[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 226 (Monday, November 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56114-56116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25563]



[[Page 56114]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2017-0096]


Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements: Agency 
Information Collection Activity

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department 
of Transportation.

ACTION: Request for public comment on a proposed collection of 
information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from 
the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (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 reinstatements of previously approved collections. This 
document describes one collection of information for which the National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) intends to seek OMB 
approval.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by January 26, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket No. NHTSA-2017-
0096 through one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590 between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. Telephone: 202-366-9826.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number for this proposed collection of information. Note that 
all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. 
Please see the Privacy 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 http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read comments received, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov, or the street address listed above. Follow 
the online instructions for accessing the dockets.

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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
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. 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:
    (i) 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;
    (ii) 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;
    (iii) How to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected;
    (iv) 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.
    The agency will summarize and/or include your comments in the 
request for OMB's clearance of this information collection.
    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:
    OMB Control Number: Not assigned.
    Title: State Highway Safety Grant Programs.
    Form Numbers: N/A (Highway Safety Plan, Annual Report, Assessment).
    Type of Review: New Collection.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from the 
approval date.
    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 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

[[Page 56115]]

grant.\2\ States must provide information and respond to questions as 
part of the assessment process.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \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 of the criterion that 
a State with a lower belt use rate may use to get 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)).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Consistent with the statute, NHTSA has implemented an interim final 
rule that creates uniform procedures for States to apply for grant 
funds (81 FR 32554, May 23, 2016), and will issue a final rule in the 
near future. 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. Under these efforts, NHTSA has 
taken actions to streamline the required application procedures, 
including the expanded use of an electronic submission process 
identified as the Grants Management Solutions Suite (GMSS). This system 
will replace the current grants management tracking system and allows 
States to apply for and receive grants electronically. NHTSA plans to 
introduce an updated version of GMSS for fiscal year 2019. 
Implementation will occur after several participating States have 
completed system usability testing, and NHTSA has reviewed and 
considered any feedback provided.
    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 811 644), 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \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://www.nhtsa.gov/research-data/traffic-records.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.
    Description of the Likely Respondents: 57 Respondents (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).
    Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden 
Resulting From the Collection of Information: \5\ 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:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ As noted later, the total number of respondents is based on 
every eligible respondent submitting the required information for 
every available grant.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     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
     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: \6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Section 405, Occupant protection grants: 9 assessments;
     Section 405, Traffic safety information system improvement 
grants: 11 assessments; and
     Section 405, Impaired driving countermeasure grants: 4 
assessments.
    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. 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 
165 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 respondents are 26,615 hours.
    Assuming the average salary of individuals responsible for 
submitting the information is $50.00 per hour, the estimated cost for 
each respondent is $23,350 and the estimated total cost for all 
respondents is $1,330,750.\7\ These

[[Page 56116]]

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. Considering the agency's steps 
to streamline the current submission process, including increased use 
of prepopulated information fields in GMSS and greater reliance on 
electronic submission in general, these estimates represent the highest 
possible burden hours and costs possible for States submitting the 
required information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ Per hour costs are estimated based on the costs paid to fund 
positions within State highway safety offices and represent an 
average across several positions that a State might use to collect 
and submit grant application information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Please submit any comments, identified by the docket number in the 
heading of this document, by any of the methods described in the 
ADDRESSES section of this document. Comments are due by January 26, 
2018.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44. U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; 5 CFR part 1320; and 49 CFR 1.95.

    Issued in Washington, DC on November 20, 2017.
Mary D. Gunnels,
Associate Administrator for Regional Operations and Program Delivery.
[FR Doc. 2017-25563 Filed 11-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P


