[Federal Register: March 18, 1997 (Volume 62, Number 52)] [Notices] [Page 12817-12818] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr18mr97-36] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests AGENCY: Department of Education. ACTION: Proposed collection; comments requested. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education requests comments on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes to use for the 1998-99 award year. The FAFSA is completed by students and their families and the information submitted on the form is used to determine the students' eligibility and financial need for the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (Title IV, HEA Programs). The Secretary is particularly seeking comments regarding whether all the questions on the FAFSA are needed. The Secretary will consider these comments not only for the 1998-99 FAFSA but also in the design of the 1999-2000 FAFSA. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 19, 1997. ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for copies of the proposed information collection requests should be addressed to Patrick J. Sherrill, Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 5624, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick J. Sherrill (202) 708-8196. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), requires the Secretary, ``in cooperation with agencies and organizations involved in providing student financial assistance,'' to ``produce, distribute and process free of charge a common financial reporting form to be used to determine the need and eligibility of a student under'' the Title IV, HEA Programs. This form is the FAFSA. In addition, section 483 authorizes the Secretary to include on the FAFSA up to eight non- financial data items that would assist States in awarding State student financial assistance. Over the past several years, the Secretary, in cooperation with the above described agencies and organizations, has added questions to the form. Those questions were added to accommodate the needs of States that administer State student aid programs, and of institutions of higher education that administer the Title IV, HEA Programs. They were also added to facilitate eliminating or reducing the number of State and institutional forms that a student and his or her family must complete in order to receive student financial assistance. In the context of re-engineering the FAFSA and looking at each FAFSA question anew, it appears that a great many of the questions now on the form are not needed to determine a student's need and eligibility for Title IV, HEA Programs. Moreover, it also appears that many questions are of a marginal value, even for State and institutional purposes. The 1998-99 FAFSA will begin to be used on January 1, 1998. Because of the lead time needed to begin using that form on that date, the Secretary has proposed to modify or eliminate only a minimum number of questions of the proposed 1998-99 FAFSA. Using the 1996-97 and 1997-98 FAFSAs as a reference point, the Secretary proposes eliminating question 37. The Secretary proposes to combine questions 20 and 21 into a single yes/no question, as follows: ``Will you have received a high school diploma or earned a GED before the first date of your enrollment in college?'' The Secretary proposes to eliminate the ``day'' in questions 12, 31, and 50 leaving just the ``month'' and ``year.'' Finally, the Secretary proposes to eliminate the fourth option under ``housing codes'' on page four of the FAFSA. The Secretary seeks comments on these modifications. With regard to the 1999-2000 FAFSA, using the 1996-97 and 1997-98 FAFSAs as a reference point, the Secretary notes that a student does not need to complete the following questions in order to have his or her eligibility and need for Title IV, HEA Programs determined: 11-14, 18, 20-39, 50, 53-54, 65-66, and 92-105. Therefore the Secretary requests comments on the need and desirability of these questions. In particular, the Secretary requests comments on whether a particular question is integral to a State student aid program, and requests each State to list in order of importance, those questions that it needs to administer its State student aid programs. The Secretary is publishing this request for comment under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. Under that Act, ED must obtain the review and approval of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before it may use a form to collect information. However, under the procedure for obtaining approval from OMB, ED must first obtain public comment on the proposed form, and to obtain that comment, ED must publish this notice in the Federal Register. In addition to comments requested above, to accommodate the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Secretary is interested in receiving comments with regard to the following matters: (1) is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department, (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner, (3) is the estimate of burden accurate, (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Dated: March 12, 1997. Gloria Parker, Director, Information Resources Management Group. Office of Postsecondary Education Type of Review: Revision. Title: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Frequency: Annually. Affected Public: Individuals and families. Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: Responses: 9,831,756. Burden Hours: 7,625,993. Abstract: The FAFSA collects identifying and financial information about a student and his or her family if the student applies for Title IV, Higher Education Act (HEA) Program funds. [[Page 12818]] This information is used to calculate the student's expected family contribution, which is used to determine a student's financial need. The information is also used to determine the student's eligibility for grants and loans under the Title IV, HEA Programs. It is further used for determining a student's eligibility and need for State and institutional financial aid programs. [FR Doc. 97-6742 Filed 3-17-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P