[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 70 (Friday, April 11, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17788-17789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-8929]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of computer matching between the U.S. Department of 
Education and the U.S. Postal Service.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act 
of 1988 and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines on the 
Conduct of Matching Programs, a notice is hereby given of the computer 
matching program between the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the 
U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The following notice represents the 
approval of a new computer matching agreement by the ED and USPS Data 
Integrity Boards to implement the matching program on the effective 
date as indicated in paragraph E of this notice.
    In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended by the 
Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Final Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching 
Programs (see 54 FR 25818, June 19, 1989), and OMB Circular A-130, the 
following information is provided:

A. Participating Agencies

    The USPS is the recipient agency and will perform the computer 
match with debtor records provided by ED, the source agency in this 
matching program.

B. Purposes of the Matching Program

    This matching program will compare USPS payroll and ED delinquent 
debtor files for the purposes of identifying postal employees who may 
owe delinquent debts to the Federal Government under programs 
administered by ED. The pay of an employee identified and verified as a 
delinquent debtor may be offset under the provisions of the Debt 
Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365) when voluntary payment is not 
made.

C. Legal Authorities Authorizing Operation of the Match

    This matching program will be undertaken under the authority of the 
Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365) as amended, which 
authorizes federal agencies to offset a federal employee's salary as a 
means of satisfying delinquent debts owed to the United States.

D. Categories of Individuals Involved and Identification of Records 
Used

    The following systems of records, maintained by the participant 
agencies under the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended by 
the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-
503), will be used to disclose records for this matching program:
    1. USPS' ``Finance Records--Payroll System, USPS 050-020,'' 
containing records for approximately 800,000 employees. (Disclosure 
will be made pursuant to routine use No. 24 of USPS 050-020, which last 
appeared in the Federal Register at 57 FR 57515 on December 4, 1992.)
    2. ED's ``Title IV Program Files'' (18-11-05), containing debt 
records for approximately 4,600,000 borrowers. (A notice of this system 
was last published in the Federal Register at 64 FR 30163 on June 4, 
1999.)

E. Beginning and Ending Dates of the Matching Program

    The matching program will become effective 40 days after a copy of 
the agreement, as approved by the Data Integrity Board of each agency, 
is sent to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget, or 30 days 
after publication of this notice in the Federal Register, whichever 
date is later. The matching program will continue for 18 months after 
the effective date. The agreement may be extended for one additional 
year beyond that period, if within 90 days prior to the actual 
expiration date of the matching agreement, the Data Integrity Boards of 
both the USPS and ED find that the computer matching program will be 
conducted without change and each party certifies that the matching 
program has been conducted in compliance with the matching agreement.

F. Address for Receipt of Comments and Inquiries

    If you wish to comment on this matching program or obtain 
additional information about the program including a copy of the 
computer matching agreement between ED and USPS, contact John R. Adams, 
U.S. Department of Education, 830 First Street NE Room 41B3, 
Washington, DC 20202-5320. Telephone: (202) 377-3211. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or 
portable document

[[Page 17789]]

format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: http:///www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
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    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.


    Authority: (5 U.S.C. 5514(a); 5 U.S.C. 552a).

    Dated: April 7, 2003.
Theresa S. Shaw,
Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid.
[FR Doc. 03-8929 Filed 4-10-03; 8:45 am]
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