Justification LSA Progress Report 5 2 13

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

A. Justification

A1. Need for Information Collection

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) awards grants to states, institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, Indian tribes, and U.S. Territories to operate AmeriCorps State, AmeriCorps National, AmeriCorps NCCC, AmeriCorps VISTA, and Senior Corps programs. This information collection is the Progress Report information collection for Learn and Serve America programs that are still operating. No funds have been appropriated for the program since 2011. Due to multi-year funding, six Youth Engagement Zone grants and seventeen education grants are still active. All program grants will conclude by September 2013.

A2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.

Program Staff will use the information provided by Learn and Serve America Grantees in this report to monitor progress, and to respond to requests from Congress and other stakeholders. Some information provided in the Grantee Progress Report may be used by the Corporation’s Office of Public Affairs to promote service. Program staff will use the information to identify trends and issues that may lead to changes in policies and procedures, allocation of training and technical assistance, or opportunities for peer learning.

 

 A3. Minimize Burden: Use of Improved Technology to Reduce Burden

CNCS will be eliciting and accepting grantee reports via eGrants. Grantees may also submit them via e-mail to the Program Officer.

A4. Non-Duplication

There are no other sources of information by which the Corporation can meet the purposes described in A2 (above).

 

A5. Minimizing for economic burden for small businesses or other small entities.

This collection of information does not impact small businesses because they are not eligible to apply for grants. There is no economic burden to any other small entities beyond the cost of staff time to collect and report the data. This is minimized to the degree possible by only asking for the information absolutely necessary to measure progress towards the Corporation’s strategic initiative benchmarks.

A6. Consequences of the collection if not conducted, conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

The Corporation will be unable to monitor the progress of this final group of Learn and Serve grantees in an appropriate manner if this information is not collected.

A7. Special circumstances that would cause information collection to be collected in a manner requiring respondents to report more often than quarterly; report in fewer than 30 days after receipt of the request; submit more than an original and two copies; retain records for more than three years; and other ways specified in the Instructions focused on statistical methods, confidentially, and proprietary trade secrets.

There are no special circumstances that would require the collection of information in any other ways specified.

A8. Provide copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the Agency’s notice. Summarize comments received and actions taken in response to comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

The 60 day Notice soliciting comments was published on Thursday, February 28^th, 2013 in the Federal Register /Vol. 78, No. 40 on page 13643. No comments were received.

 

 A9. Payment to Respondents

There are no payments or gifts to respondents

  

A10. Assurance of Confidentiality and its basis in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

Information provided by this collection will be held solely by CNCS staff to determine progress of Learn and Serve grantees.

A11. Sensitive Questions

The information collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature.

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

We estimate that the total burden hours are about 11.5, as each response averages about 30 minutes of staff time and about 23 respondents will be responding to this request with their final progress report.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

There is no cost burden to the respondent.

 

A14. Cost to Government

There are no additional costs to the Government.

A15. Reasons for program changes or adjustments in burden or cost.

Not applicable.

 

 A16. Publication of results

Not applicable because the responses to this information collection will not be published. 

 

A17. Explain the reason for seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection.

Not applicable.

 

 A18. Exceptions to the certification statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement in the submitted ROCIS form.

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