[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 58 (Friday, March 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16224-16226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06811]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Notice of Submission for Approval: Information Collection 3206-
0258; Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (SF 85P) and 
Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions (SF 85P-S)

AGENCY: U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Federal Investigative Services (FIS), U.S. Office of Personnel 
Management (OPM) is notifying the general public and other federal 
agencies that OPM is seeking Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
approval of a revised information collection control number 3206-0258, 
Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions, Standard Form 85P (SF 85P) 
and Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions, Standard Form SF 
85P-S (SF 85P-S). OPM is soliciting comments for this collection as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 
U.S.C. chapter 35) as amended by the Clinger-Cohen Act (Pub. L. 104-
106). The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in 
comments that:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information 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 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

[[Page 16225]]

are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until May 24, 2016. 
This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.1.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on 
the proposed information collection to the Federal Investigative 
Services, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20415, Attention: Donna McLeod or by electronic mail at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this information collection, 
with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting 
the Federal Investigative Services, U.S. Office of Personnel 
Management, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415, Attention: Donna 
McLeod or by electronic mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions, SF 
85P and Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions, SF 85P-S, 
including accompanying releases, housed in a system named e-QIP 
(Electronic Questionnaires for Investigative Processing), are 
information collections completed by applicants for, or incumbents of, 
Federal Government civilian positions, or positions in private entities 
performing work for the Federal Government under contract (SF 85P 
only). The collections are used as the basis of information for 
background investigations to establish that such persons are:
     Suitable for employment or retention in Federal employment 
in a public trust position or fit for employment or retention in 
Federal employment in the excepted service when the duties to be 
performed are equivalent in degree of trust reposed in the incumbent to 
a public trust position;
     Fit to perform work on behalf of the Federal Government 
pursuant to the Government contract, when the duties to be performed 
are equivalent in degree of trust reposed in the individual to a public 
trust position;
     Eligible for physical and logical access to federally 
controlled facilities or information systems, when the duties to be 
performed by the individual are equivalent to the duties performed by 
an employee in a public trust position.
    The SF 85P and SF 85P-S are completed by applicants for, or 
incumbents of, Federal Government civilian positions, or positions in 
private entities performing work for the Federal Government under 
contract. For applicants, the SF 85P and SF 85P-S are to be used only 
after a conditional offer of employment has been made. The SF 85P-S is 
supplemental to the SF 85P and is used only as approved by OPM, for 
certain positions such as those requiring carrying of a firearm. e-QIP 
(Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing) is a web-
based system application that houses the SF 85P and SF 85P-S. A 
variable in assessing burden hours is the nature of the electronic 
application. The electronic application includes branching questions 
and instructions which provide for a tailored collection from the 
respondent based on varying factors in the respondent's personal 
history. The burden on the respondent is reduced when the respondent's 
personal history is not relevant to particular question, since the 
question branches, or expands for additional details, only for those 
persons who have pertinent information to provide regarding that line 
of questioning. Accordingly, the burden on the respondent will vary 
depending on whether the information collection relates to the 
respondent's personal history.
    OPM proposes new changes to the SF 85P. The proposed changes 
identified in this notice represent modifications to the last approved 
version of this collection which were published in a 60-day notice in 
the Federal Register on December 29, 2010 (Federal Register Notices/
Volume 75, Number 249, pages 82095-82097) and in a 30-day notice in the 
Federal Register on August 20, 2012, (Federal Register Notices/Volume 
77, Number 161, pages 50175-50184). A copy of the latest approved 
version of this collection and the new proposed changes is available 
upon request, as noted above. The instructional portion of the form 
will be modified to provide additional explanatory information 
regarding the collection of the spouse or cohabitant's social security 
number. OPM will remove instructions that were needed only for persons 
completing a paper form, as the form is only collected by OPM through 
electronic means. OPM will request, in section 7, ``Your Contact 
Information'' that the respondent provide three contact numbers to 
facilitate contact between investigative personnel and the respondent; 
however respondents will be advised that only one number is required. 
Section 9, ``Citizenship'' will be expanded to collect additional 
information to assist in verifying derived citizenship of respondents 
born outside of the U.S. Section 18, ``Relatives'' will include 
additional categories of relatives about which information will be 
collected, namely ``Half-brother, Half-sister, Father-in-law, Mother-
in-law, and Guardian'' to align the collection with the information 
required per investigative standards for public trust positions. 
Section 19, ``Foreign Countries You Have Visited'' will be amended to 
clarify that travel solely for U.S. Government business is travel ``on 
official Government orders.'' Section 21, ``Illegal Use of Drugs and 
Drug Activity'' will include instruction to clarify that drug use or 
activity illegal under Federal laws must be reported, even if that use 
or activity is legal under state or local law(s). Changes are proposed 
in section 26, ``Involvement in Non-Criminal Court Actions to collect 
information regarding the respondent's participation in non-criminal 
court actions whereas the previous collection was limited to the 
respondent's participation in such court actions when he or she was the 
defendant. The general ``Authorization for Release of Information'' 
includes clarifying language noting that ``other sources of 
information'' from which information is gathered during the 
investigation may include publically available electronic information, 
including public posts on social media. The ``Fair Credit Reporting 
Disclosure and Authorization'' includes an updated reference to the 
noted Executive Order.
    OPM proposes changes to the SF 85P-S. Question 3, `Your Use of 
Illegal Drugs and Drug Activity'' will also include clarifying 
instruction that drug use or activity illegal under Federal laws must 
be reported, even if that use or activity is legal under state or local 
law(s). It is possible that there will be additional changes to conform 
language on the SF 85P-S to language in similar forms.
    This ICR also requests categorizing these forms as common forms. 
OPM will continue to estimate the burden based on all Federal agencies 
that submit the SF 85P and SF 85P-S to OPM for investigation. If and 
when approves the use of common forms, all Federal agencies using these 
forms not in connection with an OPM investigation may request the use 
of these common forms without additional 60 or 30 day notice and 
comment requirements. At that point, each such agency will account for 
its number of respondents and the burden associated with the agency's 
use.

[[Page 16226]]

Analysis

    Agency: Federal Investigative Services, U.S. Office of Personnel 
Management.
    Title: Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (SF 85P) and 
Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions (SF 85P-S).
    OMB Number: 3206-0258.
    Affected Public: The SF 85P and SF 85P-S are information 
collections completed by applicants for, or incumbents of, Federal 
Government civilian positions, or positions in private entities 
performing work for the Federal Government under contract. The SF 85P 
will be used by the Federal Government in conducting background 
investigations and reinvestigations of persons under consideration for, 
or retention of, public trust positions. The form may also be used by 
agencies in determining whether a subject performing work for, or on 
behalf of, the Government under a contract, should be deemed eligible 
for logical or physical access. For applicants, the SF 85P and SF 85P-S 
are to be used only after a conditional offer of employment has been 
made. The SF 85P-S is supplemental to the SF 85P and is used only as 
approved by OPM, for certain positions such as those requiring carrying 
of a firearm.
    Number of Respondents: 112,894 (SF 85P); 11,717 (SF 85P-S).
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 155 minutes (SF 85P); 10 minutes (SF 
85P-S).
    Total Burden Hours: 282,235 (SF 85P); 1,953 (SF 85P-S).

U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Beth F. Cobert,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 2016-06811 Filed 3-24-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6325-53-P