Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Form ED-209, Revolving Loan Fund Financial Report, 51677-51678 [2020-18363]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 163 / Friday, August 21, 2020 / Notices
communications infrastructure. The
Agencies programs promote economic
development by supporting loans to
businesses through banks, credit unions
and community-managed lending pools.
Many of Rural Development’s programs
offer priority funding for loans and
grants located in persistent poverty
counties. The term ‘‘persistent poverty
counties’’ means any county that has
had 20 percent or more of its population
living in poverty over the past 30 years,
as measured by the 1990 and 2000
decennial census and 2007–2011
American Community Survey 5-year
average, or any territory or possession of
the United States.
The Further Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116–
94) enacted on December 20, 2019,
contained provisions affecting persistent
poverty counties and the allocation of
funds for persistent poverty counties.
This notice announces
implementation of the following
provisions:
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Allocation of Funds
The Further Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116–
94) provides that to the maximum
extent feasible, at least 10 percent of the
funds allocated to the listed programs
shall be allocated for assistance to
persistent poverty counties.
Population Limits
Notwithstanding any other provision
in the listed programs regarding
population limits, section 740 of the
Further Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116–94) provides that
for any county seat in a persistent
poverty county that has a population
that does not exceed the program’s
authorized population limit by more
than 10 percent will be considered
eligible for that program.
The listed programs are the Rural
Housing Insurance Fund Program
Account from which the Agency has set
aside Fiscal Year 2020 appropriated
funds for the following programs: Direct
Single Family Housing Loans (sec 502);
Very Low-Income Housing Repair Loans
(sec. 504); Rural Rental Housing Direct
Loan Program (sec. 515); Housing Site
Development Loans (sec. 524); and, SelfHelp Housing Land Development Loans
(sec. 523); Mutual and Self-Help
Housing Grants; Rural Housing
Assistance Grants from which the
Agency has set aside Fiscal Year 2020
appropriated funds for the Very LowIncome Housing Repair (sec. 504) and
Rural Housing Preservation (sec. 533);
Rural Community Facilities Program
Account from which the Agency has set
aside Fiscal Year 2020 appropriated
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19:04 Aug 20, 2020
Jkt 250001
funds for Community Facilities Grants;
Rural Business Program Account from
which the Agency has set aside Fiscal
Year 2020 appropriated funds for the
following programs: Rural Business
Development Grants—Business
Enterprise Grants; Federally Recognized
Native American Tribes, Rural Business
Development Grants—Business
Enterprise Grants; Grants to Delta
Regional Authority; and, Grants to
Appalachian Regional Commissions;
Rural Economic Development Loans
Program Account from which the
Agency has set aside Fiscal Year 2020
appropriated funds for Rural Economic
Development Loans; Rural Cooperative
Development Grants from which the
Agency has set aside Fiscal Year 2020
appropriated funds for Rural
Cooperative Development Grants,
Grants to Assist Socially Disadvantaged,
and Value-Added Agricultural Product
Market Development Grants; WWD
Program Account from which the
Agency has set aside Fiscal Year 2020
appropriated funds for Direct Water and
Waste Disposal Loans, Water and Waste
Disposal Grants, and Federally
Recognized Native American Tribes
Water and Waste Disposal Grants (sec.
306C(a)(1)); Rural Electrification and
Telecommunications Loans Program
Account from which the Agency has set
aside Fiscal Year 2020 appropriated
funds for Telecommunications Program
Direct, Treasury Rate loans; and,
Distance Learning and Telemedicine
and Broadband Program from which the
Agency has set aside Fiscal Year 2020
appropriated funds for Delta Health
Care Services Grants and Broadband
Telecommunications Grants.
The Agency, if applicable, will, with
the publication of program funding
announcements, provide guidance on
qualifying for and, scoring criteria for
persistent poverty areas. If no program
funding announcement will be
published, then the Agency will provide
such guidance on the program’s website.
Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil
rights law and U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) civil rights
regulations and policies, the USDA, its
Agencies, offices, employees, and
institutions participating in or
administering USDA programs are
prohibited from discriminating based on
race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
gender identity (including gender
expression), sexual orientation,
disability, age, marital status, familial/
parental status, income derived from a
public assistance program, political
beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior
civil rights activity, in any program or
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Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
51677
activity conducted or funded by USDA
(not all bases apply to all programs).
Remedies and complaint filing
deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means of communication for
program information (e.g., Braille, large
print, audiotape, American Sign
Language, etc.) should contact the
responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET
Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and
TTY) or contact USDA through the
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339.
Additionally, program information may
be made available in languages other
than English.
To file a program discrimination
complaint, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form, AD–
3027, found online at https://
www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_
cust.html and at any USDA office or
write a letter addressed to USDA and
provide in the letter all of the
information requested in the form. To
request a copy of the complaint form,
call (866) 632–9992. Submit your
completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) Mail: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250–9410;
(2) Fax: (202) 690–7442; or
(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity
provider, employer, and lender.
Bette Brand,
Deputy Under Secretary, Rural Development.
[FR Doc. 2020–18395 Filed 8–20–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economic Development Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Form ED–209, Revolving
Loan Fund Financial Report
Economic Development
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Information
Collection, request for comment.
AGENCY:
The Department of
Commerce, in accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to comment on
proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\21AUN1.SGM
21AUN1
51678
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 163 / Friday, August 21, 2020 / Notices
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
reporting burden. The purpose of this
notice is to allow for 60 days of public
comment preceding submission of the
collection to OMB. The Economic
Development Administration (EDA)
proposes to extend Form ED–209,
Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Financial
Report, to continue collecting limited
performance information from EDA RLF
award recipients.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received
on or before October 20, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit written comments to
Mitchell Harrison, Program Analyst,
Performance and National Programs
Division, Economic Development
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, via email to MHarrison@
eda.gov. You may also submit
comments to PRAcomments@doc.gov.
You may submit attachments to
electronic comments in Microsoft Word,
Excel, and Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection
activities should be directed to Mitchell
Harrison, Program Analyst, Performance
and National Programs Division,
Economic Development Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, at (202)
428–4696 or via email to MHarrison@
eda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
Guided by the basic principle that
sustainable economic development
should be locally-driven, the Economic
Development Administration (EDA)
works directly with communities and
regions to help them build the capacity
for economic development based on
local business conditions and needs.
The EDA Revolving Loan Fund (RLF)
Program, authorized under section 209
of the Public Works and Economic
Development Act of 1965, as amended
(42 U.S.C. 3149), has served as an
important pillar of EDA investment
programs since the establishment of the
RLF Program in 1975. The purpose of
the RLF Program is to provide regions
with a flexible and continuing source of
capital, to be used with other economic
development tools, for creating and
retaining jobs and inducing private
investment that will contribute to longterm economic stability and growth.
EDA provides RLF grants to eligible
recipients, which include State and
local governments, Indian Tribes, and
non-profit organizations, to operate a
lending program that offers loans with
flexible repayment terms, primarily to
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:04 Aug 20, 2020
Jkt 250001
small businesses in distressed
communities that are unable to obtain
traditional bank financing. These loans
enable small businesses to expand and
lead to new employment opportunities
that pay competitive wages and benefits.
A unique feature of the RLF Program
is that the federal interest in RLF awards
does not terminate. EDA RLF
regulations therefore require RLF
recipients to submit to EDA Form ED–
209, RLF Financial Report, which
collects limited performance
information for RLF awards (13 CFR
307.14(a)). EDA currently requires Form
ED–209 to be submitted on an annual
basis for high-performing RLFs and on
a semi-annual basis for other RLFs.
EDA is currently in the process of
awarding numerous new grants to
capitalize RLFs. This has increased the
estimated number of respondents that
will be required to submit Form ED–209
and the estimated number of burden
hours associated with Form ED–209. On
March 27, 2020, Congress enacted the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security Act (Pub. L. 116–136),
appropriating $1,500,000,000 in
supplemental funds to EDA to ‘‘prevent,
prepare for, and respond to coronavirus
. . . including for necessary expenses
for responding to economic injury as a
result of coronavirus.’’ EDA is using a
significant portion of those funds to
fund RLF awards. As a result, the
number of respondents required to
submit Form ED–209 will increase
substantially. Although Form ED–209 is
being extended without change, and the
estimated amount of time required to
complete Form ED–209 remains
unchanged at three hours, the estimated
annual burden hours for Form ED–209
is increasing because of the increased
number of RLF awards and respondents
required to complete Form ED–209.
II. Method of Collection
Currently, RLF recipients must
complete and submit Form ED–209
using an EDA-provided fillable PDF
(Portable Document Format) form.
However, EDA anticipates transitioning
to an online platform for reporting
through which RLF recipients will be
required to submit the information
collected by Form ED–209.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0610–0095.
Form Number(s): ED–209.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved information
collection.
Affected Public: EDA RLF recipients:
State and local governments, Indian
Tribes, and non-profit organizations.
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Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
Estimated Number of Respondents:
1,700.
Estimated Time per Response: 3
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 5,100.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to
Public: $294,984 (cost assumes
application of U.S Bureau of Labor
Statistics first quarter 2020 mean hourly
employer costs for employee
compensation for professional and
related occupations of $57.84).
Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the
proposed collection of information; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
All comments submitted in response
to this notice are a part of the public
record and will be made available to the
public, which may include posting them
on the Regulations.gov website.
Comments will generally be posted
without change. Please do not include
information of a confidential nature,
such as sensitive personal information
or proprietary information. All
Personally Identifiable Information (for
example, name and address) voluntarily
submitted may be publicly accessible. If
you send an email comment, your email
address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the comment
that is placed in the public docket.
Please note that comments that include
a message stating the confidentiality of
the communication will be treated as
public comments and will be made
available to the public.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2020–18363 Filed 8–20–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–WH–P
E:\FR\FM\21AUN1.SGM
21AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 163 (Friday, August 21, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51677-51678]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18363]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economic Development Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Form ED-209, Revolving Loan Fund Financial Report
AGENCY: Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Information Collection, request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's
[[Page 51678]]
reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of
public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB. The
Economic Development Administration (EDA) proposes to extend Form ED-
209, Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Financial Report, to continue collecting
limited performance information from EDA RLF award recipients.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before October 20, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Mitchell Harrison, Program Analyst, Performance and National Programs
Division, Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, via email to [email protected]. You may also submit comments
to [email protected]. You may submit attachments to electronic
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Mitchell Harrison, Program Analyst, Performance and National
Programs Division, Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department
of Commerce, at (202) 428-4696 or via email to [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
Guided by the basic principle that sustainable economic development
should be locally-driven, the Economic Development Administration (EDA)
works directly with communities and regions to help them build the
capacity for economic development based on local business conditions
and needs.
The EDA Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program, authorized under section
209 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 3149), has served as an important pillar of EDA
investment programs since the establishment of the RLF Program in 1975.
The purpose of the RLF Program is to provide regions with a flexible
and continuing source of capital, to be used with other economic
development tools, for creating and retaining jobs and inducing private
investment that will contribute to long-term economic stability and
growth. EDA provides RLF grants to eligible recipients, which include
State and local governments, Indian Tribes, and non-profit
organizations, to operate a lending program that offers loans with
flexible repayment terms, primarily to small businesses in distressed
communities that are unable to obtain traditional bank financing. These
loans enable small businesses to expand and lead to new employment
opportunities that pay competitive wages and benefits.
A unique feature of the RLF Program is that the federal interest in
RLF awards does not terminate. EDA RLF regulations therefore require
RLF recipients to submit to EDA Form ED-209, RLF Financial Report,
which collects limited performance information for RLF awards (13 CFR
307.14(a)). EDA currently requires Form ED-209 to be submitted on an
annual basis for high-performing RLFs and on a semi-annual basis for
other RLFs.
EDA is currently in the process of awarding numerous new grants to
capitalize RLFs. This has increased the estimated number of respondents
that will be required to submit Form ED-209 and the estimated number of
burden hours associated with Form ED-209. On March 27, 2020, Congress
enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Pub. L.
116-136), appropriating $1,500,000,000 in supplemental funds to EDA to
``prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus . . . including for
necessary expenses for responding to economic injury as a result of
coronavirus.'' EDA is using a significant portion of those funds to
fund RLF awards. As a result, the number of respondents required to
submit Form ED-209 will increase substantially. Although Form ED-209 is
being extended without change, and the estimated amount of time
required to complete Form ED-209 remains unchanged at three hours, the
estimated annual burden hours for Form ED-209 is increasing because of
the increased number of RLF awards and respondents required to complete
Form ED-209.
II. Method of Collection
Currently, RLF recipients must complete and submit Form ED-209
using an EDA-provided fillable PDF (Portable Document Format) form.
However, EDA anticipates transitioning to an online platform for
reporting through which RLF recipients will be required to submit the
information collected by Form ED-209.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0610-0095.
Form Number(s): ED-209.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved information
collection.
Affected Public: EDA RLF recipients: State and local governments,
Indian Tribes, and non-profit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,700.
Estimated Time per Response: 3 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 5,100.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $294,984 (cost assumes
application of U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics first quarter 2020 mean
hourly employer costs for employee compensation for professional and
related occupations of $57.84).
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
IV. Request for Comments
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
All comments submitted in response to this notice are a part of the
public record and will be made available to the public, which may
include posting them on the Regulations.gov website. Comments will
generally be posted without change. Please do not include information
of a confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or
proprietary information. All Personally Identifiable Information (for
example, name and address) voluntarily submitted may be publicly
accessible. If you send an email comment, your email address will be
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is
placed in the public docket. Please note that comments that include a
message stating the confidentiality of the communication will be
treated as public comments and will be made available to the public.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-18363 Filed 8-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-WH-P