Document
Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), Stronger Connections Grant Program (SCG)
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 an extension without change ...
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:
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), Stronger Connections Grant (SCG) Program.
OMB Control Number:
1810-0770.
Type of Review:
An extension without change of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
State, Local, and Tribal Governments.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses:
56.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours:
3,360.
Abstract:
The Department of Education (the Department) requested emergency approval of a new information collection under the School Improvement Programs section of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), and the SCG program which OMB approved. Under this program, the Department awards grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) for the purpose of providing competitive grants to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) for activities under section 4108 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
Eligible applicants for the SCG funds include those in any of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Bureau of Indian Education, and the Outlying Areas. Each SEA will award no less than 95 percent of its SCG allocation on a competitive basis to high-need LEAs as determined by the State. The SEA will reserve no more than 1% of its SCG allocation for administration and will use any remaining funds not awarded to LEAs for State-level activities to support section 4108 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA).
This information collection will support the Department in providing effective technical assistance, monitoring and oversight to ensure that these funds are awarded and used as required by the BSCA—
i.e.,
that the funds are awarded to high-need LEAs on a competitive basis for activities allowable under section 4108 of the ESEA. Department staff will review the information submitted by SEAs (1) for monitoring purposes, to verify that SEAs are implementing the BSCA requirements for SEA award of the SCG funds; and (2) to understand the manner in which SEAs are implementing these requirements. This information will enable the Department to provide effective technical assistance and support to States. If this information is not collected, the Department will be unable to fully and adequately meet monitoring and technical assistance responsibilities as States implement this program.
Dated: September 13, 2022.
Kun Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.