This approval adds the Certification of Application page as a non-substantive change in light of the recent emergency approval of this OMB control number.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
03/31/2022
03/31/2022
03/31/2022
656
0
656
1,253
0
1,253
0
0
0
Section 604 of the Social Security Act (the âActâ), as added by section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-2 (Mar. 11, 2021) authorized the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (âCPFâ). The CPF provides $10 billion in funding for the Department of the Treasury (âTreasuryâ) to provide grant payments to States (defined to include the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), seven territories and freely associated states (including the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau), and Tribal governments to carry out critical capital projects directly enabling work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)â.
Section 604(b) of the Act prescribes that the $10 billion be allocated to eligible grant recipients according to a formula provided in the statute. Treasury has used this formula to calculate the CPF grant fund allocations for each eligible recipient and has posted these allocations on its website . In general, each state (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) will receive between approximately $107 million and $500 million, each of the seven named territories and freely associated states will receive approximately $14 million, and each Tribal government will receive approximately $167,000.
Pursuant to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures established at 5 C.F.R. § 1320.13, the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) requests emergency processing for a Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund (CPF) information collection request, including issuance of a new OMB Control Number.
The CPF was established by Section 604 of the Social Security Act, as added by Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) Pub. L. No. 117-2. ARPA appropriated $10 billion to the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to provide grant payments to states, territories, freely associated states, and Tribal governments âto carry out critical capital projects directly enabling work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options, in response to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)â.
Treasury is seeking approval for the CPF grant application form that will be hosted on Treasuryâs web-based portal. This grant application will be used by an estimated 656 eligible recipients to apply online for CPF funds. The collected data will be used to verify applicant identities, assess eligibility, and ultimately issue payments. This information collection is necessary for Treasury to launch the CPF.
The CPF was established as an emergency measure. Recipients are expected to use CPF grant funds to, among other things, directly address connectivity shortfalls exacerbated by the pandemic which make it challenging for some communities to access work, education, and health monitoring services. Due to the need for recipients to request funds from Treasury as soon as possible, Treasury requests emergency processing and approval of the CPF grant application form by September 14, 2021. There is insufficient time available before Treasuryâs scheduled launch date to seek public comment. Therefore, Treasury requests a waiver from the requirement to publish a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comment.
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.