Notice of Adoption of Government-Wide Standard Data Elements for Use by Federal Grant Making Agencies-Mandatory Grant Applications/Plans and Related Submissions, 38143-38145 [05-13078]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 126 / Friday, July 1, 2005 / Notices
Dated: June 23, 2005.
G. Martin Wagner,
Associate Administrator, Office of
Governmentwide Policy.
GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
[FMR Bulletin 2005–B2]
Real Property
To: Heads of Federal Agencies
Subject: Federal Real Property Profile
Summary Report
1. What is the purpose of this
bulletin? This bulletin announces the
release of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2004
version of the Federal Real Property
Profile (FRPP) Summary Report, which
provides an overview of the United
States Government’s owned and leased
real property as of September 30, 2004.
2. What is the background?
a. This annual publication is a
summary report of the Federal
Government’s real property assets, as
reported to the General Services
Administration’s (GSA’s) Federal Real
Property Profile Internet Application
(FRPP-IA) reporting system. The report
provides an overview of Federal real
property assets categorized in three
major areas—buildings, land, and
structures. Descriptions of specific use
classifications are located in the
Appendix of the report.
b. The detailed information for this
summary report is held in a passwordprotected Web-based database. This
database allows agency representatives
to update data on-line in real time, and
to produce ad hoc reports. The FRPP-IA
reporting system provides information
regarding Federal real property holdings
to stakeholders, including the Office of
Management and Budget, the Congress,
the Federal community, and the public.
Its purpose is to assist Federal asset
managers with their stewardship
responsibilities by offering a real-time
environment for on-line updates.
c. To ensure accuracy, GSA requested
that agencies confirm their FY 2004 data
summary figures prior to publication of
the FRPP Summary Report. Most
agencies provided data based on their
real property holdings as of September
30 of each year. In a few instances, data
provided in previous years has been
used where updated information was
unavailable. This is noted on the list of
contributing agencies. The agency list
and status of updates and confirmations
is provided as part of the FRPP
Summary Report.
d. On February 4, 2004, the President
issued Executive Order (EO) 13327,
‘‘Federal Real Property Asset
Management.’’ The EO created a Federal
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:11 Jun 30, 2005
Jkt 205001
Real Property Council (FRPC) and
directed the Administrator of General
Services, in consultation with the FRPC,
to establish and maintain a single,
comprehensive database of all real
property under the custody and control
of all executive branch agencies, except
for property withheld for reasons of
national security, foreign policy, or
public safety. With the issuance of EO
13327 and to meet the requirements
defined by the FRPC, the
Governmentwide inventory report will
be modified for FY 2005 reporting
purposes. For future fiscal years,
including FY 2006 and beyond, a
Governmentwide inventory report will
be compiled based on any new
requirements established by the FRPC.
3. How can we obtain a copy of the
FRPP summary report? You will find
the FY 2004 version of the FRPP
Summary Report on the GSA website at
https://www.gsa.gov/realpropertyprofile.
There you will be able to read, print, or
download this report. You can also
obtain a copy from the Asset
Management Division (MPA), General
Services Administration, 1800 F Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20405, or by
email at mcdonald.peoples@gsa.gov.
4. Who should we contact for further
information regarding the FRPP? For
further information, contact Stanley
Langfeld, Director, Regulations
Management Division (MPR), Office of
Real Property Management, Office of
Governmentwide Policy, General
Services Administration, 1800 F Street,
NW., Washington, D.C. 20405, by phone
at (202) 501–1737, or by e-mail at
stanley.langfeld@gsa.gov.
[FR Doc. 05–13094 Filed 6–30–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820–RH–S
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
[Document Identifier: OS–4040–0002]
Notice of Adoption of GovernmentWide Standard Data Elements for Use
by Federal Grant Making Agencies—
Mandatory Grant Applications/Plans
and Related Submissions
Office of the Secretary,
Grants.gov Program Management Office,
HHS.
In compliance with the requirement
of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Office of the Secretary (OS), Department
of Health and Human Services, is
publishing the following summary of a
proposed collection for public
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00054
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
38143
comment. Interested persons are invited
to send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including any
of the following subjects: (1) The
necessity and utility of the proposed
information collection for the proper
performance of the agency’s functions;
(2) the accuracy of the estimated
burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and (4) the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology to
minimize the information collection
burden. Emergency Clearance for the
data set was published in the Federal
Register on September 3, 2004 [Vol. 69,
No. 171]. Public comments from the
Emergency Clearance were incorporated
into the proposed information
collection.
Type of Information Collection
Request: Regular.
Title of Information Collection: SF–
424 Mandatory (M), Application for
Federal Assistance.
Form/OMB No.: OS–4040–0002.
OMB cleared the SF 424(M),
Application for Federal Assistance, for
emergency use on January 25, 2005.
Use: On February 28, 2005, the
Grants.gov Program Management Office,
one of the 26 E-Government initiatives,
managed by HHS, published the
proposed the SF 424(M) collection for
public comment in the Federal Register
(70 FR 9656). Interested individuals
were invited to send comments
regarding any aspect of this collection of
information. This notice indicates
request for extension of OMB clearance
for the SF–424 (M), and also responds
to comments received on the February
28, 2005, Federal Register notice.
The SF–424 (M) is intended for use as
the government-wide data set for the
cover page of applications, plans, and
related submissions under mandatory
grant programs. The form is currently
available for use as part of the electronic
application process of Grants.gov,
which was deployed in October 2003
and is part of the implementation of the
Federal Financial Assistance
Management Improvement Act of 1999
(Pub. L. 106–107). Federal agencies and
applicants/recipients under mandatory
grant programs will use the standard
cover page data set and definitions for
paper and electronic applications/plans/
related submissions. The standard data
set replaces numerous agency data sets
and reduces the administrative burden
placed on the grants community.
Federal agencies are not required to
collect all of the information included
in the proposed data set. The agency
will identify the data that must be
E:\FR\FM\01JYN1.SGM
01JYN1
38144
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 126 / Friday, July 1, 2005 / Notices
provided by applicants through
instructions that will accompany the
application package.
We plan to refine the form over time.
At this time, no changes are being made
to the form, although, in several cases,
we made changes to the instructions.
Additional standard data elements for
other components of an application/
plan, e.g., a standard budget, may be
proposed at a later date.
Frequency: Recordkeeping,
application, and on occasion.
Affected Public: Federal, State, Local
and Tribal governments; farms; and
non-profit organizations.
Total Annual Respondents: 1,271.
Total Annual Responses: 22,186.
Average Burden Per Response: 1 hour.
Total Annual Hours: 22,186.
Responses To Comments
We received nine sets of comments—
eight from Federal agencies and one
from a university. The comments
generally addressed the following areas:
Need for an additional form for
mandatory grant programs; length of the
form; requested changes to the form or
instructions; and desired functionality
of the electronic form. The comments in
each area are addressed below.
Need for an Additional Form for
Mandatory Grant Programs
Several commenters questioned
whether creating an additional SF 424
form could be considered streamlining.
With the issuance of the SF 424 (M),
there are now four variations of the SF
424 in additional to the core SF 424:
Mandatory grants, research and related,
short organizational, and individual.
Each of these variations was developed
to accommodate specific types of
programs or recipients, whether using
different or fewer data elements. The SF
424(M) was developed for use in
mandatory grant programs, which differ
in from discretionary grants in a number
of respects. We believe making these
accommodations for specific market
segments, including mandatory grant
programs, is a significant streamlining.
These several versions of the SF 424
represent a reduction from hundreds of
agency- and program-specific forms
with unique or non-standard elements.
Length of the Form
Several commenters noted the length
of the form in the version proposed.
Two things should be noted. As a hardcopy form, the SF 424(M) form is no
longer than the core SF 424. Although
we proposed a continuation page, in
response to other comments (see below),
in the next version of the form, we have
decided to eliminate the continuation
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:11 Jun 30, 2005
Jkt 205001
page. Additionally, the commenters
were viewing a printed version of a
PureEdge form. When viewed
electronically, the form does not appear
as three individual pages but rather as
a series of data elements. The
elimination of the continuation page
will affect the length of the PureEdge
form as well.
Requested Changes to the Form or
Instructions
Several commenters requested
changes to the form and/or instructions.
These comments included requests for
definitions of terms, addition of data
elements, and changes in terminology.
We evaluated the requested changes and
noted that some of them were not
appropriate or were not appropriate for
mandatory grant programs, e.g., use of
the term ‘‘amendment’’ in lieu of
‘‘update’’ and inclusion of
‘‘continuation’’ as a type of submission.
In the first case, we do not believe
that it is appropriate to introduce the
term ‘‘amendment.’’ None of the other
versions of SF 424 use the term
‘‘amendment;’’ applicants generally do
not initiate ‘‘amendments.’’ The term
also may be confused with an amended
award issued by the Federal awarding
agency. As a means of tracking changes
to applications, agencies may use the
date of submission that will be recorded
by Grants.gov. In the second case,
continuation applications may be used
in discretionary grants programs, but
generally are not used in mandatory
grant programs. There is no need to
modify this form to accommodate the
comment because Federal agencies/
programs can select from any of the
various SF 424 forms and should use
the one that best suits their needs.
In several cases, commenters asked
for changes that are appropriately
handled by the agencies in the agencyor program-specific instructions that
will be provided to applicants. This
includes advising applicants about how
to complete items such as ‘‘Type of
Submission’’ or ‘‘Frequency.’’ The form
instructions specify those required and
optional data elements that will require
agency instructions. One commenter
indicated that providing information on
‘‘areas affected by the project’’ would be
problematic because the nature of the
program or project might make it very
difficult to pinpoint the effects on
specific geographical areas. We believe
this is a program-specific issue, which
would need to be addressed in the
program’s application package
instructions.
In response to the comments, we have
clarified or changed the instructions in
several areas. We expanded the
PO 00000
Frm 00055
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
instructions related to ‘‘consolidated
application/plan/funding request.’’
Also, the instructions, as proposed,
limited the ‘‘Type of Applicant’’ choices
to those that generally are eligible to
receive mandatory grants. Several
commenters asked that the potential
choices be expanded. Although the
excluded applicant types generally are
not eligible for mandatory grant
programs, the instructions have been
modified to indicate that an agency may
allow an applicant to choose from any
of the applicant types displayed. This is
consistent with the objective of having
this form primarily reflect the needs of
mandatory grant programs but being
available for other uses as determined
by Federal agencies/program.
For those comments that were
germane to mandatory grant programs,
in version 2, we plan to make several
changes to the form (and corresponding
instructions). As part of that effort, we
will review the various data elements
and determine whether we should
change them to more closely align with
the core SF 424 or need to retain them
as currently used. Among the changes
we plan in version 2 are eliminating use
of the continuation page. The inclusion
of multiple Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) numbers will be
handled other than through a cover page
and the other data elements shown on
the continuation page will be
accommodated through expansion of
fields on the cover page or by other
means.
Desired Functionality of the Electronic
Form
One commenter asked that the form
also be in Microsoft Word or Excel
format in the belief that applicants do
not always have the resources to buy the
full version of Adobe Acrobat and
Adobe Acrobat Reader does not allow
applicants to save documents filled out
electronically. Grants.gov has opted to
use PureEdge, not Adobe to develop its
forms. This software provides fillable
forms and is available free of charge
from the Grants.gov website.
One commenter requested that, when
a CFDA number is entered, the title
should automatically be inserted. This
functionality exists for the single CFDA
number on the cover sheet (the
application downloaded by the
applicant has the CFDA number and
title pre-populated), but not for the
additional CFDA numbers. At the time
the applicant enters this information,
the application is on their desktop, not
connected to a source file where this
information is available.
To obtain copies of the supporting
statement and any related forms for the
E:\FR\FM\01JYN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 126 / Friday, July 1, 2005 / Notices
38145
for this meeting, persons wishing to
make an oral presentation on any
agenda topic are asked to notify the
Executive Secretary for the NTP Board
by August 8, 2005 (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT below). Persons
needing special assistance, such as sign
language interpretation or other
reasonable accommodation, in order to
attend are asked to notify the NTP at
least 7 business days in advance of the
meeting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Public comments and any other
correspondence should be submitted to
Dr. Barbara Shane, Executive Secretary
for the NTP Board (NTP Liaison and
Scientific Review Office, NIEHS, P.O.
Box 12233, MD A3–01, Research
Triangle Park, NC 27709; telephone:
919–541–4253, fax: 919–541–0295; or email: shane@niehs.nih.gov).
inspection and copying at the above
location.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Chief Information Security Officer,
Program Support Center, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Room 17A30, Rockville, MD
20857, (301) 443–0881.
BILLING CODE 4168–17–P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Dated: June 21, 2005.
Samuel H. Wilson,
Deputy Director, National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences.
[FR Doc. 05–12972 Filed 6–30–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140–01–P
See Appendix 1.
Memoranda copies of claims
submitted for reimbursement of travel
and other expenditures while on official
business may also be maintained at the
administrative and/or program office of
the HHS employee. Records concerning
outstanding debts may also be
maintained at the program office or by
the designated claims officer apart from
the finance office.
proposed paperwork collections
referenced above, access the HHS Web
site address at https://www.hhs.gov/
oirm/infocollect/pending/ or e-mail your
request, including your address, phone
number, OMB number, and OS
document identifier, to
naomi.cook@hhs.gov, or call the Reports
Clearance Office on (202) 690–6162.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collections must be mailed
directly to the Desk Officer at the
address below: OMB Desk Officer:
Katherine Astrich, OMB Human
Resources and Housing Branch,
Attention: (OMB#OS–4040–0002), New
Executive Office Building, Room 10235,
Washington DC 20201.
Dated: June 23, 2005.
Robert E. Polson,
Office of the Secretary, Paperwork Reduction
Act Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05–13078 Filed 6–30–05; 8:45 am]
National Toxicology Program (NTP);
Liaison and Scientific Review Office
(LSRO); NTP Board of Scientific
Counselors Meeting Rescheduled
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS), National Institutes of Health
(NIH), HHS.
ACTION: Meeting announcement.
Revised Privacy Act System of
Records
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Public Law 92–
463, notice is hereby given of a meeting
of the National Toxicology Program
(NTP) Board of Scientific Counselors.
Please be advised that the NTP Board of
Scientific Counselors meeting originally
scheduled for June 23, 2005, as
published in the Federal Register (Vol.
80, No. 93 pp. 25830–25831) on May 16,
2005 is postponed to August 18, 2005.
The tentative agenda published in the
May 16 notice and the guidelines for
submitting public comments or making
an oral presentation at the meeting still
apply. Any updates to the agenda or
additional information and background
materials will be posted on the NTP
Web site (https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/
select ‘‘Advisory Boards and
Committees’’) and provided upon
request from the NTP (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT below).
DATES: The date for receiving public
comments has been extended. Written
comments should be received by August
8, 2005, to enable review by the NTP
Board and NIEHS/NTP staff prior to the
meeting. In order to facilitate planning
VerDate jul<14>2003
18:11 Jun 30, 2005
Jkt 205001
Office of the Secretary
Office of the Secretary, HHS.
Notice of a revised Privacy Act
system of records.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: The Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) is publishing a
notice of a revised system of records,
09–90–0024, ‘‘Unified Financial
Management System, HHS/OS’’ which
was published in the Federal Register
on September 7, 1999. The revised
notice changes the system name from
‘‘09–90–0024, Financial Transactions of
HHS Accounting and Finance Offices’’
to ‘‘09–90–0024, Unified Financial
Management System’’ to meet the needs
of the newly-established Unified
Financial Management System (UFMS),
and update Agency information.
DATES: The revised system notice is
effective 30 days after the date of
publication, unless HHS receives
comments which would result in a
contrary determination.
ADDRESSES: Mail public comments to
Ms. Dara Murray, Chief Information
Security Officer, Program Support
Center, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 17A30,
Rockville, MD 20857. Telephone 301–
443–0881. This is not a toll-free number.
Comments will be available for public
PO 00000
Frm 00056
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Dated: June 10, 2005.
Kerry Weems,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, for
Budget, Technology and Finance, Office of
the Secretary.
09–90–0024
SYSTEM NAME:
Unified Financial Management
System, HHS/OS.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
None.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE
SYSTEM:
All persons who receive a payment
from the Operating Divisions (OPDIV)
Headquarters, Area and District offices,
and all persons owing monies to these
HHS components. Persons receiving
payments include, but are not limited to
travelers on official business, grantees,
contractors, consultants, Fellows and
recipients of loans and scholarships,
and also employee reimbursement for
training classes, mass transit, and other
appropriate costs. Persons owing
monies include, but are not limited to,
persons who have been overpaid and
who owe HHS a refund and persons
who have received from HHS goods or
services for which there is a charge or
fee (e.g., Freedom of Information Act
requesters).
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
Name, identification number/Social
Security Number (SSN) or EIN/TID,
address, e-mail address, phone number,
purpose of payment or request for
payment bank account and routing
numbers, accounting classification and
the amount paid of billed. Also, in the
event of an overpayment and for
outstanding charges, fees, loans, grants
or scholarships, the amount of the
indebtedness, the repayment status and
the amount to be collected.
E:\FR\FM\01JYN1.SGM
01JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 126 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38143-38145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13078]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
[Document Identifier: OS-4040-0002]
Notice of Adoption of Government-Wide Standard Data Elements for
Use by Federal Grant Making Agencies--Mandatory Grant Applications/
Plans and Related Submissions
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Grants.gov Program Management Office,
HHS.
In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary (OS),
Department of Health and Human Services, is publishing the following
summary of a proposed collection for public comment. Interested persons
are invited to send comments regarding this burden estimate or any
other aspect of this collection of information, including any of the
following subjects: (1) The necessity and utility of the proposed
information collection for the proper performance of the agency's
functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (4) the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology to minimize the information collection
burden. Emergency Clearance for the data set was published in the
Federal Register on September 3, 2004 [Vol. 69, No. 171]. Public
comments from the Emergency Clearance were incorporated into the
proposed information collection.
Type of Information Collection Request: Regular.
Title of Information Collection: SF-424 Mandatory (M), Application
for Federal Assistance.
Form/OMB No.: OS-4040-0002.
OMB cleared the SF 424(M), Application for Federal Assistance, for
emergency use on January 25, 2005.
Use: On February 28, 2005, the Grants.gov Program Management
Office, one of the 26 E-Government initiatives, managed by HHS,
published the proposed the SF 424(M) collection for public comment in
the Federal Register (70 FR 9656). Interested individuals were invited
to send comments regarding any aspect of this collection of
information. This notice indicates request for extension of OMB
clearance for the SF-424 (M), and also responds to comments received on
the February 28, 2005, Federal Register notice.
The SF-424 (M) is intended for use as the government-wide data set
for the cover page of applications, plans, and related submissions
under mandatory grant programs. The form is currently available for use
as part of the electronic application process of Grants.gov, which was
deployed in October 2003 and is part of the implementation of the
Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 (Pub.
L. 106-107). Federal agencies and applicants/recipients under mandatory
grant programs will use the standard cover page data set and
definitions for paper and electronic applications/plans/related
submissions. The standard data set replaces numerous agency data sets
and reduces the administrative burden placed on the grants community.
Federal agencies are not required to collect all of the information
included in the proposed data set. The agency will identify the data
that must be
[[Page 38144]]
provided by applicants through instructions that will accompany the
application package.
We plan to refine the form over time. At this time, no changes are
being made to the form, although, in several cases, we made changes to
the instructions. Additional standard data elements for other
components of an application/plan, e.g., a standard budget, may be
proposed at a later date.
Frequency: Recordkeeping, application, and on occasion.
Affected Public: Federal, State, Local and Tribal governments;
farms; and non-profit organizations.
Total Annual Respondents: 1,271.
Total Annual Responses: 22,186.
Average Burden Per Response: 1 hour.
Total Annual Hours: 22,186.
Responses To Comments
We received nine sets of comments--eight from Federal agencies and
one from a university. The comments generally addressed the following
areas: Need for an additional form for mandatory grant programs; length
of the form; requested changes to the form or instructions; and desired
functionality of the electronic form. The comments in each area are
addressed below.
Need for an Additional Form for Mandatory Grant Programs
Several commenters questioned whether creating an additional SF 424
form could be considered streamlining. With the issuance of the SF 424
(M), there are now four variations of the SF 424 in additional to the
core SF 424: Mandatory grants, research and related, short
organizational, and individual. Each of these variations was developed
to accommodate specific types of programs or recipients, whether using
different or fewer data elements. The SF 424(M) was developed for use
in mandatory grant programs, which differ in from discretionary grants
in a number of respects. We believe making these accommodations for
specific market segments, including mandatory grant programs, is a
significant streamlining. These several versions of the SF 424
represent a reduction from hundreds of agency- and program-specific
forms with unique or non-standard elements.
Length of the Form
Several commenters noted the length of the form in the version
proposed. Two things should be noted. As a hard-copy form, the SF
424(M) form is no longer than the core SF 424. Although we proposed a
continuation page, in response to other comments (see below), in the
next version of the form, we have decided to eliminate the continuation
page. Additionally, the commenters were viewing a printed version of a
PureEdge form. When viewed electronically, the form does not appear as
three individual pages but rather as a series of data elements. The
elimination of the continuation page will affect the length of the
PureEdge form as well.
Requested Changes to the Form or Instructions
Several commenters requested changes to the form and/or
instructions. These comments included requests for definitions of
terms, addition of data elements, and changes in terminology. We
evaluated the requested changes and noted that some of them were not
appropriate or were not appropriate for mandatory grant programs, e.g.,
use of the term ``amendment'' in lieu of ``update'' and inclusion of
``continuation'' as a type of submission.
In the first case, we do not believe that it is appropriate to
introduce the term ``amendment.'' None of the other versions of SF 424
use the term ``amendment;'' applicants generally do not initiate
``amendments.'' The term also may be confused with an amended award
issued by the Federal awarding agency. As a means of tracking changes
to applications, agencies may use the date of submission that will be
recorded by Grants.gov. In the second case, continuation applications
may be used in discretionary grants programs, but generally are not
used in mandatory grant programs. There is no need to modify this form
to accommodate the comment because Federal agencies/programs can select
from any of the various SF 424 forms and should use the one that best
suits their needs.
In several cases, commenters asked for changes that are
appropriately handled by the agencies in the agency-or program-specific
instructions that will be provided to applicants. This includes
advising applicants about how to complete items such as ``Type of
Submission'' or ``Frequency.'' The form instructions specify those
required and optional data elements that will require agency
instructions. One commenter indicated that providing information on
``areas affected by the project'' would be problematic because the
nature of the program or project might make it very difficult to
pinpoint the effects on specific geographical areas. We believe this is
a program-specific issue, which would need to be addressed in the
program's application package instructions.
In response to the comments, we have clarified or changed the
instructions in several areas. We expanded the instructions related to
``consolidated application/plan/funding request.'' Also, the
instructions, as proposed, limited the ``Type of Applicant'' choices to
those that generally are eligible to receive mandatory grants. Several
commenters asked that the potential choices be expanded. Although the
excluded applicant types generally are not eligible for mandatory grant
programs, the instructions have been modified to indicate that an
agency may allow an applicant to choose from any of the applicant types
displayed. This is consistent with the objective of having this form
primarily reflect the needs of mandatory grant programs but being
available for other uses as determined by Federal agencies/program.
For those comments that were germane to mandatory grant programs,
in version 2, we plan to make several changes to the form (and
corresponding instructions). As part of that effort, we will review the
various data elements and determine whether we should change them to
more closely align with the core SF 424 or need to retain them as
currently used. Among the changes we plan in version 2 are eliminating
use of the continuation page. The inclusion of multiple Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers will be handled other than
through a cover page and the other data elements shown on the
continuation page will be accommodated through expansion of fields on
the cover page or by other means.
Desired Functionality of the Electronic Form
One commenter asked that the form also be in Microsoft Word or
Excel format in the belief that applicants do not always have the
resources to buy the full version of Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Acrobat
Reader does not allow applicants to save documents filled out
electronically. Grants.gov has opted to use PureEdge, not Adobe to
develop its forms. This software provides fillable forms and is
available free of charge from the Grants.gov website.
One commenter requested that, when a CFDA number is entered, the
title should automatically be inserted. This functionality exists for
the single CFDA number on the cover sheet (the application downloaded
by the applicant has the CFDA number and title pre-populated), but not
for the additional CFDA numbers. At the time the applicant enters this
information, the application is on their desktop, not connected to a
source file where this information is available.
To obtain copies of the supporting statement and any related forms
for the
[[Page 38145]]
proposed paperwork collections referenced above, access the HHS Web
site address at https://www.hhs.gov/oirm/infocollect/pending/ or e-mail
your request, including your address, phone number, OMB number, and OS
document identifier, to naomi.cook@hhs.gov, or call the Reports
Clearance Office on (202) 690-6162. Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed information collections must be mailed
directly to the Desk Officer at the address below: OMB Desk Officer:
Katherine Astrich, OMB Human Resources and Housing Branch, Attention:
(OMBOS-4040-0002), New Executive Office Building, Room 10235,
Washington DC 20201.
Dated: June 23, 2005.
Robert E. Polson,
Office of the Secretary, Paperwork Reduction Act Reports Clearance
Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-13078 Filed 6-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4168-17-P
