[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 245 (Thursday, December 22, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31397]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 22, 1994]


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POSTAL SERVICE

 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Notice of amendment and addition of new routine uses for 
existing system of records.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides information for public comment on the 
Postal Service's proposal to amend USPS Privacy Act System 050.005--
Finance Records--Accounts Receivable Files Maintenance. The Postal 
Service proposes to delete one category of individuals covered by the 
system, to make minor editorial changes for clarity, and to add four 
new routine uses.
    The new routine uses will permit the Postal Service to disclose to 
other federal agencies certain information identifying Postal Service 
debtors and to implement new procedures that will facilitate recovery 
of those debts. The proposed new routine uses will enable the Postal 
Service to participate in a computer matching program with the 
Department of Defense to identify Postal Service debtors employed by 
other federal agencies, to initiate salary offset where appropriate, 
and to initiate income tax refund offset for non-federal employee 
debtors. In addition, a new routine use will enable the Postal Service 
to use the taxpayer address verification process of the Internal 
Revenue Service (IRS).
    This notice complies with subsection (e)(11) of the Privacy Act, 
which requires agencies to publish advance notice of any new use of 
information in a system of records.

DATES: Any interested party may submit written comments on the proposed 
amendments. This proposal will become effective without further notice 
January 23, 1995, unless comments are received on or before that date 
that result in a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or delivered to the 
Records Office, U.S. Postal Service, Room 8831, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW, 
Washington, DC 20260-5240. Copies of all written comments will be 
available for inspection and photocopying between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 
p.m., Monday through Friday, at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sheila Allen, Records Office, (202) 
268-4869.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Postal Service is expanding its debt 
recovery procedures in order to recover more of its delinquent debt. To 
do so, the Postal Service plans to participate in the federal salary 
offset program administered by the Financial Management Service, Office 
of the Treasury, and the federal income tax refund offset and taxpayer 
address verification programs administered by the IRS. The amendments 
proposed here are necessary to implement the new procedures in 
compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. A full description 
of USPS Privacy Act System 050.005 was last published at 54 FR 43667, 
dated October 26, 1989, and amended at 57 FR 57516, dated December 4, 
1992.
    The Postal Service is modifying the name of this system of records 
to ``Accounts Receivable Files,'' a more comprehensive name that better 
describes the system of records.
    The Postal Service is deleting from Categories of Individuals 
Covered by the System those customers whose checks are returned by the 
bank. These types of debts are no longer included in the Accounts 
Receivable automated system as part of the system of records. 
Accordingly, each such customer's bank name and account number, date 
and amount of check, and identifying number from driver's license, 
passport, or military ID are being deleted from Categories of Records 
in the System.
    The Postal Service is adding four new routine uses for USPS Privacy 
Act System 050.005. Proposed new routine use number 4 of this system 
provides for the disclosure of the names and social security numbers of 
Postal Service debtors to the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of 
the Department of Defense for conducting a computer matching program to 
identify and locate debtors who are federal employees in order to 
initiate salary offset procedures. Proposed new routine use number 5 
provides for the disclosure of debtor-identifying information to any 
federal agency where the debtor is employed to enable that agency to 
collect the debt on behalf of the Postal Service through salary offset. 
Proposed new routine use number 6 provides for the disclosure of 
debtor-identifying information to the IRS through computer matching to 
obtain the current mailing addresses of non-federal employee taxpayers 
for locating the taxpayers to collect postal debts. Proposed new 
routine use number 7 provides for the disclosure of debtor-identifying 
information to the IRS to enable the IRS to collect the debt on behalf 
of the Postal Service through income tax refund offset.
    Because the above disclosures each will assist in the recovery of 
Postal Service debt, these new routine uses are clearly compatible with 
the purposes for which records are maintained in USPS Privacy Act 
System 050.005. The above-described amendments and the addition of 
these routine uses require submission of an altered system report; the 
report was submitted to the Office of Management and Budget and both 
houses of Congress 10 days before publication of this notice.
    Accordingly, the Postal Service proposes amending USPS Privacy Act 
System 050.005 as shown below.
USPS 050.005
    Change to read:
     Finance Records--Accounts Receivable Files, 050.005.
    Change to read:
    Information Service Centers (Minneapolis, San Mateo, and St. 
Louis), postal facilities, and contractor sites.
    Change to read:
    Postal Service debtors such as the following: Contractors who fail 
either to provide equipment, supplies, or services to the Postal 
Service as agreed or to purchase property from the Postal Service as 
agreed; payees of money orders who make an erroneous payment, improper 
payment, or overpayment; employees or former employees who make an 
erroneous payment, improper payment, or overpayment; employees, former 
employees, or private parties who lose or damage Postal Service 
property through carelessness, negligence, or malice.
    Change to read:
    Debtor's name, address, telephone number, and social security 
number; invoice number; designation code; and location name.
* * * * *
* * * * *
    Add the following:
    4. Disclosure of information about individuals indebted to the 
Postal Service may be made to the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) 
of the Department of Defense for conducting an authorized computer 
matching program in compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as 
amended, for the purpose of identifying and locating such individuals 
in order to initiate collection of the debts under the Debt Collection 
Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365) through salary and/or administrative 
offset procedures.
    5. Disclosure of information about individuals indebted to the 
Postal Service may be made to any federal agency where the debtor is 
employed or receiving some form of remuneration for enabling that 
agency to collect the debt on behalf of the Postal Service by 
counseling to debtor for voluntary repayment, or by initiating 
administrative or salary offset procedures under the Debt Collection 
Act of 1982.
    6. Disclosure of information about individuals indebted to the 
Postal Service may be made to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 
through computer matching to obtain the mailing address of a taxpayer 
for locating such taxpayer to collect a debt owed to the Postal Service 
pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 6103(m)(2) and in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3711, 
3717, and 3718.

    Note: Disclosure of a mailing address obtained from the IRS may 
be made only for debt collection, including to a debt collection 
agency in order to facilitate the collection of a federal claim 
under the Debt Collection Act of 1982. A mailing address may be 
provided to a consumer reporting agency for the limited purpose of 
obtaining a commercial credit report on the individual taxpayer. Any 
such address information obtained from the IRS will not be used or 
shared for any other purpose by the Postal Service.

    7. Disclosure of information about individuals indebted to the 
Postal Service may be made to the IRS for effecting income tax refund 
offset procedures against the debtor pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 3720A.
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 94-31397 Filed 12-21-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P