[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 58 (Thursday, March 25, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15356-15357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-6656]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration


Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements: Agency 
Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review; Federal Flight Deck 
Officer Program

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration (TSA), DHS.

ACTION: Notice of emergency clearance request.

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SUMMARY: TSA has submitted a request for emergency processing of an 
existing public information collection to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and immediate clearance under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 35). This notice 
announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted 
below has been forwarded to OMB for review and comment. The ICR 
describes the nature of the information collection and its expected 
burden.

DATES: Send your comments by April 26, 2004. A comment to OMB is most 
effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be faxed to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: DHS-TSA 
Desk Officer, at (202) 395-5806.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Conrad Huygen, Privacy Act Officer, 
Information Management Programs, Transportation Security Administration 
HQ, West Tower, Floor 4, TSA-17, 601

[[Page 15357]]

S. 12th Street, Arlington, VA 22202-4220; telephone (571) 227-1954; 
facsimile (571) 227-2912.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Transportation Security Administration

    Title: Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) Program.
    OMB Control Number: 1652-0011.
    Type of Request: Emergency processing request of an existing 
collection.
    Forms(s): FFDO online application.
    Affected Public: Applicants to the FFDO Program and current FFDOs.
    Abstract: To further supplement the security measures being 
implemented by TSA, Congress and the President enacted the Arming 
Pilots Against Terrorism Act (APATA) as Title XIV of the Homeland 
Security Act, Pub. L. 107-296, Nov. 25, 2002, codified at 49 U.S.C. 
44921. APATA required TSA to establish a program to screen, select, 
train, deputize, equip, and supervise qualified volunteer pilots of 
passenger aircraft. With the enactment of the Vision 100--Century of 
Aviation Reauthorization Act, Pub. L. 108-176, the program will be 
expanded to include pilots of cargo aircraft as well as flight 
engineers and navigators on both passenger and cargo aircraft. These 
individuals, known as Federal Flight Deck Officers (FFDOs), are 
authorized to transport and carry a firearm and to use force, including 
deadly force, to defend the flight deck of an aircraft against acts of 
criminal violence or air piracy. Information collected as the result of 
this renewal request would be used to assess the qualifications and 
suitability of prospective and current FFDOs through an online 
application, to ensure the readiness of every FFDO, to administer the 
program, and for security purposes.
    Number of Respondents: 18,622.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: It is estimated that the online 
application will take one hour for each applicant to prepare, for a 
total burden of 18,622 hours.
    TSA is soliciting comments to--
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed information requirement is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

    Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on March 19, 2004.
Susan T. Tracey,
Chief Administrative Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-6656 Filed 3-24-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P