May 8 -- The Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce, invites comments to OMB by June 12, 2023 regarding the renewed collection of outcomes data for grantees' activities.
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) leads the Federal economic development agenda by promoting innovation and competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. Guided by the basic principle that sustainable economic development should be locally driven, EDA works directly with communities and regions to help them build the capacity for economic development based on local business conditions and needs. The Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.) is EDA's establishing authority and is the primary legal authority under which EDA awards financial assistance. Under PWEDA, EDA provides financial assistance to both rural and urban distressed communities by fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and productivity through investments in infrastructure development, capacity building, and business development to attract private capital investments and new and better-quality jobs to regions experiencing economic distress. Further information on EDA programs and financial assistance opportunities can be found at www.eda.gov.
EDA's expansive portfolio of programs, the changing economy, and advances in the field of program evaluation require comprehensive and relevant data collection to increase EDA's transparency, accountability, and inform the effectiveness of its investments. Thus, EDA proposes extending forms ED-915, ED-916, ED-917, and ED-918, which are currently used to collect performance information from EDA grantees. These data collection instruments cover EDA's infrastructure and non-infrastructure program portfolios thereby helping EDA tell a better, more wholistic story of its investments and impact in the communities and regions it serves.
The purpose of this notice is to seek comments from the public and other Federal agencies on a request for an extension without changes on the ED-916, ED-917 and ED-918 non-infrastructure metrics for recipients of awards under EDA's non-infrastructure portfolio of programs and the ED-915 construction metrics for recipients under EDA's construction portfolio of programs. EDA will require award recipients to submit this data at predetermined intervals (ED-916: semiannually throughout the period of performance for their award; ED-917/18: annually for 5 years; ED-915 at 3-, 6-, 9-year intervals after the award) to determine the activities grantees were able to undertake because of the EDA award and the outcomes from those activities attributable to the EDA grants for both grantee organizations and the clients they serve.
EDA must comply with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (Pub. L. 103–62) and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111–352), which require Federal agencies to develop performance measures and report to Congress and stakeholders the results of the agency's performance. The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115–435) further emphasizes the importance of updating existing methodologies for performance measurement and program evaluation to align with evolving best practices. The data collected will help EDA construct more robust performance metrics and increase accountability and transparency of the agency's work by providing better insight into the efficiency and effectiveness of all the programs under its non-infrastructure portfolio.
EDA Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation:
https://www.eda.gov/impact/performance
EDA submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202305-0610-001 Click on IC List for questionnaire, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2023-09655
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806