Office of the Chief Information Officer &
High Performance Computing and Communications
Paperwork Reduction Act Guidance
General NOAA PRA Information (10/21/2008). This document provides general NOAA information on PRA requirements, the NOAA process, who gets clearance, etc.: the basics.
NMFS SOPs ( REVISED 03/24/2009). This document provides specifically NMFS guidance on the PRA process.
REVISED Instructions for Preparing a Request for OMB Clearance (rev 09/29/11). If you are going to make a clearance request, please READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!
Supporting statement instructions - A PDF version of the supporting statement instructions may also be downloaded.
Request for nonsubstantive change (change request) - If you are making minor changes to a formand/ orto another other aspect of an information collection, in many instances it is possible to submit a change request rather than a complete revision request. Documents required:1) justification statement of one page or less (no specific format); 2) revised form(s) if applicable; 3) draft of rule to which the request is related, if applicable. Please consult with the NOAA PRA Clearance Officer, Sarah Brabson (sarah.brabson@noaa.gov or 301-628-5751) to determine if a change request is appropriate:each situation is different, and there are no clearcut rules.
Checklist of Reviewing a Request for OMB Clearance ( 2/14/10). This Word document helps to review submissions to make sure that they meet requirements and standards.
Guidance on Preparing A PRA Federal Register Notice (09/19/2011). Please read the guidance to understand the information to be provided in the notice that you will send to your line office PRA Coordinator.
Please check that you have the most recent format before drafting your notice (see below)-- it will make it easier for all of us!! Also, the instructions state specifically which parts of the template are required text - please READ these instructions and do NOT delete those sections of the text. PRA staff need to add them back in and it's not a good use of our time.
Download Word template for a FR Notice. NOTE: Do NOT use any template but this one.
Guidance on Addressing the PRA in a Preamble of a Rulemaking (9/19/2005). If a rulemaking contains, refers to, or affects information requirements then the preamble needs to address the PRA in the classification section. There are different formats for proposed and final rules.
Guidance on the PRA Statements Required on Information Collection Forms (09/27/2005). Unless specific approval is granted to do otherwise, you must provide certain PRA information to collection respondents. These requirements are detailed in this guidance.
Survey Guidance
OMB Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys, 9-06 (more technical document, complementing survey guidance)
OMB Memo on Social Media and PRA Guidance, 4-10
OMB Memo on PRA and Generic Clearances, 5-10
NEW: Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for theCollection of Routine Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 0690-0030)
Overall Instructions and Guidance - Please read before deciding if your information collection request fits this OMB Control No and then contact Sarah Brabson, NOAA PRA Cleaerance Officer, regarding your plans, cc'ing Kandi Smith if NMFS and Cheryl Marlin if NOS. Submission is through Sarah Brabson and Kandi Smith if NMFS, through Sarah, cc'ing Cheryl, if NOS and directly to Sarah for other LOs/SOs.
Form and Instructions - Instructions are below the questions. Note, for the Additional Information at bottom, the NOAA PRA Clearance Officer can complete Questions 1 and 2 when submitting to DOC/OMB. Question 4 is applicable only if you have published a Privacy Act System of Records Notice that is pertinent to this request (in most instances, this will be NA).
Customer Surveys (updated 04/20/2011). NOAA has obtained a generic clearance that allows for expedited review for customer surveys that meet certain requirements. This guidance tells what surveys qualify for this process and how to apply for clearance under it.
Privacy Impact Assessments - Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) are required by Section 208 of the E-Government Act for all Federal government agencies that maintain, develop or procure new technology (e.g. an electronic database) involving the collection, maintenance or dissemination of personally identifiable information (PII). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ensures that PIAs necessitated under the E-Government Act are completed by requiring them as part of the annual budget process. Some information collections under the PRA involve databases containing PII and thus would require PIAs.