[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 87 (Friday, May 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24108-24109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-9130]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration

[Docket No. TSA-2001-11120]


Notice of Intent To Request Renewal From the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) of a Current Public Collection of Information; 
Imposition and Collection of Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service 
Fees

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration (TSA), DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: TSA invites public comment on a currently approved public 
information collection requirement abstracted below that will be 
submitted to OMB in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act.

DATES: Send your comments by July 5, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to Katrina Wawer, 
Information Collection Specialist, Office of Transportation Security 
Policy, TSA-9, Transportation Security Administration, 601 South 12th 
Street, Arlington, VA 22202-4220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Wawer at the above address or by 
telephone (571) 227-1995 or facsimile (571) 227-2594.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is 
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it 
displays a valid OMB control number. Therefore, in preparation for 
submission for OMB clearance of the information collection discussed in 
this notice, TSA solicits comments in order 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.

1652-0001; Imposition and Collection of Passenger Civil Aviation 
Security Service Fees

    To help cover aviation security costs, as authorized by 49 U.S.C 
44940, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) imposed 
security service fees on passengers of air carriers and foreign air 
carriers on December 31, 2001, at 66 FR 67698 (codified at 49 CFR part 
1510). This collection was initially required and granted approval 
under OMB control number 2110-0001, while TSA was under the Department 
of Transportation. When TSA was transferred to the Department of 
Homeland Security, the collection was subsequently transferred and 
assigned the current OMB control number 1652-0001.
    This information collection requires the air carriers to submit to 
TSA certain information necessary for TSA to impose, collect, and 
regulate the Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service Fees (September 
11th Security Fee), which is used to help defray the costs of providing 
Federal civil aviation security services, and to retain this 
information for a six-year rolling period. For instance, air carriers 
must keep the information collected during Fiscal Year 2005 until the 
expiration of Fiscal Year 2011. TSA collects the information related to 
the September 11th Security Fee to monitor carrier compliance with the 
fee requirements, for auditing purposes, and to track performance 
measures. The fee amount collected from each passenger is $2.50 per 
enplanement originating in the United States. Passengers may not be 
charged for more than two enplanements per one-way trip or four 
enplanements per round trip. 49 CFR 1510.5.
    TSA rules require air carriers to impose and collect the fee on 
passengers, and to submit the fee to TSA by the final day of the 
calendar month following the month in which the fee was collected. 49 
CFR 1510.13. Air carriers are further required to submit quarterly 
reports to TSA, which provide an accounting of the fees imposed, 
collected, refunded to passengers, and remitted to TSA. 49 CFR 1510.17.
    Each air carrier that collects security service fees from more than 
50,000 passengers annually is also required under 49 CFR 1510.15 to 
submit to TSA an annual independent audit, performed by an independent 
certified public accountant, of its security service fee activities and 
accounts. Although, the annual independent audit requirements were 
suspended January 23, 2003 (68 FR 3192), TSA conducts its own audits of 
the air carriers (49 CFR 1510.11).
    TSA is seeking renewal of this collection to require air carriers 
to continue submitting the quarterly reports to TSA, and to retain the 
information for a six-year rolling period. This requirement includes 
retaining the source information for the quarterly reports remitted to 
TSA, and the calculations and allocations performed to remit reports to 
TSA. Should the auditing requirement be reinstated, the requirement 
would include information and documents reviewed and prepared for the 
independent audit: The accountant's working papers, notes, worksheets, 
and other relevant documentation used in the audit; and, if applicable, 
the specific information leading to the accountant's opinion, including 
any determination that the accountant could not provide an audit 
opinion. Although TSA suspended the independent audits, TSA conducts 
audits of the air carriers, and therefore, requires air carriers to 
retain and provide the same information as required for the quarterly 
reports and independent audits.
    TSA estimates that 196 total respondent air carriers will spend 
approximately 1 hour per quarterly report, for a total of 784 hours per 
year. Should TSA reinstate the audit requirement, TSA estimates that 
105 air carriers would be required to submit annual audits, on which 
they would spend approximately 20 hours for preparation, for a total of 
2,100 hours annually. TSA estimates the total for quarterly reports and 
annual audits is 2,884 hours.
    For the quarterly reports and TSA's audits, TSA estimates that the 
196 air carriers and foreign air carriers will each incur an average 
cost of $282.08 annually. This estimate includes $100 in staff time for 
preparation of the reports (at $25 per hour, each quarterly report is 
estimated to take 1 hour to prepare), $361.20 in annual records storage 
related costs, and $1.48 for postage for the report (4 stamps at 37 
cents each). TSA estimates an aggregate annual cost of $90,685.28 for 
each airline to submit quarterly reports and data retention, and an 
aggregate cost of

[[Page 24109]]

$272,055.84 for the three years of the renewal period.
    Should TSA reinstate the annual audit requirement, TSA estimates 
the total annual cost for this collection at $315,000 (105 air 
carriers, at an estimated rate of $150 per hour, at 20 hours per 
report). For the three-year period of the renewal, TSA estimates the 
total aggregate cost to be $945,000, and $1,217,055.84 for the three-
year extension of both quarterly reports and annual audits.

    Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on May 3, 2005.
Lisa S. Dean,
Privacy Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-9130 Filed 5-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P