SUPPORTING STATEMENT PART A - Commerce New Generic - Meeting Requests Conferences Events and Miscellaneous Forms OIRA comments feedback - Final

SUPPORTING STATEMENT PART A

U. S. Department of Commerce

Title: Generic Clearance Collection for Meetings, Events,

Registrations, and Miscellaneous Forms

OMB Control No. 0690-NEW

ABSTRACT

This is a request for a new generic clearance as a means of promoting innovative solutions. This generic will allow Commerce to provide a quick and efficient process to create registration and application forms for Commerce sponsored events, meetings, workshops, presentations, panels, and advisory committees that go beyond what is necessary to register, and one-time miscellaneous forms that are primarily of an administrative nature, not to be used for programmatic purposes, and are necessary to achieve mission objectives. The Department of Commerce Bureaus directly sponsors, and organizes activities, including research-related activities, meetings, and outreach events. For such activities to be timely and to optimally use available resources to address needs and opportunities within the research and outreach community, it is necessary for Commerce to have a means to expeditiously register and select the most appropriate participants, according to the type or purpose of a given activity.

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.

Executive Order 12862 directs Federal agencies to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the best service available in the private sector. The Department of Commerce (DOC) offers a variety of services throughout the country.

This generic will provide a quick and efficient process to create forms for DOC to register sponsored conferences, workshops, meetings, outreach events, process temporary employees, excepted service positions, advisory committee members, website content and respondents for miscellaneous reasons. For such activities to be timely and to optimally use available resources to address customer needs and provide opportunities for program and services, it is necessary for DOC to have a means to timely select the most appropriate participants, and to quickly accommodate the participants request according to the type or purpose of a given activity. The information collected from our customers and stakeholders will help ensure that users have an effective, efficient, and satisfying experience with our programs and services, in compliance with E.O. 12862.

2. Indicate how, by whom, 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.

The information collected will be used to register and process participants for various DOC program events, and services throughout the agency’s locations/Bureaus.

The DOC Bureau program offices will use the information to process participants for miscellaneous activities, which include preparing certificates, name badges, etc. for events, conferences, and forms for outreach activities.

The information may also be used to develop mailing lists for distribution of outreach-related information and special DOC events/workshops/conferences, but only upon the request or expressed interest of the person registering.

In some cases, information will be collected in accordance with EO 14035, ethnicity, and gender data will be collected on a voluntary basis from constituents at the application or registration stage. For information collections involving questions of race/ethnicity, the agency will ensure that the OMB Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity are followed. Additionally, we may use the following question: Do you or your organization identify with any of the following groups that the federal government, in Executive Order 13985, has identified as underserved?  Check all that apply.

1. Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans

and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color

2. Members of religious minorities

3. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons

4. Persons with disabilities

5. Persons who live in rural areas

6. Persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

7. No, I do not identify with any of these groups.

Response option a) will be removed if race and ethnicity is collected under separate question(s) to avoid duplication. Because this is not a random sampling, the data is intended to be used as one indicator in targeting and designing outreach activities and is in no way considered to be a statistically significant analysis. For example, it may indicate a need to focus resources in a particular county or region where low participation is indicated by the data. It could also be used as an indicator of whether outreach efforts are working effectively or not, and whether underserved communities are responding to our efforts.

This clearance will also allow DOC to request detailed information from outside organizations about an event when they wish to have DOC staff speak or present.

The types of collections that this generic clearance covers include, but are not limited to:

• Registration for workshops/conference

• Registration for education/training programs

• Registration for public programs

• Registration for group tours/public events

• Registration for special program events

• Registration for online training

• Registration for professional development training

• Registration to receive newsletters and marketing information.

• Applications for excepted service positions or temporary employees

Types of information we would collect for the programs above mostly include:

• Name, address, and contact information for registrants

• Affiliated organization information/position (e.g., for profit or nonprofit organizations, corporations)

• Name or type of program of interest to the registrant

• Checklists for types of services required, e.g., transportation, menu options.

• Number and types of participants (such as adult, student, chaperone, participant) within a group, when registering at a group level

• When registrant requests support or special accommodation, a statement of need

• Credit card and billing information

• The registrant’s specialization or area of interest

• Agreement to terms of pre-visit preparation

• Preferred dates for attending/visiting/meeting.

• Parent approval for student participation

• U.S. citizen

• Where the participant/applicant learned about the program

• Resume/qualifications (uploaded)

We will submit a specific information collection for approval by the agency PRA clearance officer under this generic clearance only if it meets the following conditions:

• The collection is voluntary.

• The collection is low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and is low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government.

• The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies.

• Personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary.

• Information gathered will be used only internally to support registration for training and programs and is not intended for release outside of the agency.

• Information gathered will not be used to directly inform influential policy decisions; Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the population of study.

If these conditions are not met, we will submit an information collection request to OMB for approval through the normal PRA process.

To obtain approval for a collection that meets the conditions of this generic clearance, we will submit a standardized form to OMB along with supporting documentation (e.g., a copy of the registration form). The submission will have automatic approval unless OMB identifies issues within five business days.

3. 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 submission 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.

DOC will use multiple methods to gather registrant/participant information, including manually filling out information and sending it via email, phone, or fax. We will also use Eventbrite for some registrations. Some program offices will collect information electronically and/or use online collaboration tools to reduce burden. Screenshots will be provided for all online data collection instruments. A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) and SORN, when appropriate, will be completed for all requests, including online requests, and will be noted in each collection submitted for review.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.

DOC will use this collection to reduce duplication of this information throughout the agency. Any known/discovered duplications will be reduced/eliminated.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.

Small businesses or other small entities may be involved in these efforts, but the agency will try to minimize the burden on them by asking for readily available information, and using short, easy-to-complete information collection instruments.

6. 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.

Forms will be submitted on an as needed basis.

It is necessary to collect each time a group or individual wishes to participate in the program activity or event because the groups do not always contain the same participants, we need to know the number of attendees to properly prepare the space and program materials, and similar needs. We also do not retain peoples’ personal information for later re-use should they attend another program as a privacy practice. If we could not collect the information for each program and registrant, we would be unable to offer many of our events and outreach programs, and would be restricted in the number of participants, in some cases having to turn people away.

7. This is a voluntary information collection and will be conducted in a manner consistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5. The information collected will not be used for statistical purposes.

There are no special circumstances. The information collected will be voluntary and will not be used for statistical purposes.

8. Comments in Response to the Federal Register Notice and Efforts to Consult Outside Agency

We published a notice request for public comments for the proposed information collection in the Federal Register on December 28, 2022 (87 FR 79855). We received one comment on December 28, 2022, from Jean Public. Due to lack of relevance, no action was taken in response to the comment. A copy of the comment received is included in this submission.

In addition to soliciting comments from the public, we consulted with representatives from other government agencies that have similar collections.

9. Explanation of any payment or gift to respondents.

We will not provide any monetary gifts or payments for this generic to respondents for completing any of the data collection instruments. On occasions, respondents and conference attendees may receive informational materials, mementos, or souvenirs.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

Information provided will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. We include a Privacy Act statement on each form. DOC staff and designees use the provided information to manage attendance, registration, and communication for and about the named activity or program event. In addition, only individuals who need to use the information for in the stated purpose have access to it, and we destroy it promptly once the program is over or manage and dispose of the information as appropriate according to the information’s record schedule.

Personal Identifiable Information (PII) will only be collected to the extent necessary. In these instances, the rationale for collecting PII will be fully explained. Respondents will be assured that neither their participation nor lack of participation will have any effect on their eligibility for participation in events or receipt of services.

In addition, respondents will be advised of the purpose of the information collection, the use of information collection, DOC sponsorship, that their participation is voluntary, and that they may choose to discontinue or have their name and/or related information withdrawn at any time.

11. Provide 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.

Most questions that will be asked are typically not considered sensitive. PII may be collected for some requests, and in most cases, all data will be fully and permanently destroyed/deleted upon event completion.

As a general matter, information collections under this generic collection request will not result in any new system of records containing privacy information and will not ask questions of a sensitive nature that have not been approved for use by OMB, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

However, for DOC to be more inclusive when it comes to selecting panelists/speakers to speak at DOC supported meetings, conferences, committee members, and program outreach events to ensure diversity and underrepresented communities are represented, sensitive questions (i.e., race, age, ethnicity, sex/gender etc.) may be asked. In accordance with the Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking: Section 7(c).  In conducting this review, heads of agencies shall take steps to review the membership of scientific and technological advisory committees and, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, ensure that members and future nominees reflect the diversity of America in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, geography, and other characteristics; represent a variety of backgrounds, areas of expertise, and experiences; provide well-rounded and expert advice to agencies; and are selected based on their scientific and technological knowledge, skills, experience, and integrity, including prioritization of experience with evidence-based, equitable, inclusive, and participatory practices and structures for the conduct of scientific research and the communication of scientific results.

12. Estimates of Hour Burden Including Annualized Hourly Costs

A variety of instruments and platforms will be used to collect information from respondents, and each will vary by number of respondents and average time per response. However, the annual burden hours requested (10,375) is based on the number of collections we expect to conduct over the requested period for this clearance. The average time per response is one hour.

Estimated Annualized Burden Table

Type of Request	Number of Respondents	Number of Responses per Respondent	Average Burden (in hours) per Response	Total Burden Hours
Conferences	2,500	1	1	2,500
Meetings	2,500	1	45/60	1,875
Workshops/Training	2,500	1	30/60	1,250
Committees	1,000	1	1	1,000
Panels	1,500	1	30/60	750
Presentations	1,500	1	1	1,500
Miscellaneous Forms*	4,500	1	15/30/60	5,500
Total annually	17,000			15,375
Three-year period	51,000			46,125

*Miscellaneous e.g., Temporary employees, Career profile inventories, resumes, etc.

Annualized Cost to Respondents

These estimates are based on the following data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics: the General Public rate was obtained from the https://www.bls.gov/oes/2021/may/oes_nat.htm#00-0000

Occupation codes 13-1121, meeting, convention and event planners, and 11-9199, managerial professionals and the wage rate was obtained from https://www.bls.gov/oes/2021/may/oes_nat.htm#29-0000. Occupation codes 11-9033, Educators; and 19-3022, Researchers and the wage rate was obtained from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes211091.htm.

Type of Respondents	Number of Respondents	Hourly Respondent Wage Rate	Respondent Cost
General Public	5,000	$28.01	$140,050
Managerial Professionals Meetings, Convention, and Event Planners	6,000 4,000	$62.36 $27.81	$485,400
Researchers Educators	1,000 1,000	$31.10 $53.49	$84,590
TOTAL	17,000		$710,040

13. Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers 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 are no capital/start-up or ongoing operation/maintenance costs associated with this information collection."

14. Provide estimates of annualized costs to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate costs and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

The annualized cost to the Federal Government for the proposed data collection effort is $122,910, ($72.36/hour, 10% of time $7.23 x 17,000).

Cost Descriptions	Grade/Step	*Salary	% of Effort	Fringe (if applicable)	Total Cost to Gov’t
Federal Oversight
Federal staff	multiple	$151,580/$72.36 hour	10%		$ 15,158
Other Cost
Total					$122,910

15. Explanation for Program Changes or Adjustments

This is a new information collection.

16. Plans for Tabulation and Publication and Project Time Schedule

The information collected through this request is primarily for internal review and will not be published. However, for certain activities information submitted by accepted participants, a list of advisory committee members, etc., may be published on a DOC website or included in a printed or online program for the activity or subsequent publication describing the activity. A privacy notice/statement, when appropriate, will be completed and will be noted in the related collection.

17. Reason(s) Display of OMB Expiration Date is Inappropriate

We are not seeking a waiver of this requirement. There are no reasons to preclude display of the OMB expiration date on the instruments.

18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.