Economic Development Data Collection Instrument OMB Review Comment Request

FR: Commerce Department

Published March 27th, 2026

Detected March 27th, 2026

Summary

The Economic Development Administration is requesting public comment on its Regional Economic Development Data Collection Instrument, which is an extension of a currently approved collection. This instrument is used to administer and monitor economic development assistance programs, particularly for recipients of awards under the Build Back Better Regional Challenge.

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What changed

The Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) has submitted a request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance of its Regional Economic Development Data Collection Instrument. This submission follows a prior 60-day comment period and seeks an additional 30 days for public input. The instrument, identified by OMB Control Number 0610-0110, is an extension of a currently approved collection and will be used to gather both traditional metrics and qualitative data from 21 coalitions participating in the Build Back Better Regional Challenge program.

Regulated entities, specifically the leads of the 21 BBBRC coalitions, will be required to respond to a quarterly questionnaire. Each response is estimated to take 2.5 hours, contributing to a total of 210 burden hours. The data collected will inform the administration and monitoring of EDA's economic development assistance programs, focusing on thematic areas such as innovation, workforce development, business growth, infrastructure, and technology adoption. The EDA is seeking comments on the impact of these information collection requirements and ways to minimize the public's reporting burden.

What to do next

Submit public comments on the Regional Economic Development Data Collection Instrument by the close of the 30-day comment period.

Source document (simplified)

Notice

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Regional Economic Development Data Collection Instrument

A Notice by the Economic Development Administration on 03/27/2026

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Public Inspection Published Document: 2026-05953 (91 FR 14807) Document Headings ###### Department of Commerce

Economic Development Administration

The Department of Commerce will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on January 23, 2026 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

Agency: Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce.

Title: Regional Economic Development Data Collection Instrument.

OMB Control Number: 0610-0110.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Request: Extension of a Currently Approved Collection.

Number of Respondents: A total of 21 coalitions (with a designated lead) will respond.

Average Hours per Response: 2.5 hours per respondent per quarter.

Burden Hours: 210 hours.

Needs and Uses: To effectively administer and monitor its economic development assistance programs, EDA collects certain information from applications for, and recipients of, EDA investment assistance. The purpose of this notice is to seek comments from the public and other Federal agencies on a request for recipients of awards under the EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge.

The proposed information collection employs a mixed methods approach to gather traditional metrics in addition to qualitative data on all regions participating in the Build Back Better Regional Challenge program. Secondary data will be gathered and monitored for each of the regions/awardees. A quarterly questionnaire is sent to each of the BBBRC coalition leads which will gather the relevant data and stories for each of the 21 BBBRC coalitions, resulting in coalition regional impact evaluation, resources, and tools for regional economic development decision-makers.

The collection explores several thematic areas for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, where each of the following areas are based on survey scope of work themes:

Accelerating innovation in emerging technologies to gain an understanding of the long-term impact of economic and social sectors.
Helping workers access information on new job opportunities, job placement, and job training and prepare for and be hired into jobs.
Increasing new business growth and entrepreneurial activities within industry sectors.
Building critical infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer miles, business and industries to allow for economic development and growth.
Helping businesses adopt new technologies so that they may enter new markets, increasing their economic capacity and overall sustainability.

Coalition leads will respond to the appropriate thematic area, answering questions related to the following process and progress:

Reflections and updates on the coalition implementation process and progress.
The ability to secure additional non-federal investments.
Detailing the programs, training, and curricula developed/launched for job training/workforce development.
Job creation, wage growth, and existing employee growth and development. Affected Public: Recipients of Build Back Better Regional Challenge awards, which may include a(n): district organization; Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes; state, county, city, or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a state or local government engaged in economic or ( printed page 14808) infrastructure development activities or a consortium of political subdivisions; institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or public or private non-profit organization or association, including labor unions, acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a state.

Frequency: Quarterly.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Legal Authority: The Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq).

This information collection request may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB Control Number 0610-0110.

Sheleen Dumas,

Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary of Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.

[FR Doc. 2026-05953 Filed 3-26-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-34-P

Published Document: 2026-05953 (91 FR 14807)