[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 19, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7470-7472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-4002]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Information Collection Request 
for the Payment for Appointed Counsel in Involuntary Indian Child 
Custody Proceedings in State Courts, codified at 25 CFR Sec. 23.13, 
requires renewal. Before submitting a request for reinstatement, 
without change, of a previously approved collection for which approval 
has expired, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the 
Department of the Interior is soliciting public comments on this 
information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before April 21, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Betty Tippeconnie, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs (Bureau), Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, 
MS-4603 MB, Washington, D.C. 20240.
    All written comments will be available for public inspection in 
Room 4603 of the Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, 
D.C. from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Monday

[[Page 7471]]

through Friday, excluding legal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Betty Tippeconnie, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, MS-4603 MB, Washington, 
D.C. 20240, and 202/208-2721. (This is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    A state court that appoints counsel for an indigent Indian parent 
or Indian custodian in an involuntary Indian child custody proceeding 
in a state court for which appointment of counsel is not authorized by 
state law shall send written notice to the Bureau. The cognizant Bureau 
Area Director, using this information, can certify if the client in the 
notice is eligible to have his counsel compensated by the Bureau in 
accordance with the Indian Child Welfare Act, Public Law 95-608.

II. Method of Collection

    The following information is collected in a notice from state 
courts in order to certify payment of appointed counsel in involuntary 
Indian child custody proceedings. The information collected and the 
reasons for the collection are listed below:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Information Collected                                    Reason for Collection                 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Name, address and telephone number of attorney       (a) To identify attorney appointed as counsel/and      
 appointed;                                               method of contact;                                    
(b) Name and address of client for whom counsel is       (b) To identify indigent party in an Indian child      
 appointed;                                               custody proceeding for whom counsel is appointed;     
(c) Applicant's relationship to child;                   (c) To determine if the person is eligible for payment 
                                                          of attorney fees as specified in P.L. 95-608;         
(d) Name of Indian child's tribe;                        (d) To determine if the child is a member of a         
                                                          federally recognized tribe and is covered by the      
                                                          Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA);                      
(e) Copy of petition or complaint;                       (e) To determine if this custody proceeding is covered 
                                                          by the ICWA;                                          
(f) Certification by the court that state law does not   (f) To determine if other state laws provide for such  
 provide for appointment of counsel in such               appointment of counsel and to prevent duplication of  
 proceedings;                                             effort;                                               
(g) Certification by the court that the Indian client    (g) To determine if the client has resources to pay for
 is indigent;                                             counsel;                                              
(h) The amount of payments due counsel utilizing the     (h) To determine if the amount of payment due appointed
 same procedures used to determine expenses in juvenile   counsel is based on state court standards in juvenile 
 delinquency proceedings;                                 delinquency proceedings;                              
(I) Approved vouchers with court certification that the  (I) To determine the amount of payment considered      
 amount requested is reasonable considering the work      reasonable in accordance with state standards for a   
 and the criteria used for determining fees and           particular case.                                      
 expenses for juvenile delinquency proceedings.                                                                 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Proposed use of the information: The information collected will be 
used by the respective Bureau Area Director to determine: (a) If an 
individual Indian involved in an Indian child custody proceeding is 
eligible for payment of appointed counsel's attorney fees, (b) If any 
state statutes provide for coverage of attorney fees under these 
circumstances, (c) The state standards for payment of attorney fees in 
juvenile delinquency proceedings, (d) The name of the attorney, and his 
actual voucher certified by the court for the work completed on a 
preapproved case. This information is required for payment of appointed 
counsel as authorized by Public Law 95-608.

III. Data

    (1) Title of the Collection of Information: Department of the 
Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Payment for Appointed Counsel in 
Involuntary Indian Child Custody Proceedings in State Courts.
    OMB Number: 1076-0111.
    Expiration Date: February 28, 1997.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement of a previously approved information 
collection for which approval has expired.
    Affected Entities: State Courts and individual Indians eligible for 
payment of attorney fees pursuant to 25 CFR 23.13.
    Estimated number of respondents: 4.
    Proposed frequency of response: 1.
    (2) Estimate of total annual reporting and record keeping burden 
that will result from the collection of this information: 12 hours.
    Reporting: 2 hours/response  x  4 respondents = 8 hours.
    Recordkeeping: 1 hour/response  x  4 respondents = 4 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours = 12 hours
    Estimated Annual Costs: $540.00 (12 hours x $45.00 per hour).
    (3) Description of the need for the information and proposed use of 
the information: Submission of this information is required in order to 
receive payment for appointed counsel under 25 CFR 23.13. The 
information is collected to determine applicant eligibility for 
services.

IV. Request for Comments

    The Department of the Interior invites comment on:
    (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information will have practical utility;
    (b) The accuracy of the agencies' estimate of the burden (including 
hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information, including 
the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
    (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 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or 
provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time 
needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize 
technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating, and 
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and 
disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able 
to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, to 
complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or 
otherwise disclose the information.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to

[[Page 7472]]

respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid Office of Management and Budget control number.

    Dated: February 11, 1997.
Ada E. Deer,
Assistant Secretary, Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 97-4002 Filed 2-18-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-02-P