52132 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 193 / Monday, October 6, 1997 / Notices

All comments will become a matter of

public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ruth A. Celtnieks, AHCPR Reports

Clearance Officer, (301) 594–1406, ext.

1497.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Project

‘‘Medical Expenditure Panel Survey—

Insurance Component (MEPS–IC) for

1998 and 1999.’’

The AHCPR plans to continue

collection of the MEPS–IC. This survey

collects information from employers

(including public and private sectors)

and other health insurance providers.

The survey was first conducted in 1997.

The MEPS–IC is the integration of two

previous surveys which collected

similar information from two different

samples. The two surveys were:

1. The 1994 National Employer Health

Insurance Survey (NEHIS) sponsored by

AHCPR, the National Center for Health

Statistics (NCHS) and the Health Care

Financing Administration (HCFA). The

NEHIS had a sample drawn from (1) a

list of private sector establishments, the

Dunn Market Identifiers, provided by

Dunn and Bradstreet, a major supplier

of business information, (2) a list of all

government entities, Federal, State and

local, provided by the Census Bureau,

and (3) a list of self-employed

individuals provided by the NCHS; and

2. The 1987 Health Insurance Plans

Survey (HIPS) sponsored by AHCPR’s

predecessor, the National Center for

Health Statistics Research. The HIPS

sample of employers and other health

insurance providers generated from the

1987 National Medical Expenditure

Survey, a household survey similar to

the MEPS–HC.

As a result, the sample for the MEPS–

IC is made up of two components:

1. A list sample of employers selected

from three sample frames, private

sector, government entities and selfemployed individuals, available from

the Bureau of the Census; and

2. A sample of employers and other

health insurance providers identified by

respondents to the MEPS-Household

Component (MEPS–HC). The MEPS–HC

is an annual household survey designed

to collect medical expenditures and

ancillary information for individuals.

Data will be produced in two forms:

(1) files containing employer

information from the list sample of

selected employers; and (2) files

containing calendar years 1997 and

1998 insurance data collected in 1998

and 1999 from employers and linked to

information from the household

respondents of the 1997 and 1998

MEPS–HC surveys.

The data are intended to be used for

purposes such as:

• Generating national and State

estimates of employer health care

offerings;

• Producing aggregate data on

national and State estimates of spending

on employer-sponsored health

insurance for analyzing results of

national and State health care policy

and providing information to guide

future policy;

• Supply data to model the demand

for health insurance; and

• Providing a valuable source of

information concerning household

responses regarding choices of health

plans and costs and benefits of these

plans, when pooled with data from the

MEPS–HC.

These data provide the basis for

researchers to address significant

questions for employers and

policymakers alike.

Method of Collection

The data will be collected using a

combination of modes. AHCPR intends

to first contact the employers by

telephone. This contact will provide

information on the availability of health

insurance from the employer and

essential persons to contact. Based upon

this information, AHCPR will send a

mail questionnaire to employers and

others identified by employers. In order

to assure high response rates, AHCPR

will follow-up with a second mailing at

an acceptable time interval, followed by

a telephone call to collect data from

those who have not responded by mail.

Data collected from each employer

will include a description of the

business (e.g., size, industry) and

descriptions of health insurance plans

available, plan enrollments, total plan

costs and costs to employees.

For employers that can be matched to

the MEPS–HC respondents, data will

also be collected indicating the actual

plan selected by the MEPS–HC

respondent and the plan costs.

As part of the process, for larger

employers wit high burdens, such as

State employers and large firms, AHCPR

will, if needed, perform personal visits

and do customized collection, such as,

acceptance of data in computerized

formats. Annual burden estimates

follow:

Initial Number of Respondents:

40,000.

Number of Surveys per Respondent: 1.

Average Burden per Respondent: .5

hour.

Estimated Annual Burden Total:

20,000 hours.

Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) the

necessity of the proposed collection; (b)

the accuracy of the Agency’s estimate of

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 upon the

respondents, including the use of

automated collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval of this information collection.

Copies of these proposed collection

plans and instruments can be obtained

from the AHCPR Reports Clearance

Officer (see above).

Dated: September 29, 1997.

John M. Eisenberg,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 97–26352 Filed 10–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–90–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Adminstration for Children and

Families

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

Title: Early Head Start Evaluation

Father Study.

OMB No.: New Request.

Description: The Head Start

Reauthorization Act of 1994 established

a special initiative creating funding for

services for families with infants and

toddlers. In response the Administration

on Children, Youth and Families

(ACYF) designed the Early Head Start

(EHS) program. In September 1995,

ACYF awarded grants to 68 local

programs to serve families with infants

and toddlers. ACYF awarded grants to

an additional 75 local programs in

September 1996.

EHS programs are designed to

produce outcomes in four domains: (1)

child development, (2) family

development, (3) staff development, and

(4) community development. The

Reauthorization required that this new

initiative be evaluated. To study the

effect of the initiative, ACYF awarded a

contract through a competitive

procurement to Mathematics Policy

Research, Inc. (MPR) with a subcontract

to Columbia University’s Center for

Young Children and Families. The

evaluation will be carried out from

October 1, 1995 through September 30,

2000. Data collection activities that are
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 193 / Monday, October 6, 1997 / Notices 52133

the subject of this Federal Register

notice are intended for the second phase

of the EHS evaluation.

The sample for the assessments will

be approximately 1,360 fathers from the

3,400 EHS sample families, whose

mothers and infants/toddlers are

participating in the study (see OMB

#0970-0143) in 17 EHS study sites. Each

family will be randomly assigned to a

treatment group or a control group. The

assessments will be conducted through

personal interviewing, structured

observations and videotaping. All data

collection instruments have been

designed to minimize the burden on

respondents by minimizing

interviewing and assessment time.

Participation in the study is voluntary

and confidential.

The information will be used by

government managers, Congress and

others to better understand the roles of

fathers and father-figures with their

children and in the EHS program.

Respondents: Fathers or father-figures

of children whose families are in the

EHS national evaluation sample (both

program and control group families).

ANNUAL BURDEN ESTIMATES

Instrument Number of

respondents

Number of

responses

per respondent

average

burden

hours per

response

Total burden hours

24-Month Father Interview ............................................................................................... 635 1 10 635

Father-Child Videotaping Protocol ................................................................................... 168 1 0.3 50

Estimated Total Annual Burden ....................................................................................... .................... .................... .................... 685

Additional Information: Copies of the

proposed collection may be obtained by

writing to The Administration for

Children and Families, Office of

Information Services, Division of

Information Resource Management

Services, 370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20447, Attn: ACF

Reports Clearance Officer.

OMB Comment: OMB is required to

make a decision concerning the

collection of information between 30 to

60 days after publication of this

document in the Federal Register.

Therefore, a comment is best assured of

having it full effect if OMB receives it

within 30 days of publication. Written

comments and recommendations for the

proposed information collection should

be sent directly to the following: Office

of Management and Budget, Paperwork

Reduction Project, 725 17th Street,

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20503, Attn:

Desk Officer for the Administration for

Children Families.

Dated: September 29, 1997.

Bob Sargis,

Acting Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–26349 Filed 10–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and

Families

Statement of Organization, Functions

and Delegations of Authority

Notice is hereby given that I delegate

to the Assistant Secretary for Children

and Families, with authority to

redelegate, the following authorities

vested in the Secretary under the

Personal Responsibility and Work

Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,

P.L. 104–193, as amended now and

hereafter.

(a) Authorities Delegated:

(1) Authority to administer the

provisions of Title I, Block Grants for

Temporary Assistance for Needy

Families (TANF) under Sections 101–

103, 106–110, 112, 115 and 116 of the

Personal Responsibility and Work

Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,

42 U.S.C. 1305 note, 42 U.S.C. 601 et

seq., and as amended now and hereafter.

In addition, in exercising authority

under Section 103, ‘‘Section 413,

Research, Evaluations, and National

Studies,’’ of the Social Security Act, the

Administration for Children and

Families is expected to consult with the

Assistant Secretary for Planning and

Evaluation.

(2) Authority to administer the

provisions of the Child Care and

Development Block Grant Amendments

of 1996, 42 U.S.C. 9801 note, under

Sections 601–615 of the Personal

Responsibility and Work Opportunity

Reconciliation Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C.

1305 note, 42 U.S.C. 601 et seq., and as

amended now and hereafter.

(b) Effect on existing delegations.

None.

These delegations shall be exercised

under the Department’s existing

delegation of authority and policy on

regulations. These delegations of

authority are effective upon date of

signature. In addition, I hereby, affirm

and ratify any actions taken by the

Assistant Secretary for Children and

Families or any other Administration for

Children and Families official which, in

effect, involved the exercise of these

authorities prior to the effective date of

these delegations.

Dated: September 16, 1997.

Donna E. Shalala,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–26346 Filed 10–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. 97N–0397]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration,

HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) is announcing an

opportunity for public comment on the

proposed collection of certain

information by the agency. Under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the

PRA), Federal agencies are required to

publish notice in the Federal Register

concerning each proposed collection of

information, including each proposed

reinstatement of an existing collection

of information, and to allow 60 days for

public comment in response to the

notice. This notice solicits comments on

recordkeeping requirements for

manufacturers, importers, distributors,

and retailers of impact-resistant lenses,

including eyeglasses and sunglasses.

DATES: Submit written comments on the

collection of information by December

5, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

on the collection of information to the

Dockets Management Branch (HFA–

305), Food and Drug Administration,