SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK
REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION
Iraqi Citizens and Nationals Employed by Federal Contractors, Grantees, and Cooperative Agreement Partners
OMB Number 1405-XXXX
DS-7655
1. The Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007 was included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 which became Public Law 110-181 on 28 January 2008. Section 1248(c) of this Act requires the Secretary of State to request from each Department of State prime contractor, grantee, or cooperative agreement partner that has performed work in Iraq since March 20, 2003, under a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement with the Department that is valued in excess of $25,000, information that can be used to verify the employment of Iraqi citizens and nationals by such contractor, grantee or cooperative agreement partner. To the extent possible, biographical information, to include employee name, date(s) of employment, biometric, and other data must be collected and used to verify employment for the processing and adjudication of refugee, asylum, special immigrant visa, and other immigration claims and applications.
2. The information from this collection will be used by the Department of State’s Bureaus of Population, Refugees and Migration and Consular Affairs, as well as the Department of Homeland Security to process and adjudicate refugee, asylum, special immigrant visa, and other immigration claims and applications.
3. The method for the collection of information will be via electronic submission as it is viewed as the most efficient and least burdensome method of collection. The format for compiling the information will be the Department of State’s eForms application which is currently used by over 36,000 Department users worldwide. Contracting Officers will distribute to the contractors, grantees and cooperative agreement partners under their authority the eForms application, the DS-7655 eForm, and eForm installation/user instructions. Respondents will email the completed forms to their Contracting Officers.
4. This is a new collection that is specifically designed for meeting the requirements of Public Law 110-181, Section 1248(c). The employment verification data to be collected is specific to each Federal contractor, grantee and cooperative agreement partner and is not available or duplicated by another source. The information required is available only from Federal contractors, grantees and cooperative agreement partners. At this time, there is no indication that any alternate source is available.
5. The impact to small businesses or other small entities will be minimal.
6. Failure to collect the required information from contractors, grantees and cooperative agreement partners may affect the ability of the Department of State’s Bureaus of Population, Refugees and Migration and Consular Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security to efficiently process the applications of certain Iraqi citizens and nationals seeking refugee status, and Iraqi citizens and nationals seeking special immigrant visas, or other immigration claims. The frequency for collecting information under this requirement is the necessary minimum to ensure that the Department of State meets the requirements set forth under the Act mandating this collection.
7. There are no special circumstances for this collection of information which would require the collection of information to be collected in the manner discussed above.
8. As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), the Department of State will review and address public comments on this collection. A Public Notice requesting public comments was published in the Federal Register on (Date, Volume Number, and Page Number).
9. No payment or gift of any kind will be provided to respondents.
10. The Department of State will maintain all employment verification data from this collection in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Information will be withheld from the public to the extent permitted by law.
11. The information collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature.
12. Respondents: 50 Department of State contractors, grantees and cooperative agreement partners
Number of Responses: 200
Burden Hours per Response: 30 minutes
Hour Burden for Collection: 200 responses x 30 minutes = 100 hours
The approximate number of responses is based on 2008 -2009 historical data derived from the Department of Defense’s Synchronized Predeployment and Operational Tracker system. The number of responses is an estimate. The accuracy of the number of Iraqis, currently or formerly employed under a Department of State contract, grant or cooperative agreement, is uncertain due the security issues associated with collecting the personal information of Iraqi’s supporting the Department of State’s efforts in Iraq.
Each response is estimated to take 30 minutes to complete, including research, filling out the form and submission. This results in a total estimated annual hour burden of 100 hours for the information collection.
Responses will be drafted and compiled by Department of State contractors, grantees and cooperative agreement partners and will be carried out as part of their customary and usual business practices and, therefore, imposes a minimal burden on respondents. The estimated annualized cost to respondents is $0.
13. There are no capital, start-up, operation, maintenance, or other similar costs to the respondents associated with this collection.
Responses will be drafted and compiled by Department of State contractors, grantees and cooperative agreement partners and will be carried out as part of their customary and usual business practices and, therefore, imposes a minimal burden on respondents. The estimated annualized cost to respondents is $0.
14. There are no annualized costs to the Federal Government as a result of this guidance.
15. This is a new information collection that resulted in a burden adjustment.
16. No information from this collection will be published.
17. No approval is requested. The expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection will be displayed.
18. There are no exceptions to the certification statement identified in item 19 of OMB Form 83-I.
This collection does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR |
| Author | USDOS |
| Last Modified By | RobertsonST |
| File Modified | 2009-04-06 |
| File Created | 2009-04-06 |