emergency justification from DOT CIO

U.S Department of
Transportation
Office of the Secretary
of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E.
Washington, DC 20590

MEMORANDUM
From:

Jack Albright
JACK GORDON
Deputy Chief Information Officer
ALBRIGHT
Office of the Secretary

To:

Joseph B. Nye, Policy Analyst
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Office of Management and Budget
Executive Office of the President

Subject:

Request for OMB Emergency Clearance for New Information Collection
Request (ICR): Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection (AMJP) Program
(pursuant to the American Rescue Plan of 2021)

Digitally signed by JACK
GORDON ALBRIGHT
Date: 2021.04.09 14:10:23
-04'00'

This is a request for an emergency clearance for a new information collection to enable the
Department of Transportation to implement the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection (AMJP)
program.
If DOT does not receive emergency approval, the economic recovery of the nation’s air
transportation system may be significantly impacted due to disruptions in the critical supply chain
for replacement parts and other components, as well as the inability for airlines and other aircraft
operators to conduct required inspections as well as scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.
Disruption to the air transportation system could also affect public welfare if it jeopardizes the
timely distribution of critical medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and so on.
Critical nature of the Information Collection Request
This ICR is crucial to enabling eligible business entities to apply for payroll assistance under the
“Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection” (AMJP) program, established by the “American Rescue
Plan Act of 2021” (ARPA), which was enacted on March 11, 2021. DOT could not have foreseen
this new and urgent requirement.
Accordingly, DOT is requesting emergency approval due to the urgency of making the associated
funds available to business entities that meet the eligibility requirements under the law. The
statutory requirements of the AJMP also require swift implementation, including a strict six-month
timeframe during which DOT must enter into payroll support agreements with eligible businesses,
and the need to identify the full universe of eligible businesses and the magnitude of their funding
requests before issuing even the first agreement. The attached Supporting Statement includes the
underlying statutory text as an appendix.

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As noted in the Federal Register notice, this grant program is voluntarily. No stakeholder is
required to participate. However, the statutory requirements for DOT are mandatory, and as part of
the American Rescue Plan we are clearly expected to implement the program as swiftly as possible.
Due to the urgency of this new and unforeseen requirement (and the associated urgency), we are
respectfully asking OMB for emergency approval for the ICR by May 15, 2021.
If you have any questions about this, or need further information, please contact the Elliott Black of
the AMJP Program Office at (202) 924-0588 or [email protected] .