Federal Register Publication - 60 day notice

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 9, 2021 / Notices
Specialist, Rural Utilities Service,
Tennessee State Office, 441 Donelson
Pike, Suite 310, Nashville, TN, 37214.
Telephone: (615) 783–1300. Fax: (855)
776–7057 or email taylor.marable@
usda.gov.
The Office
of Management and Budget’s (OMB)
regulation (5 CFR part 1320)
implementing provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.
L. 104–13) requires that interested
members of the public and affected
agencies have an opportunity to
comment on information collection and
recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR
1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an
information collection that RUS is
submitting to OMB for revision.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the Agency,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of
the Agency’s estimate of the burden of
the collection of information including
the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents, including through the use
of appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Comments may be sent through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
http://www.regulations.gov and, in the
‘‘Search’’ box, enter the Docket ID No
‘‘RUS–21–WATER–0002’’ to submit or
view public comments and to view
supporting and related materials
available electronically. Information on
using Regulations.gov, including
instructions for accessing documents,
submitting comments, and viewing the
docket after the close of the comment
period, is available through the site’s
‘‘Help’’ button at the top of the page.
Title: Water and Waste Loan and
Grant Program.
OMB Control Number: 0572–0121.
Expiration date of Approval: May 21,
2021.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Abstract: USDA Rural Development,
through the Rural Utilities Service, is
authorized by Section 306 of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926) to
make loans to public agencies, nonprofit
corporations, and Indian Tribes to fund
water and waste disposal projects
serving the most financially needy rural

khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:07 Feb 08, 2021

Jkt 253001

communities through the Water and
Waste Disposal loan and grant program.
Financial assistance should result in
reasonable user costs for rural residents,
rural businesses, and other rural users.
The program is limited to rural areas
and small towns with a population of
10,000 or less. The Water and Waste
Loan and Grant Program is administered
through 7 CFR part 1780. The items
covered by this collection include forms
and related documentation to support a
loan application.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 2.64 hours per
response.
Respondents: Not-for-profit
institutions; State, Local or Tribal
Government.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
896.
Estimated Number of Responses:
61,782.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 68.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 163,203 hours.
Copies of this information collection
can be obtained from Lynn Gilbert,
Regulations Management Division, at
(202) 690–2682 or email: lynn.gilbert@
usda.gov All responses to this notice
will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All
comments will also become a matter of
public record.
Christopher A. McLean,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–02601 Filed 2–8–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
[Docket #: RUS–21–AGENCY–0001]

Notice of Request for Revision of a
Currently Approved Information
Collection; Comments Requested
Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
Notice and request for
comments.

AGENCY:
ACTION:

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS)
invites comments on this information
collection for which the RUS intends to
request approval from the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB).
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by April 12, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lauren Cusick, Management Analyst,
SUMMARY:

PO 00000

Frm 00004

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

8755

Regulations Management Division,
Innovation Center, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave.
SW, STOP 1571, South Building,
Washington, DC 20250–1522.
Telephone: (202) 720–1414. Email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office
of Management and Budget’s (OMB)
regulation (5 CFR part 1320)
implementing provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.
L. 104–13) requires that interested
members of the public and affected
agencies have an opportunity to
comment on information collection and
recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR
1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an
information collection that RUS is
submitting to OMB as extension to an
existing collection with Agency
adjustment. Comments are invited on:
(a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the Agency’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information including the
validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Comments may be sent by the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov and, in the lower
‘‘Search Regulations and Federal
Actions’’ box, select ‘‘RUS’’ from the
agency drop-down menu, then click on
‘‘Submit.’’ In the Docket ID column,
select 0572–0095 to submit or view
public comments and to view
supporting and related materials
available electronically. Information on
using Regulations.gov, including
instructions for accessing documents,
submitting comments, and viewing the
docket after the close of the comment
period, is available through the site’s
‘‘User Tips’’ link.
Title: 7 CFR 1773, Policy on Audits of
RUS Borrowers.
OMB Control Number: 0572–0095.
Expiration Date of Approval: February
28, 2022.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Abstract: The Rural Utilities Service
relies on the information provided by
the borrowers in their financial

E:\FR\FM\09FEN1.SGM

09FEN1

8756

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 9, 2021 / Notices

statements to make lending decisions as
to borrowers’ credit worthiness and to
assure that loan funds are approved,
advanced and disbursed for proper RE
Act purposes. These financial
statements are audited by a certified
public accountant to provide
independent assurance that the data
being reported are properly measured
and fairly presented.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 8.17 hours per
response.
Respondents: Business or other forprofit, Not-for-profit institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents
and Recordkeepers: 1,300.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.35.
Estimated Number of Responses:
1,764.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 14,420 hours.
Copies of this information collection
can be obtained from Lauren Cusick,
Regulations and Paperwork
Management Branch, at (202) 720–1414.
Email: [email protected].) 205–
3660, Fax: (202) 720–8435.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for OMB approval. All comments will
also become a matter of public record.
Christopher McLean,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–02600 Filed 2–8–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; American Community Survey
Methods Panel Tests
Census Bureau, Commerce.
Notice of information collection,
request for comment.

AGENCY:
ACTION:

The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of
1995, invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment on the proposed revision of
the American Community Survey
Methods Panel Tests prior to the

khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES

SUMMARY:

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:07 Feb 08, 2021

Jkt 253001

submission of the information collection
request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before April 12, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments by
email to [email protected]. Please
reference American Community Survey
Methods Panel Tests in the subject line
of your comments. You may also submit
comments, identified by Docket Number
USBC–2021–0002, to the Federal
e-Rulemaking Portal: http://
www.regulations.gov. All comments
received are part of the public record.
No comments will be posted to http://
www.regulations.gov for public viewing
until after the comment period has
closed. Comments will generally be
posted without change. All Personally
Identifiable Information (for example,
name and address) voluntarily
submitted by the commenter may be
publicly accessible. Do not submit
Confidential Business Information or
otherwise sensitive or protected
information. You may submit
attachments to electronic comments in
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF
file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to G. Brian
Wilson, U.S. Census Bureau, American
Community Survey Office, 301–763–
2819, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The American Community Survey
(ACS) is an ongoing monthly survey that
collects detailed housing and
socioeconomic data from about 3.5
million addresses in the United States
and about 36,000 addresses in Puerto
Rico each year. The ACS also collects
detailed socioeconomic data from about
195,000 residents living in group
quarters (GQ) facilities in the United
States and Puerto Rico. Resulting
tabulations from this data collection are
provided on a yearly basis. The ACS
allows the Census Bureau to provide
timely and relevant housing and
socioeconomic statistics, even for low
levels of geography.
An ongoing data collection effort with
an annual sample of this magnitude
requires that the ACS continue research,
testing, and evaluations aimed at
improving data quality, reducing data
collection costs, and improving the ACS
questionnaire content and related data
collection materials. The ACS Methods
Panel is a research program designed to

PO 00000

Frm 00005

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

address and respond to survey issues
and needs. As part of the Decennial
Census Program, the ACS also provides
an opportunity to research and test
elements of survey data collection that
relate to the decennial census. As such,
the ACS Methods Panel can serve as a
testbed for the decennial census. From
2021 to 2024, the ACS Methods Panel
may test ACS and decennial census
methods for reducing survey cost,
addressing respondent burden, and
improving survey response, data
quality, and survey efficiencies. The
ACS Methods Panel may also address
other emerging needs of the programs.
At this time, plans are in place to
propose several tests related to selfresponse, group quarters, and
nonresponse follow up data collection
operations. Tests may also be conducted
to explore the use of administrative
records. Because the ACS Methods
Panel is designed to address emerging
issues, we may propose additional
testing as needed. Any testing would
focus on methods for reducing data
collection costs, improving data quality,
improving the respondent experience,
revising content, or testing new
questions that have a need to be
included in the Decennial Census
Program. The proposed tests are
outlined below.
Self-Response Mail Messaging and
Contact Strategies Testing: In response
to declining response rates and
increasing costs, the Census Bureau
plans to study methods to increase selfresponse, the least expensive mode of
data collection. The Census Bureau
currently sends up to five mailings to a
sampled address to inform the
occupants that their address has been
selected to participate in the ACS and
to encourage them to self-respond to the
ACS. The proposed tests would evaluate
changes to the mailings, such as using
plain language to improve
communication, changing the look and
feel of the materials, updating messages
to motivate response, and adding or
removing materials included in the
mailings. Changes to the contact
method, the number of contacts, and the
timing of the contacts may also be
tested. Multiple tests may be conducted.
Respondent Feedback Pilot Test:
Currently, ACS participants who want
to give feedback on their survey
experience must call, email, or send
letters directly to the Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau is considering
adding a method for participants to
provide feedback at the end of the
survey. Because collecting respondent
feedback of this nature is new to the
ACS, we conducted cognitive testing to
inform recommendations on its wording

E:\FR\FM\09FEN1.SGM

09FEN1