Office of Postsecondary Education; Call for Written Third-Party Comments, 12778-12779 [2020-04410]

Download as PDF jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES 12778 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 43 / Wednesday, March 4, 2020 / Notices accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department’s information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. Title of Collection: Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment Universal Form. OMB Control Number: 1845–NEW. Type of Review: A new information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 96,000. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 48,000. Abstract: The Department of Education (the Department) amends the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program regulations issued under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), to implement changes made to the regulations in § 685.206(e)—Borrower responsibilities and defenses. These final regulations are a result of negotiated rulemaking and will add a new requirement to the current regulations. These final regulations require the collection of this information from borrowers who believe they qualify for a borrower defense to repayment discharge, as permitted under Section 455(h) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The regulations provide, among other things, for the Secretary to discharge a borrower’s Direct Loan based on the loan in question being disbursed after July 1, 2020. The Department is VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Mar 03, 2020 Jkt 250001 attaching a list of elements that we are proposing be included on a revised Application for Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment form (Universal Borrower Defense Application). This revised form will be based on the current Universal Borrower Defense Application, OMB control number 1845–0146, and will facilitate processing claims from all borrowers who believe that they have a valid borrower defense claim. scope of recognition, which are scheduled to appear at the Summer 2020 meeting of NACIQI, for which dates have not yet been determined. Dated: February 28, 2020. Kate Mullan, PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer. Application for Renewal of Recognition (State Agency for the Approval of Nurse Education) 1. New York State Board of Regents, State Education Department, Office of the Professions (Nursing Education). 2. Missouri State Board of Nursing. [FR Doc. 2020–04423 Filed 3–3–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Postsecondary Education; Call for Written Third-Party Comments Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education. ACTION: Call for written third-party comments. AGENCY: This notice provides information to members of the public on submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently undergoing review for purposes of recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 270–01, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: (202) 453–7615, or email: herman.bounds@ed.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This solicitation of third-party comments concerning the performance of accrediting agencies under review by the Secretary of Education is required by § 496(n)(1)(A) of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended. These accrediting agencies will be on the agenda for the Summer 2020 National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) meeting. The meeting date has not been determined but will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice. SUMMARY: Agencies Under Review and Evaluation Below is a list of agencies currently undergoing review and evaluation by the Department’s Office of Postsecondary Education Accreditation Group, including each agency’s current PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Application for Renewal of Recognition (State Agency for the Approval of Vocational Education) 1. Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs. Application for Granting of Academic (Masters and Doctoral) Degrees by Federal Agencies and Institutions 1. National Intelligence University: Undergoing Substantive Change (Reorganization/Command Change). 2. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College: Undergoing Substantive Change (Curriculum Change). Compliance Report 1. Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools compliance report includes findings of noncompliance with the criteria in 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 602 as referenced in the Decision of the Secretary (Docket No. 16–44–0) available at https://opeweb.ed.gov/eRecognition/PublicDocuments under NACIQI meeting date: 06/23/2016 for ACICS. Scope of Recognition: The accreditation of private postsecondary institutions offering certificates or diplomas, and postsecondary institutions offering associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degrees in programs designed to educate students for professional, technical, or occupational careers, including those that offer those programs via distance education. Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency or State Approval Agency Under Review Written comments about the recognition of a specific accrediting or State agency must be received by April 1, 2020,in the ThirdPartyComments@ ed.gov mailbox and include the subject line ‘‘Written Comments: (agency name).’’ The email must include the name(s), title, organization/affiliation, mailing address, email address, and telephone number of the person(s) making the comment. Comments should E:\FR\FM\04MRN1.SGM 04MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 43 / Wednesday, March 4, 2020 / Notices jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES be submitted as a Microsoft Word document or in a medium compatible with Microsoft Word (not a PDF file) that is attached to an electronic mail message (email) or provided in the body of an email message. Comments about an agency that has submitted a compliance report scheduled for review by the Department must relate to the criteria for recognition cited in the senior Department official’s letter that requested the report, or in the Secretary’s appeal decision, if any. Comments about an agency that has submitted a petition for renewal of recognition must relate to the agency’s compliance with the Criteria for the Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, or the Criteria and Procedures for Recognition of State Agencies for the Approval of Vocational and Nurse Education as appropriate, which are available at https://www.ed.gov/admins/ finaid/accred/. Only written material submitted by the deadline to the email address listed in this notice, and in accordance with these instructions, become part of the official record concerning agencies scheduled for review and are considered by the Department and NACIQI in their deliberations. A later Federal Register notice will describe how to register to provide oral comments at the Summer 2020 meeting regarding the recognition of a specific accrediting agency or State approval agency. Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at: www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department. Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c. Robert L. King, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. [FR Doc. 2020–04410 Filed 3–3–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Mar 03, 2020 Jkt 250001 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Establishment of Online Portal for DOE Guidance Documents Office of the General Counsel, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of online portal for agency guidance documents. AGENCY: In accordance with an Executive Order and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M–20–02, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established an online portal for the public to access DOE guidance documents. The portal provides links to DOE program web pages containing guidance documents, as required by the Executive Order. DATES: The portal and associated link are currently active as of March 4, 2020. ADDRESSES: The portal may be found at energy.gov/guidance. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Ring, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the General Counsel, Forrestal Building, GC–33, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–2555, Email: Guidance@hq.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order 13891, ‘‘Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents,’’ 1 requires, among other things, that within 120 days of the issuance of implementing guidance from OMB,2 agencies must establish an online database that contains or links to all agency guidance documents in effect. In accordance with E.O. 13891 and OMB’s implementing guidance, set forth in OMB Memorandum M–20–02, DOE established an online portal for the public to access DOE guidance documents. This portal may be found at energy.gov/guidance. DOE’s online guidance portal contains links to DOE program websites containing guidance documents, as that term is defined in E.O. 13891.3 The portal also reiterates that: (1) The contents of the guidance documents found through the portal do not have the force and effect of law and SUMMARY: 1 84 FR 55235 (October 15, 2019). issued its guidance memorandum on October 31, 2019. (See M–20–02, Guidance Implementing Executive Order 13891, Titled ‘‘Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents’’ (October 31, 2019) available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2019/10/M-20-02-GuidanceMemo.pdf) 3 E.O. 13891 defines ‘‘guidance document’’ as ‘‘an agency statement of general applicability, intended to have future effect on the behavior of regulated parties, which sets forth a policy on a statutory, regulatory, or technical issue, or an interpretation of a statute or regulation.’’ 2 OMB PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 12779 are not legally binding, except as authorized by law or as incorporated into a contract, and (2) these documents are intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under statutes and regulations administered by DOE. In accordance with E.O. 13891 and OMB Memorandum M–20–02, any existing DOE guidance document or associated web page that is not currently included in the online portal may, without further notice, be included in the online portal on or before June 27, 2020. Any existing DOE guidance document or associated web page not included in the online portal by that date will be re-issued according to the procedures in E.O. 13891. Signed in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2020. Daniel Cohen, Assistant General Counsel for Legislation, Regulation and Energy Efficiency. [FR Doc. 2020–04439 Filed 3–3–20; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Combined Notice of Filings Take notice that the Commission has received the following Natural Gas Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings: Docket Numbers: CP18–102–001. Applicants: Cheyenne Connector, LLC. Description: Amendment to Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity of Cheyenne Connector, LLC. Filed Date: 2/25/20. Accession Number: 20200225–5032. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 3/9/20. Docket Numbers: CP18–103–001. Applicants: Rockies Express Pipeline LLC. Description: Amendment to Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity of Rockies Express Pipeline LLC. Filed Date: 2/24/20. Accession Number: 20200224–5151. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 3/9/20. Docket Numbers: RP20–546–000. Applicants: Vector Pipeline L. P. Description: Annual Fuel Use Report for 2019 of Vector Pipeline L. P. under RP20–546. Filed Date: 2/25/20. Accession Number: 20200225–5088. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 3/9/20. Docket Numbers: RP20–547–000. Applicants: Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC. E:\FR\FM\04MRN1.SGM 04MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 4, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12778-12779]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04410]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Call for Written Third-Party 
Comments

AGENCY: Accreditation Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Call for written third-party comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice provides information to members of the public on 
submitting written comments for accrediting agencies currently 
undergoing review for purposes of recognition by the U.S. Secretary of 
Education.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation 
Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 270-01, Washington, DC 20202, telephone: 
(202) 453-7615, or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This solicitation of third-party comments 
concerning the performance of accrediting agencies under review by the 
Secretary of Education is required by Sec.  496(n)(1)(A) of the Higher 
Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended. These accrediting agencies 
will be on the agenda for the Summer 2020 National Advisory Committee 
on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) meeting. The meeting 
date has not been determined but will be announced in a separate 
Federal Register notice.

Agencies Under Review and Evaluation

    Below is a list of agencies currently undergoing review and 
evaluation by the Department's Office of Postsecondary Education 
Accreditation Group, including each agency's current scope of 
recognition, which are scheduled to appear at the Summer 2020 meeting 
of NACIQI, for which dates have not yet been determined.

Application for Renewal of Recognition (State Agency for the Approval 
of Vocational Education)

    1. Puerto Rico State Agency for the Approval of Public 
Postsecondary Vocational, Technical Institutions and Programs.

Application for Renewal of Recognition (State Agency for the Approval 
of Nurse Education)

    1. New York State Board of Regents, State Education Department, 
Office of the Professions (Nursing Education).
    2. Missouri State Board of Nursing.

Application for Granting of Academic (Masters and Doctoral) Degrees by 
Federal Agencies and Institutions

    1. National Intelligence University: Undergoing Substantive Change 
(Reorganization/Command Change).
    2. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College: Undergoing 
Substantive Change (Curriculum Change).

Compliance Report

    1. Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools 
compliance report includes findings of noncompliance with the criteria 
in 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Sec.  602 as referenced in the 
Decision of the Secretary (Docket No. 16-44-0) available at https://opeweb.ed.gov/e-Recognition/PublicDocuments under NACIQI meeting date: 
06/23/2016 for ACICS. Scope of Recognition: The accreditation of 
private postsecondary institutions offering certificates or diplomas, 
and postsecondary institutions offering associate, bachelor's, or 
master's degrees in programs designed to educate students for 
professional, technical, or occupational careers, including those that 
offer those programs via distance education.

Submission of Written Comments Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency 
or State Approval Agency Under Review

    Written comments about the recognition of a specific accrediting or 
State agency must be received by April 1, 2020,in the 
[email protected] mailbox and include the subject line 
``Written Comments: (agency name).'' The email must include the 
name(s), title, organization/affiliation, mailing address, email 
address, and telephone number of the person(s) making the comment. 
Comments should

[[Page 12779]]

be submitted as a Microsoft Word document or in a medium compatible 
with Microsoft Word (not a PDF file) that is attached to an electronic 
mail message (email) or provided in the body of an email message. 
Comments about an agency that has submitted a compliance report 
scheduled for review by the Department must relate to the criteria for 
recognition cited in the senior Department official's letter that 
requested the report, or in the Secretary's appeal decision, if any. 
Comments about an agency that has submitted a petition for renewal of 
recognition must relate to the agency's compliance with the Criteria 
for the Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, or the Criteria and 
Procedures for Recognition of State Agencies for the Approval of 
Vocational and Nurse Education as appropriate, which are available at 
https://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/.
    Only written material submitted by the deadline to the email 
address listed in this notice, and in accordance with these 
instructions, become part of the official record concerning agencies 
scheduled for review and are considered by the Department and NACIQI in 
their deliberations.
    A later Federal Register notice will describe how to register to 
provide oral comments at the Summer 2020 meeting regarding the 
recognition of a specific accrediting agency or State approval agency.
    Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c.

Robert L. King,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2020-04410 Filed 3-3-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE P
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