Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 193 / Friday, October 5, 2007 / Notices 57047 

Beneficiaries who are married and lived with their spouse at any time during the year, but file a separate tax 

return from their spouse: 

Income-related 

monthly 

adjustment 

amount 

Total monthly 

premium 

amount 

Less than or equal to $82,000 ................................................................................................................................ $0.00 $96.40 

Greater than $82,000 and less than or equal to $123,000 ..................................................................................... 103.30 199.70 

Greater than $123,000 ............................................................................................................................................ 142.00 238.40 

The Part B deductible for calendar 

year 2008 is $135.00. The standard Part 

B premium rate of $96.40 is 3.1 percent 

higher than the $93.50 premium rate for 

2007. We estimate that this increase will 

cost approximately 41.5 million Part B 

enrollees about $1.4 billion for 2008. 

The monthly impact on the beneficiaries 

who are required to pay a higher 

premium for 2008 because their 

incomes exceed specified thresholds is 

$25.80, $64.50, $103.30, or $142.00, 

which is in addition to the standard 

monthly premium. Therefore, this 

notice is a major rule as defined in Title 

5, United States Code, section 804(2) 

and is an economically significant rule 

under Executive Order 12866. 

In accordance with the provisions of 

Executive Order 12866, this notice was 

reviewed by the Office of Management 

and Budget. 

IV. Waiver of Proposed Notice 

The Medicare statute requires the 

publication of the monthly actuarial 

rates and the Part B premium amounts 

in September. We ordinarily use general 

notices, rather than notice and comment 

rulemaking procedures, to make such 

announcements. In doing so, we note 

that, under the Administrative 

Procedure Act, interpretive rules, 

general statements of policy, and rules 

of agency organization, procedure, or 

practice are excepted from the 

requirements of notice and comment 

rulemaking. 

We considered publishing a proposed 

notice to provide a period for public 

comment. However, we may waive that 

procedure if we find, for good cause, 

that prior notice and comment are 

impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary 

to the public interest. We find that the 

procedure for notice and comment is 

unnecessary because the formulas used 

to calculate the Part B premiums are 

statutorily directed, and we can exercise 

no discretion in applying those 

formulas. Moreover, the statute 

establishes the time period for which 

the premium rates will apply, and 

delaying publication of the Part B 

premium rate such that it would not be 

published before that time would be 

contrary to the public interest. 

Therefore, we find good cause to waive 

publication of a proposed notice and 

solicitation of public comments. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 93.773, Medicare—Hospital 

Insurance; and Program No. 93.774, 

Medicare—Supplementary Medical 

Insurance Program) 

Dated: September 26, 2007. 

Kerry Weems, 

Acting Administrator, Centers for Medicare 

& Medicaid Services. 

Approved: September 26, 2007. 

Michael O. Leavitt, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 07–4910 Filed 10–1–07; 11:18 am] 

BILLING CODE 4120–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Administration for Children and 

Families 

Proposed Information Collection 

Activity; Comment Request 

Proposed Project 

Title: Supporting Healthy Marriage 

(SHM) Demonstration and Evaluation 

Project: 12-month Follow-up and 

Implementation Research Data 

Collection. 

OMB No.: New Collection. 

The Administration for Children and 

Families (ACF), U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services, is 

conducting a demonstration and 

evaluation called the Supporting 

Healthy Marriage (SHM) project. SHM is 

a test of marriage education 

demonstration programs in eight 

separate locations that will aim to enroll 

up to 1,000 couples per location, up to 

500 couples participating in SHM 

programs and 500 control group 

couples. 

SHM is designed to inform program 

operators and policymakers of the most 

effective ways to help low-income 

married couples strengthen and 

maintain healthy marriages. In 

particular, the project will measure the 

effectiveness of marriage education 

programs by randomly assigning eligible 

volunteer couples to SHM program 

groups and control groups. 

This data collection request includes 

three components. First, a survey will 

be administered to couples 12 months 

after they are enrolled in the program. 

The survey is designed to assess the 

effects of the SHM program on marital 

status and stability, quality of 

relationship with spouse, marital 

expectations and ideals, marital 

satisfaction, participation in services, 

parenting outcomes, child outcomes, 

parental well-being, employment, 

income, material hardship, and social 

support characteristics of study 

participants assigned to both the 

program and control groups. Second, 

survey data will be complemented by 

videotaped observations of couple, coparenting, and parent-child interactions 

with a subset of intact and separated 

couples at the 12-month follow-up. 

Third, qualitative data will be collected 

through a process and implementation 

study in each of the eight SHM 

demonstration programs across the 

country. 

These data will complement the 

information gathered by the SHM 

baseline data collection (OMB Control 

No. 0970–0299). The information 

collected at the 12-month follow-up will 

allow the research team to examine the 

effects of SHM services on outcomes of 

interest and to identify mechanisms that 

might account for these effects. The 

process and implementation research 

will consist of a qualitative component 

that will help ACF to better understand 

the results from the impact analysis as 

well as how to replicate programs that 

prove to be successful. 

Respondents: Low-income married 

couples with children. 


yshivers on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES
57048 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 193 / Friday, October 5, 2007 / Notices 

ANNUAL BURDEN ESTIMATES

Instrument 

Annual 

number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Average burden hours per 

response 

Estimated 

annual burden 

hours 

12-month survey .............................................................................................. 10,240 1 0.83 8,499.2 

12-month observational study (intact couples) ................................................ 3,200 1 0.68 2,176 

12-month observational study (separated couples) ........................................ 160 1 0.17 27.2 

12-month observational study (children of intact couples) .............................. 1,600 1 0.33 528 

12-month observational study (children of separated couples) ...................... 160 1 0.17 27.2 

The process and implementation field research guide ................................... 504 1 1 504 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 11,761.6. 

In compliance with the requirements 

of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Administration for Children and 

Families is soliciting public comment 

on the specific aspects of the 

information collection described above. 

Copies of the proposed collection of 

information can be obtained and 

comments may be forwarded by writing 

to the Administration for Children and 

Families, Office of Administration, 

Office of Information Services, 370 

L’Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, 

DC 20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance 

Officer. E-mail address: 

infocollection@acf.hhs.gov. All requests 

should be identified by the title of the 

information collection. 

The Department specifically requests 

comments 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) 

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. 

Consideration will be given to 

comments and suggestions submitted 

within 60 days of this publication. 

Dated: October 1, 2007 

Brendan C. Kelly, 

OPRE Reports, Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 07–4943 Filed 10–4–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4184–01–M 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERIVCES 

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 44, United 

States Code, as amended by the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. 

L. 104–13), the Health Resources and 

Services Administration (HRSA) 

publishes 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 and draft 

instruments, 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: Ryan White HIV/ 

AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 

2006: Program Allocation and 

Expenditure Forms (NEW) 

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program 

Allocation and Expenditure Reports will 

enable the Health Resources and 

Services Administration’s HIV/AIDS 

Bureau to track spending requirements 

for each program as outlined in the 2006 

legislation. Grantees funded under Parts 

A, B, C, and D of the Ryan White HIV/ 

AIDS Program (codified under Title 

XXVI of the Public Health Service Act) 

would be required to report financial 

data to HRSA at the beginning and end 

of their grant cycle. 

All Parts of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS 

Program specify HRSA’s responsibilities 

in the administration of grant funds. 

Accurate allocation and expenditure 

records of the grantees receiving Ryan 

White HIV/AIDS Program funding are 

critical to the implementation of the 

legislation and thus are necessary for 

HRSA to fulfill its responsibilities. 

The new law changes how Ryan 

White HIV/AIDS Program funds can be 

used, with an emphasis on providing 

life-saving and life-extending services 

for people living with HIV/AIDS across 

this country. More money will be spent 

on direct health care for Ryan White 

HIV/AIDS Program clients. Under the 

new law, unless they receive a waiver, 

grantees receiving funds under Parts A, 

B, and C must spend at least 75 percent 

of funds on ‘‘core medical services’’ and 

can spend no more than 5 percent or 3 

million dollars (whichever is smaller) 

on clinical quality management. Under 

Parts A–D, there is also a 10 percent 

spending cap on grantee administration. 

The forms would require grantees to 

report on how funds are allocated and 

spent on core and non-core services, 

and on various program components, 

such as administration, planning and 

evaluation, and quality management. 

The two forms are identical in the types 

of information they collect. However, 

the first report would track the 

allocation of their award at the 

beginning of their grant cycle and the 

second report would track actual 

expenditures (including carryover 

dollars) at the end of their grant cycle. 

The primary purposes of these forms 

are to (1) provide information on the 

number of grant dollars spent on various 

services and program components, and 

(2) oversee compliance with the intent 

of congressional appropriations in a 

timely manner. In addition to meeting 

the goal of accountability to the 

Congress, clients, advocacy groups, and 

the general public, information 


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