Agency Information Collection Activities; Administration of Volunteer.gov Website and Associated Volunteer Activities, 68642-68644 [2024-19201]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Office of the Secretary

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 166 (Tuesday, August 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68642-68644]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19201]


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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; Administration of 
Volunteer.gov Website and Associated Volunteer Activities

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) are 
proposing to renew an information collection with minor revisions.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
September 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please provide a 
copy of your comments to Nicholas Solomon, 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 Nicholas Solomon by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at 202-604-1727. Individuals 
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have 
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States. 
You may also view the ICR at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we 
provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an 
opportunity 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 14, 2024 (89 FR 18665). No comments were received.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not 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 the 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 
Volunteers in the Parks Act of 1969 (54 U.S.C. 102301), 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, 
youth, and partner organizations to plan, develop, maintain, and manage 
projects and service activities on public lands and adjacent projects 
throughout the nation. We use volunteers, youth programs, and 
partnerships 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.

[[Page 68643]]

    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 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. Current functionality provides information digitally 
on benefits and requirements and facilitates improved tracking of 
volunteer service hours. As field level programs transition to using 
Volunteer.gov, these data points may be tracked either manually or 
digitally 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 in special circumstances where the digital alternative 
is not possible.

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

    Form 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;
     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.
    Form 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.
    Form OF-301A describes 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.
    Form 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;
     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.
    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.

Revisions

    Minor revisions are being proposed for the forms to correct 
grammatical mistakes, provide clarity for users, and to remove 
unnecessary requests for information. All revisions proposed are based 
on participating agency and volunteer input. A summary of those 
revisions is below.

OF 301 (Volunteer Service Application)

    Note:  Optional. Volunteers use this to express general 
interest, not to apply to a specific volunteer opportunity.

 Title: Remove ``-NATURAL & CULTURAL RESOURCES'' from the 
title, resulting in the title of ``Volunteer Service Application''
 Burden Statement: Correct grammar
 Privacy Act Statement: Correct grammar

OF 301a (Volunteer Service Agreement)

    Note:  individual volunteers use this to apply and agree to a 
specific volunteer opportunity.

 Title: Remove ``-NATURAL & CULTURAL RESOURCES'' from the 
title, resulting in the title of ``VOLUNTEER SERVICE AGREEMENT''
 Box 4: Correct grammar
 Box 12c.: Updating to ``Military affiliation (Select one): 
Active Duty, Veteran, None''
 Box 27: Correct grammar
 Box 28: Add clarifying language ``(Last, First)''
 Box 45: Remove Box ``45. Total Hours Completed''
 Box 46: Update Box number to ``45.''
     Privacy Act Statement: Correct grammar

OF 301b (Volunteer Sign-up Form for Groups)

    Note:  volunteers in a group use this to agree to a specific 
volunteer opportunity.

 Title: Remove ``Natural & Cultural Resources'' from the title, 
resulting in the title of ``VOLUNTEER SERVICE AGREEMENT--Volunteer 
Sign-up Form for Groups''
 Instructions: Correct grammar
 Burden Statement: Correct grammar
 Privacy Act Statement: Correct grammar

[[Page 68644]]

 Footer: Adjusted page numbers to allow for multiple copies of 
the second page to be printed.

    Title of Collection: Administration of Volunteer.gov website and 
Associated Volunteer Activities.
    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: 526,775.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 526,775.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to 15 
minutes, depending on activity.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 99,109.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Typically once per year.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: There are no non-hour 
cost burdens associated with this information collection.
    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. 2024-19201 Filed 8-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4334-63-P