[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 117 (Monday, June 18, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32823-32824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15324]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


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

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice informs the public and executive branch agencies 
that, after this first round notice and comment period, OGE plans to 
submit an updated OGE Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer 
Service Survey form to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and three-year extension of approval under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. This notice also identifies a couple of minor revisions 
proposed to one of the survey questions.

DATES: Comments by the public and agencies on this proposed information 
collection as proposed for revision and extension are invited and 
should be received by September 4, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: James V. Parle, Chief, Office of 
Information Resources Management, 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--``Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer 
Service Survey Paperwork comment'').

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Parle at the Office of Government 
Ethics; telephone: 202-208-8000, ext. 1113; TDD: 202-208-8025; FAX: 
202-208-8037. A copy of the proposed Survey form may be obtained, 
without charge, by contacting Mr. Parle.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Government Ethics uses the 
Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer Service Survey form to 
assess 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 OGE. 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 105, and procedures in 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 are distributed to requesters along with 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 pre-
addressed postcard). The purpose of the survey is to determine through 
customer responses how well OGE is responding to such requests and how 
OGE can improve its customer service in this important area. The 
current paperwork approval for the survey form is

[[Page 32824]]

scheduled to expire at the end of October 2001.
    The Office of Government Ethics is issuing this first round Federal 
Register notice to announce its forthcoming request to OMB for 
paperwork renewal of the survey form, with two proposed minor changes 
to survey question 4 to achieve greater clarity. That question 
currently asks whether OGE's requirement to fax or mail requests that 
involve more than six filers creates a problem for the requester. Based 
on an analysis of customer responses to question 4, OGE believes that 
the following statement should be added: ``SKIP this question if your 
request involved six or fewer filers.'' Additionally, one of the three 
requested responses to question 4, ``Not Applicable,'' is being changed 
to ``My request did not have to be faxed or mailed.''
    Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act, OGE is not including in 
its public burden estimate for the survey form the limited number of 
access requests filed by other Federal agencies or Federal employees. 
Nor is OGE including in that estimate the 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 
is only sent to persons who request copies of SF 278 reports. As so 
defined, 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 50. This estimate is 
based on a calculation of the number of survey forms received at OGE 
between April 1999 and June 2001 (70 surveys). This number also takes 
into account an expected increase in the number of public requests as a 
result of the transition and the new Presidential administration. The 
estimated average amount of time to read the instructions on the 
proposed revised customer service survey form, and to complete the 
form, is three minutes. Thus, the overall estimated annual public 
burden for the OGE Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer Service 
Survey as proposed for revision will be three hours (rounded up from 
two and a half hours (= 50 forms  x  3 minutes per form)).
    Public comment is invited on all aspects of the survey form as 
proposed for renewal with minor revision, including specifically views 
on: 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).
    After this notice and comment period, OGE will submit the survey 
form, as revised, to OMB for review and three-year approval under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). At 
that time, OGE will also publish a second paperwork notice in the 
Federal Register to inform the public and Federal agencies. 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. They will also be explained in the second round notice. The 
comments will also become a matter of public record.

    Approved: June 13, 2001.
Amy L. Comstock,
Director, Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 01-15324 Filed 6-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6345-01-P