Agency Information Collection Activities; Secretarial Elections, 27795 [2018-12802]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Indian Affairs

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 115 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 27795]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12802]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[189A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900 253G; OMB Control Number 1076-
0183]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Secretarial Elections

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are proposing to renew an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
August 13, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) by mail to the Chief, Division of Tribal Government Services, 
Office of Indian Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the 
Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Mail Stop 3645-MIB, Washington, DC 20240; 
or by email to Laurel Iron Cloud at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 1076-0183 in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Laurel Iron Cloud by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at (202) 513-7641.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and 
continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact 
of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information 
collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired 
format.
    We are soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described 
below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the 
following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper 
functions of the BIA; (2) will this information be processed and used 
in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how 
might the BIA enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (5) how might the BIA minimize the 
burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use 
of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: Under the Indian Reorganization Act, Indian tribes have 
the right to organize and adopt constitutions, bylaws, and any 
amendments thereto, and ratify charters of incorporation, through 
elections called by the Secretary of the Interior, according to rules 
prescribed by the Secretary. See 25 U.S.C. 476, 477, 503. The 
Secretary's rules for conducting these elections, known as 
``Secretarial elections,'' and approving the results are at 25 CFR 81. 
In most cases, the tribe requests a Secretarial election; however, an 
individual voting member of a tribe may also request a Secretarial 
election by petition. These rules also establish the procedures for an 
individual to petition for a Secretarial election.
    BIA requires the tribe to submit a formal request for Secretarial 
election, including: A tribal resolution; the document or language to 
be voted on in the election; a list of all tribal members who are age 
18 or older in the next 120 days (when the election will occur), 
including their last known addresses, voting districts (if any), and 
dates of birth, in an electronically sortable format.
    While much of the information the tribe prepares for a Secretarial 
election (e.g., list of members eligible to vote) would be required if 
the tribe instead conducted its own tribal election, the Secretary's 
rules establish specifics on what a tribal request or petition for 
election must contain. These specifics are necessary to ensure the 
integrity of Secretarial elections and allow Bureau of Indian Affairs 
(BIA) and tribal personnel the ability to consistently administer 
elections.
    Title of Collection: Secretarial Elections.
    OMB Control Number: 1076-0183.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Indian Tribes and their members.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 252,041.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 252,041.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 15 minutes to 
40 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 64,305.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain a Benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $110,880.
    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 OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

    Dated: June 8, 2018.
Elizabeth K. Appel,
Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action--Indian 
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-12802 Filed 6-13-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4337-15-P