17198 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 68 / Wednesday, April 9, 1997 / Notices

786–1326. Written comments and

recommendations for the proposed

information collections should be sent

within 60 days of this notice directly to

the HCFA Paperwork Clearance Officer

designated at the following address:

HCFA, Office of Financial and Human

Resources, Management Analysis and

Planning Staff, Attention: Linda

Mansfield, Room C2–26–17, 7500

Security Boulevard, Baltimore,

Maryland 21244–1850.

Dated: April 2, 1997.

Edwin J. Glatzel,

Director, Management Analysis and Planning

Staff, Office of Financial and Human

Resources, Health Care Financing

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–9083 Filed 4–8–97; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services

Administration

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection:

Comment Request

In compliance with the requirement

for opportunity for public comment on

proposed data collection projects

(section 3506(c)(2)(A) of Title 35, United

States Code, as amended by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13), the Health

Resources and Services Administration

(HRSA) will publish periodic

summaries of proposed projects being

developed for submission to OMB under

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

To request more information on the

proposed project or to obtain a copy of

the data collection plans, call the HRSA

Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443–

1129.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of the agency, including

whether the information shall have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of the 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

on respondents, including through the

use of automated collection techniques

or other forms of information

technology.

Proposed Project: Application and

Annual Report, Maternal and Child

Health Block Grant Program (OMB No.

0915–0172)—Extension and Revision—

The Health Resources and Services

Administration (HRSA) proposes to

revise and reformat the Maternal and

Child Health Block Grant Guidance.

This guidance is used annually by the

50 States and 9 jurisdictions in making

application for Block Grants under Title

V of the Social Security Act, and in

preparing the required annual report.

The revisions are designed to simplify

and clarify the guidance and required

forms and to reduce duplication, while

still allowing for clear, concise, useful,

and accurate communication about the

States’ programs. More specifically, the

revisions should: (1) Make the program

descriptions more readable; (2) alleviate

the disconnect between the application

for the next fiscal year and the annual

report for the previous fiscal year that

makes programmatic and data reviews

difficult; (3) clarify budget and expense

tables, through better design of forms

and by carrying totals from form to

form; (4) report objectives in a standard

format, including the relationship to

Healthy People 2000 goals, to facilitate

year to year comparisons and multiState tabulations; and, (5) incorporate

uniform performance measures across

all States and jurisdictions as well as

State/jurisdiction-specific performance

measures.

The HRSA revision would also

combine the current three guidance

documents into one document, by

eliminating the separate annual

application and annual report in favor

of a combined document, and every fifth

year explicitly including the results of

the needs assessment, which would be

incorporated only by reference in the

intervening years. The HRSA revision

efforts are intended not only to simplify

and expedite the rational submission of

necessary data and reports, but also to

reduce the burden on States and

jurisdictions by eliminating duplicative

requirements and streamlining the

presentation of information. It is

expected that a 10% reduction in

burden can be achieved. Estimates of

burden to complete the application and

annual report are as follows:

Type of form Number of

respondents

Responses

per respondent

Burden

hours per

response

Total burden hours

Application and Annual Report (without needs assessment)*

States ........................................................................................................................ 50 1 495 24,750

Jurisdictions ............................................................................................................... 9 1 200 1,800

Five-Year Application and Annual Report (with needs assessment)*

States ........................................................................................................................ 50 1 675 33,750

Jurisdictions ............................................................................................................... 9 1 360 3,240

*The Annual Application and Annual Report, without needs assessment, will be submitted in FY 1998 and FY 1999. The five-year Annual Application and Annual Report will be submitted in FY 2000. The average annual response burden for the next three years is 30,030 hours.

The HRSA revision plan calls for

copies of the draft version of the new

guidance package to be mailed to the

Maternal and Child Health Directors in

all States and jurisdictions on or about

April 15th, 1997. Copies will also be

available to all other interested parties

who request one from: Peter C. van

Dyck, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Office of

State and Community Health, Maternal

and Child Health Bureau, Room 18–31,

Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane,

Rockville, MD 20857. His phone

number is (301) 443–2204.

Send comments to Patricia Royston,

HRSA Reports Clearance Officer, Room

14–36, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers

Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Written

comments should be received within 60

days of this Notice.

Dated: April 2, 1997.

J. Henry Montes,

Director, Office of Policy and Information

Coordination.

[FR Doc. 97–9024 Filed 4–8–97; 8:45 am]

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