SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a proposed data collection as described below.

The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:

1. Evaluate 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;

2. Evaluate 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;

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;

4. 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, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses; and

5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement—Existing Collection in use without an OMB Control Number—Office of Readiness and Response (ORR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

The Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement is a five-year program administered by the Office of Readiness and Response's Division of State and Local Readiness. The PHEP Cooperative Agreement aims to strengthen the capability of state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health systems to prepare for, respond to, and recover from public health threats and emergencies. The 62 awardees of the PHEP Cooperative Agreement include the 50 State governments, Territorial governments and freely associated states of American Samoa, Commonwealth of ( printed page 61232) the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and U.S. Virgin Islands and the local governments of Chicago, Los Angeles County, New York City, and Washington, DC.

The goal of the PHEP Cooperative Agreement is to enhance readiness to save lives during emergencies that exceed the day-to-day capacity of public health response agencies. This funding opportunity provides a roadmap for PHEP recipients to develop strategies and activities that will increase their readiness to execute plans, respond to public health threats and emergencies, and recover from them. CDC will use the collected information from the 62 PHEP Cooperative Agreement awardees to monitor their progress of activities described in the cooperative agreement Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), track preparedness capacity trends over time, identify technical assistance needs, and ensure their appropriate use of government funds.

This information collection request is comprised of the following:

The “PHEP Capacity Indicator Survey” aims to support recipients' self-assessment of public health emergency preparedness capacity and requirements. Beyond capacity ratings, this collection includes supplemental questions to capture qualitative and policy-relevant information that the indicator framework alone cannot address. These questions cover areas such as EOC activation frequency, depth of partner integration in exercises and real incidents, and the economic value of pre-positioned PHEP-funded resources. Responses to supplemental questions are intended to inform technical assistance targeting, identify common jurisdictional challenges, and support CDC's internal policy development for future cooperative agreement periods.

The “Public Health Capability Crosswalk” with Response Readiness Framework (RRF) areas provides recipients with an opportunity to connect and align the 15 Public Health Capabilities and the 10 RRF framework areas This mapping exercise ensures that recipients can articulate the functional relationships between specific public health capabilities—such as community preparedness, emergency operations coordination, and medical countermeasure dispensing—and the overarching readiness response framework areas that structure the required PHEP activities. By completing this crosswalk, recipients provide evidence that their preparedness infrastructure comprehensively addresses all required readiness areas, supporting both program accountability and the identification of gaps in jurisdictional preparedness capacity.

The “Planned Exercise Schedule” serves as a planning and accountability tool, enabling recipients to demonstrate a deliberate, forward-looking approach to fulfilling their exercise obligations—including functional exercises, full-scale exercises, and tabletop exercises—in alignment with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) standards.

The “PHEP 5-Year Workplan” is an iterative planning process that ensures recipients maintain a current and actionable roadmap for strengthening jurisdictional preparedness capacity while providing CDC with a consistent mechanism for monitoring long-term program performance and accountability.

The “PHEP Continuation Workplan” allows CDC to assess recipient performance, verify alignment with program priorities, and make informed funding decisions while ensuring recipients maintain momentum in building and sustaining public health emergency preparedness capacity.

These “PHEP Administrative & Federal Requirements,” outlined in the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (PAHPAI) and other relevant federal statutes and guidance, ensure that recipients maintain sound stewardship of public funds and operate their programs with transparency and accountability. Recipients are responsible for ensuring that all subrecipients and contractors operating under the cooperative agreement also adhere to these administrative and federal requirements throughout the period of performance.

The “PHEP Progress Updates” serve as an ongoing communication mechanism between recipients and CDC project officers, ensuring that emerging issues are identified and addressed in a timely manner rather than surfacing only at the end of a budget period. Progress updates also allow recipients to document adjustments to their work plans, report on expenditures relative to planned budgets, and demonstrate continued alignment with PHEP program priorities and requirements.

Recipients must submit a “PHEP Budget Narrative” because it provides CDC with the transparency and detail necessary to evaluate whether proposed costs are reasonable, allowable, and aligned with the programmatic activities and preparedness priorities outlined in their work plan. A well-constructed budget narrative also serves as a planning tool for recipients, helping to ensure that financial resources are thoughtfully allocated across all required capabilities and activities for the upcoming budget period. Additionally, the budget narrative establishes a baseline against which CDC can monitor spending patterns throughout the budget period, supporting accountability for the use of federal funds and facilitating productive conversations between recipients and CDC project officers when adjustments to planned expenditures are needed.

The “PHEP Spend Plan” helps ensure that recipients are making steady and appropriate progress in obligating and expending funds in alignment with their approved budget narrative and planned programmatic activities.

CDC requests OMB approval for three years. The annual estimated burden for this information collection is 880 hours. There is no cost to respondents other than their time.

91 FR 61231