Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Patent Examiner Employment Application, 86544-86545 [2020-28869]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 30, 2020 / Notices
small number of individuals potentially
impacted in this manner, no impacts on
annual rates of recruitment or survival
are likely to result.
Separately, as described previously,
the increase in Level A harassment take
corresponds to a commensurate
decrease in the predicted number of
Level B harassment and the total
number of takes remains unchanged.
Therefore, we re-affirm that small
numbers of harbor seals will be taken
relative to the population size of the
Hood Canal stock of harbor seal.
In conclusion, there is no new
information suggesting that our effects
analysis or negligible impact finding for
harbor seals should change.
Based on the information contained
here and in the referenced documents,
NMFS has reaffirmed the following: (1)
The required mitigation measures will
effect the least practicable impact on
marine mammal species or stocks and
their habitat; (2) the proposed
authorized takes will have a negligible
impact on the affected marine mammal
species or stocks; (3) the proposed
authorized takes represent small
numbers of marine mammals relative to
the affected stock abundances; and (4)
the Navy’s activities will not have an
unmitigable adverse impact on taking
for subsistence purposes as no relevant
subsistence uses of marine mammals are
implicated by this action, and (5)
appropriate monitoring and reporting
requirements are included.
Endangered Species Act (ESA)
No incidental take of ESA-listed
species is authorized or expected to
result from this activity. Therefore,
NMFS has determined that formal
consultation under section 7 of the ESA
is not required for this action.
National Environmental Policy Act
To comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and
NOAA Administrative Order (NAO)
216–6A, NMFS must review our
proposed action (i.e., the modification
of an IHA) with respect to potential
impacts on the human environment.
This action is consistent with
categories of activities identified in
Categorical Exclusion B4 (IHAs with no
anticipated serious injury or mortality)
of the Companion Manual for NOAA
Administrative Order 216–6A, which do
not individually or cumulatively have
the potential for significant impacts on
the quality of the human environment
and for which we have not identified
any extraordinary circumstances that
would preclude this categorical
exclusion. Accordingly, NMFS has
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determined that the issuance of the
modified IHA qualifies to be
categorically excluded from further
NEPA review.
Authorization
NMFS has issued a modified IHA to
the for in-water construction associated
with the SPE project on Naval Base
Kitsap Bangor, Washington effective
until July 15, 2021. The only change is
an increase in the authorized take of
harbor seal take by Level A harassment
from 125 to 509.
Dated: December 21, 2020.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2020–28850 Filed 12–29–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark
Office
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Patent Examiner Employment
Application
The United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) will submit
the following information collection
request to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and clearance
in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the
date of publication of this notice. The
USPTO invites comment on this
information collection renewal, which
helps the USPTO assess the impact of
its information collection requirements
and minimize the public’s reporting
burden. Public comments were
previously requested via the Federal
Register on October 23, 2020 during a
60-day comment period. This notice
allows for an additional 30 days for
public comments.
Agency: United States Patent and
Trademark Office, Department of
Commerce.
Title: Patent Examiner Employment
Application.
OMB Control Number: 0651–0042.
Forms: None.
Type of Request: Extension and
revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Number of Respondents: 8,386
respondents per year.
Average Hours per Response: The
USPTO estimates that it will take the
public approximately 30 minutes (0.5
hours) to complete the patent examiner
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application questions. This includes the
time to gather the necessary
information, respond to the system
prompts, and submit the completed
request to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Burden Hours: 4,193 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour
Cost Burden: $0.
Needs and Uses: USPTO uses the
Monster Hiring Management (MHM)
system to rapidly review applications
for employment of entry-level patent
examiners. The use of such automated
online systems during recruitment
allows USPTO to remain competitive,
meet hiring goals, and fulfill the
Agency’s Congressional commitment to
reduce the pendency rate for the
examination of patent applications.
Given the time sensitive hiring needs of
the Patent Examining Corps, the MHM
system provides increased speed and
accuracy during the employment
process.
This information collection covers
respondent data gathered through the
MHM system. The MHM online
application collects supplemental
information to a candidate’s USAJOBS
application. This information assists
USPTO Human Resource Specialists
and Hiring Managers in determining
whether an applicant possesses the
basic qualification requirements for a
patent examiner position. From the
information collected, the MHM system
creates an electronic real-time candidate
inventory on applicants’ expertise and
technical knowledge, which allows
USPTO to immediately review
applications from multiple applicants.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Frequency: On occasion.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain benefits.
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view
Department of Commerce, USPTO
information collections currently under
review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for this information
collection should be submitted within
30 days of the publication of this notice
on the following website
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
Find this particular information
collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under
30-day Review—Open for Public
Comments’’ or by using the search
function and entering either the title of
the information collection or the OMB
Control Number 0651–0042.
Further information can be obtained
by:
E:\FR\FM\30DEN1.SGM
30DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 30, 2020 / Notices
• Email: InformationCollection@
uspto.gov. Include ‘‘0651–0042
information request’’ in the subject line
of the message.
• Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the
Chief Administrative Officer, United
States Patent and Trademark Office,
P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–
1450.
Kimberly Hardy,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the
Chief Administrative Officer, United States
Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2020–28869 Filed 12–29–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket ID ED–2020–OPEPD–0096]
Administrative Priority and Definitions
for Discretionary Grant Programs
Office of Planning, Evaluation
and Policy Development, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Final priority and definitions.
AGENCY:
The Secretary of Education
announces a priority and definitions for
discretionary grant programs that the
Secretary may use in fiscal year (FY)
2021 and later years to promote the use
of the Department of Education’s (the
Department’s) discretionary grants
funds to support remote learning.
DATES: The priority and definitions are
effective January 29, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kelly Terpak, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW,
Room 4W312, Washington, DC 20202.
Telephone: (202) 205–5231. Email:
kelly.terpak@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1–800–877–
8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e–
3.
We published a notice of proposed
priority and definitions (NPP) in the
Federal Register on September 8, 2020
(85 FR 55439). That notice contained
background information and our reasons
for proposing the particular
administrative priority and definitions.
We have made minor revisions to
paragraphs (b) and (f) of the priority and
to the definition of ‘‘interoperable
credentials,’’ which we explain in the
Analysis of Comments and Changes
section of this document.
Public Comment: In response to our
invitation in the NPP, 16 parties
submitted comments.
SUMMARY:
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We group major issues according to
subject. Generally, we do not address
technical and other minor changes. In
addition, we do not address general
comments that raised concerns not
directly related to the proposed priority
and definitions.
Analysis of the Comments and
Changes: An analysis of the comments
and of any changes in the priority and
definitions since publication of the NPP
follows.
Comments: A few commenters asked
for clarity on how the priority would be
used and encouraged the Department to
prioritize certain applicants, such as
institutions of higher education, for
eligibility.
Discussion: As discussed in the NPP,
the priority is intended to build State
and local capacity to support remote
learning and instruction. The
Department may elect to use this
priority when inviting applications for a
discretionary grant program. The
Department has the discretion to choose
whether the priority and definitions are
appropriate for the competition after
considering program purpose,
feasibility, and scope. The Department
also has the discretion to choose how
the priority would apply; for example,
the priority may be used as an absolute
priority (applicants must address the
priority in order to be eligible to receive
grant funds) or a competitive preference
priority (applicants may receive
additional points depending on how
well they address the priority). We will
only use the priority and definitions for
a particular grant competition when it is
relevant and appropriate. Furthermore,
the Department is not required to use
the priority and definitions for any
particular program.
In any competition in which this
priority and definitions are used,
eligible entities are determined by the
program statute; therefore, we cannot
specify eligibility for a particular type of
entity as part of the final priority.
Changes: None.
Comments: A few commenters
proposed revisions to, or additional
language for, the background section
that accompanied the proposed priority
to emphasize the impact of school
closures for in-person instruction on
different populations, such as students
with disabilities, as well as specifics
related to learning losses discussed in
the cited study.
Discussion: We appreciate the
feedback we received on the NPP
background section, which explains our
rationale for this priority and
definitions. We agree with comments
that emphasized the impact of school
closures for in-person instruction on
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86545
students with disabilities and other
groups of students and believe the
commenters’ concerns are sufficiently
addressed through paragraph (f) of the
priority. Moreover, we are revising
paragraph (f) so that a program may
choose to focus on a specific subgroup.
Additionally, we added language in
parentheticals clarifying that where the
commonly used terms used for the
subgroups of students in paragraph (f) or
similar terms are defined in the
applicable authorizing program statute,
these terms take on the statutory
definition that applies to the particular
program. For example, this priority
could be used in the Alaska Native
Education (ANE) program to encourage
projects that provide high-quality
remote learning to students who are
Alaska Natives, as defined in the
Elementary and Secondary Education
Act, as amended (ESEA), through the
use of paragraph (f)(iv) of the priority,
pertaining to Native American students.
Changes: We are modifying paragraph
(f) so that a program may choose to
focus on specific subgroups and have
clarified that the definitions of listed
subgroups may be based on the
program’s statutory authority, as
applicable.
Comments: Multiple commenters
requested that we reference Section 508
of the Rehabilitation Act in the
accessibility requirement paragraph that
concludes the priority.
Discussion: We agree that accessibility
is important in ensuring all students can
access remote learning effectively, and
we have indicated so in various
paragraphs of the priority. Section 508
of the Rehabilitation Act applies only to
Federal agencies, so recipients of
Federal financial assistance are not
required to comply with that law;
consequently, inclusion of Section 508
in the accessibility requirement has
limited applicability and is therefore
unnecessary.
Changes: None.
Comments: Multiple commenters
expressed concerns about the impact of
remote learning for students with
disabilities, including a concern that the
priority did not take into account the
individual needs of students identified
for services pursuant to the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
In addition, multiple commenters
expressed support for paragraph (f) of
the priority to target the needs of
specific subgroups, including students
with disabilities. However, one
commenter recommended the
Department remove the requirement
that paragraph (f) of the priority be used
only in conjunction with another
paragraph of the priority.
E:\FR\FM\30DEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86544-86545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28869]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Patent Examiner Employment Application
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will submit
the following information collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of
publication of this notice. The USPTO invites comment on this
information collection renewal, which helps the USPTO assess the impact
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the
Federal Register on October 23, 2020 during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of
Commerce.
Title: Patent Examiner Employment Application.
OMB Control Number: 0651-0042.
Forms: None.
Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Number of Respondents: 8,386 respondents per year.
Average Hours per Response: The USPTO estimates that it will take
the public approximately 30 minutes (0.5 hours) to complete the patent
examiner application questions. This includes the time to gather the
necessary information, respond to the system prompts, and submit the
completed request to the USPTO.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent Burden Hours: 4,193 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Non-Hour Cost Burden: $0.
Needs and Uses: USPTO uses the Monster Hiring Management (MHM)
system to rapidly review applications for employment of entry-level
patent examiners. The use of such automated online systems during
recruitment allows USPTO to remain competitive, meet hiring goals, and
fulfill the Agency's Congressional commitment to reduce the pendency
rate for the examination of patent applications. Given the time
sensitive hiring needs of the Patent Examining Corps, the MHM system
provides increased speed and accuracy during the employment process.
This information collection covers respondent data gathered through
the MHM system. The MHM online application collects supplemental
information to a candidate's USAJOBS application. This information
assists USPTO Human Resource Specialists and Hiring Managers in
determining whether an applicant possesses the basic qualification
requirements for a patent examiner position. From the information
collected, the MHM system creates an electronic real-time candidate
inventory on applicants' expertise and technical knowledge, which
allows USPTO to immediately review applications from multiple
applicants.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Frequency: On occasion.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
This information collection request may be viewed at
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of
Commerce, USPTO information collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for this information
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search
function and entering either the title of the information collection or
the OMB Control Number 0651-0042.
Further information can be obtained by:
[[Page 86545]]
Email: [email protected]. Include ``0651-
0042 information request'' in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Kimberly Hardy, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450,
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450.
Kimberly Hardy,
Information Collections Officer, Office of the Chief Administrative
Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-28869 Filed 12-29-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-16-P
