[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 166 (Tuesday, August 28, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49278-49280]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-17023]


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EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comments Requested for Freedom To Compete Award Program

AGENCY: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Extension with Revisions.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Commission or EEOC), announces 
that it intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 
a request for a three-year extension of the collection of information 
for the Freedom To Compete (FTC) Award program with revisions to the 
application criteria, procedures and process.

DATE: Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before 
October 29, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Stephen Llewellyn, Acting 
Executive Officer, Executive Secretariat, Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission, 10th Floor, 1801 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 20507. As a 
convenience to commentators, the Executive Secretariat will accept 
comments totaling six or fewer pages by facsimile (``FAX'') machine. 
This limitation is necessary to assure access to the equipment. The 
telephone

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number of the FAX receiver is (202) 663-4114. (This is not a toll-free 
number.) Receipt of FAX transmittals will not be acknowledged, except 
that the sender may request confirmation of receipt by calling the 
Executive Secretariat staff at (202) 663-4070 (voice) or (202) 663-4074 
(TTY). (These are not toll-free telephone numbers.) Copies of comments 
submitted by the public will be available for review at the 
Commission's library, Room 6502, 1801 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20507 between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the FTC 
Award program and the proposed revisions contact Jay Friedman, 
Director, Strategic Planning and Management Controls Division, Office 
of Research, Information and Planning, at 1801 L Street, NW., Room 
8219, Washington, DC 20507; or by telephone at (202) 663-4094 (voice) 
or (202) 663-7124 (TTY); or by e-mail at [email protected]. This 
notice is also available in the following formats: large print, 
braille, audiotape and electronic file on computer disk. Requests for 
this notice in an alternative format should be made to the EEOC 
Publications Center at 1-800-669-3362.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EEOC launched its Freedom to Compete 
(FTC) initiative in 2002. The FTC initiative is a national outreach, 
education, and coalition-building strategy designed to complement the 
agency's enforcement and litigation efforts by identifying equal 
employment opportunity (EEO) practices and programs worthy of 
emulation. In 2004, the EEOC added the Freedom to Compete (FTC) Award 
as another component of its FTC initiative; issuing the first awards in 
2005. The Award recognizes employers, organizations and other entities 
whose extraordinary efforts embody the EEOC's mission of ensuring 
individuals the freedom to compete in the workplace on a level playing 
field regardless of race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion 
or disability. The EEOC has collected information in the past from 
employers, organizations, other entities, and members of the public who 
voluntarily submitted nominations to be considered for the Award. The 
Commission is soliciting public comment on its proposals to modify the 
criteria, procedures, and processes for collecting information and 
determining the eligibility of nominations for consideration for an 
Award.

Overview of This Information Collection

    Collection Title: Freedom To Compete Award Nominations.
    OMB Number: 3046-0044.
    Frequency of Report: Annually.
    Type of Respondent: Individuals; businesses or other for-profit and 
not-for-profit institutions; State or local governments; or other 
entities.
    Description of Affected Public: Individuals; businesses or other 
for-profit and not-for-profit institutions; State or local governments; 
or other entities.
    Responses: 50-100.
    Reporting Hours: 500-1,000 (10 hours for each response).
    Federal Cost: $6,000.
    Number of Forms: 1.
    Form Number: EEOC Nomination Form [unnumbered].
    Abstract: The EEOC's Freedom to Compete (FTC) Award is designed to 
recognize organizations whose practices and procedures embody the 
EEOC's mission of ensuring individuals the freedom to compete in the 
workplace on a level playing field and to go as far as their talent and 
abilities will allow regardless of race, color, gender, age, national 
origin, religion or disability. Award winners will be presented the 
EEOC's FTC Award at a ceremony in Washington, DC. The EEOC provides 
specific nomination instructions on its Internet Web site each year 
when the period for accepting applications is announced. Nominees 
voluntarily participate by submitting information about a nominated 
procedure or practice and the organization implementing the procedure/
practice.
    Proposed Criteria and Nomination Materials: The EEOC proposes 
revisions to the criteria and the nomination materials previously used 
for the FTC Award program. The EEOC requests public comment on the 
program and the revisions.

Summary of Major Revisions

    There are two major revisions to the FTC Award program under 
Eligibility Criteria. Other types of revisions are included under 
Requirements for Submitting Nominations. These revisions are designed 
to better explain the information EEOC requests, which it has collected 
in the past. The major revisions are:
    A. A nomination will not be considered if a nominee meets the 
requirements for filing an EEOC EEO survey form and did not file. This 
criterion was not explicitly mentioned in the previous nomination 
instructions, but the EEOC believes it was an implied criterion because 
eligible organizations are required by law and EEOC regulation to file 
the appropriate survey form. This revision makes the requirement 
explicit.
    B. Nominees must use the Nomination Form designed by the EEOC to 
submit the information requested. In the first year of the Award 
program, a nominee was required to submit an essay containing the 
information requested by the EEOC. For the second and third years of 
the program, the EEOC designed a Nomination Form to collect information 
about the entity, so that the required essay could solely focus on 
describing the procedure/practice nominated. Use of the Form was 
optional and an entity could still file just an essay as long as it 
contained all of the information EEOC requested. Most nominees over the 
two year period used the Form along with their essay to file their 
applications. The EEOC believes that the Form improved the quality of 
submissions. It provides important information in a logical and 
consistent fashion; ensures that all of the information is provided, 
eliminating the need to contact the nominee to obtain it; and, takes 
less time to provide the information than in the essay. In addition, 
the Form enabled the nominee to describe the procedure/practice more 
thoroughly, while meeting the word limitation required for the essay. 
Organizations using only the essay substantially limited their 
descriptive information about the procedure/practice nominated, because 
other required information had to be included within the essay. For 
these reasons, the EEOC will require the use of the Nomination Form to 
provide all of the information requested, unless the nominee provides a 
reasonable justification for not being able to use it. A section of the 
Form will require an essay on the procedure/practice nominated.

Eligibility Criteria

    The following criteria apply to the Freedom to Compete Award 
Nominees. A nominee must:
    A. Be a public or private employer, corporation, association, 
organization, or other entity whose nominated practice exemplifies the 
goals of the Freedom to Compete initiative. A nominee may self-nominate 
or be nominated by others.
    B. Have implemented a program or practice that has successfully 
removed barriers that hinder free and fair workplace competition and 
increased access, inclusion, and/or other workplace opportunities for 
qualified workers.

[[Page 49280]]

    C. Have filed an EEOC Equal Employment Opportunity survey, if it is 
required to do so based upon the appropriate survey filing 
requirements. Filing requirements for each type of survey are available 
on EEOC's Web site at http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/surveys.html.
    D. Use the Nomination Form designed by the EEOC for submitting 
applications for the FTC Award. The Form will be available each year on 
EEOC's Internet Web site or by contacting the agency for a copy when 
the nomination period opens.

Requirements for Submitting Nominations

    The nominee for the Freedom to Compete Award must complete and 
submit the Nomination Form provided by the EEOC each year. The form 
collects information to evaluate (1) The eligibility criteria described 
above, and (2) the merits of the procedure or practice nominated for 
the Award. The nominee must provide the following types of information:
    A. Information about the organization using the procedure/practice 
nominated, including its mission, size, number of employees, and 
products/services.
    B. Contact information.
    C. Activities the organization proposes to undertake in 
collaboration with the EEOC to promote the procedure/practice with 
other organizations that seek to replicate it, and to promote the Award 
and the principles of a free and fair competition in the workplace, if 
the organization receives an Award.
    D. Pending charges, complaints or legal or enforcement actions 
involving violations of Federal, state or local employment 
discrimination law, or any corrective actions, consent decrees or other 
settlement agreements currently in effect that have resulted from 
litigation or other enforcement actions under these same employment 
discrimination laws.
    E. A short essay that describes the procedure/practice nominated 
for the FTC Award and the results achieved from using the procedure/
practice. The essay is a critical component of the application. It must 
describe a specific procedure/practice; not multiple procedures/
practices (multiple nominations from the same organization are 
acceptable). In addition, specific results obtained by using the 
procedure/practice nominated must be included. The essay should include 
the following elements:
    (1) The original purpose for implementing the procedure/practice 
nominated;
    (2) A detailed description of the procedure/practice nominated;
    (3) The major obstacles encountered during the implementation of 
the procedure/practice and how they were overcome;
    (4) The length of time the practice has been in effect;
    (5) How the organization or operation of the procedure/practice is 
managed/supervised;
    (6) The specific, tangible results that have been achieved over 
time (the practice/procedure must have been in place for at least one 
year to obtain tangible results);
    (7) The methodology for collecting and analyzing the results to 
determine the effectiveness of the procedure/practice;
    (8) Who is held accountable for achieving the results;
    (9) The level of executive involvement in, and commitment to, the 
procedure/practice during its development and during its 
implementation; and,
    (10) What are the key factors that makes the procedure/practice 
effective.

Application Period and Submission of Nominations

    Each year the EEOC announces the inclusive dates for submitting 
applications for the FTC Award, the date and location of the Awards 
ceremony, specific details about the information to submit, the 
Nomination Form required, and the methods for submitting an 
application. The announcement and all relevant application materials 
are available on EEOC's Internet Web site at http://www.eeoc.gov/. 
Requests for application materials in hard copy or other formats are 
available by contacting Jay Friedman (see contact information, above). 
However, the EEOC prefers that organizations obtain the application 
materials on EEOC's Web site or submit all application materials by e-
mail at [email protected].
    EEOC Statutory Responsibilities: Receipt of the Freedom to Compete 
Award does not constitute or be considered a waiver by the EEOC of its 
statutory responsibilities with respect to any future charges, 
investigations, or litigation against a nominee or the recipient of an 
award.
    Burden Statement: The estimated number of respondents included in 
the annual process is estimated at 50-100 applicants. Submitting a 
voluntary application for an award and subsequent requests for 
information to clarify or supplement application materials is estimated 
at 500-1,000 Respondent burden hours (10 hours for each Respondent). 
Because the program has already been established, there are no 
substantive one time implementation costs.
    Paperwork Reduction Act Notice: Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, and OMB regulations 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1), the Commission solicits public comment to enable it to:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the Commission's functions, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the Commission's estimate of the burden 
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used;
    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 respond, including the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.

    Dated: August 21, 2007.

    For the Commission.
Naomi C. Earp,
Chair.
 [FR Doc. E7-17023 Filed 8-27-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6570-01-P