Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Proposed Collection; Comment Request for a Modified OGE Form 201, Request To Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records
| Published date | 07 February 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 7305 |
| Record Number | 2020-02396 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Government Ethics Office |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 26 (Friday, February 7, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 26 (Friday, February 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7305-7306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02396]
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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB
Review; Proposed Collection; Comment Request for a Modified OGE Form
201, Request To Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel
Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records
AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).
ACTION: Notice of request for agency and public comments.
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SUMMARY: After publication of this second round notice, the U.S. Office
of Government Ethics (OGE) plans to submit a proposed modified OGE Form
201, Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel
Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records, to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval of a
three-year extension under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The OGE
Form 201 is used by persons requesting access to executive branch
public financial disclosure reports and other covered records.
DATES: Written comments by the public and agencies on this proposed
extension are invited and must be received by March 9, 2020.
[[Page 7306]]
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this paperwork notice to the
Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for OGE, via fax at
202-395-6974 or email at [email protected]. (Include
reference to ``OGE Form 201 paperwork comment'' in the subject line of
the message).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grant Anderson at the U.S. Office of
Government Ethics; telephone: 202-482-9318; TTY: 800-877-8339; FAX:
202-482-9237; Email: [email protected]. An electronic copy of the OGE
Form 201 version used to manually submit access requests to OGE or
other executive branch agencies by mail or FAX is available in the
Forms Library section of OGE's website at http://www.oge.gov. A paper
copy may also be obtained, without charge, by contacting Mr. Anderson.
An automated version of the OGE Form 201, also available on OGE's
website, enables the requester to electronically fill out, submit and
receive access to copies of the public financial disclosure reports
certified by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch
Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records.
Agency Form Number: OGE Form 201.
OMB Control Number: 3209-0002.
Type of Information Collection: Extension with modifications of a
currently approved collection.
Type of Review Request: Regular.
Respondents: Individuals requesting access to executive branch
public financial disclosure reports and other covered records.
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 7,600.
Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 1,300 hours.
Abstract: The OGE Form 201 collects information from, and provides
certain information to, persons who seek access to OGE Form 278 Public
Financial Disclosure Reports, including OGE Form 278-T Periodic
Transaction Reports, and other covered records. The form reflects the
requirements of the Ethics in Government Act, subsequent amendments
pursuant to the Representative Louise McIntosh Slaughter Stop Trading
on Congressional Knowledge Act, and OGE's implementing regulations that
must be met by a person before access can be granted. These
requirements include the address of the requester, as well as any other
person on whose behalf a record is sought, and acknowledgement that the
requester is aware of the prohibited uses of executive branch public
disclosure financial reports. See 5 U.S.C. appendix 105(b) and (c) and
402 (b)(1) and 5 CFR 2634.603(c) and (f). Executive branch departments
and agencies are encouraged to use the OGE Form 201 for individuals
seeking access to public financial disclosure reports and other covered
documents. OGE permits departments and agencies to use or develop their
own forms as long as the forms collect and provide all of the required
information.
OGE recently revised its OGE/GOVT-1, Executive Branch Personnel
Public Financial Disclosure Reports and Other Name-Retrieved Ethics
Program Records system of records. The revisions were published in the
Federal Register on September 9, 2019, and went into effect on November
8, 2019. The revisions included several new and modified routine uses.
The information collected on the OGE Form 201 is maintained in the OGE/
GOVT-1 Governmentwide system of records, and the form contains a
Privacy Act statement referencing OGE/GOVT-1 as required by section
(e)(3) of the Privacy Act. Accordingly, OGE proposes to update the
Privacy Act statement in accordance with changes to the OGE/GOVT-1
system of records. This change will have no material effect on the
burden to filers.
On January 15, 2020, OGE published a final rule making inflationary
adjustments to the Ethics in Government Act civil monetary penalties in
accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act
Improvements Act of 2015. Pursuant to these changes, the penalty for
misuse of public reports is now $20,489. Accordingly, OGE proposes to
update the penalty amount stated on the Form 201, in the paragraph
above the applicant's signature. This change will have no material
effect on the burden to filers.
On November 25, 2019, OGE published a first round notice of its
intent to request approval for the modified OGE Form 201, Request to
Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel Public
Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records. See 84 FR 64895.
OGE received no responses to that notice.
Request for Comments: Agency and public comment is again invited
specifically on the need for and practical utility of this information
collection, the accuracy of OGE's burden estimate, the enhancement of
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected, and the
minimization of burden (including the use of information technology).
The comments will become a matter of public record.
Approved: February 3, 2020.
Emory Rounds,
Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 2020-02396 Filed 2-6-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6345-03-P
