Notice2023-12659
Agency Information Collection Activities: Generic Clearance for Pretesting Instruments and Procedures for Evaluation, Research, and Evidence Building
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 14, 2023
Issuing agencies
Homeland Security Department
Abstract
The Department of Homeland Security, DHS will submit the following information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. DHS previously published this information collection request (ICR) in the Federal Register on 03/14/ 2023, for a 60-day public comment period. No comments were received by DHS. The purpose of this notice is to allow additional 30 days for public comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 114 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38878-38879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12659]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
[Docket Number DHS-2023-0012]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Generic Clearance for
Pretesting Instruments and Procedures for Evaluation, Research, and
Evidence Building
AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments; generic clearance for
formative data collections for evaluations, research, and evidence
building.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security, DHS will submit the
following information collection request (ICR) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. DHS previously published this
information collection request (ICR) in the Federal Register on 03/14/
2023, for a 60-day public comment period. No comments were received by
DHS. The purpose of this notice is to allow additional 30 days for
public comments.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until July 14,
2023. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) intends to request approval from OMB for a generic clearance to
pretest data collection instruments and procedures with more than nine
participants to identify and resolve any question or procedural
problems in DHS's survey administration. The Generic Clearance for
Pretesting Instruments and Procedures for Evaluation, Research, and
Evidence-Building is a new information collection request.
The DHS studies its programs, and the populations they serve,
through rigorous evaluation, research, and evidence-building
activities. These include evaluations of existing programs, evaluations
of innovative approaches to allow the Agency to respond to its evolving
threat environment with effective strategies and operations that ensure
a safe, secure, and prosperous Homeland, research syntheses, and
descriptive and exploratory studies. To improve the development of its
surveys used in evaluation, research, and evidence-building activities,
the DHS intends to pretest data collection instruments and procedures
through a variety of techniques including cognitive and usability
laboratory and field techniques, behavior coding, exploratory
interviews, respondent debriefing questionnaires, split sample
experiments, focus groups, and pilot studies/pretests. These activities
will allow the DHS to identify if and when a survey may be simplified
for respondents, respondent burden may be reduced, and other possible
improvements.
The DHS will use the results of information collections internally
to inform subsequent information collection requests. The information
collected is not intended to be used as the principal basis for a
decision by a Federal decision-maker and is not expected to meet the
threshold of influential or highly influential scientific information.
The DHS will test a variety of instruments and procedures under
this clearance. The exact nature of the instruments and the samples is
dependent on each individual project and details will be provided for
each individual information collection requests submitted. The
particular samples included in future generic information collection
requests will vary based on the content of the instrument being tested.
The DHS and its contractors will collect information electronically
and/or use online collaboration tools, as appropriate, to reduce the
burden. Specific information regarding the use of technology will be
submitted with each individual information collection request.
Following standard OMB requirements, the DHS will submit a change
request for each individual data collection activity under this generic
clearance. Each request will include the individual instrument(s), a
justification specific to the individual information collection, and
any supplementary documents. OMB should review within 10 days of
receiving each change request.
Respondents include participants in DHS programs being evaluated;
participants in DHS pilots and demonstrations; recipients of DHS grants
and individuals served by DHS grantees; comparison group members; and
other relevant populations, such as individuals eligible for DHS
services. Small business or other small entities
[[Page 38879]]
may be involved in these efforts, but the DHS will minimize the burden
on them of information collections approved under this clearance by
sampling, asking for readily available information, and using short,
easy-to-complete information collection instruments.
This may include one-time collections or iterative testing, based
on the specific situation. In all cases, without the proposed
information collection activities, the quality of the data collected
for DHS studies would suffer. Pretesting of the scale envisioned here
would not be done under other circumstances due to the time constraints
of seeking clearance for each individual survey's pretesting plan. The
efficient and timely pretesting and piloting efforts allow feedback to
contribute directly to more targeted and improved study designs.
Conversely, the failure to engage in pretesting and pilot data
collection limits the DHS's ability to improve the quality of evidence
about programs, pilots, initiatives, and services while reducing
administrative burden to the public.
If the Privacy Act does apply to a collection, the DHS will provide
a Privacy Act statement, System of Record Notices (SORN), or other
associated documentation, as appropriate. Participation in any
formative data collection effort will be voluntary, and personally
identifiable information will only be collected to the extent
necessary. Respondents will be informed of all planned data uses, that
their participation is voluntary, and that their information will be
kept private to the extent permitted by law. All data collection shall
protect respondent privacy to the extent permitted by law and will
comply with all Federal and Agency regulations for private information.
If a confidentiality pledge is deemed necessary, the Agency will only
include a pledge of confidentiality supported by authority established
in statute or regulation, supported by disclosure and data security
policies that are consistent with the pledge.
The primary purpose of data collected under this generic clearance
is not for publication. However, because the pretesting and piloting
data collection efforts are intended to inform the DHS's decision-
making related to evidence-building and programmatic activities,
results of these methodological studies may be made public through
methodological appendices or footnotes, reports on instrument
development, instrument user guides, descriptions of respondent
behavior, and other publications or presentations describing findings
of methodological interest. The results of these pretesting activities
may be prepared for presentation at professional meetings or
publication in professional journals. Although not anticipated, the DHS
may receive requests to release the information (e.g., congressional
inquiry, Freedom of Information Act requests) and will disseminate the
findings when appropriate, following the Agency's guidelines. Results
will be labeled as exploratory in nature and any limitations will be
described.
The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in
comments which:
1. Evaluate 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;
2. 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;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
4. 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
submissions of responses.
The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in
comments which:
1. Evaluate 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;
2. 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;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
4. 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
submissions of responses.
There is no change or adjustment to the burden associated with the
collection of information associated with the DHS complaint form. DHS
is not proposing to make any changes to the DHS compliant form. This
request is a renewal of the current ICR collection expiring in 60 days.
Analysis
Agency: Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Title: Generic Clearance for Formative Data Collection for
Evaluation, Research, and Evidence Building.
OMB Number: 1601-New.
Frequency: One-time collection.
Affected Public: Individuals and households.
Number of Respondents: 3,590.
Estimated Time Per Respondent: 64 minutes.
Total Burden Hours: 3,825.
Robert Dorr,
Executive Director, Business Management Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2023-12659 Filed 6-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9112-FL-P
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