[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 28, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 4213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-2051]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 18 / Wednesday, January 28, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 4213]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary


Privacy Act of 1974; Revision of System of Records

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Revision of an Existing Privacy Act System of 
Records.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(11)), the 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing notice of our intent to 
amend the system of records entitled the Personnel and Payroll System 
for USDA Employees, USDA/OP-1, to include a new routine use. The 
disclosure is required by the Personal Responsibility and Work 
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-193). We invite 
public comment on this publication.

DATES: Persons wishing to comment on the proposed routine use must do 
so by 30 days from date of publication. (February 27, 1998).

EFFECTIVE DATE: The proposed routine use will become effective as 
proposed without further notice 45 days from date of publication (March 
16, 1998), unless comments dictate otherwise.

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals may comment on this publication by 
writing to Joan Golden, Room 341-W Jamie L. Whitten Federal Building, 
1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250, by fax to (202) 
720-8721, or by email to [email protected]. All comments received 
will be available for public inspection at that address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Evelyn Davis, Room 43-W Jamie L. 
Whitten Federal Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20250, (202) 720-7765, (202) 690-4728 (Fax).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Pub. L. 104-193, the Personal 
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, USDA 
will disclose data from its Personnel and Payroll System for USDA 
Employees system of records to the Office of Child Support Enforcement, 
Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and 
Human Services for use in the National Database of New Hires, part of 
the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) and Federal Tax Offset 
System, DHHS/OCSE No. 09-90-0074. A description of the Federal Parent 
Locator Service may be found at 62 FR 51663 (October 2, 1997).
    FPLS is a computerized network through which States may request 
location information from Federal and State agencies to find non-
custodial parents and their employers for purposes of establishing 
paternity and securing support. On October 1, 1997, the FPLS was 
expanded to include the National Directory of New Hires, a database 
containing employment information on employees recently hired, 
quarterly wage data on private and public sector employees, and 
information on unemployment compensation benefits. On October 1, 1998, 
the FPLS will be expanded further to include a Federal Case Registry. 
The Federal Case Registry will contain abstracts on all participants 
involved in child support enforcement cases. When the Federal Case 
Registry is instituted, its files will be matched on an ongoing basis 
against the files in the national Directory of New Hires to determine 
if an employee is a participant in a child support case anywhere in the 
country. If the FPLS identifies a person as being a participant in a 
State child support case, that State will be notified. State requests 
to the FPLS for location information will also continue to be processed 
after October 1, 1998.
    When individuals are hired by USDA, we may disclose to the FPLS 
their names, social security numbers, home addresses, dates of birth, 
dates of hire, and information identifying us as the employer. We also 
may disclose to FPLS names, social security numbers, and quarterly 
earnings of each USDA employee, within one month of the end of the 
quarterly reporting period.
    Information submitted by USDA to the FPLS will be disclosed by the 
Office of Child Support Enforcement to the Social Security 
Administration for verification to ensure that the social security 
number provided is correct. The data disclosed by USDA to the FPLS will 
also be disclosed by the Office of Child Support Enforcement to the 
Secretary of Treasury for use in verifying claims for the advance 
payment of the earned income tax credit or to verify a claim of 
employment on a tax return.
    A ``Report on New System,'' required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o), as 
implemented by Transmittal Memoranda 1 and 3 to OMB Circular A-108, was 
sent to the Chairman, Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States 
Senate, the Chairman, Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 
House of Representatives, and the Administrator, Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget on January 22, 
1998.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on January 22, 1998.
Dan Glickman,
Secretary of Agriculture.

    Accordingly, the system notice is amended as follows:
USDA/OP-1

SYSTEM NAME:
    Personnel and Payroll System for USDA Employees.
* * * * *

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
* * * * *
    (26) The names, social security numbers, home addresses, dates of 
birth, dates of hire, quarterly earnings, employer identifying 
information, and State of hire of employees may be disclosed to the 
Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for Children and 
Families, Department of Health and Human Services for the purpose of 
locating individuals to establish paternity, establishing and modifying 
orders of child support, identifying sources of income, and for other 
child support enforcement actions as required by the Personal 
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 
104-193).

[FR Doc. 98-2051 Filed 1-27-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-96-M