[Federal Register: October 22, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 204)]
[Notices]               
[Page 56653-56654]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22oc98-82]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary

 
Emergency Clearance: Public Information Collection Requirements 
Submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

    In compliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Department of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS), has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) the following request for emergency review. We are requesting an 
emergency review because the collection of this information is needed 
prior to the expiration of the normal time limits under OMB's 
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 and is essential to the mission of the 
Department. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 authorized the Department 
of Labor (DoL) to implement a new grant program to fund state and local 
efforts to get the hardest-to-serve welfare recipients into employment. 
The statute directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human 
Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary 
of Housing and Urban Development, to develop a plan to evaluate how 
Welfare-to-Work (WtW) grants to states and tribes have been used. An 
interim evaluation report is due to Congress by January 1, 1999, and a 
final report is due by January 1, 2001.
    DoL announced the first WtW competitive grants in May. The first 
formula grant funds were distributed to states in February. Once 
formula grant funds are awarded by DoL, states require additional time 
to distribute funds to substate operating entities. Since the WtW 
program operators have not had the WtW funds very long, it would not be 
feasible to collect the baseline information before fall 1998. 
Following the normal clearance procedures would cause the statutory 
deadline of January 1, 1999 to be missed.
    Without emergency approval of the proposed information collections 
described below, the Department could not submit to Congress by January 
1, 1999 the interim evaluation report for the Welfare-to-work grant 
program, as required by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.
    DHHS is requesting that OMB grant emergency approval by October 26, 
1998 for 180 days.
    Title and Description of Information Collection: Multi-site 
Evaluation of the Welfare-to-Work Grants Program--

[[Page 56654]]

NEW--As required by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, DHHS is planning a 
four-year project to evaluate the effectiveness of welfare-to-work 
initiatives undertaken though competitive and formula grants awarded by 
the U.S. Department of Labor. DHHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary 
for Planning and Evaluation, in conjunction with DoL and the U.S. 
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has designed an 
evaluation that will involve several rounds of data collection for 
grantees and grant program participants. The information collection 
instruments in this request for OMB approval consist of an all-grantee 
mail survey to gather baseline program information, and a protocol for 
conducting 35 site visits to gather more detailed preliminary 
information. Respondents: State and Local Governments, Businesses or 
Other For-profit Organizations, Not-for-profit Institutions; Burden 
Information for the Mail Survey--Number of Respondents: 548; Number of 
Responses per Respondent: one; Average Burden per Response: .95 hours; 
Total Burden for Mail Survey: 521 hours-- Burden Information for the 
Site Visits--Number of Respondents: 280; Number of Responses per 
Respondent: one; Average Burden per Response: 1 hour; Total Burden of 
Site Visits: 280 hours. Total Burden: 801 hours.
    To request more information or a copy of the proposed data 
collection, please contact Alana Landey on 202-401-6636.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be immediately sent directly to the OMB Desk Officer 
designated at the following address: OMB Human Resources and Housing 
Branch, Attention: Allison Eydt, New Executive Office Building, Room 
10235, Washington, DC 20503. Comments may be faxed to Ms. Eydt at 202-
395-5167.
    Please send a copy of your comments to Cynthia Agens Bauer, OS 
Reports Clearance Officer, Room 503H, Humphrey Building, 200 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC, 20201.

    Dated: October 14, 1998.
Dennis P. Williams,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Budget.
[FR Doc. 98-28346 Filed 10-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-04-M