[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 111 (Monday, June 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39724-39725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14442]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Draft Report on Guidelines for Ensuring and Maximizing the 
Quality, Objectivity, Utility and Integrity of Information Disseminated 
by HHS Agencies

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces an extension of the period for comment 
on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Draft Agency 
Guidelines for Ensuring the Quality of Information Disseminated to the 
Public until June 28, 2002. The HHS Draft Agency Guidelines have been 
developed pursuant to the government-wide OMB Guidelines for 
Information Quality published on January 3, 2002. HHS has received a 
number of requests to extend the comment period for the HHS draft 
guidelines, which are available at the following HHS website: http://www.hhs.gov/infoquality

DATES: Comments on the HHS draft agency guidelines must be submitted by 
5:00 P.M., June 28, 2002. Please allow sufficient time for mailed 
comments to be received by the deadline in the event of delivery 
delays.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments to Director, Division of Data 
Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 
Attn: Information Quality Comments, U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services, Room 440D, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20201. Comments also may be e-mailed to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Scanlon, Division of Data 
Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 
U.S. DHHS, Telephone (202) 690-7100.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 3, 2002, OMB issued final 
guidelines to federal agencies that implement Section 515 of the 
Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 
(Public Law 106-554). Section 515 directs OMB to issue government-wide 
guidelines that provide policy and procedural guidance to federal 
agencies for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility 
and integrity of information (including statistical information) 
disseminated by federal agencies. The OMB guidelines in turn direct 
each federal agency to issue its own guidelines for ensuring the 
quality,

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objectivity, utility and integrity of the information it disseminates 
to the public, including administrative mechanisms allowing affected 
persons to seek and obtain, where appropriate, correction of 
information disseminated by the agency that does not comply with the 
guidelines.
    The OMB Guidelines further direct federal agencies to prepare a 
draft report, no later than May 1, 2002, providing the agency's 
information quality guidelines and describing the administrative 
mechanisms developed by the agency to allow affected persons to seek 
and obtain appropriate correction of information. The agency also is 
directed to publish a notice of the availability of this draft report 
in the Federal Register, and post this report on the agency's website 
to provide an opportunity for public comment.

HHS Draft Agency Guidelines

    In accordance with the requirements of the OMB Guidelines, the HHS 
draft report on agency guidelines is available for review and comment 
at the following HHS website: http://www.hhs.gov/infoquality

Comments Invited

    Comments on the draft report are invited and must be submitted in 
writing to the office and email addresses specified in this notice. 
Because of staff and resource limitations, we cannot respond to 
individual comments.

    Dated: May 31, 2002.
William Raub,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 02-14442 Filed 6-7-02; 8:45 am]
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