In order to be eligible for certain types of Federal Emergency Management Agency non-emergency assistance, State, local, territorial and Tribal governments are required to have a current FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan that meets the criteria established in 44 CFR Part 201 and applicable mitigation planning policies.
There has been an overall increase of 43,228 burden hours. This increase is mainly due to the increase in the overall number of jurisdictions served by this program, and it is mitigated by a general decrease in the number of overall plans as some were consolidated into multi-jurisdictional plans. Per 44 CFR § 201.6(a)(4), local governments may collaborate to create a multi-jurisdictional plan. One participating community should be designated as the lead jurisdiction. When FEMA HMA planning grants are used, the lead jurisdiction is often the subrecipient. FEMA encourages the lead jurisdiction to gain buy-in for adoption early in the planning process, using letters of commitment. A participating jurisdiction that does not adopt the plan will not be considered to have an approved plan.
There is an overall increase of $5,025,025 due to a combination of the increase of burden hours to this collection and the general increase in wages.
Please note that the program office provided an excellent narrative breakdown of the Question 13 costs to respondents on pages 17-18 of the Supporting Statement A.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.