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Higher 
Education Hurricane and Wildfire Relief Program Application

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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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 new information collection.

DATES: Approval by the OMB has been requested by before March 28, 2018. 
A regular clearance process is also hereby being initiated. Interested 
persons are invited to submit comments on or before March 28, 2018.

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-2018-ICCD-
0028. 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. 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 
Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, LBJ, Room 216-34, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Lauren Kennedy, 202-453-7957.

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

[[Page 12946]]

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: Higher Education Hurricane and Wildfire Relief 
Program Application.
    OMB Control Number: 1840--NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 550.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 16,000.
    Abstract: The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, signed into law by 
President Trump on February 9, 2018, included significant new funding 
to support disaster relief. The U.S. Department of Education 
(Department) will award up to $2.7 billion to assist K-12 schools and 
school districts and institutions of higher education (IHEs) in meeting 
the educational needs of students affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma 
and Maria and the 2017 California wildfires. This disaster assistance 
will help schools, school districts and IHEs return to their full 
capabilities as quickly and effectively as possible. Pursuant to 5 CFR 
1320.13, the Department requests that OMB review this collection under 
its emergency procedures, based on harm to public due to an 
unanticipated/unforeseen natural disaster event that occurred beyond 
ED's control. There are two higher education funding opportunities that 
require emergency clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act: 
Emergency Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education: Congress 
appropriated $100 million for this program; which will provide 
emergency assistance to IHEs and their students in areas directly 
affected by the covered disasters or emergencies. And the Defraying 
Costs of Enrolling Displaced Students in Higher Education: Congress 
appropriated $75 million for this program, which will provide payments 
to IHEs to help defray the unexpected expenses associated with 
enrolling displaced students from IHEs directly affected by a covered 
disaster or emergency, in accordance with criteria to be established 
and made publicly available.
    Additional Information: An emergency clearance approval for the use 
of the system is described below due to the following conditions:
    The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, signed into law by President 
Trump on February 9, 2018, included significant new funding to support 
disaster relief. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) will 
award up to $2.7 billion to assist K-12 schools and school districts 
and institutions of higher education (IHEs) in meeting the educational 
needs of students affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the 
2017 California wildfires. This disaster assistance will help schools, 
school districts and IHEs return to their full capabilities as quickly 
and effectively as possible.
    Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.13, the Department requests that OMB review 
this collection under its emergency procedures, based on harm to public 
due to an unanticipated/unforeseen natural disaster event that occurred 
beyond ED's control.
    There are two higher education funding opportunities that require 
emergency clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act:
     Emergency Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education: 
Congress appropriated $100 million for this program; which will provide 
emergency assistance to IHEs and their students in areas directly 
affected by the covered disasters or emergencies.
     Defraying Costs of Enrolling Displaced Students in Higher 
Education: Congress appropriated $75 million for this program, which 
will provide payments to IHEs to help defray the unexpected expenses 
associated with enrolling displaced students from IHEs directly 
affected by a covered disaster or emergency, in accordance with 
criteria to be established and made publicly available.

    Dated: March 20, 2018.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2018-06028 Filed 3-23-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P