Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 62 / Tuesday, April 1, 1997 / Notices 15531

a toll-free number. Hearing or speech

impaired individuals may access this

number via TTY by calling the toll-free

Federal Information Relay Service at

1–800–877–8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Department will submit the proposed

information collection to OMB for

review, as required by the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35, as amended).

The Notice is soliciting comments

from members of the public and affected

agencies concerning the proposed

collection of information to: (1) evaluate

whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

(2) evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s

estimate of the burden of the proposed

collection of information; (3) enhance

the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and (4)

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on those who are to

respond; including through the use of

appropriate automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology, e.g., permitting electronic

submission of responses.

This Notice also lists the following

information:

Title of Proposal: Community

Development Block Grants: State’s

Program

OMB Control Number: 2506–0085

Description of the need for the

information and proposed used: The

information is needed to assist HUD in

determining whether States are carrying

out the CDBG program in accordance

with the applicable laws. In addition,

States must maintain records at the state

level to facilitate review and audit by

HUD of each state’s administration of its

grant pursuant to section 104(e) of the

statute and section 570.490 of the State

CDBG rule.

Agency form numbers, if applicable:

The Housing and Community

Development Act of 1974, as amended,

requires states that administer the CDBG

program to submit: (1) a Final Statement

that contains the community

development objectives, a method of

distribution, and the certification by the

Governor or a duly authorized state

official (Section 104(a)(1)); (2) an annual

performance and evaluation report

(PER) (Section 104(e)); and such records

as may be necessary to facilitate review

and audit by HUD of the state’s

administration of CDBG funds (Section

104(e)(2)).

Members of affected public: State

Governments participating in the State

administered CDBG program

Estimation of the total numbers of

hours needed to prepare the information

collection including number of

respondents, frequency of response, and

hours of response:

Task Number of respondents Frequency of response (annual)

Estimate of

burden

hours

Total U.S.

burden hours

PER (Performance & Evaluation Report).49 ..................................................... 1 ....................................................... 216 10,584

Recordkeeping:

States ......................................... 49 ..................................................... On-going .......................................... 117 5,733

Localities .................................... 3,500 ................................................ On going .......................................... 26 91,000

Consolidated Plan* ........................... *49 .................................................... (*) ..................................................... (*) (101,950)

Total ....................................... 49 plus ............................................. .......................................................... 7065 107,317

*ConPlan paperwork hours reported with 2506–0117.

Status of the proposed information

collection: Reinstatement, with minor

change, of a previously approved

collection for which approval is near

expiration and request for OMB renewal

for three years. The current OMB

approval expires in April, 1997.

This report does not include 101,950

hours (2039 per respondent) spent on

Consolidated Plan preparation and

reporting. Those hours are reported with

2506–0117.

Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35,

as amended.

Dated: March 26, 1997.

Jacquie Lawing,

General Deputy, Assistant Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–8209 Filed 3–31–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210–29–M

[Docket No. FR–4200–N–47]

Notice of Proposed Information

Collection for Public Comment;

Community Development Block Grant

Entitlement Program

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Community Planning and

Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information

collection for public comments.

SUMMARY: The proposed information

collection requirement for the

Community Development Block Grant

(CDBG) entitlement program described

below will be submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for

review, as required by the Paperwork

Reduction Act. The Department is

soliciting public comments on the

subject proposal.

DATES: Comments due: June 2, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are

invited to submit comments regarding

this proposal. Comments should refer to

the proposal by name and/or OMB

Control Number and should be sent to:

Reports Liaison Officer, Sheila E. Jones,

Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 451–7th Street, SW,

Room 7230, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Deirdre Maguire-Zinni, Director,

Entitlement Communities Division,

(202) 708–1577 (this is not a toll-free

number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Department will submit the proposed

information collection to OMB for

review, as required by the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35 as amended).

The Notice is soliciting comments

from members of the public and affected

agencies concerning the proposed

collection of information to: (1) Evaluate

whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s

estimate of the burden of the proposed

collection of information; (3) Enhance

the quality, utility, and clarity of the
15532 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 62 / Tuesday, April 1, 1997 / Notices

information to be collected; and (4)

Minimize the burden of the collection of

information on those who are to

respond, including through the use of

appropriate automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology, e.g., permitting electronic

submission of responses.

This Notice also lists the following

information:

Title of Proposal: Community

Development Block Grant Entitlement

Program.

OMB Control Number, if applicable:

2506.0077.

Description of the need for the

information and proposed use:

Community Development Block Grant

(CDBG) Entitlement grantees are

required by 24 CFR 570.506 to retain

records necessary to document

compliance with statutes, regulations,

Executive Orders, and OMB Circulars

applicable to the CDBG Entitlement

Program. Also, Entitlement grantees are

required by Section 104(e) of Title I of

the Housing and Community

Development Act to annually submit a

performance report, which is necessary

for the Secretary to perform an annual

review of performance required by that

section of the law, as well as providing

the documentation necessary to prepare

the Annual Report to Congress on the

CDBG program.

Entitlement grantees will no longer be

required to submit a separate annual

report (Grantee Performance Report or

GPR) specifically addressing all CDBG

Entitlement program activities. Grantees

will now report on their CDBG activities

in the Consolidated Annual

Performance and Evaluation Report

(which would also include performance

report information for the HOME

Investment Partnership, Emergency

Shelter Grants [ESG], and Housing

Opportunities for Persons With AIDS

[HOPWA] programs as well, should the

CDBG grantee also be a recipient of any

funds under these programs).

The automated Integrated

Disbursement and Information System

(IDIS) will be a key component in the

production of the Consolidated Annual

Performance and Evaluation Report.

Grantees will input information about

their CDBG program activities into IDIS

on an on-going basis throughout their

program year. Since data can be easily

extracted from IDIS to be included in

the Consolidated Annual Performance

and Evaluation Report, the time

necessary to produce the report will be

reduced. Duplication of information and

inconsistent reporting will be reduced

also. There are no standard forms

required to be used in the Consolidated

Annual Performance and Evaluation

Report, therefore grantees have much

flexibility with respect to its design and

format.

The proposed information collection

requirement includes a revision of the

currently approved recordkeeping and

reporting requirements for entitlement

grantees in the CDBG program. The

existing approval granted under OMB

Number 2506–0077 is due to expire May

31, 1997. The existing approval includes

the Final Statement (SF–424), which

was submitted by grantees as a

condition for receiving their grant, and

GPR (Forms HUD–4949.1 through

4949.6), which was submitted at the end

of each grantee’s program year.

This is to advise that the Final

Statement will be excluded from the

information collection requirement,

since the information previously

included in the Final Statement is now

submitted to the Department as part of

the consolidated Submission for

Community Development Planning and

Development Programs (see OMB

approval No. 2506–0117).

Although the IDIS and the

Consolidated Annual Performance and

Evaluation Report can contain

information on a grantee’s CDBG,

HOME, ESG, and HOPWA programs,

this information collection requirement

submitted to OMB requests approval for

CDBG Entitlement Program

recordkeeping and reporting

requirements only.

The Department is in the process of

converting all of its CDBG Entitlement

grantees into the IDIS. Given the wide

range of grantee program year start dates

for 1997 (January 1, 1997 to October 1,

1997) some grantees have yet to be fully

converted into the IDIS. Some

communities may continue to report

through the GPR until they are fully

converted into the IDIS. Also, the IDIS

does not collect all information

necessary to meet all requirements for

the Entitlement CDBG program.

Grantees will have to submit

supplementary documents with their

Consolidated Annual Performance and

Evaluation Report to meet these

requirements. In future program years,

grantees will report through the IDIS

system, with supplementary documents

submitted.

Members of affected public:

Entitlement grantees of the Community

Development Block Grant Program.

Estimation of the total numbers of

hours needed to prepare the information

collection, including number of

respondents, frequency of response, and

hours of response: The Department

estimates that each of its 925 grantees

will annually use, on average, 125 hours

to keep records (non-IDIS

recordkeeping) on their CDBG activities,

and 305 hours to prepare reports on

activities (both IDIS-generated and nonIDIS reports).

570.506 (recordkeeping) (on-going):

925×125 hrs=115,625 hrs.

570.507 (reporting): 925×305

hrs=282,125 hrs.

Total burden hours=397,750 hrs.

Computation of reporting hours:

(Quarterly and annual reports from

IDIS, annual total): 925×284

hrs=262,700

(Non-IDIS reports, Supplemental

annual): 925×21 hrs=19,425

Total reporting hrs=282,125 hrs.

Status of the proposed information

collection: Reinstatement, with change,

of a previously approved collection for

which approval is near expiration and

request for OMB renewal for three years.

The current OMB approval expires in

May 1997.

This report does not include 35,920

hours spent on Consolidated Plan

preparation and submission. Those

hours are reported with 2606–0117.

Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35,

as amended.

Dated: March 26, 1997.

Jacquie Lawing,

General Deputy Assistant Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–8210 Filed 3–31–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210–29–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Western Water Policy Review Advisory

Commission Meeting

AGENCY: Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

SUMMARY: As required by the Federal

Advisory Committee Act, notice is

hereby given that the Western Water

Policy Review Advisory Commission

(Commission), established by the

Secretary of the Interior under the

Reclamation Projects Authorization and

Adjustment Act of 1992, will meet to

receive direct testimony from its

contracted researchers who are

reporting on issues in six major river

basins in the west and to meet on other

Commission business.

DATES: Thursday, April 17, 1997, 8:30

a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Friday, April 18, 1997,

8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Saturday, April 19,

1997, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Location: Regal Harvest

House, 1345 28th Street, Boulder,

Colorado. Room locations will be posted

in the hotel lobby. Copies of the agenda

are available from the Western Water

Policy Review Office, D–5001; P.O. Box

25007; Denver, CO 80225–0007.