This information collection (IC) request is an extension with a revision of a currently approved information collection under OMB control number 2132-0558 âRail Fixed Guideway Systems; State Safety Oversight (SSO).â The purpose of the State Safety Oversight program is to oversee safety throughout the Nationâs rail transit systems. The entities responding to this IC are States and rail transit agencies (RTAs). States must establish a safety oversight agency to oversee the safety of their rail transit agencies in their jurisdiction. The States and RTAs are required to provide FTA specific information to obtain and retain funding that will assist them in carrying out SSO activities. The information provided is reporting in nature and includes an annual report summarizing their program activity from the previous calendar year; pre-audit documents; periodic requests in the form of safety advisories issued by FTA due to a safety/accident related event; financial and milestone reports as part of the grant management process and the collection of incident reports as a result of a major safety event. This information is submitted electronically to FTAâs SSO program managers and incident investigators on an annual and as needed basis.
US Code: 49 USC Section 5329 Name of Law: Moving Ahead for Progess in the 21st Century
PL: Pub.L. 112 - 141 20007 Name of Law: Urbanized Area Formula Grants
PL: Pub.L. 114 - 94 5329 Name of Law: Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act
PL: Pub.L. 112 - 141 20008 Name of Law: Fixed Guideway Capital Investment
The total burden estimates for States and Rail Transit Agencies is significantly lower than the previous estimate due to a more accurate methodology for estimating information collection burden. Previous estimates included labor hours totals for all SSO Program-related activities. The new estimate includes only burden hours related to information collection activity. FTA is also deploying a new web-based system (SSOR) to facilitate the SSOA annual reporting requirement which will reduce burden related to the annual reporting process through a streamlined reporting process and the elimination of States event reporting requirements (The National Transit Database now pulls that information directly into the SSOR so the States don't have the burden of reporting it). There is also an increase in responses in this submission due to the respondents increasing from 90 in 2016 to 96 in 2019. The new IC submission includes one new State being certified and five new rail transit agencies being added to the program.
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.