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 “Act”), 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 (“CPF”). The CPF provides $10
billion in funding for the Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”)
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)”. 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 “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)”. Treasury is seeking
approval for the CPF grant application form that will be hosted on
Treasury’s 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
Treasury’s 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.