[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 105 (Thursday, June 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32393-32396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10997]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. OST-2005-21178]


Notice of Request for Approval of a New Collection

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Department of Transportation's (DOT) intention to 
request the approval of a new information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by August 1, 2005.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT DMS Docket Number 
OST-2005-21178 by any of the following methods:
     Web site: http://dms.dot.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments to the DOT electronic docket site.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, 
Washington, DC 20590-001.
    Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday thru Friday, except on Federal holidays.
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number or Regulatory Identification Number (RIN) for this 
rulemaking. For detailed instructions on submitting comments and 
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the ``Comments 
are invited'' heading of the Supplementary Information section of this 
document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change 
to http://dms.dot.gov including any personal information provided. 
Please see the Privacy Act heading under Regulatory Notes.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL-
401 on the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    Deborah Perkins, Departmental Office of Human Resources, Office of 
the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, 
SW., Washington DC 20590 (202) 366-9447.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Applicant Background Questionnaire.
    OMB Control Number: Pending.
    Type of Request: Authorization for a new form.
    Abstract: The Department of Transportation (DOT) is required to 
collect information from both applicants and Departmental employees on 
their disability status, race and national origin affiliation. 
Additionally, this form will be used to ask applicants for employment 
how they learned about a vacancy to ensure that recruitment sources 
yield qualified women and minority applicants, as well as applicants 
with disabilities, in compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission (EEOC) management directives.
    Abstract: The purpose of the collection is to standardize the 
collection of race, ethnicity, sex, national origin, and disability 
status for all DOT Operating Administrations. When established, this 
information will assist the DOT in monitoring programs and will be the 
basis for several different reports required by statute.
    Background: The DOT is required to analyze the civil rights 
impact(s) of policies, actions, or decisions that affect federally 
conducted programs and activities and the DOT workforce. In order to 
assess the civil rights impact, data on recruitment, employment, and 
diversity must be analyzed in a consistent manner with respect to the 
race, ethnicity, sex, national origin, disability status, and age of 
applicants and employees. Currently, no uniform method of reporting and 
tabulating race and ethnicity data exits in the DOT. There are 10 
Operating Administrations providing employee information through a 
centralized system as well as an Executive Agent collecting selected 
applicant data through an automated staffing system. The collection of 
data is necessary to provide each Operating Administration, and the DOT 
as a whole, with the composition of its workforce particularly from a 
race, ethnicity, and disability standpoint. Further, data is necessary 
to give DOT a baseline on its applicants and assist it in planning 
recruitment and outreach efforts.
    The goal of a comprehensive DOT collection of race, ethnicity, sex, 
national origin, and disability status is to reduce the burden on 
applicants and employees to provide this type of information by 
creating a single voluntary survey where the data is collected in a 
standard format.
    Respondents: Employees upon initial hire and applicants for 
positions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 120,000.
    Estimated Total Burden on Respondents: 3 minutes.
    Comments are invited on (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Department, including whether the information will have practical 
utility as described; (b) the accuracy of the Department's estimate of 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of methodology and

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assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden 
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
the use of appropriate, automated, electronic, mechanical or other 
technology. Comments should be addressed to the address in the 
preamble. All responses to this notice will be summarized and included 
in the request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All 
comments will also become a matter of public record.

    Issued in Washington, DC on May 25, 2005.
Patricia A. Prosperi,
Director, Departmental Office of Human Resource Management.
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[FR Doc. 05-10997 Filed 6-1-05; 8:45 am]
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