Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Grant Programs |
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Jamie Pfister
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
9 February 2021
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8832-8834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-02652]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0009]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for
Comment; Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Grant Programs
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments on an extension of a currently-
approved information collection.
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SUMMARY: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
invites public comments about our intention to request approval from
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of a
currently-approved information collection. Before a Federal agency can
collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval
from OMB. Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit
public comment on proposed collections of information, including
extensions and reinstatement of previously approved collections. This
document describes NHTSA's collection of information for its State
Highway Safety Grant Program.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 12, 2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by the Docket No. NHTSA-
2021-0009 through any of the following methods:
Electronic submissions: Go to the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions
for submitting comments.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Room W12-
140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except on Federal holidays.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number for this notice. Note that all comments received will be
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading
below.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit https://www.transportation.gov/privacy.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or the street
address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the
dockets via internet.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For programmatic issues, contact
Barbara Sauers, Regional Operations and Program Delivery, NRO-011,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590;
Telephone: 202-366-0144. For legal issues and background information,
contact Roland (R.T.) Baumann III, Office of the Chief Counsel, NCC-
300, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590;
Telephone: 202-366-1834. Please identify the relevant collection of
information by referring to its OMB Control Number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before an agency submits a proposed
collection of information to OMB for approval, it must first publish a
document in the Federal Register providing a 60-day comment period and
otherwise consult with members of the public and affected agencies
concerning each proposed collection of information. The OMB has
promulgated regulations describing what must be included in such a
document. Under OMB's regulation (at 5 CFR 1320.8(d)), an agency must
ask for public comment on the following: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of
the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) how to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
and (d) how to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic
submission of responses. In compliance with these requirements, NHTSA
asks for public comments on the following proposed collection of
information for which the agency is seeking approval from OMB.
Title: Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Grant Programs.
OMB Control Number: 2127-0730.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Extension.
Type of Review Requested: Regular.
Requested Expiration Date of Approval: 3 years from date of
approval.
Summary of the Collection of Information
The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST), Public Law
114-94, authorizes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) to issue highway safety grants to States under Chapter 4 of
Title 23, U.S.C. Specifically, these grant programs include the Highway
Safety Program grants (23 U.S.C. 402 or Section 402), the National
Priority Safety Program grants (23 U.S.C. 405 or Section 405) and a
separate grant on racial profiling data collection contained in a
previous authorization that was revised and restored under the FAST Act
(Pub. L. 109-59, Sec. 1906 or Section 1906, as amended by Sec. 4011,
Pub. L. 114-94).
For all of these grants, as directed in statute, NHTSA uses a
consolidated application process that relies on the Highway Safety Plan
(HSP) States submit under the Section 402 program as a single
application. The information required to be submitted for these grants
includes the HSP consisting of information on the highway safety
planning process, performance report, performance plan, problem
identification, highway safety countermeasure strategies, projects and
funding amounts, certifications and assurances, and application
materials that cover Section 405 grants and the reauthorized Section
1906 grant.\1\ States
[[Page 8833]]
also must submit an annual report evaluating their progress in
achieving performance targets. In addition, as part of the statutory
criteria for Section 405 grants covering the areas of occupant
protection, traffic safety information system improvement and impaired
driving countermeasures, States may be required to receive assessments
of their State programs in order to receive a grant.\2\ States must
provide information and respond to questions as part of the assessment
process.
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\1\ Section 405 grants cover the following: Occupant Protection
Grants; State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements Grants;
Impaired Driving Countermeasures Grants (including Alcohol-Ignition
Interlock Grants and 24-7 Sobriety Program Grants); Distracted
Driving Grants; Motorcyclist Safety Grants; State Graduated Driver
Licensing Incentive Grants; and Nonmotorized Safety Grants. Section
1906 is a separate racial profiling data collection grant.
\2\ Under occupant protection grants, one criterion that a State
with a lower belt use rate may use to receive a grant is to complete
an assessment of its occupant protection program once every three
years (23 U.S.C. 405(b)(3)(B)(ii)(VI)(aa)); and another criterion is
a comprehensive occupant protection program that includes a program
assessment conducted every five years as one of its elements (23
U.S.C. 405(b)(3)(B)(ii)(V)(aa); 23 CFR 1300.21(e)(5)(i)). Under
traffic safety system information system improvement grants, a State
must have an assessment of its highway safety data and traffic
records system once every 5 years in order to receive a grant (23
U.S.C. 405(c)(3)(E)). Under impaired driving countermeasure grants,
a State with high average impaired driving fatality rates must have
an assessment of its impaired driving program once every 3 years in
order to receive a grant. (23 U.S.C. 405(d)(3)(C)(i)(I)).
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Consistent with the statute, NHTSA has implemented a final rule
that creates uniform procedures for States to apply for grant funds (83
FR 3466, January 25, 2018). These procedures specify the information
that is required to be submitted to receive a grant and the type of
information required to verify performance under the grants.
As indicated above, States may be required to receive an assessment
of certain covered programs in order to be eligible for some grants
under Section 405. Separate from these requirements, States also may
request assessments in these areas at their discretion. NHTSA uses two
different assessment approaches based on the traffic safety area
covered. For occupant protection and impaired driving, assessments are
based on NHTSA's Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs,
which are required by Congress and periodically updated through a
process that seeks public comment.\3\ State programs are assessed
against these uniform guidelines by a team of subject matter experts.
The assessment team produces a final report with recommendations on how
the State can improve the effectiveness of its program. As part of the
process, States provide written materials in response to requests from
the assessment team and participate in a comprehensive interview
process. For traffic safety information systems, States respond to
questions based on NHTSA's Traffic Records Program Assessment Advisory
(DOT HS 812 601), which describes an ideal traffic records system. The
questions cover nine topical areas and examine how well a State plans,
collects, manages, and integrates information from several State
traffic records systems.\4\ Responses are evaluated by subject matter
experts, and a final report is provided to the State with
recommendations for improvement.
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\3\ The Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs are
available online at https://one.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/whatsup/tea21/tea21programs/index.htm.
\4\ The Traffic Records Program Assessment Advisory is available
online at https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812601.
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Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the
Information
As noted above, the statute provides that the HSP is the
application for grants each fiscal year. The information is necessary
to determine whether a State satisfies the Federal criteria for grant
awards. The annual report tracks progress in achieving the aims of the
grant program. The information is necessary to verify performance under
the grants and to provide a basis for improvement. As specified in
statute, States may be required to receive an assessment of certain
covered programs. The information provided by a State allows subject
matter experts to provide recommendations for the purpose of improving
the covered areas.
Affected Public
This collection impacts the fifty-seven entities that are eligible
to apply for grants under the NHTSA Highway Grant Program (the fifty
States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam,
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on behalf of the Indian
Country). These respondents will hereafter be referred to as ``State
respondents.''
This collection also impacts the subject matter experts and
administrative assistants who are involved in assessments for the grant
program. These subject matter experts are recruited by NHTSA by asking
NHTSA Regional Offices and the State Highway Safety Offices to make
recommendations. All new occupant protection and impaired driving
assessors complete an e-learning course, Conducting Highway Safety
Program Assessments.The course is self-paced and entirely on-line. Each
impaired driving and occupant protection assessment team consists of
five (5) assessors and an administrative assistant. For traffic records
assessments, NHTSA uses a contractor to recruit and train the assessors
for the online traffic records assessment conducted using NHTSA's
Traffic Records Improvement Program Reporting System (TRIPRS). All
subject matter experts are current or former members of State Traffic
Records Coordinating Committees. There are between 10 to 14 assessors
for each traffic records assessment.
Estimated Number of Respondents
There are 57 potential State respondents (the fifty States, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands,
and the Bureau of Indian Affairs on behalf of the Indian Country).
NHTSA estimates there will be approximately 260 assessor
respondents per year. This estimate includes assessors and
administrative assistants. Each occupant protection or impaired driving
assessment involves five (5) subject matter experts and one (1)
administrative assistant. NHTSA estimates that 13 occupant protection
and impaired driving assessments will be completed each year, for a
total of 78 respondents. Each traffic records assessment involves
approximately thirteen (13) subject matter experts. NHTSA estimates
that 14 traffic records assessments are completed each year, for a
total of 182 traffic records assessors.
Frequency
Applications for grant funding and annul reporting are submitted
once a year and assessments are conducted once every three or five
years.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 40,666
The estimated burden hours for the grant application and annual
report part of the collection of information are based on all eligible
respondents each year for each of the grants:
Section 402 grants: 57 (fifty States, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa,
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Bureau of
Indian Affairs);
Section 405 Grants (except Impaired Driving
Countermeasures, Motorcyclist Safety and Nonmotorized Grants) and
Section 1906 Grant: 56 (fifty States, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands); and
[[Page 8834]]
Section 405, Impaired Driving Countermeasures,
Motorcyclist Safety and Nonmotorized Grants: 52 (fifty States, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico).
The estimated burden hours for the assessment part of the
collection of information are based on the average number of State
assessments that are carried out each year in each of the covered grant
areas: \5\ There are 9 assessments planned for the Section 405 Occupant
Protection grants, 14 assessments for the Section 405 Traffic safety
information system improvement grants and 4 assessments for the Section
405 Impaired driving grant.
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\5\ Assessment average is based on the total number of
assessments conducted each year and divided by the number of years
since the inception of assessment requirements for certain grants
under MAP-21, Public Law 112-141.
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Under the grant application and annual report requirements, we
estimate that it will take each respondent approximately 240 hours to
collect, review and submit the required information to NHTSA for the
Section 402 program (200 burden hours for grant applications and 40
hours for annual reports). We further estimate that it will take each
respondent approximately 180 hours to collect, review and submit the
required information to NHTSA for the Section 405 program. For traffic
safety information system improvement grants, we estimate that it takes
123 hours to respond to questions under the assessment. For occupant
protection and impaired driving countermeasures grants, we estimate
that it takes 80 hours to provide the required information and respond
to questions under an assessment. Based on the above information, the
estimated annual burden hours for all State respondents is 26,522
hours.
NHTSA estimates the labor cost associated with respondents
preparing application materials using the estimated average wage for
``Management Analysts,'' Occupation Code 13-1111. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics estimates that the average hourly wage for management
analysts in State and local government is $31.95.\6\ The Bureau of
Labor Statistics estimates that wages for State and local government
workers represent 61.8% of total compensation costs.\7\ Therefore,
NHTSA estimates the hourly labor costs to be $51.70 and estimates that
hourly labor cost associated with preparing materials to be $24,056 per
respondent. If all eligible States applied for and received grants for
all programs (and including the annual number of assessment responses
required from States), the total labor costs on all respondents would
be $1,855,099.
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\6\ See May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational
Employment and Wage Estimates, NAICS 336100--Motor Vehicle
Manufacturing, available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_999200.htm (accessed January 6, 2021).
\7\
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These estimates are based on every eligible respondent submitting
the required information for every available grant. However, not all
States apply for and receive a grant each year under each of these
programs. In addition, under Section 405 grants, some requirements
permit States to submit a single application covering multiple years
allowing States to simply recertify in subsequent years.
In addition to the burden hours for State respondents, this
information collection also involves burden hours for subject matter
experts who assess the States and burden hours for administrative
assistants. For occupant protection and impaired driving assessments it
is estimated that assessors spend approximately 80 hours of work on
each assessment, based on the following assumptions: 46 hours for the
interviews and panel discussions and 34 hours for pre- and post-
assessment activities, to include reviewing: (1) Briefing book
materials; (2) resources on the State Highway Safety Office's website,
and (3) reviewing comments and/or suggestions submitted from the State
after their review of the assessment final report.The honorarium the
State pays to each team member is $2,700, which translates to $33.75
per hour.
An administrative assistant works approximately 46 hours for the
interviews and panel discussions and 18 hours for pre- and post-
assessment activities, to include coordinating logistics, assisting
team members and editing the document. The honorarium for this position
is $2,100 (which translates to $32.80 per hour).
The cost for traffic records assessments is based on the honorarium
that NHTSA pays each assessor. NHTSA pays each assessor $2,100 for
their time and NHTSA estimates that each assessor spends approximately
16 hours for the assessment, or $131.25 per hour.
Accordingly, NHTSA estimates the total burden hours for this
information collection request is 44,826 hours and the associated labor
costs is estimated to be $2,440,089.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $422,500
In addition to the cost of states in conjunction with the
assessments, there are other costs involved related to conducting the
event such as subject matter expert stipend, travel and per diem. These
costs are approximately $32,500 per occupant protection and impaired
driving assessment. For the thirteen planned assessments, the cost is
estimated to be $422,500.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspects of
this information collection, including (a) whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of
the functions of the Department, including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate
of the burden of the proposed information collection; (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 the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C.
chapter 35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29.
Jamie Pfister,
Associate Administrator for Regional Operations and Program Delivery.
[FR Doc. 2021-02652 Filed 2-8-21; 8:45 am]
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