Agency Information Collection Activities; Natural and Cultural Resource Agencies Customer Relationship Management (Volunteer.gov) and OF 301 Forms, 34779-34780 [2021-13900]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Office of the Secretary

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34779-34780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13900]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary

[PPWOIRADA1/PRCRFRFR6.XZ0000/PR.RIRAD1801.00.1; OMB Control Number 
1093-0006]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Natural and Cultural 
Resource Agencies Customer Relationship Management (Volunteer.gov) and 
OF 301 Forms

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior (Interior), 
Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior are proposing to 
renew an information collection with revisions.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
July 30, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior by email at [email protected]; or 
via facsimile to (202) 395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments 
to Jeffrey Parrillo, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240; or by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB Control 
Number 1093-0006 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Jeffrey Parrillo, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, 
DC 20240; or by email to [email protected]. Individuals who 
are hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-
800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require 
approval. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to 
respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on 
new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This 
helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements 
and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public 
understand our information collection requirements and provide the 
requested data in the desired format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
March 5, 2021 (86 FR 12966). No comments were received.
    We are again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is 
described below. We are especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) 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; (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) How might the 
agency minimize the burden of this collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology (e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of response).
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, email 
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you 
should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Abstract: Various laws, statutes, and regulations, to include the 
Public Lands Corps Act (16 U.S.C. 1721 et. seq.), the Outdoor 
Recreation Authority (16 U.S.C. 4601), Volunteers in the National 
Forests Program (16 U.S.C. 558 a-d), and the Forest Foundation 
Volunteers Act (16 U.S.C. 583j), authorize Federal land management 
agencies to work with volunteers to plan, develop, maintain, and manage 
projects and service activities on public lands and adjacent projects 
throughout the nation. We use volunteers to aid in disaster response, 
interpretive functions, visitor services, conservation measures and 
development, research and development, recreation, and or other 
activities as allowed by an agency's policy and regulations. Providing, 
collecting, and exchanging written and electronic information is 
required from potential and selected program participants of all ages 
so they can access opportunities and benefits provided by agencies 
guidelines. Those under the age of 18 years must have written consent 
from a parent or guardian to participate in volunteer activities.
    In this revision, Interior will request OMB approval to assume the 
management and responsibility of common forms OF-301, OF-301a, and OF-
301b from the Department of Agriculture--U.S. Forest Service (currently 
approved under OMB Control No. 0596-0080). These forms, available for 
prospective volunteers to complete electronically or as paper forms, 
serve two functions:
     Recruiting potential volunteers, and
     Formalizing agreements between current volunteers and the 
agencies with which they are volunteering.
    The customer relationship management web-based portal, 
Volunteer.gov, is the agencies' response to meeting the public's 
request for

[[Page 34780]]

improved digital customer services to access and apply for engagement 
opportunities. Under one security platform parameter, the Volunteer.gov 
website provides prospective and current program participants the 
ability to establish an account for electronic submission of program 
applications and to obtain status of applications and enrollments. 
Planned future functionality will provide information digitally on 
benefits and requirements, and will facilitate improved tracking of 
volunteer service hours. Currently, these data points are tracked 
manually and are accessible from agency volunteer program coordinators.
    This information collection specifically minimizes the burden on 
the respondents. While electronic records provide a means to streamline 
data collection and allow participant access to track benefits and 
control the sharing of their data, the participating agencies will 
continue to provide accessible paper versions of the volunteer forms 
upon request and while the functionality in the web-based portal is 
being built.
    Participating Agencies:
     Department of the Interior: All Interior offices and 
units, including National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and U.S. 
Geological Survey.
     Department of Agriculture: U.S. Forest Service and Natural 
Resources Conservation Service.
     Department of Defense: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
     Department of Commerce: National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration--Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
    Common Forms:
    Forms OF-301--Volunteer Application: Individuals interested in 
volunteering may access the Volunteer.gov website to complete an on-
line application on the Volunteer.gov website. Alternatively, they may 
contact any agency listed above to request a Volunteer Application 
(Form OF-301). We collect the following information from applicants via 
Form OF-301:
     Name and contact information (address, telephone number, 
and email address);
     Date of birth (proposed new data field);
     Preferred work categories;
     Interests;
     Citizenship status;
     Available dates and preferred location;
     Physical limitations; and
     Lodging preferences.
    Information collected using this form or Volunteer.gov assists 
agency volunteer coordinators and other personnel in matching 
volunteers with agency opportunities appropriate for an applicant's 
skills, physical condition, and availability. We are proposing to 
collect date of birth to be used along with other unique identifiers 
for each volunteer applicant. Using date of birth will allow all 
participating agencies across locations to better track applicants via 
the Volunteer.gov website.
    Forms OF-301A--Volunteer Service Agreement: We use this form to 
establish agreements for volunteer services between Federal agencies 
and individual or group volunteers, to include eligible international 
volunteers. We require the signature of parents or guardians for all 
applicants under 18 years of age. We collect the following information 
from volunteers via Form OF-301A:
     Name and contact information (address, telephone number, 
and email address);
     Date of birth (proposed new data field);
     Citizenship information; and,
     Emergency contact information.
    Forms OF-301A describe the service a volunteer will perform, and 
asks a volunteer to confirm their understanding of the purpose of the 
volunteer program, their fitness and ability to perform the duties as 
described, and whether they consent to being photographed. We are 
proposing to collect date of birth to be used along with other unique 
identifiers for each volunteer applicant. Using date of birth will 
allow all participating agencies across locations to track their 
volunteer hours.
    Forms OF-301B--Volunteer Group Sign-up: We use this form to 
document awareness and understanding by adult individuals in groups 
about the volunteer activities between a Federal agency and a partner 
organization with group participants, and accompanies the Form OF-301a. 
We collect the following information from volunteers via Form OF-301b:
     Name and contact information (address, telephone number, 
and email address);
     Month and year of birth (proposed new data field);
     Confirmation of understanding of the purpose of the 
volunteer program;
     Fitness and ability to perform the duties as described; 
and
     Whether they consent to being photographed
    We are proposing to collect month and year of birth to be used 
along with other unique identifiers for each volunteer applicant. Using 
month and year of birth will allow all participating agencies across 
locations to track their volunteer hours across positions.
    Each participating agency must request OMB approval of, and report 
their own burden associated with, the use of common forms OF-301, OF-
301a, and OF-301b in order to be authorized to participate in this 
information collection. Interior will not assume the burden for any 
agencies other than its own bureaus and offices that participate in the 
volunteer program.
    Title of Collection: Natural and Cultural Resource Agencies 
Customer Relationship Management (Volunteer.gov) and OF 301 Forms.
    OMB Control Number: 1093-0006.
    Form Number: OF-301, OF-301A, and OF-301B.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and private sector 
(cooperating associations and partner organizations) interested in 
volunteer opportunities.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 561,408.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 561,408.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Completion time varies from 
5 minutes to 15 minutes, depending on the function being performed.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 100,918 Hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Typically once per year.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

Jeffrey Parrillo,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-13900 Filed 6-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4334-63-P