[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 23, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14685-14686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-5690]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request for Unmodified Public 
Financial Disclosure Access Customer Service Survey

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Government Ethics has submitted the Public 
Financial Disclosure Access Customer Service Survey to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and three-year extension of 
approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. OGE proposed no changes to 
the survey form.

DATES: Comments by the public and agencies on this information 
collection should be received by April 22, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Joseph F. Lackey, Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503; 
Telephone: (202) 395-4741.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary T. 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 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 Sec.  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. 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. The current paperwork 
approval for the survey form is scheduled to expire at the end of June 
2005.
    On December 17, 2004, OGE issued its first round Federal Register 
notice to announce its forthcoming request to OMB for paperwork renewal 
of the survey form. See 69 FR 75547-75548 with comments due by March 2, 
2005.

[[Page 14686]]

OGE received one comment; however, the comment concerned the SF 278 
report, not the survey form. In that notice, and this one, OGE proposes 
no changes to the survey form. 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.''
    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 December 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).
    In this second round notice, public comment is again invited on all 
aspects of OGE's customer service survey form, 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). The Office of Government Ethics, in 
consultation with OMB, will consider all comments received, which will 
become a matter of public record.

    Approved: March 14, 2005.
Marilyn L. Glynn,
Acting Director, Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 05-5690 Filed 3-22-05; 8:45 am]
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