ombrocis2017STOPMATCHsupportstatement

Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission

STOP Formula Grant Program Match Documentation Worksheet

A. Justification

1. Statutorily-Mandated Need for Information

The primary goal of the STOP (Services*Training*Officers*Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program (STOP Formula Grant Program) is to develop and strengthen the criminal justice system's response to violence against women and to support and enhance services for victims. The STOP Formula Grant Program was authorized through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 and reauthorized and amended in 2000, 2005 and 2013. Grant awards are made to state governments and administered through a STOP State Administrator. Eligible applicants for the STOP Formula Grant Program include any state within the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The purpose of the STOP Formula Grant Program is to promote a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach to improving the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women. It envisions a partnership among law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim advocacy organizations to enhance victim safety and hold offenders accountable for their crimes of violence against women. The Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) administers the STOP Formula Grant Program funds which are awarded to states and territories to enhance the capacity of local communities to develop and strengthen effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving violent crimes against women. Each state and territory must allocate 25 percent for law enforcement, 25 percent for prosecutors, 30 percent for victim services (of which at least 10 percent must be distributed to culturally specific community-based organizations), 5 percent to state and local courts, and 15 percent for discretionary distribution. VAWA provides for a 25 percent match requirement imposed on grant funds under the STOP Formula Grant Program. Thus, a grant made under this program may not cover more than 75 percent of the total costs of the project being funded. Under VAWA 2005, the state cannot require matching funds for a grant or subgrant for any tribe, territory, or victim service provider, regardless of funding allocation category. The state is exempted from matching the portion of the state award that goes to a victim service provider for victim services or that goes to tribes. Territories are also exempted in full. States can receive additional waiver of match based on a petition to OVW and a demonstration of financial need. OVW will look at the time of closeout at the entities and purposes of funds and base the required match on that.

2. Use of Information

The purpose of this new information collection is to provide a worksheet for documenting the amount of matching funds required at the closeout of a specific fiscal year award under the STOP Formula Grant Program. The type of questions on the worksheet will include award number, award amount, amount of funds sub-awarded to victim service providers for victim services or to tribes.

3. Use of Information Technology

The collection of information will involve the use of automated, electronic, mechanical or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Grantees will submit this worksheet at closeout of a specific fiscal year award.

3. Duplication of Information Request

There is no other mechanism by which OVW collects this information.

3. Impact on Small Entities

Because the respondents to the information request are certain administrators under the STOP Formula Grant Program - states and the District of Columbia-- there is no impact on small businesses.

3. Consequences to Federal Programs or Policy

The STOP Formula Grant Program supports important programs that provide critical training to address violence against women, provide victims services, and support coordinated community responses to such crimes. The STOP Formula Grant Program promotes a coordinated, multi-disciplinary approach to improving the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and supports partnerships among law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim advocacy organizations to enhance victim safety and to increase offender accountability. If OVW was not able to collect the information from STOP administrators, OVW would not be able to determine whether states have properly allocated funding pursuant to the mandatory statutory formula and whether they have properly allocated match funding.

3. Special Circumstances

There are no special circumstances as identified in the specific instructions for a supporting statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.

3. Federal Register Publication

OVW has developed this form as a means to streamline and simplify the documentation of match both for STOP administrators and for OVW staff review. No STOP Administrator has complained that the data to be collected is not available, the annual collection of such data is burdensome, or the form is unclear. OVW has solicited public comment on this form in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act. A 60 day notice was published in the Federal Register on November 28, 2016 (Federal Register, Volume 81, page 85641) and a 30-day was notice was published in the Federal Register on February 3, 2017 (Federal Register, Volume 82, page 9228). OVW did not receive any comments.

3. Payment or Gift to Respondents

There will no payment or gift to respondents.

3. Confidentiality

This form will not include any personal information about victims that could identify them as specific individuals. It is strictly a worksheet to document the allocation of match for STOP administrators.

3. Specific Questions

The form will not contain any questions of a personal, sensitive nature such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

3. Hour Burden of the Collection of Information

This certification form is not overly burdensome. It will be distributed to STOP administrators and completed at the closeout of a specific fiscal year award under the STOP Formula Grant Program.

OVW is seeking documentation of the amount of matching funds required at the closeout of a specific fiscal year award under the STOP Formula Grant Program. The type of questions on the worksheet will include award number, award amount, amount of funds sub-awarded to victim service providers for victim services or to tribes.

It is estimated that it will take the approximately 51 respondents approximately ten minutes to complete a STOP Formula Grant Program match documentation worksheet. Because OVW anticipates approximately 51 (STOP State administrators (including the STOP Administrator from the District of Columbia) who will be completing the worksheet) and it will take each applicant approximately ten minutes to determine that they are in compliance and sign the certification, the total annual hours requested for the annual reporting and recordkeeping hour burden is approximately 9.67 hours.

13. Cost Burden of the Collection of Information

OVW does not believe that there is any annual cost burden on respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of this information.

14. Annualized Costs to the Federal Government

The annualized costs to the Federal Government resulting from the OVW staff review of the worksheets are estimated to be $476.

14. Program Changes or Adjustments

There are no program changes or adjustments for the estimates identified in Section 13 and in Section 14.

14. Published Results of Information Collections

There will be no complex analytical techniques used in connection with the publication of information collected under the request. The information will not be published and will be used internally by OVW to determine whether STOP administrators have properly documented match amounts.

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14. Display of the Expiration Date of OMB Approval

OVW will display the Expiration Date of OMB Approval in the upper right hand corner of Certification form.

18. Exception to the Certification Statement

OVW is not seeking any exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19, Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions, of OMB Form 83-I.

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