Emergency Memo

MEMORANDUM

DATE: March 19, 2018

TO: Sharon Mar

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Office of Management and Budget

THROUGH: Tomakie Washington

Information Collection Coordinator

Office of the Chief Privacy Officer

U.S. Department of Education

FROM: Adam Kissel

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs

Office of Postsecondary Education

U.S. Department of Education

SUBJECT: Emergency Clearance Waiver under the Paperwork Reduction Act for the Hurricane Recovery Act

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, signed into law by President Trump on February 9, 2018, included significant new funding to support disaster relief. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) will award up to $2.7 billion to assist K-12 schools and school districts and institutions of higher education (IHEs) in meeting the educational needs of students affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the 2017 California wildfires. This disaster assistance will help schools, school districts and IHEs return to their full capabilities as quickly and effectively as possible.

There are two funding opportunities for IHEs:

Emergency Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education- Congress appropriated $100 million for this program, which will provide emergency assistance to IHEs and their students in areas directly affected by the covered disasters or emergencies.

Defraying Costs of Enrolling Displaced Students in Higher Education- Congress appropriated $75 million for this program, which will provide payments to IHEs to help defray the unexpected expenses associated with enrolling displaced students from IHEs directly affected by a covered disaster or emergency, in accordance with criteria to be established and made publicly available.

Timeline:

The Department requests OMB approval on or by March 23, 2018.

Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.13, the Department requests that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review this collection under its emergency procedures, based on harm to public due to an unanticipated/unforeseen natural disaster event that occurred beyond ED’s control. Due to the severe impact (e.g., physical, social, emotional) of the hurricanes and wildfires and the degree to which they have disrupted teaching and learning, we are requesting emergency clearance by Friday March 23. Also, taking into account the timeline to disperse these funds and in light of the late enactment of the Disaster Relief statute along with the fact that the 2017-2018 school year will end in a few months, it is critical that these data are collected quickly to enable ED to make timely payments and provide necessary relief. OMB approval by March 23^rd would allow ED to publish Notices Inviting Applications and OMB approved applications by the week of April 2, 2018.

If you have additional questions please contact me at 202-453-7337.