Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Probate of Indian Estates, Except for Members of the Osage Nation and Five Civilized Tribes

<NOTICE> DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR <SUBAGY>Bureau of Indian Affairs</SUBAGY> <DEPDOC>[256A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900; OMB Control Number 1076-0169]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Probate of Indian Estates, Except for Members of the Osage Nation and Five Civilized Tribes</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Notice of information collection; request for comment. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are proposing to renew an information collection. </SUM> <DATES> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before January 8, 2025. </DATES> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection request (ICR) should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) through <E T="03">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRA/icrPublicCommentRequest?ref_nbr=202405-1076-013</E> or by visiting <E T="03">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</E> and selecting “Currently under Review—Open for Public Comments” and then scrolling down to the “Department of the Interior.” <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> To request additional information about this ICR, contact Steven Mullen, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Suite 229, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104; <E T="03">comments@bia.gov;</E> (202) 924-2650. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. You may also view the ICR at <E T="03">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/Forward?SearchTarget=PRA&textfield=1076-0169.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 <E T="03">et seq.</E> ) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. A <E T="04">Federal Register</E> notice with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on June 21, 2024 (89 FR 52076). No comments were received. As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following: (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether or not the information will have practical utility; (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, <E T="03">e.g.,</E> permitting electronic submission of response. Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. <E T="03">Abstract:</E> The Secretary of the Interior probates the estates of individual Indians owning trust or restricted property in accordance with 25 U.S.C. 372-373. In order to compile the probate file, the BIA must obtain the family heirship data regarding the deceased from individuals and the tribe. This section contains the procedures that the Secretary of the Interior follows to initiate the probate of the trust estate for a deceased person who owns an interest in trust or restricted property. The Secretary must perform the necessary research of family heirship data collection requests in this part to obtain the information necessary to compile an accurate and complete probate file. This file will be forwarded to the Office of Hearing and Appeals (OHA) for disposition. Responses to these information collection requests are required to create a probate file for the decedent's estate so that OHA can determine the heirs of the decedent and order distribution of the trust assets in the decedent's estate. <E T="03">Title of Collection:</E> Probate of Indian Estates, Except for Members of the Osage Nation and Five Civilized Tribes. <E T="03">OMB Control Number:</E> 1076-0169. <E T="03">Form Number:</E> OHA-7 form. <E T="03">Type of Review:</E> Extension of a currently approved collection. <E T="03">Respondents/Affected Public:</E> Indians, businesses, and tribal authorities. <E T="03">Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents:</E> 36,906 per year. <E T="03">Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses:</E> 41,139 per year. <E T="03">Estimated Completion Time per Response:</E> Varies from 0.5 hours to 45 hours. <E T="03">Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours:</E> 617,486 per year. <E T="03">Respondent's Obligation:</E> Required to Obtain a Benefit. <E T="03">Frequency of Collection:</E> Once per respondent per year. <E T="03">Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost:</E> $0. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Authority</HD> An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 <E T="03">et seq.</E> ). <SIG> <NAME>Steven Mullen,</NAME> Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs. </SIG> </SUPLINF> <FRDOC>[FR Doc. 2024-28856 Filed 12-6-24; 8:45 am]</FRDOC> </NOTICE>