Notice2026-19765
Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations
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
September 28, 2026
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
Abstract
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project titled Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement. This request proposes to collect information from the PHEP Cooperative Agreement awardees to document and monitor their performance measure progress and fulfillment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 186 (Monday, September 28, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 186 (Monday, September 28, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61231-61233]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-19765]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60Day-26-0284; Docket No. CDC-2026-1585]
Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
ACTION: Notice with comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the
utility of government information, invites the general public and other
federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed information
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This
notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project
titled Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative
Agreement. This request proposes to collect information from the PHEP
Cooperative Agreement awardees to document and monitor their
performance measure progress and fulfillment.
DATES: CDC must receive written comments on or before November 27,
2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2026-
1585 by either of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow
the instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet> Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road
NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments
to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Please note: Submit all comments through the
Federal eRulemaking portal (<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>) or by U.S. mail to the
address listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton
Road NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; Telephone: 404-639-7570;
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7e11131c3e1d1a1d50191108"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9cf3f1fedcfff8ffb2fbf3ea">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), federal agencies must obtain approval from
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires
federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information
collection before submitting the collection to the OMB for approval. To
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a
proposed data collection as described below.
The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
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;
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; and
5. Assess information collection costs.
Proposed Project
Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement--
Existing Collection in use without an OMB Control Number--Office of
Readiness and Response (ORR), Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
The Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative
Agreement is a five-year program administered by the Office of
Readiness and Response's Division of State and Local Readiness. The
PHEP Cooperative Agreement aims to strengthen the capability of state,
tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health systems to prepare
for, respond to, and recover from public health threats and
emergencies. The 62 awardees of the PHEP Cooperative Agreement include
the 50 State governments, Territorial governments and freely associated
states of American Samoa, Commonwealth of
[[Page 61232]]
the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam,
Puerto Rico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and
U.S. Virgin Islands and the local governments of Chicago, Los Angeles
County, New York City, and Washington, DC.
The goal of the PHEP Cooperative Agreement is to enhance readiness
to save lives during emergencies that exceed the day-to-day capacity of
public health response agencies. This funding opportunity provides a
roadmap for PHEP recipients to develop strategies and activities that
will increase their readiness to execute plans, respond to public
health threats and emergencies, and recover from them. CDC will use the
collected information from the 62 PHEP Cooperative Agreement awardees
to monitor their progress of activities described in the cooperative
agreement Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), track preparedness
capacity trends over time, identify technical assistance needs, and
ensure their appropriate use of government funds.
This information collection request is comprised of the following:
The ``PHEP Capacity Indicator Survey'' aims to support recipients'
self-assessment of public health emergency preparedness capacity and
requirements. Beyond capacity ratings, this collection includes
supplemental questions to capture qualitative and policy-relevant
information that the indicator framework alone cannot address. These
questions cover areas such as EOC activation frequency, depth of
partner integration in exercises and real incidents, and the economic
value of pre-positioned PHEP-funded resources. Responses to
supplemental questions are intended to inform technical assistance
targeting, identify common jurisdictional challenges, and support CDC's
internal policy development for future cooperative agreement periods.
The ``Public Health Capability Crosswalk'' with Response Readiness
Framework (RRF) areas provides recipients with an opportunity to
connect and align the 15 Public Health Capabilities and the 10 RRF
framework areas This mapping exercise ensures that recipients can
articulate the functional relationships between specific public health
capabilities--such as community preparedness, emergency operations
coordination, and medical countermeasure dispensing--and the
overarching readiness response framework areas that structure the
required PHEP activities. By completing this crosswalk, recipients
provide evidence that their preparedness infrastructure comprehensively
addresses all required readiness areas, supporting both program
accountability and the identification of gaps in jurisdictional
preparedness capacity.
The ``Planned Exercise Schedule'' serves as a planning and
accountability tool, enabling recipients to demonstrate a deliberate,
forward-looking approach to fulfilling their exercise obligations--
including functional exercises, full-scale exercises, and tabletop
exercises--in alignment with the Homeland Security Exercise and
Evaluation Program (HSEEP) standards.
The ``PHEP 5-Year Workplan'' is an iterative planning process that
ensures recipients maintain a current and actionable roadmap for
strengthening jurisdictional preparedness capacity while providing CDC
with a consistent mechanism for monitoring long-term program
performance and accountability.
The ``PHEP Continuation Workplan'' allows CDC to assess recipient
performance, verify alignment with program priorities, and make
informed funding decisions while ensuring recipients maintain momentum
in building and sustaining public health emergency preparedness
capacity.
These ``PHEP Administrative & Federal Requirements,'' outlined in
the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act
(PAHPAI) and other relevant federal statutes and guidance, ensure that
recipients maintain sound stewardship of public funds and operate their
programs with transparency and accountability. Recipients are
responsible for ensuring that all subrecipients and contractors
operating under the cooperative agreement also adhere to these
administrative and federal requirements throughout the period of
performance.
The ``PHEP Progress Updates'' serve as an ongoing communication
mechanism between recipients and CDC project officers, ensuring that
emerging issues are identified and addressed in a timely manner rather
than surfacing only at the end of a budget period. Progress updates
also allow recipients to document adjustments to their work plans,
report on expenditures relative to planned budgets, and demonstrate
continued alignment with PHEP program priorities and requirements.
Recipients must submit a ``PHEP Budget Narrative'' because it
provides CDC with the transparency and detail necessary to evaluate
whether proposed costs are reasonable, allowable, and aligned with the
programmatic activities and preparedness priorities outlined in their
work plan. A well-constructed budget narrative also serves as a
planning tool for recipients, helping to ensure that financial
resources are thoughtfully allocated across all required capabilities
and activities for the upcoming budget period. Additionally, the budget
narrative establishes a baseline against which CDC can monitor spending
patterns throughout the budget period, supporting accountability for
the use of federal funds and facilitating productive conversations
between recipients and CDC project officers when adjustments to planned
expenditures are needed.
The ``PHEP Spend Plan'' helps ensure that recipients are making
steady and appropriate progress in obligating and expending funds in
alignment with their approved budget narrative and planned programmatic
activities.
CDC requests OMB approval for three years. The annual estimated
burden for this information collection is 880 hours. There is no cost
to respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Number of Average burden
Type of respondents Form name Number of responses per per response (in Total burden
respondents respondent hours) (in hours)
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PHEP Awardees................ Capacity 62 1 36/60 37
Indicator
Survey.
PHEP Awardees................ Public Health 62 1 12/60 12
Capability
Crosswalk.
PHEP Awardees................ Planned 62 1 12/60 12
Exercises.
PHEP Awardees................ Work Plan...... 62 1 2 124
PHEP Awardees................ Continuation 62 1 72/60 62
Application.
PHEP Awardees................ Administrative 62 1 1 62
& Federal
Requirements.
PHEP Awardees................ Progress 62 2 1.5 186
Updates.
PHEP Awardees................ Budget 62 1 2 124
Narrative.
[[Page 61233]]
PHEP Awardees................ Spend Plans.... 62 4 1 248
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Total.................... ............... .............. .............. ................ 880
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Public Health
Ethics and Regulations, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2026-19765 Filed 9-25-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P
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