[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 99 (Tuesday, May 22, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23698-23699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10858]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2018-0134]


Collection of Information Under Review by Office of Management 
and Budget; OMB Control Number: 1625-0012

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Thirty-day notice requesting comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 the 
U.S. Coast Guard is forwarding an Information Collection Request (ICR), 
abstracted below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting an extension 
of its approval for the following collection of information: 1625-0012, 
Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariner; without change. Our ICR 
describes the information we seek to collect from the public. Review 
and comments by OIRA ensure we only impose paperwork burdens 
commensurate with our performance of duties.

[[Page 23699]]


DATES: Comments must reach the Coast Guard and OIRA on or before June 
21, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Coast Guard docket 
number [USCG-2018-0134] to the Coast Guard using the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Alternatively, you 
may submit comments to OIRA using one of the following means:
    (1) Email: [email protected].
    (2) Mail: OIRA, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503, attention 
Desk Officer for the Coast Guard.
    A copy of the ICR is available through the docket on the internet 
at http://www.regulations.gov. Additionally, copies are available from: 
Commandant (CG-612), Attn: Paperwork Reduction Act Manager, U.S. Coast 
Guard, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE, Stop 7710, Washington, DC 
20593-7710.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Anthony Smith, Office of 
Information Management, telephone 202-475-3532, or fax 202-372-8405, 
for questions on these documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    This Notice relies on the authority of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended. An ICR is an application to 
OIRA seeking the approval, extension, or renewal of a Coast Guard 
collection of information (Collection). The ICR contains information 
describing the Collection's purpose, the Collection's likely burden on 
the affected public, an explanation of the necessity of the Collection, 
and other important information describing the Collection. There is one 
ICR for each Collection. The Coast Guard invites comments on whether 
this ICR should be granted based on the Collection being necessary for 
the proper performance of Departmental functions. In particular, the 
Coast Guard would appreciate comments addressing: (1) The practical 
utility of the Collection; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden of 
the Collection; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of information subject to the Collection; and (4) ways to minimize the 
burden of the Collection on respondents, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. These 
comments will help OIRA determine whether to approve the ICR referred 
to in this Notice.
    We encourage you to respond to this request by submitting comments 
and related materials. Comments to Coast Guard or OIRA must contain the 
OMB Control Number of the ICR. They must also contain the docket number 
of this request, [USCG-2018-0134], and must be received by June 21, 
2018.

Submitting Comments

    We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate 
instructions. Documents mentioned in this notice, and all public 
comments, are in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and 
can be viewed by following that website's instructions. Additionally, 
if you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will 
be notified when comments are posted.
    We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any 
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the 
docket, you may review a Privacy Act notice regarding the Federal 
Docket Management System in the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal 
Register (70 FR 15086).
    OIRA posts its decisions on ICRs online at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain after the comment period for each ICR. An OMB Notice 
of Action on each ICR will become available via a hyperlink in the OMB 
Control Number: 1625-0012.

Previous Request for Comments

    This request provides a 30-day comment period required by OIRA. The 
Coast Guard published the 60-day notice (83 FR 9010, March 2, 2018) 
required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That Notice elicited one comment. The 
commenter expressed concern about the burden of the master signing all 
three copies of the collection in ink. The commenter explained that 
when the entire crew is discharged, the master must sign his name in 
excess of 60 times. The commenter also proposed allowing digital 
signatures on the collection.
    In response to the burden of signing a certificate more than once, 
the Coast Guard is bound by regulation in 46 CFR 14.307(a) to require 
the certificate and its copies to be ink signed. We may consider 
changing this regulation at a future time. The Coast Guard will not 
accept electronic signed certificates at this time because the 
regulation expressly states they must be ink signed. Additionally, the 
Coast Guard has not evaluated or selected any certain software for 
electronic signatures from the public and do not currently have the 
capabilities to implement electronic signature verification. 
Accordingly, no changes have been made to the Collections.

Information Collection Request

    Title: Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariner.
    OMB Control Number: 1625-0012.
    Summary: Title 46, United States Code 10311 requires each master or 
individual in charge of a vessel, to prepare a Certificate of Discharge 
to Merchant Mariners for each mariner being discharged from the vessel. 
These documents are used to establish evidence of sea service aboard 
U.S. flagged merchant vessels for merchant mariners to upgrade their 
credentials, establish proof of eligibility for union and other 
benefits, and in litigation where vessel service is an issue.
    Need: The information collected provides the U.S. Coast Guard 
evidence of sea service used in determining eligibility for issuance of 
a merchant mariner credential, to determine eligibility for various 
benefits such as medical and retirement, and to provide information to 
the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) on the availability of 
mariners in a time of a national emergency.
    Forms: CG-718A. Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariner.
    Respondents: Shipping companies, masters or individuals in charge 
of a vessel.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Hour Burden Estimate: The estimated annual burden remains 1,478 
hours a year.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: May 16, 2018.
James D. Roppel,
U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Chief, Office of Information Management.
[FR Doc. 2018-10858 Filed 5-21-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-04-P