Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request, 31138-31140 [2019-13792]
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31138
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 125 / Friday, June 28, 2019 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
[Docket No. FAA–2019–0287]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Requests for Comments;
Clearance of Renewed Approval of
Information Collection: Certificated
Training Centers—Simulator Rule
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA
invites public comments about our
intention to request the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
approval to renew an information
collection. The Federal Register Notice
with a 60-day comment period soliciting
comments on the following collection of
information was published on April 18,
2019. The collection involves
Certificated Training Centers. Operators
pay Certificated Training Centers to
provide training to their employees,
typically pilots, on different types of
equipment if training is not done in
house. The information to be collected
is necessary because it allows aviation
safety inspectors (operations) to review
and to provide surveillance to training
centers to ensure compliance with
airman training, testing, and
certification requirements specified in
other parts of the regulations. If the
information were not collected,
inspectors would not be able to
determine if airmen who are clients are
being trained, checked or tested to meet
the safety standards established in other
parts of the regulations. To date, FAA
inspectors have used the information
collected to determine and assess
regulatory compliance during routine
program surveillance.
DATES: Written comments should be
submitted by July 29, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments on
the proposed information collection to
the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget. Comments should be addressed
to the attention of the Desk Officer,
Department of Transportation/FAA, and
sent via electronic mail to oira_
submission@omb.eop.gov, or faxed to
(202) 395–6974, or mailed to the Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget,
Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20503.
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SUMMARY:
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sandra Ray by email at: Sandra.ray@
faa.gov; phone: 412–329–3088.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Comments Invited: You are
asked to comment on any aspect of this
information collection, including (a)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for FAA’s
performance; (b) the accuracy of the
estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity
of the information collection; and (d)
ways that the burden could be
minimized without reducing the quality
of the collected information. The agency
will summarize and/or include your
comments in the request for OMB’s
clearance of this information collection.
OMB Control Number: 2120–0570.
Title: Certificated Training Centers—
Simulator Rule.
Form Numbers: There are no forms
associated with this collection.
Type of Review: Renewal of an
Information Collection.
Background: The Federal Register
Notice with a 60-day comment period
soliciting comments on the following
collection of information was published
on April 18, 2019 (84 FR 16316). Part
142 Flight Schools are subject to several
collection requirements. 14 CFR part
142 is one of several Federal Regulation
parts that implement the Public Law.
Section 142.11 provides that application
for a training center certificate and
training specifications shall be made in
a form and manner prescribed by the
Administrator, shall provide specific
information about each management,
instructor position, and evaluator
position, and contain certain other
administrative information.
Section 142.37 provides that
application for approval of training
programs must be in a form and manner
acceptable to the Administrator, and
must provide specific information about
curriculum and courses of the training
program.
Chapter 447, Section 44701 of Title
49, United States Code, provides, in
pertinent part, that the Administrator
may find, after investigation, that a
person found to possess proper
qualifications for a position as an
airman may be issued such certificate.
That certificate shall contain such
terms, conditions, and limitations as to
duration thereof, as well as periodic or
special examinations, and other matters
as the Administrator may determine to
be necessary to assure safety in air
commerce.
Section 142.73 requires that training
centers maintain records for a period of
one year to show trainee qualifications
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Frm 00122
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
for training, testing, or checking,
training attempts, training checking, and
testing results, and for one year
following termination of employment
the qualification of instructors and
evaluators providing those services.
The respondents may be the Part 142
schools, Part 121 or 135 air carriers who
utilize these schools or new applicants
seeking Part 142 certification. The
information may be collected in
electronic forms. No specific forms are
required. Information reporting may be
done in accordance with the individual
FAA office.
Respondents: 82,239 (Includes Part
142 schools, Part 121 and 135 carriers
and new certifications).
Frequency: On occasion.
Estimated Average Burden per
Response: 96 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden:
83,767 hours.
Issued in Washington, DC, on June 25,
2019.
Sandra L. Ray,
Aviation Safety Inspector, FAA, Policy
Integration Branch, AFS–270.
[FR Doc. 2019–13892 Filed 6–27–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA–2019–0004–N–8]
Proposed Agency Information
Collection Activities; Comment
Request
Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
Under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice
announces that FRA is forwarding the
Information Collection Requests (ICRs)
abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and comment. The ICRs describe
the information collections and their
expected burden. On February 22, 2019,
FRA published a notice providing a 60day period for public comment on the
ICRs.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before July 29,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments
on the ICRs to the Office of Information
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, 725 17th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20503,
Attention: FRA Desk Officer. Comments
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 125 / Friday, June 28, 2019 / Notices
may also be sent via email to OMB at
the following address: oira_
submissions@omb.eop.gov.
Mr.
Robert Brogan, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Office of Railroad
Safety, Regulatory Analysis Division,
Federal Railroad Administration, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590 (telephone: (202) 493–6292); or
Ms. Kim Toone, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Office of Information
Technology, Federal Railroad
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590
(telephone: (202) 493–6132).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The PRA,
44 U.S.C. 3501–3520, and its
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part
1320, require Federal agencies to issue
two notices seeking public comment on
information collection activities before
OMB may approve paperwork packages.
See 44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8
through 1320.12. On February 22, 2019,
FRA published a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register soliciting comment on
the ICRs for which it is now seeking
OMB approval. See 84 FR 5805. FRA
received no comments in response to
this notice.
Before OMB decides whether to
approve these proposed collections of
information, it must provide 30-days’
notice for public comment. Federal law
requires OMB to approve or disapprove
paperwork packages between 30 and 60
days after the 30-day notice is
published. 44 U.S.C. 3507(b)–(c); 5 CFR
1320.10(b); see also 60 FR 44978, 44983,
Aug. 29, 1995. OMB believes the 30-day
notice informs the regulated community
to file relevant comments and affords
the agency adequate time to digest
public comments before it renders a
decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995.
Therefore, respondents should submit
their respective comments to OMB
within 30 days of publication to best
ensure having their full effect.
Comments are invited on the
following ICRs regarding: (1) Whether
the information collection activities are
necessary for FRA to properly execute
its functions, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) the accuracy of FRA’s estimates of
the burden of the information collection
activities, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used to
determine the estimates; (3) ways for
FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information being
collected; and (4) ways to minimize the
burden of information collection
activities on the public, including the
use of automated collection techniques
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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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or other forms of information
technology.
The summaries below describe the
ICR that FRA will submit for OMB
clearance as the PRA requires:
Title: Federal Railroad Administration
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
(DBE) Disparity Study.
OMB Control Number: 2130–NEW.
Abstract: Congress mandated a
disparity study evaluating participation
by small and disadvantaged businesses
in railroad contracts. This study will
ensure that the requirements of the
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
(DBE) program for federally funded
projects administered by the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) or the
Federal Transit Administration (FTA),
under 49 CFR part 26, are executed
properly. The purpose of this disparity
study is to evaluate the market for the
availability, utilization, and capability
of small and disadvantaged businesses
in publicly-funded railroad contracts.
The data provided by the study will be
used to inform FRA and DOT on the
state of small and disadvantaged
business contracting in the railroad
industry and will be a component of
FRA’s Title VI compliance program.
Currently, FRA does not have
statutory authority to administer a DBE
program like those in place at FHWA,
FTA, and the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA). DBE regulations
applicable to FHWA, FTA, and FAA
require State and local transportation
agencies that receive DOT financial
assistance to establish goals for the
participation of DBEs. Each DOTassisted State and local transportation
agency is required to establish annual
DBE goals, review the scope of
anticipated, large prime contracts, and
establish contract-specific DBE
subcontracting goals. Without statutory
DBE authority, FRA can only encourage
recipients of its Federal financial
assistance to carry out their projects in
accordance with DBE guidelines, in
support of DBEs, Veteran-Owned Small
Businesses, and Service Disabled
Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.
Despite the lack of a formal DBE
program, FRA fully supports the
objectives of DBE programs and all
FRA’s grantees are required to avoid
discrimination in contracting.
In late 2015, Congress passed the
‘‘Fixing America’s Surface
Transportation Act’’ (FAST Act), Public
Law 114–94. The FAST Act codified the
requirement for FRA, as the Secretary of
Transportation’s (Secretary) delegate, to
conduct ‘‘a nationwide disparity and
availability study on the availability and
use of small business concerns owned
and controlled by socially and
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Frm 00123
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
31139
economically disadvantaged individuals
and veteran-owned small businesses in
publicly funded intercity rail passenger
transportation projects.’’ See FAST Act,
sec. 11310, Small Business Participation
Study. The legislation requires that:
‘‘Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall submit a report containing the
results of the study . . . to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the
Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives.’’ Id.
This study will include three surveys
and a series of webinars with focus
groups. In Survey #1, FRA will contact
all FRA grant recipients to identify
prime and sub-contractors, consultants,
and vendors that received grant funds
and the amount of those funds. This
survey is necessary to determine the
percentage of FRA grant funding and
contracts received by DBEs.
Survey #2 will focus on DBE and nonDBE firms in the railroad industry. The
survey will solicit information regarding
experiences with discrimination, as well
as experiences in bidding with the
grantees and their prime contractors and
consultants. This approach will ensure
that the survey responses are accurate.
Because response rates to voluntary
surveys tend to be low, FRA will
develop an outreach campaign, use
professionally designed surveys,
incorporate cover letters signed by
senior FRA officials, include multiple
reminders, and enable a dedicated
telephone line and email address for
requesting replacement surveys and
addressing other inquiries.
The study team will also collect
information regarding discrimination
and experiences with publicly funded
railroad contracts through webinar focus
groups comprised of DBE and non-DBE
business owners, as well as
procurement personnel at FRA and its
grantees. These focus groups likewise
will explore barriers to the full and fair
participation of DBEs in FRA’s market
area and that of its grantees. The focus
groups also will explore whether
USDOT grant programs and policies
adequately address these challenges.
FRA expects these focus groups will
reveal valuable information about the
realities affecting DBE firms and will
inform the agency how to develop its
policy responses to those challenges.
In Survey #3, the study team will
verify the DBE status of eligible firms.
The comparison of DBEs’ participation
relative to their prevalence by industry
and geography is crucial to developing
sound, statistical evidence of potential
discrimination. The study will cross-
E:\FR\FM\28JNN1.SGM
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31140
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 125 / Friday, June 28, 2019 / Notices
reference additional listings and
directories of DBE firms to improve the
accuracy of the classification of firms.
FRA will take the additional step of
validating putative assignments using
telephone surveys of a statistically
random sample of businesses from its
database.
Type of Request: Approval of a new
collection of information.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Form(s): FRA F 6180.171; FRA F
6180.172; FRA F 6180.173; FRA F
6180.174.
Respondent Universe: 35,000
Grantees, Sub-Grantees, Prime
Contractors, Sub-Contractors, DBEs, and
Non-Disadvantaged Business Firms.
Frequency of Submission: On
occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Responses:
7,750.
Total Estimated Annual Burden:
3,151 hours.
Total Estimated Dollar Cost:
$181,655.
Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR
1320.5(b) and 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FRA
informs all interested parties that it may
not conduct or sponsor, and a
respondent is not required to respond
to, a collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520.
Brett A. Jortland,
Acting Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2019–13792 Filed 6–27–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency
[Docket ID OCC–2019–0011]
Mutual Savings Association Advisory
Committee
Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency, Department of the Treasury.
ACTION: Notice of Federal Advisory
Committee meeting.
AGENCY:
The OCC announces a
meeting of the Mutual Savings
Association Advisory Committee
(MSAAC).
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SUMMARY:
A public meeting of the MSAAC
will be held on Tuesday, July 23, 2019,
beginning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight
Time (EDT).
ADDRESSES: The OCC will hold the July
23, 2019 meeting of the MSAAC at the
OCC’s offices at 400 7th Street SW,
Washington, DC 20219.
DATES:
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17:41 Jun 27, 2019
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael R. Brickman, Deputy
Comptroller for Thrift Supervision,
(202) 649–5420, Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency,
Washington, DC 20219.
By this
notice, the OCC is announcing that the
MSAAC will convene a meeting on
Tuesday, July 23, 2019, at the OCC’s
offices at 400 7th Street SW,
Washington, DC 20219. The meeting is
open to the public and will begin at 8:30
a.m. EDT. The purpose of the meeting
is for the MSAAC to advise the OCC on
regulatory or other changes the OCC
may make to ensure the health and
viability of mutual savings associations.
The agenda includes a discussion of
current topics of interest to the industry.
Members of the public may submit
written statements to the MSAAC. The
OCC must receive written statements no
later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday,
July 16, 2019. Members of the public
may submit written statements to
MSAAC@occ.treas.gov or by mailing
them to Michael R. Brickman,
Designated Federal Officer, Mutual
Savings Association Advisory
Committee, Office of the Comptroller of
the Currency, 400 7th Street SW,
Washington, DC 20219.
Members of the public who plan to
attend the meeting should contact the
OCC by 5:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July
16, 2019, to inform the OCC of their
desire to attend the meeting and to
provide information that will be
required to facilitate entry into the
meeting. Members of the public may
contact the OCC via email at MSAAC@
OCC.treas.gov or by telephone at (202)
649–5420. Members of the public who
are hearing impaired should call (202)
649–5597 (TTY) by 5:00 p.m. EDT on
Tuesday, July 16, 2019, to arrange
auxiliary aids such as sign language
interpretation for this meeting.
Attendees should provide their full
name, email address, and organization,
if any. For security reasons, attendees
will be subject to security screening
procedures and must present a valid
government-issued identification to
enter the building.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Dated: June 21, 2019.
Joseph M. Otting,
Comptroller of the Currency.
[FR Doc. 2019–13777 Filed 6–27–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810–33–P
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Bureau of the Fiscal Service
Proposed Collection of Information:
FHA New Account Request, Transition
Request, and Transfer Request
Notice and request for
comments.
ACTION:
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
and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Currently the Bureau of the Fiscal
Service within the Department of the
Treasury is soliciting comments
concerning the collections of
information required to comply with the
terms and conditions of FHA New
Account Request, Transition Request,
and Transfer Request.
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before August 27, 2019
to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
and requests for additional information
to Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Bruce A.
Sharp, Room #4006–A, P.O. Box 1328,
Parkersburg, WV 26106–1328, or
bruce.sharp@fiscal.treasury.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FHA New Account Request,
Transition Request, and Transfer
Request.
OMB Number: 1530–0054.
Form Numbers and Titles: FS Form
5354—FHA Transaction Request, FS
Form 5366—FHA New Account
Request, FS Form 5367—FHA
Debenture Transfer Request.
Abstract: The information is used to
(1) establish a book-entry account; (2)
change information on a book-entry
account; and (3) transfer ownership of a
book-entry account on the HUD system,
maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank
of Philadelphia.
Current Actions: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Type of Review: Regular.
Affected Public: Individuals or
Households.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
300.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 10
minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 50.
Request for Comments: Comments
submitted in response to this notice will
be summarized and/or included in the
request for OMB approval. All
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 125 (Friday, June 28, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31138-31140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13792]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
[Docket No. FRA-2019-0004-N-8]
Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice
announces that FRA is forwarding the Information Collection Requests
(ICRs) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for review and comment. The ICRs describe the information collections
and their expected burden. On February 22, 2019, FRA published a notice
providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICRs.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
July 29, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the ICRs to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,
725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FRA Desk Officer.
Comments
[[Page 31139]]
may also be sent via email to OMB at the following address:
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Railroad Safety, Regulatory
Analysis Division, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6292); or Ms. Kim
Toone, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Information
Technology, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-6132).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, and its
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to
issue two notices seeking public comment on information collection
activities before OMB may approve paperwork packages. See 44 U.S.C.
3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. On February 22, 2019, FRA
published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register soliciting comment on
the ICRs for which it is now seeking OMB approval. See 84 FR 5805. FRA
received no comments in response to this notice.
Before OMB decides whether to approve these proposed collections of
information, it must provide 30-days' notice for public comment.
Federal law requires OMB to approve or disapprove paperwork packages
between 30 and 60 days after the 30-day notice is published. 44 U.S.C.
3507(b)-(c); 5 CFR 1320.10(b); see also 60 FR 44978, 44983, Aug. 29,
1995. OMB believes the 30-day notice informs the regulated community to
file relevant comments and affords the agency adequate time to digest
public comments before it renders a decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29,
1995. Therefore, respondents should submit their respective comments to
OMB within 30 days of publication to best ensure having their full
effect.
Comments are invited on the following ICRs regarding: (1) Whether
the information collection activities are necessary for FRA to properly
execute its functions, including whether the information will have
practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FRA's estimates of the burden of
the information collection activities, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimates; (3) ways
for FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
being collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of information
collection activities on the public, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
The summaries below describe the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB
clearance as the PRA requires:
Title: Federal Railroad Administration Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise (DBE) Disparity Study.
OMB Control Number: 2130-NEW.
Abstract: Congress mandated a disparity study evaluating
participation by small and disadvantaged businesses in railroad
contracts. This study will ensure that the requirements of the
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program for federally funded
projects administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) or
the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), under 49 CFR part 26, are
executed properly. The purpose of this disparity study is to evaluate
the market for the availability, utilization, and capability of small
and disadvantaged businesses in publicly-funded railroad contracts. The
data provided by the study will be used to inform FRA and DOT on the
state of small and disadvantaged business contracting in the railroad
industry and will be a component of FRA's Title VI compliance program.
Currently, FRA does not have statutory authority to administer a
DBE program like those in place at FHWA, FTA, and the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA). DBE regulations applicable to FHWA, FTA, and FAA
require State and local transportation agencies that receive DOT
financial assistance to establish goals for the participation of DBEs.
Each DOT-assisted State and local transportation agency is required to
establish annual DBE goals, review the scope of anticipated, large
prime contracts, and establish contract-specific DBE subcontracting
goals. Without statutory DBE authority, FRA can only encourage
recipients of its Federal financial assistance to carry out their
projects in accordance with DBE guidelines, in support of DBEs,
Veteran-Owned Small Businesses, and Service Disabled Veteran-Owned
Small Businesses. Despite the lack of a formal DBE program, FRA fully
supports the objectives of DBE programs and all FRA's grantees are
required to avoid discrimination in contracting.
In late 2015, Congress passed the ``Fixing America's Surface
Transportation Act'' (FAST Act), Public Law 114-94. The FAST Act
codified the requirement for FRA, as the Secretary of Transportation's
(Secretary) delegate, to conduct ``a nationwide disparity and
availability study on the availability and use of small business
concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically
disadvantaged individuals and veteran-owned small businesses in
publicly funded intercity rail passenger transportation projects.'' See
FAST Act, sec. 11310, Small Business Participation Study. The
legislation requires that: ``Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report containing
the results of the study . . . to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.'' Id.
This study will include three surveys and a series of webinars with
focus groups. In Survey #1, FRA will contact all FRA grant recipients
to identify prime and sub-contractors, consultants, and vendors that
received grant funds and the amount of those funds. This survey is
necessary to determine the percentage of FRA grant funding and
contracts received by DBEs.
Survey #2 will focus on DBE and non-DBE firms in the railroad
industry. The survey will solicit information regarding experiences
with discrimination, as well as experiences in bidding with the
grantees and their prime contractors and consultants. This approach
will ensure that the survey responses are accurate.
Because response rates to voluntary surveys tend to be low, FRA
will develop an outreach campaign, use professionally designed surveys,
incorporate cover letters signed by senior FRA officials, include
multiple reminders, and enable a dedicated telephone line and email
address for requesting replacement surveys and addressing other
inquiries.
The study team will also collect information regarding
discrimination and experiences with publicly funded railroad contracts
through webinar focus groups comprised of DBE and non-DBE business
owners, as well as procurement personnel at FRA and its grantees. These
focus groups likewise will explore barriers to the full and fair
participation of DBEs in FRA's market area and that of its grantees.
The focus groups also will explore whether USDOT grant programs and
policies adequately address these challenges. FRA expects these focus
groups will reveal valuable information about the realities affecting
DBE firms and will inform the agency how to develop its policy
responses to those challenges.
In Survey #3, the study team will verify the DBE status of eligible
firms. The comparison of DBEs' participation relative to their
prevalence by industry and geography is crucial to developing sound,
statistical evidence of potential discrimination. The study will cross-
[[Page 31140]]
reference additional listings and directories of DBE firms to improve
the accuracy of the classification of firms. FRA will take the
additional step of validating putative assignments using telephone
surveys of a statistically random sample of businesses from its
database.
Type of Request: Approval of a new collection of information.
Affected Public: Businesses.
Form(s): FRA F 6180.171; FRA F 6180.172; FRA F 6180.173; FRA F
6180.174.
Respondent Universe: 35,000 Grantees, Sub-Grantees, Prime
Contractors, Sub-Contractors, DBEs, and Non-Disadvantaged Business
Firms.
Frequency of Submission: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Responses: 7,750.
Total Estimated Annual Burden: 3,151 hours.
Total Estimated Dollar Cost: $181,655.
Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b) and 1320.8(b)(3)(vi),
FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor,
and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.
Brett A. Jortland,
Acting Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2019-13792 Filed 6-27-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P
