Notice2022-25452
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Application Reporting
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Published
November 23, 2022
Issuing agencies
Homeland Security DepartmentFederal Emergency Management Agency
Abstract
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public to take this opportunity to comment on an extension, with change, of a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments regarding the requirements, grants management procedures, and implementation of grants awarded under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which is a post-disaster program that contributes funds toward the cost of hazard mitigation activities to reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss or suffering in any area affected by a major disaster.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 225 (Wednesday, November 23, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71659-71660]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25452]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management Agency
[Docket ID FEMA-2022-0040; OMB No. 1660-0076]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request; Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
Application Reporting
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland
Security.
ACTION: 60 Day notice of revision and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites
the general public to take this opportunity to comment on an extension,
with change, of a currently approved information collection. In
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks
comments regarding the requirements, grants management procedures, and
implementation of grants awarded under the Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program (HMGP), which is a post-disaster program that contributes funds
toward the cost of hazard mitigation activities to reduce the risk of
future damage, hardship, loss or suffering in any area affected by a
major disaster.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 23, 2023.
ADDRESSES: To avoid duplicate submissions to the docket, please submit
comments at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> under Docket ID FEMA-2022-0040. Follow
the instructions for submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennie Orenstein, Chief, HMA Grants
Policy Branch, at (202) 212-4071 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4c26292222252962233e29223f382925220c2a29212d6228243f622b233a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6e040b0000070b40011c0b001d1a0b07002e080b030f400a061d40090118">[email protected]</span></a>. You
may contact the Information Management Division for copies of the
proposed collection of information at email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e8aeada5a9c5a1868e879a85899c818786c5ab8784848d8b9c8187869bc5a58986898f8d858d869ca88e8d8589c68c809bc68f879e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0c4a49414d2145626a637e616d78656362214f636060696f786563627f21416d626d6b69616962784c6a69616d2268647f226b637a">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5170c,
authorizes the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Program grant
requirements and grants management procedures are outlined in 44 CFR
part 206 subpart N, and 2 CFR parts 200 and 3002. The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) administers the HMGP, and Recipients implement
the grants under the HMPG per grant agreement, rules, and regulations.
The HMGP is a post-disaster program that contributes funds toward the
cost of hazard mitigation activities to reduce the risk of future
damage, hardship, loss or suffering in any area affected by a major
disaster or any area affected by a fire for which assistance was
provided under section 420 of the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5187).
Section 102 of the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5122(4)) defines a ``state''
as any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands. ``Recipient'', as provided in 2 CFR 200,
means a non-Federal entity that receives a Federal award directly from
a Federal awarding agency to carry out an activity under a Federal
program, or an Indian tribal government that chooses to act as a
recipient rather than as a subrecipient. ``Subrecipient'' refers to a
non-Federal entity that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity
to carry out part of a Federal program; but does not include an
individual that is a beneficiary of such program. A subrecipient may
also be a recipient of other Federal awards directly from a Federal
awarding agency. The term ``Indian tribal government'' is defined in
Section 102 of the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. 5122(6), as the governing
body of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo,
village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges
to exist as an Indian tribe under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe
List Act of 1994. In addition, the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of
2013 (Pub. L. 113-2, 42 U.S.C. 5170(b)) amended the Stafford Act to
allow the Chief Executive of a federally recognized Indian tribe to
make a direct request for a major disaster or emergency declaration to
the President of the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) adopted in its entirety
the Uniform Administrative
[[Page 71660]]
Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal
Awards (2 CFR part 200) on December 26, 2014, at 2 CFR part 3002, (79
FR 75867, December 19, 2014). This rule eliminates overlapping and
duplicative requirements for stakeholders, including states,
territories and Indian tribal governments, by using general terms such
as ``recipient'' and ``pass-through entity.''
The HMGP regulation describes the application process in 44 CFR
206.436. Information collected through the financial award application
is the minimum information necessary for the financial award
administration under the HMGP and includes the project narrative,
analysis of the measure's cost-effectiveness referred to as the
benefit-cost determination, and environmental review used in
conjunction with OMB No. 1660-0025.
44 CFR 206.436(d) states: ``The State must submit all local HMGP
applications and funding requests for the purpose of identifying new
projects to the Regional Administrator within 12 months of the date of
disaster declaration.'' Furthermore, Section 311 of the DHS
Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. 117-103, 136 Stat. 331) states:
``beginning between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021, the Federal
share of assistance, including direct Federal assistance, provided
under such sections shall be not less than 90 percent of the eligible
cost of such assistance.'' The legislation applies to all current FY
2022 HMGP local and Tribal sub applicants and significantly alters
application and program financial management information collection
requirements. The DHS Appropriations Act, 2022 does not provide
additional funding for HMGP COVID-19 relief beyond the already
established $3.46 billion.
Per 44 CFR 206.438(c), progress reports must be submitted by the
HMGP Recipient to the Regional Administrator on a quarterly basis,
certifying how the funds are being used and reporting on the progress
of activities funded under the subrecipient awards made to the
Recipient by FEMA. The Regional Administrator and Recipient negotiate
the date for submission of the first report. Quarterly progress reports
describe the status of those projects on which a final payment of the
Federal share has not been made to the recipient, and outline any
problems or circumstances expected to result in noncompliance with the
approved award conditions.
The legislative changes are expected to trigger a significant
increase in requests by local sub applicants who have not yet developed
FY 2022 project applications. The requests will likely extend the
application deadline beyond the standard 12-month deadline of August 5,
2022. Applications Period extension requests, authorized under 44 CFR
206.436(e), may add additional information collection burden.
The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018
(Evidence Act) (Pub. L. 115-435, 5 U.S.C. 311-315) establishes
evaluation using systematic data collection and analysis of programs,
policies, and organizations intended to assess their effectiveness and
efficiency as an essential program activity. Hazard Mitigation programs
are currently revising information collections to simply data
collection, reduce burden, coordinate data collection across programs,
develop performance metrics, and meet goals and priorities as
stipulated in the Evidence Act. Program implementation of the Evidence
Act will necessitate changes to information collections. Additionally,
the Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA) (Pub. L. 117-58, 70901-
70927) and Executive Order (E.O.) 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis At
Home and Abroad, (86 FR 7619, February 1, 2021) establishes additional
information collection requirements, goals and priorities.
Collection of Information
Title: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Application and
Reporting.
Type of Information Collection: Extension, with change, of a
currently approved information collection.
OMB Number: OMB No. 1660-0076.
FEMA Forms: Project Narrative; Benefit-Cost Determination;
Environmental Review; FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-154 (formerly 009-0-111A),
Quarterly Progress Reports.
Abstract: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
administers the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which is a post-
disaster program that contributes funds toward the cost of hazard
mitigation activities to reduce the risk of future damage hardship,
loss or suffering in any area affected by a major disaster. FEMA uses
applications to provide financial assistance in the form of grant
awards and, through grantee quarterly reporting, monitor grantee
project activities and expenditure of funds.
Affected Public: State, local, or Tribal Government.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 236.
Estimated Number of Responses: 10,891
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 100,280.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $6,141,147.
Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: $0.
Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: $0.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $2,211,399
Comments
Comments may be submitted as indicated in the ADDRESSES caption
above. Comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed data
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the agency,
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b)
evaluate 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) enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) 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, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
Millicent Brown Wilson,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2022-25452 Filed 11-22-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-BW-P
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