RATB Proposal for Information Collection

Regs.gov: Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board

Published July 1st, 2010

Detected March 15th, 2026

Summary

The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RATB) has submitted a proposal to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance of a new information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act. This proposal concerns job reporting requirements for recipients of Recovery Act funds, with comments due July 16, 2010.

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What changed

The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (RATB) has initiated a proposal for a new information collection concerning job reporting by recipients of Recovery Act funds. This proposal, submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance under emergency provisions, aims to address inconsistencies and lack of oversight in reported job creation or retention numbers. The RATB plans to conduct a statistically valid sample test of approximately 200 recipients to gather data on their policies, procedures, documentation, and challenges related to job reporting.

Regulated entities, specifically recipients of Recovery Act funds, are subject to this proposed information collection. Comments on this proposal are due by July 16, 2010. The information requested is expected to be limited in scope, typically less than 10 pages, and focuses on the process of compiling and reporting job data. The purpose is to ensure the accuracy and reasonableness of job numbers reported under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

What to do next

Review proposed information collection requirements for job reporting under Section 1512 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Submit comments to Sharon Mar at OMB by July 16, 2010, regarding the proposed information collection.

Source document (simplified)

Content

ACTION:

Notice of proposed information collection.

SUMMARY:

The Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board (Board) has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
clearance the following proposal for collection of information under the emergency provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

DATES:

Comments are due July 16, 2010.

ADDRESSES:

Send all comments to Sharon Mar, Desk Officer for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, Office of Management
and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503; fax 202-395-5167; or e-mail to smar@omb.eop.gov.

Title of Collection: Jobs Reporting under Section 1512 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

OMB Control No.: 0430—Pending.

Description: Section 1512 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5, 123 Stat. 115 (2009)) (Recovery Act) requires
recipients of Recovery Act funds to report an estimate of the number of jobs created or retained by particular projects or
activities. These reports are submitted to FederalReporting.gov, and information from these reports is later posted to the
publicly available Web site Recovery.gov. Among other things, the purpose of the Recovery Act is “to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery.” An integral
part of the nation's recovery is the creation of jobs. However, there has been very little oversight of the job numbers reported
by recipients of Recovery funds. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Inspectors General (IGs) have done
limited testing on some recipients. The limited testing to date has found the following: (1) Some recipients were confused
by the revised guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on December 18, 2009 (M-10-08); (2) some recipients
decided not to use the updated jobs reporting guidance; (3) one state recipient estimated the number of jobs that could potentially
be created; and (4) one recipient was calculating jobs by dividing average salaries by the number of employees. Therefore,
a statistically valid sample test would provide the insight needed to better understand these jobs numbers. The sample would
be approximately 200 recipients and should provide enough data to determine whether the jobs numbers reported are reasonable.
The information requested would be limited to the recipients' policies and procedures for compiling and reporting the jobs
data; documentation for the jobs reported; and identifying any on-going challenges faced in complying with the job reporting
requirements. The information requested in most circumstances will be less than 10 pages.

Affected Public: Recipients, as defined in section 1512(b)(1) of the Recovery Act, of Recovery Act funds.

Total Estimated Number or Respondents: 200.

Frequency of Responses: Once.

Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 400.

Ivan J. Flores, Paralegal Specialist, Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. [FR Doc. 2010-16125 Filed 7-1-10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6820-GA-P