One of the first executive actions
President Barack Obama took upon entering office was to issue a
Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government (January 21, 2009).
The memorandum elaborated on the role executive departments and
agencies should play in implementing the principles of
transparency, participation, and collaboration including:
Government should be participatory. . . . . Executive departments
and agencies should also solicit public input on how we can
increase and improve opportunities for public participation in
Government. Government should be collaborative . . . . . Executive
departments and agencies should solicit public feedback to assess
and improve their level of collaboration and to identify new
opportunities for cooperation. It is with this good governance
philosophy in mind and the impending start date of the Agencys
Minority Business Center program (April 1, 2011) that MBDA proposes
to undertake this new information collection.
The Department of
Commerces Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA, Agency)
requests emergency Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) processing of two
survey instruments (an in-depth interview and an on-line survey)
designed to collect the views of Agency clients and stakeholders
for the purposes of improving the Agencys outreach efforts and
business program offerings. MBDA is requesting an emergency review
and approval of this information collection to 1) expeditiously
conduct the surveys with MBDA stakeholders and clients to ascertain
their views on the MBDA brand, materials, and programs no later
than February 15, 2011; 2) generate a report based upon its
findings from the information collection by February 28, 2011; 3)
use the findings to revise and update the Agencys collateral
materials, outreach strategies and business program offerings by
March 31, 2011; and 4) disseminate the updated and revised
materials, strategies and programs to their grant recipients who
will begin operating minority business centers on April 1, 2011.
Without the collection of this data, MBDA will fail in its efforts
to revise/update its collateral materials, outreach strategies and
program services in a manner that effectively matches the interests
and needs of its core constituency. Soliciting the views,
perception and input from MBDAs clients and stakeholders is
necessary to uphold the Agencys mission of fostering the growth
and competitiveness of the nations minority business sector.
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.