[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 118 (Friday, June 19, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 33668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-16285]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Proposed New Public 
Financial Disclosure Access Customer Service Survey

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: After this first round notice and public comment period, OGE 
plans to submit the information collection proposed in this notice to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and three-year 
approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act.

DATES: Comments by the public and agencies on this proposed information 
collection are invited and should be received by September 2, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to William E. Gressman, Associate 
General Counsel, Office of Government Ethics, Suite 500, 1201 New York 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20005-3917. Comments may also be sent 
electronically to OGE's Internet E-mail address at [email protected] (for 
E-mail messages, the subject line should include the following 
reference--``Proposed Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer 
Service Survey Paperwork Comment'').

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Gressman at the Office of 
Government Ethics; telephone: 202-208-8000, ext. 1110; TDD: 202-208-
8025; FAX: 202-208-8037. A copy of the proposed survey may be obtained, 
without charge, by contacting Mr. Gressman.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Government Ethics is planning 
to submit, after this notice and comment period, the following proposed 
customer service survey form for the collection of information to OMB 
for review under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(44 U.S.C. chapter 35) and three-year approval thereunder.
    The Office of Government Ethics is planning to assess, through the 
proposed ``Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer Service Survey'' 
form, requester satisfaction with the service provided by OGE in 
responding to requests by members of the public for access to copies of 
Standard Form (SF) 278 Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial 
Disclosure Reports on file with the Office. Most of the SF 278 reports 
available at OGE are those filed by executive branch Presidential 
appointees subject to Senate confirmation. Requests for access to SF 
278 reports are made pursuant to the special public access provision of 
section 105 of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (the Ethics Act), 
as codified at 5 U.S.C. appendix, Sec. 105, and 5 CFR 2634.603 of OGE's 
executive branchwide regulations thereunder, by completing an OGE Form 
201, ``Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of SF 278 Executive Branch 
Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report or Other Covered Record.'' 
The survey forms will be distributed to requesters along with their 
copies of requested SF 278 reports, with instructions asking them to 
complete and return the survey to OGE via the self-contained postage-
paid postcards (the reverse side of the survey form, when folded, 
becomes a preaddressed postcard). The purpose of the survey will be to 
determine through customer responses how well OGE is responding to such 
requests and how the Agency can improve its customer service in this 
important area.
    Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act, OGE is not including in 
its public burden estimate for the new access customer service survey 
form the limited number of access requests filed by other Federal 
agencies or Federal employees. Nor is OGE including in that estimate 
the also limited number of requests for copies of other records covered 
under the special Ethics Act public access provision (such as 
certificates of divestiture), since the survey will only be sent to 
persons who request copies of SF 278 reports. As so defined and 
assuming a 100% return rate, the total number of access survey forms 
for copies of SF 278s estimated to be filed annually at OGE over the 
next three years by members of the public (primarily by news media 
representatives, public interest group members and private citizens) is 
186. This estimate is based on a calculation of the average number of 
underlying access requests for copies of SF 278 reports received at OGE 
over the past two calendar years--1996 (152 requests) and 1997 (220 
requests). The estimated average amount of time to read the 
instructions on the new customer service survey form and complete the 
form is three minutes. Thus, the overall estimated annual public burden 
for the proposed OGE Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer 
Service Survey will be nine hours (186 forms X 3 minutes per form, with 
the number of hours rounded off from 9.3 to 9).
    Public comment is invited on each aspect of OGE's proposed new 
access customer service survey form, as set forth in this notice, 
including specifically views on: the need for and practical utility of 
this new collection of information; the accuracy of OGE's public burden 
estimate; the potential for enhancement of quality, utility and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and the minimization of burden 
(including the possibility of use of information technology).
    Comments received in response to this notice will be summarized 
for, and may be included with, the forthcoming OGE request for OMB 
three-year paperwork approval for this new proposed information 
collection. At that time, after this notice and comment period, OGE 
will publish a second paperwork notice in the Federal Register to 
inform the public and Federal agencies.

    Approved: June 15, 1998.
F. Gary Davis,
Deputy Director, Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 98-16285 Filed 6-18-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6345-01-U