[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25529-25530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10918]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[FTA Docket No. FTA-00-7295]


Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information 
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for extension of a currently 
approved collection. The ICR describes the nature of the information 
collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection 
of information was published on January 31, 2000 [FR 65 pages 4629 and 
4630].

DATES: Comments must be submitted before June 1, 2000. A comment to OMB 
is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sylvia L. Barney, Office of 
Administration, Office of Management Planning, (202) 366-6680.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   
    Title: Nondiscrimination as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs (OMB 
Number: 2132-0542)
    Abstract: All entities receiving federal financial assistance from 
FTA are prohibited from discriminating against any employee or 
applicant for employment because of race, color, creed, sex, national 
origin, age, or disability. To ensure that FTA's equal employment 
opportunity (EEO) procedures are followed, FTA requires grant 
recipients to submit written EEO plans to FTA for approval. FTA's 
assessment of this requirement shows that the formulating, submitting, 
and implementing of EEO programs should minimally increase costs for 
FTA applicants and recipients.
    To determine a grantee's compliance with applicable laws and 
requirements, grantee submissions are evaluated and analyzed based on 
the following criteria. First, an EEO program must include an EEO 
policy statement issued by the chief executive officer covering all 
employment practices, including recruitment, selection, promotions, 
terminations, transfers, layoffs, compensation, training, benefits, and 
other terms and conditions of employment. Second, the policy must be 
placed conspicuously so that employees, applicants, and the general 
public are aware of the agency's EEO commitment.
    The data derived from written EEO and affirmative action plans will 
be used by the Office of Civil Rights in monitoring grantees' 
compliance with applicable EEO laws and regulations. This monitoring 
and enforcement activity will ensure that minorities and women have 
equitable access to employment opportunities and that recipients of 
Federal funds do not discriminate against any employee or applicant 
because of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, age, or 
disability.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 4,500 hours.
    Title: Title VI as it Applies to FTA Grant Programs (OMB Number: 
2132-0542)
    Abstract: Section 601 of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 
states: ``No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, 
color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied 
the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or 
activity receiving Federal financial assistance.'' This information 
collection is required by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Title VI 
Regulation, 28 CFR Part 42, Subpart F (Section 42.406), and DOT Order 
1000.12. FTA policies and requirements are designed to clarify and 
strengthen these regulations. This requirement is applicable to all 
applicants, recipients, and subrecipients receiving Federal financial 
assistance. Experience has demonstrated that a program requirement at 
the application stage is necessary to assure that benefits and services 
are equitably distributed by grant recipients. The requirements 
prescribed by the Office of Civil Rights accomplish that objective 
while diminishing possible vestiges of discrimination among FTA grant 
recipients. FTA's assessment of this requirement indicated that the 
formulation and implementation of the Title VI program should occur 
with a decrease in costs to such applicants and recipients.
    All FTA grant applicants, recipients, and subrecipients are 
required to submit applicable Title VI information to the FTA Office of 
Civil Rights for review and approval. If FTA did not conduct pre-award 
reviews, solutions would not be generated in advance and program 
improvements could not be integrated into projects. FTA's experience 
with pre-award reviews for all projects and grants suggests this method 
contributes to maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness of FTA dollars 
and has

[[Page 25530]]

kept post-award complaints to a minimum. Moreover, the objective of the 
Title VI statute can be more easily attained and beneficiaries of FTA 
funded programs have a greater likelihood of receiving transit services 
and related benefits on a nondiscriminatory basis.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 4,680 hours.
    Title: Reporting of Technical Activities by FTA Grant Recipients 
(OMB Number: 2132-0549)
    Abstract: 49 U.S.C. Sections 5303 and 5313(a) and (b) authorize the 
use of Federal funds to assist metropolitan planning organizations 
(MPOs), states, and local public bodies in developing transportation 
plans and programs to serve future transportation needs of urbanized 
areas and nonurbanized areas throughout the nation. As part of this 
effort, MPOs are required to consider a wide range of goals and 
objectives and to analyze alternative transportation system management 
and investment strategies. These objectives are measured by definable 
activities such as planning certification reviews and other related 
activities.
    The information collected by these forms is used to report annually 
to Congress, the Secretary, and to the Federal Transit Administrator on 
how grantees are responding to national emphasis areas and 
congressional direction, and allows FTA to track grantees' use of 
Federal planning and research funds.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 150 hours.
    Title: Bus Testing Program (OMB Number: 2132-0550)
    Abstract: 49 U.S.C. Section 5323(c) provides that no Federal funds 
appropriated or made available after September 30, 1989, may be 
obligated or expended for the acquisition of a new bus model (including 
any model using alternative fuels) unless the bus has been tested at 
the Bus Testing Center (Center) in Altoona, Pennsylvania. 49 U.S.C. 
Section 5318(a) further specifies that each new bus model is to be 
tested for maintainability, reliability, safety, performance (including 
braking performance), structural integrity, fuel economy, emissions, 
and noise.
    The operator of the Bus Testing Center, the Pennsylvania 
Transportation Institute (PTI), has entered into a cooperative 
agreement with FTA. PTI operates and maintains the Center, and 
establishes and collects fees for the testing of the vehicles at the 
facility. Upon completion of the testing of the vehicle at the Center, 
a test report is provided to the manufacturer of the new bus model. The 
bus manufacturer certifies to an FTA grantee that the bus the grantee 
is purchasing has been tested at the Center. Also, grantees about to 
purchase a bus use this report to assist them in making their 
purchasing decisions. PTI maintains a reference file for all the test 
reports which are made available to the public.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 60 hours.

ADDRESSES: All written comments must refer to the docket number that 
appears at the top of this document and be submitted to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
725-17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FTA Desk 
Officer.
    Comments Are Invited On: Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

    Issued: April 26, 2000.
Dorrie Y. Aldrich,
Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-10918 Filed 5-1-00; 8:45 am]
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