These information collections are necessary to implement, monitor and enforce the requirements of the Economic Development Administration's RLF program.
As part of implementing DOC, Office of the Inspector General recommendations, EDA revised its RLF reporting forms to ensure that the form is suitably integrated into an automated RLF reporting, tracking, monitoring, and management system, and to minimize the paperwork burden on RLF grantees to the extent possible. EDA addressed these issues by creating a web-based grantee reporting system that eliminates all duplicative and calculable fields, as well as using other efficiency measures.
The implementation of the web-based system and the creation of one form, instead of two forms, reduced the burden hour by 18,873. The burden increase is because all grantees are required to report on a semi-annual basis instead of yearly.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.