Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the information collection.
OMB Circular 130, Management of Federal Information Resources, establishes that “agencies will use electronic media and formats … in order to make government information more easily accessible and useful to the public”. The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA), 44 USC 3504, Title XVII, require agencies, by October 21, 2003, to provide the option of electronic submission of information by the public. USDA Department Regulation 1400-001, Information Policies, at § 8, authorizes agency field officers, subject to regulation, to issue information about the programs and services for which they are responsible.
In order to provide information and services related to its program responsibilities defined at 7 CFR § 2.65, the Agricultural Research Service needs to obtain certain basic information from the public. To advance GPEA goals, online forms are needed to allow the public to request from the Agricultural Research Service research data, models, materials, and publications as well as registration for scientific studies and events.
Authorities cited are included in package.
Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.
How will the information be collected? Information will be collected via web forms.
From whom will the information be collected? For research data, models, materials, or publications, the respondents will be agricultural researchers, students and teachers, business people, and the general public. For scientific studies or events, the respondents will be members of the public interested in events or registering for studies.
What is the purpose of the information collection? For research data, models, materials, or publications the information collected will be used to provide the particular item requested. For scientific studies or events, the information collected will be used to register a person for an event or study.
Indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.
The OMB 0518-0032 information collection enabled the agency to provide timely and efficient responses to requests for specific services.
Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
Web forms are submitted electronically. The basis for the decision to make the collection electronic is:
To advance compliance with GPEA by providing for the option of electronic submission of information by the public
To decrease the burden on the public by providing itemized forms that guide customers to provide complete information on the first submission
To decrease the burden on the agency by obtaining on the first submission all information needed to fulfill the request
To decrease the burden on the agency by providing an automated method for counting and reporting customer contacts under GPEA
Forms are self explanatory; where instructions are needed they will be integrated within the form.
Describe efforts to identify duplication.
OMB 0518-0032 is set to expire and this information collection is the revision and extension. Collection efforts covered here relate to specific events, studies, or data and are completely unrelated to each other. A search of the ARS web site confirms this.
If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.
There are no small business entities.
Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
If this information collection is not conducted, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will be hindered from advancing its own compliance with GPEA and will be unduly burdened in its ability to perform its research mission. ARS will be hindered from reducing the burden on its customers by providing them the most timely and efficient way to request services. The agency’s own burden of customer contacts, and of count and reporting them, will not be reduced.
Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.
This information collection is entirely consistent with OMB guidelines.
If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency’s notice, required by 5CFR 320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken in response to the comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.
A Federal Register notice was published on April 5, 2012, volume 77, number 66, pages 20611 to 20612. One comment was received and had no impact on the collection renewal. The ARS did not consult with a representative on the information collection prior to submission to OMB
Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.
No payment or gift is provided to respondents.
Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
This information collection is subject to the Privacy Act. A Privacy Act notice will be included on the information collection forms.
Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.
This information does not include any questions of a sensitive nature.
Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.
15,000 people will complete the forms annually. The time required to complete the forms is 3 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The burden for this collection is 1 hour. See copy of spreadsheet.
The cost to the respondents is based on the median salary of $17,625 at a pay rate of $23.50 per hour.
Provide an estimate for the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information.
There are no capital and start-up, or operation, maintenance and purchase costs associated with this information collection.
Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.
Start-up cost (coding of forms and programming web interface): $300
(Based on approximately 2 hours per form per year by existing staff (GS 13))
Maintenance cost: There is no additional cost to the Federal government that would not have been incurred without this information collection.
Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 (or 14) of OMB Form 83-I.
The number of respondents decreased from 25,000 to 15,000 a difference of 10,000 and the number of responses from 25,000 to 15,000 a difference of 10,000 and the burden hours from 1,250 to 750 a difference of 500. The reason for these decreases is due to a reduction in requests for publication, data, models, materials and event registrations than in the previous year.
For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and publication.
This collection will not be published.
If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.
Expiration date will be shown.
Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of OMB Form 83-I.
There are no exceptions to item 19 of OMB Form 83-I.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Instructions for the Supporting Statement |
| Author | BRYANTL |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-30 |