Notice2023-28571
Agency Information Collection Activities; USDA Generic Solution for Solicitation for Funding Opportunity Announcement
Primary source
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Published
December 28, 2023
Issuing agencies
Agriculture Department
Abstract
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is requesting comments concerning authorization to revise the approved USDA Generic Solution for Solicitation for Funding Opportunity Announcement information collection request (ICR). This is a revision request. We are revising the ICR to cover the additional use across USDA agencies for grants, agreements, and other Federal financial assistance programs.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 248 (Thursday, December 28, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 248 (Thursday, December 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89654-89655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28571]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. USDA-2022-0010]
Agency Information Collection Activities; USDA Generic Solution
for Solicitation for Funding Opportunity Announcement
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) is requesting comments concerning
authorization to revise the approved USDA Generic Solution for
Solicitation for Funding Opportunity Announcement information
collection request (ICR). This is a revision request. We are revising
the ICR to cover the additional use across USDA agencies for grants,
agreements, and other Federal financial assistance programs.
DATES: We will consider comments we receive by February 26, 2024.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice.
Electronic Submission of Comments. You may submit comments,
identified by Docket ID: USDA-2022-0010, electronically through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the
instructions provided on that site to submit comments electronically.
Submission of Comments by Mail, Hand Delivery, or Courier. You may
submit comments to the Office of Budget and Program Analysis, USDA,
Jamie L. Whitten Building, Room 101-A, 1400 Independence Ave. SW,
Washington, DC 20250. USDA strongly encourages commenters to submit
comments electronically. Electronic submission of comments allows you
maximum time to prepare and submit a comment and ensures timely receipt
by USDA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve O'Neill, 202-720-0038,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5d2e29382d353833733233383431311d282e393c733a322b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e3909786938b868dcd8c8d868a8f8fa396908782cd848c95">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), USDA is requesting comments concerning a
authorization to conduct the USDA Generic Solution for Solicitation for
Funding Opportunity Announcement ICR. This is a revision request.
[[Page 89655]]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducts a pre-clearance
consultation program to provide the public and Federal agencies an
opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing information
collections before submitting them to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB).
This program helps to ensure requested data can be provided in the
desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is
minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the
impact of collection requirements can be properly assessed.
USDA is requesting an increase the approved burden hours to cover
grant or cooperative agreement activity and funding announcements of
new programs for other types of Federal financial assistance. USDA
requests an increase in the responses by 880,000, and the burden hours
by 1.5 million hours. USDA has successfully used the existing approval
for ongoing information collection activities and is expecting to well
beyond the initial estimates when the ICR was first approved by OMB.
The increase has been for the Federal financial assistances for new
programs.
Grants or Cooperative Agreement
Periodically USDA solicits grant applications on <a href="http://grants.gov">http://grants.gov</a>
by issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement, Request for
Applications, Notice of Funding Announcement, Notice of Solicitation of
Applications, <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> announcement, or other funding announcement
type. To ensure grants are awarded to the applicant(s) best suited to
perform the functions of the grant, applicants are generally required
to submit an application. The first part of USDA grant applications
consists of submitting the application form(s), which includes the
Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance and may include
additional standard grant application forms. The second part of a grant
application usually requires a technical proposal demonstrating the
applicant's capabilities in accordance with a statement of work or
selection criteria and other related information as specified in the
funding announcement. Following the grant award, the grant awardee may
also be required to provide progress reports or additional documents.
Federal Financial Assistance Programs
In addition to grants and agreements, there are other types of
funding announcements. USDA agencies announce new Federal financial
assistance programs in the Federal Register in a Notice of Funding
Availability (NOFA) or other types of funding or program announcements.
Generally, the applicants need to apply for financial assistance under
the new program. The agencies generally require application forms and
related forms for the applicants can apply for the Federal financial
assistance.
A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection
of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to
an information collection, unless it is approved by OMB under the PRA
and displays a currently valid OMB control number. In addition,
notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person will be subject
to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if
the collection of information does not display a valid control number
(see 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6). USDA intends to seek approval from
OMB for the revision request for this collection of information for 3
years.
Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the
individual listed in the ADDRESSES section above.
Comments must be written to receive consideration, and they will be
summarized and included in the request for OMB approval of the final
ICR. The comments will also become a matter of public record. Comments
responsive to this request will be made available on-line, without
redaction, as part of the submission to OMB; therefore, USDA is
particularly interested in comments that:
<bullet> 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;
<bullet> 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;
<bullet> Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
<bullet> Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including using appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, for example, permitting
electronic submission of responses.
USDA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for
review and approval. At that time, USDA will issue another Federal
Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.
Agency: USDA Office of the Secretary.
Type of Review: Revision.
OMB Control Number: 0503-0028.
Title of Collection: USDA Generic Solution for Solicitation for
Funding Opportunity Announcements.
Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; Private
Sector--businesses or other for-profits and not-for-profit
institutions.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 1 million.
Frequency: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Responses: 1 million.
Estimated Average Time per Response: 20 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 20 million hours.
Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.
Stephen O'Neill,
Legislative and Regulatory Division, OBPA-USDA.
[FR Doc. 2023-28571 Filed 12-27-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-90-P
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