Document ID: FEMA-2011-0019-0001
Agency: fema
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery
Posted Date: 2011-06-21T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 36139]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-15361]

[[Page 36139]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2011-0019]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of 
Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION: 30-Day notice of submission of information collection approval 
from the Office of Management and Budget and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: As part of a Federal Government-wide effort to streamline the 
process to seek feedback from the public on service delivery, the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has submitted a Generic 
Information Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for 
the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to 
the Office of Management and Budget for approval under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA).

DATES: Submit comments on or before July 21, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. 
Comments should be addressed to the Desk Officer for the Department of 
Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and sent via 
electronic mail to oira.submission@omb.eop.gov or faxed to (202) 395-
5806.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection should be made to Director, 
Records Management Division, 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington, VA 
20598-3005, facsimile number (202) 646-3347, or e-mail address FEMA-Information-Collections-Management@dhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback 
on Agency Service Delivery.
    Abstract: The information collection activity will garner 
qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely 
manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving 
service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information that 
provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not 
statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be 
generalized to the population of study. This feedback will provide 
insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and 
expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus 
attention on areas where communication, training or changes in 
operations might improve delivery of products or services. These 
collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable 
communications between the Agency and its customers and stakeholders. 
It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement 
of program management.
    Feedback collected under this generic clearance will provide useful 
information, but it will not yield data that can be generalized to the 
overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative 
information will not be used for quantitative information collections 
that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as 
monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such 
data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target 
population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, 
the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the 
precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed 
sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing 
potential non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any 
testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior fielding the 
study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely to 
have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for other 
generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.
    The Agency received no comments in response to the 60-day notice, 
which the Office of Management and Budget published in the Federal 
Register of December 22, 2010 (75 FR 80542).
    Below we provide FEMA's projected average estimates for the next 3 
years: \1\
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    \1\ The 60-day notice included the following estimate of the 
aggregate burden hours for this generic clearance federal-wide:
    Average Expected Annual Number of activities: 25,000.
    Average number of Respondents per Activity: 200.
    Annual responses: 5,000,000.
    Frequency of Response: Once per request.
    Average minutes per response: 30.
    Burden hours: 2,500,000.
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    Current Actions: New collection of information.
    Type of Review: New Collection (OMB No. 1660-NEW).
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and 
Organizations, State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: 4.
    Respondents: 173,800.
    Annual responses: 173,800.
    Frequency of Response: Once per request.
    Average minutes per response: .12.
    Burden hours: 20,142 hours.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.

    Dated: June 8, 2011.
Lesia M. Banks,
Director, Records Management Division, Mission Support Bureau, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2011-15361 Filed 6-20-11; 8:45 am]
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