[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 2, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37981-37982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15013]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration

[Docket No. TSA-2001-11120]


Intent To Request Renewal From OMB of One Current Public 
Collection of Information; Imposition and Collection of Passenger Civil 
Aviation Security Service Fees

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) invites 
public comment on one currently approved Information Collection Request 
(ICR), OMB Control Number 1652-0001, abstracted below that we will 
submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal in 
compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. The ICR describes the 
nature of the information collection and its expected burden. The 
collection involves air carriers maintaining an accounting system to 
account for the passenger civil aviation security service fees 
collected and reporting this information to TSA on a quarterly basis, 
as well as retaining the data used for these reports for a six-year 
rolling period.

DATES: Send your comments by September 2, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to Joanna Johnson, 
Communications Branch, Business Management Office, Operational Process 
and Technology, TSA-32, Transportation Security Administration, 601 
South 12th Street, Arlington, VA 22202-4220.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanna Johnson at the above address, 
or by telephone (571) 227-3651 or facsimile (571) 227-3588.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    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. The ICR documentation is available 
at http://www.reginfo.gov. Therefore, in preparation for OMB review and 
approval of the following information collection, TSA is soliciting 
comments 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 using appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.

Information Collection Requirement

    OMB Control Number 1652-0001; Imposition and Collection of 
Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service Fees. In accordance with 49 
U.S.C. 44940, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) imposes 
a security service fee on passengers of air carriers and foreign air 
carriers (``air carriers'') in air transportation on flights 
originating at airports in the United States to assist with aviation 
security costs. 49 CFR part 1510.
    This information collection requires 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

[[Page 37982]]

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 2008 until the expiration of Fiscal Year 
2013. 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.
    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, and refunded to passengers and remitted to TSA. 49 CFR 
1510.17. 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.
    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 on January 23, 2003 (68 FR 3192), TSA conducts its own audits 
of the air carriers. 49 CFR 1510.11. Notwithstanding the suspension of 
the audit requirements, air carriers must establish and maintain an 
accounting system to account for the security service fees imposed, 
collected, refunded and remitted. 49 CFR 1510.15(a).
    TSA is seeking renewal of this collection to require air carriers 
to continue submitting the quarterly reports to TSA, and to require air 
carriers 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 will each incur an average cost of $462.88 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 
$1.68 for postage for the report (4 stamps at 42 cents each). TSA 
estimates an aggregate annual cost of $90,724.48 for the airlines to 
prepare, submit, and store quarterly reports, and an aggregate cost of 
$272,173.44 for the three years of the renewal period.
    Should TSA reinstate the annual audit requirement, TSA estimates 
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 of the annual audit requirement to be $945,000, and $1,217,173.44 
for the three-year extension of both quarterly reports and annual 
audits.

    Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on June 26, 2008.
Kriste Jordan,
Program Manager, Business Improvements and Communications, Office of 
Information Technology.
 [FR Doc. E8-15013 Filed 7-1-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-05-P