Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Application, Reports, and Recordkeeping for the Social Impact Partnerships To Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) Grant Program, 1281-1282 [2019-00790]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 22 (Friday, February 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1281-1282]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-00790]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Application, Reports, and Recordkeeping for the Social 
Impact Partnerships To Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) Grant Program

AGENCY: Office of Economic Policy, Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general 
public and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed information collection, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. Currently, the Office of Economic Policy, within 
the Department of the Treasury, is soliciting comments concerning the 
application, reports, and recordkeeping forms to be used for the Social 
Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA).

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before April 2, 2019 
to be assured of consideration. This process is conducted in accordance 
with 5 CFR 1320.1.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the burden estimate, or any other 
aspect of the information collection, including suggestions for 
reducing the burden, by electronic mail to the Department of the 
Treasury, Room 3445, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20020, 
Attention: William Girardo, SIPPRA Coordinator, or sent via electronic 
mail to William.Girardo@Treasury.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this ICR, with applicable 
supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting the Department 
of the Treasury, Room 3445, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 
20020, Attention: William Girardo, SIPPRA Coordinator, 202-62200260, or 
sent via electronic mail to William.Girardo@Treasury.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Agency: Office of Economic Policy, Treasury.
    Title: Application, Reports, and Recordkeeping for the Social 
Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) Grant Program.
    OMB Number: 1505-XXXX.
    Type of Review: Request for a new OMB Control Number.
    Description: The Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act 
(SIPPRA), enacted February 9, 2018, amends Title XX of the Social 
Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq., to provide $100 million in 
funding to implement ``Social Impact Partnership Demonstration 
Projects'' (projects) and feasibility studies for such projects. SIPPRA 
authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to enter into award agreements 
with state or local governments for SIPPRA projects and feasibility 
studies. The Department of the Treasury, in partnership with other 
federal agencies, will administer the SIPPRA grant program.
    Authorized under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the Social 
Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA), amends Title XX of 
the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq., to provide $100 
million in funding to implement ``Social Impact Partnership 
Demonstration Projects'' (projects) and feasibility studies to assist 
states and local governments in applying for project funding. SIPPRA 
authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to enter into 
award agreements with state or local governments for projects 
addressing entrenched social problems. SIPPRA requires Treasury to 
conduct a request for proposals for projects, make award decisions, and 
enter into project award agreements. Treasury is publishing a Notice of 
Funding Availability (NOFA) seeking applications for projects, and 
anticipates that ten or more persons will respond to its notice 
announcing availability of funding for SIPPRA projects.
    Although Treasury is asking applicants to use the SF-424 family of 
common forms for their applications, in order to effectively and 
efficiently assess and evaluate applications and ensure that projects 
comply with statutory requirements, Treasury is also soliciting 
additional detailed information from applicants. This request only 
includes the burden for this additional information. The burden for the 
SF-424 forms is covered under OMB Control Numbers 4040-0004, 4040-0006, 
4040-0007, 4040-0008, 4040-0009, 4040-0010, and 4040-0013. The 
additional information includes the following components:
     Notice of Intent to Apply;
     Project Narrative, to include an Executive Summary;
     Project Narrative Attachments, to include project budget, 
partnership agreements, partner qualifications, independent evaluator 
qualifications, evaluation design plan, independent evaluator contract, 
outcome valuation (for which Treasury's SIPPRA website will provide a 
tool to assist applicants), legal compliance, and (optional) additional 
supporting documentation such as a preexisting feasibility study;
     DUNS Number and SAM registration;
     Copy of application proposing privileged or confidential 
information to be redacted;
     Administrative Reporting, including Annual Performance 
Report, Evaluation Progress Reports, and Final Evaluation Report;
     Records Retention

Evaluation Activity

    One of the statutory purposes of SIPPRA is ``to incorporate 
outcomes measurement and randomized controlled trials or other rigorous 
methodologies for assessing program impact.'' 42 U.S.C. 1397n. SIPPRA 
also requires that the federal government pay a recipient only after an 
independent evaluator determines a project ``has met the requirements 
specified in the agreement and achieved an outcome as a result of the 
intervention.'' Sec.  1397n-2(c)(2). It also establishes a Federal 
Interagency Council on Social Impact Partnerships (Interagency 
Council), chaired by the Director of OMB, with ten members representing 
ten Federal agencies.\1\ Among their responsibilities, the Council 
must:
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    \1\ The head of each of the following federal agencies shall 
designate one officer or employee to be a Council member: 
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, 
Justice, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Veterans Affairs, 
and Treasury, and the Social Security Administration Corporation for 
National and Community Service. Sec.  1397n-5(b).

prior to approval by the Secretary, certify that each State and 
local government application for a social impact partnership 
contains rigorous, independent data and reliable, evidence-based 
research methodologies to support the conclusion that the project 
will yield savings to the State or local government or the Federal 
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Government if the project outcomes are achieved;

certify to the Secretary that each State or local government that 
has entered into an agreement with the Secretary for a social impact 
partnership project under this division and each evaluator selected 
by the head of the relevant agency under section 1397n-4 of this 
title has access to Federal administrative data to assist the State 
or local government and the evaluator in evaluating the performance 
and outcomes of the project; and

certify to the Secretary, in the case of each approved social impact 
partnership that is expected to yield savings to the Federal 
Government, that the project will yield a projected savings to the 
Federal Government if the project outcomes are achieved, and 
coordinate with the relevant Federal agency to produce an after-
action accounting once the project is complete to determine the 
actual Federal savings realized, and the

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extent to which actual savings aligned with projected savings \2\
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    \2\ Sec.  1397n-5(a).

    To help ensure that these statutory goals and objectives are 
achieved and to assist the Interagency Council in making its 
certification determinations, Treasury is asking applicants to include 
in their applications an evaluation design plan. The design plan must 
incorporate an evaluation methodology and evidence standards. 
Additionally, they must provide an estimate of the value to the federal 
government of the interventions being proposed in the project.

Independent Evaluator Reports

    SIPPRA requires the federal government to complete certain project 
evaluation duties, including the collection from award recipients of 
periodic project outcome evaluation reports and final reports produced 
by each project's independent evaluator. SIPPRA Sec.  1397n-4(d) and 
(e).

Use of the Data

    Treasury is publishing a Notice of Funding Availability soliciting 
applications for projects under SIPPRA. The information collected under 
this NOFA: (1) Identifies eligible recipients and activities; (2) helps 
identify which applications sufficiently address all statutory 
requirements and which proposed projects are the most competitive; (3) 
determines the appropriate amount of funding; (4) ensures compliance 
with SIPPRA and Federal laws and policies on grants (Office of 
Management and Budget's Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost 
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 2 CFR 200, herein 
OMB Uniform Guidance); (5) tracks recipients' progress; and (6) 
collects statutorily mandated reports prepared by recipients' 
contracted independent evaluators.
     The Notice of Intent is optional; it will assist Treasury 
and the Interagency Council in determining the number of applications 
to be received, and thus, enable them to conduct intake and evaluation 
of applications as efficiently and economically as possible.
     The application Executive Summary will assist Treasury and 
the Interagency Council in streamlining the processing of applications 
and in optimizing the eligibility phase of application review. The 
application Standard Forms, Project Narrative, and Project Narrative 
attachment components of the grant application are intended to provide 
Treasury with the information necessary to properly evaluate and assess 
applications and to make sure applications include statutorily mandated 
information. Additionally, certain components of the application, and 
in particular, the Outcome valuation, will enable the Interagency 
Council to determine whether to make statutorily mandated 
certifications regarding the proposed projects.
     The DUNS number and the SAM registration are both required 
under Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit 
Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) at 2 CFR part 200.
     To comply with Uniform Guidance performance and financial 
monitoring and reporting requirements, 2 CFR 200.327-200.329, Treasury 
is requiring an annual performance and financial report from grant 
recipients. SIPPRA requires that recipients submit progress reports 
prepared by an independent evaluator on a periodic basis and before the 
schedule time of outcome payments. SIPPRA Sec.  1397n-4(d). SIPPRA also 
requires that recipients submit a final report prepared by an 
independent evaluator within six months of a project's completion. 
SIPPRA Sec.  1397n-4(e). Per the statute, Treasury and the Interagency 
Council will use these reports to determine if outcome payments are 
warranted.
     Treasury is requiring recipients under this NOFA to comply 
with the Uniform Guidance's record retention requirement, 2 CFR 
200.333, which requires them to maintain records for three years after 
grant close-out.
    SIPPRA establishes a Commission on Social Impact Partnerships 
(Commission) whose principal obligation is to make recommendations to 
Treasury regarding the funding of SIPPRA demonstration project and 
feasibility studies. SIPPRA Sec.  1397n-6. The Commission is subject to 
the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which 
generally requires that documents made available to the Commission be 
made available for public inspection and copying. 5 U.S.C. App. 2 
10(b). Treasury expects to provide to the Commission all complete 
applications received under this NOFA from eligible applicants and 
expects to make these applications available for public inspection and 
copying. However, FACA also provides that trade secrets and commercial 
or financial information that is privileged or confidential under the 
Freedom of Information Act (confidential business information) need not 
be made publicly available. 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4). To assist Treasury in 
complying with FACA's public disclosure requirements while protecting 
confidential business information in accordance with FACA, Treasury is 
requesting applicants to propose redactions of confidential business 
information. An applicant may omit pages for which it does not propose 
any redactions. Treasury will review the redactions proposed by each 
applicant.
    Also, applicants must provide qualifications of key project 
personnel and partners. They may voluntarily provide curriculum vitae 
for key project personnel and partners, but the application does not 
require that personally identifiable information (PII) is collected.
    Frequency: Once, On Occasion.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 50.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 43.8 hours.
    Estimated Annual Responses: 50.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,190.
    Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will be summarized and included in the request for Office of Management 
and Budget approval. Comments may become a matter of public record. The 
public is invited to submit comments concerning: (a) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) 
ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or 
start-up cost and cost of operation, maintenance, and purchase of 
services to provide information.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

    Dated: January 29, 2019.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy.
[FR Doc. 2019-00790 Filed 1-31-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4810-25-P