Att_SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION-2-12-09-2-19-09

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS UNDER THE PROMOTING POSTBACCALAUREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS PROGRAM

A. Justification

1. Collection of the information is necessary in order that the Secretary of Education can carry out the new graduate Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities For Hispanic Americans Program under Title V, Part B, Sections 511-514 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1102-1102c. The information will be used in the evaluation process to determine whether proposed activities are consistent with legislated activities and to determine the dollar share of the Congressional appropriation to be awarded to successful applicants. The Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities For Hispanic Americans Program provides grants to: (1) expand postbaccalaureate educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students; and (2) expand the postbaccalaureate academic offerings as well as enhance the program quality in the institutions of higher education that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students and helping large numbers of Hispanic and low-income students complete postsecondary degrees.

Information is collected under authority of 20 U.S.C. 1102-1102c; the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; and the applicable regulations for this program in 34 CFR 606.2(a) and (b), 606.3, 606.4, 606.5, 606.6, 606.7, 606.10(b)(c)(d), and 606.30. This discretionary grant falls under the Streamlined Clearance Process for Discretionary Grant Information Collections, 1890-0001.

2. This collection of information is gathered electronically by the Department for the purpose of obtaining programmatic and budgetary information needed to evaluate applications and to make funding decisions based on the authorizing statute and the published selection criteria.

Failure to collect this information would prevent the awarding of appropriated funds because essential information would not be available for evaluating the applicant’s proposed project with authorizing legislation and program regulations.

3. The Office of Postsecondary Education is committed to the reduction of paperwork and has been collecting this information electronically since 2000. Electronic submission has reduced the burden for both the applicants and Department staff.

4. The information submitted in each application is unique to each respondent. No other existing information collection can serve the purposes described in item 2.

5. Not applicable – small businesses or other small entities would not be impacted by this collection.

6. This collection will be conducted annually, based on availability of funding for new grants under Title V, Part B. If the collection were not conducted annually, appropriated funds could not be spent.

7. There are no special circumstances as outlined in #7 of the instructions.

8. Program staff will respond to any questions or comments resulting from the publication of the information collection in the Federal Register as required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d).

9. No gifts or payments will be provided to respondents.

10. The Department’s disclosure policies adhere to the provisions of the Privacy Act.

11. Questions of a sensitive nature are not included in this information collection.

12. Estimated burden hour of this collection of information is 75 hours. We estimate 100 respondents. Applications will be submitted annually.

Estimated cost to respondents:

Professionals

(100 personnel X 60 hours X $35 per hour) $210,000

Clerical

(70 personnel X 15 hours X $15 per hour) $ 15,750

Total estimated costs to respondents $225,750

13. The total for the capital and start-up cost components for this information Collection is zero. This Information Collection will not require the purchase of any capital equipment not create any start up costs.

14. Estimated annual cost to the Federal Government:

Development and Approval Process

(2 staff X 75 hours X $37 per hour) $ 5,550

Printing

(100 applications X $3 per app) $ 300

Mailing

(40 applications X $.75 per copy) 30

Peer Review Planning and Coordination

(30 days X 4 staff X $280 per day) $ 33,600

Peer Review (Stipends and Training)

(55 peer reviewers X $1,000) $ 55,000

(30 alternates peer reviewers X $100) $ 3,000

Analyses and Evaluation

(30 days X 5 staff X $280 per day) $ 42,000

Monitoring of Grants

(160 days X 5 staff X $280 per day) $268,800

World Wide Web Preparation for Posting

(4 hours X 1 staff X $35 per hour) $ 140

Total estimated cost to the Federal Government $ 408,280

15. Not applicable - Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities For Hispanic Americans is a new program.

16. Results of the collected information will not be published.

17. This report will display the expiration date for the OMB approval of the information collection.

18. There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

This collection of information does not employ statistical methods.