[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75547-75548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-27644]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Unmodified 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 Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer Service 
Survey form to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for three-year 
extension of approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. OGE is 
proposing no changes to the survey form.

DATES: Comments by the public and agencies on this proposed information 
collection extension are invited and should be received by March 2, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to: Mary T. Donovan, Office of 
Administration and Information

[[Page 75548]]

Management, U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Suite 500, 1201 New York 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20005-3917. Comments may also be sent 
electronically to OGE's 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'').

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Donovan at the U.S. Office of 
Government Ethics; telephone: 202-482-9232; TDD: 202-482-9293; FAX: 
202-482-9237. A copy of the Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer 
Service Survey form may be obtained, without charge, by contacting Ms. 
Donovan.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Government Ethics uses the 
Public Financial Disclosure Access Customer Service Survey form (OMB 
control number 3209-0009) 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 section 105, and 
procedures in 5 CFR 2634.603 of OGE's executive branchwide regulations. 
Requesters ask for copies of SF 278 reports by completing an OGE Form 
201, ``Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of SF 278 Executive Branch 
Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered 
Records.''
    OGE distributes the survey forms to requesters along with copies of 
requested SF 278 reports. OGE notes that the survey form is only 
authorized for its own use, not by other agencies throughout the 
executive branch. The instructions on the survey form ask the requester 
to complete and return the survey form 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 
form is to determine through customer responses how well OGE is 
responding to such requests and how OGE can maintain its current high-
level of customer satisfaction in this area.
    OGE is issuing this first round Federal Register notice to announce 
its forthcoming request to OMB for paperwork renewal of the survey form 
with no modifications. If OGE's current stock of survey forms is 
depleted within the next three years, OGE plans to reprint the form 
with two minor modifications (with notice to OMB at that time) without 
further paperwork clearance. These modifications are: updating the OGE 
address from ``Attn: FDD'' to ``Attn: PSD'' and, in the public burden 
statement, change ``Associate Director for Administration'' to ``Deputy 
Director for Administration and Information Management.''
    The current paperwork approval is scheduled to expire at the end of 
March 2005. Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 
35), 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 form is only sent to 
persons who request copies of SF 278 reports.
    As so defined, OGE's estimate for the total number of survey forms 
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 30. This estimate is based on a 
calculation of the number of survey forms received at OGE between 
January 2001 and October 2004 (112 survey forms). This estimate is 20 
less than that for the prior three-year period. The estimated average 
amount of time to read the instructions and complete the survey form, 
remains the same at three minutes. Thus, the new overall estimated 
annual public burden for the OGE Public Financial Disclosure Access 
Customer Service Survey form will be two hours (rounded up from one and 
a half hours (30 forms x 3 minutes per form)).
    Public comment is invited on all aspects of the survey form as 
proposed for renewal 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 to OMB for review and three-year extension of approval under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. 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: December 9, 2004.
Marilyn L. Glynn,
Acting Director, Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 04-27644 Filed 12-16-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6345-02-P