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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 87 (Friday, May 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26519-26520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10732]

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COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED

Information Collection To Be Submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act; Individual Eligibility Evaluation

AGENCY: Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely 
Disabled.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or 
Severely Disabled (Committee) will submit the collection of information 
listed below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. This 
notice solicits comments on this collection of information.

DATES: Submit your written comments on the information collection on or 
before July 3, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments on the requirement to Lou Bartalot, 
Director Compliance, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind 
or Severely Disabled, 1421 Jefferson Davis Highway, Jefferson Plaza 2, 
Suite 10800, Arlington, VA, 22202-3259; fax (703) 603-0655; or email 
rulecomments@abilityone.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the applicable 
form or explanatory material, contact Lou Bartalot or Amy Jensen at 
information in above paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which implement provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), require that 
interested members of the public and affected agencies have an 
opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping 
activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). The Committee plans to submit a 
request to OMB that the initial and annual evaluations of competitive 
employability required by the Committee's regulations (41 CFR 51-4.3) 
be done on a standardized form. The Committee is requesting a 3-year 
term of approval for this recordkeeping activity.
    Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.
    The JWOD Act of 1971 (41 U.S.C. Chapter 85) is the authorizing 
legislation for the AbilityOne Program. The AbilityOne Program creates 
jobs and training opportunities for people who are blind or who have 
other severe disabilities. Its primary means of doing so is by 
requiring Government agencies to purchase selected products and 
services from nonprofit agencies employing such individuals. The 
AbilityOne Program is administered by the Committee. Two national, 
independent organizations, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and 
NISH, help State and private nonprofit agencies participate in the 
AbilityOne Program.
    The implementing regulations for the JWOD Act, which are located at 
41 CFR Chapter 51, provide the requirements, procedures, and standards 
for the AbilityOne Program. Section 51-4.3 of the regulations sets 
forth the standards that a nonprofit agency must meet to maintain 
qualification for participation in the AbilityOne Program. Under this 
section of the regulations, a nonprofit agency that wants to continue 
to participate in the AbilityOne Program must conduct evaluations on 
each individual performing direct labor to determine their capability 
to perform competitive employment at least annually.

Overview of This Information Collection

    This recordkeeping request seeks approval for the Committee to 
require the use of a standardized, Committee developed, form to record 
the evaluation beginning in January 2013. The development of the 
evaluation form is the result of consultation with multiple nonprofit 
agencies already participating in the AbilityOne Program and it is at 
the request of a number of these agencies that the Committee is seeking 
its mandatory use.
    Type of Information Collection: New collection.
    Title: AbilityOne Program Individual Eligibility Evaluation.
    OMB Control Number: 3037-0011.
    Form Number: Committee Form IEE.
    Description of Respondents: Nonprofit agencies serving people who 
are blind or severely disabled that participate in the AbilityOne 
Program.
    Annual Number of Respondents: About 610 nonprofit agencies serving 
people who are blind or severely disabled that participates in the 
AbilityOne Program.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Burden for conducting the 
evaluations is included in the Committee's recordkeeping requirement 
under OMB Control number 3037-005. It is estimated that requiring the 
use of a standardized form will not add to the recordkeeping burden 
once training is completed and the form adopted. The estimated burden 
to accomplish the training is estimated at 2 hours per agency. Total 
burden is 1220 hours.
    We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
our agency's functions, including whether the information will have 
practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of 
the collection of information;

[[Page 26520]]

(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents.

Barry S. Lineback,
Director, Business Operations.
[FR Doc. 2012-10732 Filed 5-3-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6353-01-P
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