SUPPORTING STATEMENT
NOMINATION REQUEST FORM; ANIMAL DISEASE TRAINING
June 2008
Justification
Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.
Title 7, U.S.C. 8301, The Animal Health Protection Act, authorizes the Secretary to prevent, control, and eliminate contagious, infectious, and communicable diseases. Disease prevention is the most effective method of maintaining a healthy animal population, continuing a safe food supply and enhancing APHIS' ability to compete in marketing its animal and animal product worldwide.
Veterinary Services (VS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for administering regulations intended to prevent the introduction of animal diseases into the United States. To that end, VS’ Professional Development Staff (PDS) provides vital training to State, industry, and university personnel which prepare them for animal disease response.
To determine the need and demand for such courses, PDS must collect information from individuals who wish to attend training events facilitated by PDS. Names are needed to make selections for PDS-facilitated training events. A supervisor and region approval is also needed for the participant to be accepted into the training course. Participant’s work addresses, work phone numbers, work e-mail addresses, agency/organization affiliation, and job title are needed to produce participant rosters once course selections are made to encourage a continuous working relationship throughout each participant’s career. Without the collection of this information, PDS cannot conduct training events to educate Federal, State and private veterinarians on eradication of diseases and sample collection.
APHIS is asking the Office of Management and Budget to approve its use of these information collection activities for 3 years.
Indicate how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.
Nomination/Registration Request Form (VS Form 1-5)
The information will be collected from State, industry, and university personnel who desire to attend a PDS-sponsored training event. Prior to every PDS-facilitated event, respondents will submit the completed form (hardcopy or web-based) to the Regional Training Coordinators. The Regional Training Coordinators will prioritize the applicants, based on the need in their State to attend this training, and then send the forms onto the PDS Training Technician assigned the course.
Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.
Respondents will be able to register for the course via the USDA Learning Management System, AgLearn (http://www.aglearn.usda.gov/). Alternatively, respondents without Internet access will be able to submit a hardcopy form once the information collection is approved.
Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purpose described in item 2 above.
The information collected in connection with this program is not available from any other source.
If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.
The collection of information does not impact small businesses or other small entities.
Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.
If the information were collected less frequently or not collected at all, it would significantly cripple APHIS’ ability to eradicate animal diseases. PDS educates veterinarians and animal health technicians to eliminate harmful diseases that could potentially affect human health. This would make a disease incursion event much more likely, with potentially devastating affects on the U.S. food and health industry.
Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.
The information collection is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines established in 5 CFR 1320.5.
Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting form, and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency’s notice, soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB.
In 2007, APHIS engaged in productive consultations with the following individuals concerning the information collection requirements associated with this program:
L. Curt Vogel
Kansas State University
3000 Tuttle Creek Blvd. Lot 108
Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 770-2795
lvogel@vet.k-state.edu
Whitney Miller
Colorado State University
1912 Connecticut Drive
Fort Collins, CO 80525
(970) 310-7087
Whitney.Miller@ColoState.EDU
Bridget Supak
Texas A&M University
201 Highland Street
College Station, TX 77840
(512) 856-2667
bmsupak@cvm.tamu.edu
The Agency’s notice of information collection activity was announced in the Federal Register on Tuesday, March 4, 2008, pages 11611-11612. No comments were received.
Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than reenumeration of contractors or grantees.
This information collection activity involves no payments or gifts to respondents.
Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.
No additional assurance of confidentiality is provided with this information collection.
Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior or attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.
This information collection activity will ask no questions of a personal or sensitive nature.
Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.
Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in Item 13 of OMB Form 83-I.
See APHIS Form 71. Burden estimates were developed from discussions with: State, industry, and university personnel who desire to attend a PDS-sponsored training event.
Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories.
The annualized cost to the public is $12,232.16. APHIS arrived at this figure by multiplying the hours of estimated response time (712 hours) by the estimated average hourly wage of the above respondents ($17.18). Hourly rates were derived from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics June 2003 Report - National Compensation Survey: Occupational Wages in the United States, July 2002. See http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ocs/sp/ncbl0832.pdf
Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information (do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its expected useful life; and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.
There is zero annual cost burden associated with capital and start-up costs, operation and maintenance expenditures, and purchase of services.
Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.
The annualized cost to the Federal Government is estimated at $12,473.96. (See APHIS Form 79.)
Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-1.
This is a new program. APHIS is proposing to use a standardized form to collect names and contact information from industry, State, and university personnel who wish to attend a PDS-sponsored training event.
For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.
APHIS has no plans to publish information collected in connection with this program.
If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.
If forms were to be discarded because of an outdated OMB expiration date, but otherwise usable higher printing costs would be incurred by the Federal Government. Therefore, APHIS is seeking approval to not display the OMB expiration date on its forms.
Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in the “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act.”
APHIS can certify compliance with all provisions.
Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods
Statistical methods are not employed in this information collection activity.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT |
| Author | cbsickles |
| Last Modified By | kahardy |
| File Modified | 2008-07-09 |
| File Created | 2008-06-06 |