[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 138 (Thursday, July 18, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34387-34389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14468]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-9995-21-OMS]
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: Office of Mission Support, Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA).
ACTION: Notice of a new system of records.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of the
Administrator is giving notice that it proposes to create a new system
of records pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974.
iComplaints EEO Case Management System (ICOM) is being created to
support the Agency's Employment Complaints Resolution program as
required by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and in
compliance with the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations.
DATES: Persons wishing to comment on this system of records notice must
do so by August 19, 2019. New routine uses for this modified system of
records will be effective August 19, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OEI-2018-0219, by one of the following methods:
www.regulations.gov: Follow the online instructions for
submitting comments.
Email: [email protected].
Fax: (202) 566-1752.
Mail: OEI Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail
code: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: OEI Docket, EPA/DC, WJC West Building, Room
3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. Such deliveries are
only accepted during the docket's normal hours of operation, and
special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed
information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OEI-
2018-0219. The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be
included in the public docket without change and may be made available
online at
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www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information for which disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov. The
www.regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' system, which
means the EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless
you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an email
comment directly to the EPA without going through www.regulations.gov
your email address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available
on the internet. If you submit an electronic comment, the EPA
recommends that you include your name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If the
EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot
contact you for clarification, the EPA may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters,
any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For
additional information about the EPA's public docket visit the EPA
Docket Center homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available (e.g., CBI or other information
for which disclosure is restricted by statute). Certain other material,
such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard
copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either
electronically in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OEI
Docket, EPA/DC, WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave.
NW, Washington, DC. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday excluding legal holidays. The
telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the
telephone number for the OEI Docket is (202) 566-1745.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Renee Clark, (202) 564-7272 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is creating a FedRAMP cloud service-based Privacy Act system of
records for the processing of discrimination complaints. iComplaints
(ICOM) is an information management and reporting system for internal
EPA use. The information collected in the ICOM system is required by
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under 29 CFR
1614.100 through 1614.110 and in order for the Agency to comply with
EEOC Management Directive 110. Complainants provide their personally
identifiable information (PII) to the EPA's Office of Civil Rights
(OCR) so that they may be contacted in connection with the status of
their complaint. ICOM will contain PII.
Only OCR EPA staff at Headquarters and in the Regions and the ICOM
system contractors will have access to the database via approved
computers logged on thru the EPA LAN network.
SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
iComplaints EEO Case Management System (ICOM) EPA-80
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Unclassified.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
Office of Civil Rights, US EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20004.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
Vicki Simons, Director, Office of Civil Rights, US EPA, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004, (202) 564-7272 or
[email protected].
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
Section 717 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C.
2000e-16; Executive Order 11748; and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, as amended by Public Law 99-506, 100 Stat. 1807, October
21, 1986, EEOC Management Directives 110 and 715.
PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
The primary purpose of the ICOM system is to maintain all EPA Equal
Employment Opportunity discrimination complaints and subsequent
reports, as required by the EEOC, in accordance with Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2000e et
seq., 29 CFR 1614.101 through 1614.110 and EEOC Management Directive
110. The information collected will be used in complaint
investigations, as required by the EEOC. The EEOC requires federal
agencies to process complaints of discrimination raised by employees or
applicants for employment. The documentation received for processing
these complaints will contain personally identifiable information (PII)
which will be housed in ICOM.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
Employees of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and
applicants for employment.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
This system contains general human resources elements and contact
information which includes Employee ID; Name; Home Address; Work
Address; Email Address; Telephone Number; Series, Grade; Step, Salary;
Target Grade; Management Level; Supervisor Level; Base Pay; Work
Schedule; Fair Labor Standards Act; Union,; Position; Title; Sex;
Disability; Age; Education Level; Academic Discipline; Veteran Status;
Veteran preferences; Citizenship; Date Entered in Current Grade; Month-
in-Grade; Service Completion Date; and Years-in-Service; Race; National
Origin; Disability Status.
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
Employee, Supervisor or Applicant.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS, AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
The following new or modified routine uses apply to this system
because the use of the record is necessary for the efficient conduct of
government. The routine uses are related to and compatible with the
original purpose for which the information was collected. The last two
routine uses are required under OMB M-17-12.
(1) Disclosure to Congressional Offices.
Information may be disclosed to a congressional office from the
record of an individual in response to an inquiry from the
congressional office made at the request of the individual.
(2) Disclosure to Contractors, Grantees, and Others.
Information may be disclosed to contractors, grantees, consultants,
or volunteers performing or working on a contract, service, grant,
cooperative agreement, job, or other activity for the Agency and who
have a need to have access to the information in the performance of
their duties or activities for the Agency. When appropriate, recipients
will be required to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act of
1974 as provided in 5 U.S.C. 552a(m).
(3) Disclosures for Administrative Claims, Complaints and Appeals.
Information from this system of records may be disclosed to an
authorized appeal grievance examiner, formal complaints examiner, equal
employment opportunity investigator,
[[Page 34389]]
arbitrator or other person properly engaged in investigation or
settlement of an administrative grievance, complaint, claim, or appeal
filed by an employee, but only to the extent that the information is
relevant and necessary to the proceeding. Agencies that may obtain
information under this routine use include, but are not limited to, the
Office of Personnel Management, Office of Special Counsel, Merit
Systems Protection Board, Federal Labor Relations Authority, Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission, and Office of Government Ethics.
(4) Disclosure in Connection with Litigation.
Information from this system of records may be disclosed in
connection with litigation or settlement discussions regarding claims
by or against the Agency, including public filing with a court, to the
extent that disclosure of the information is relevant and necessary to
the litigation or discussions and except where court orders are
otherwise required under section (b)(11) of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5
U.S.C. 552a(b)(11).
(5) Disclosure to Persons or Entities in Response to an Actual of
Suspected Breach of Personally Identifiable Information.
To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when (1) the Agency
suspects or has confirmed that there has been a breach of the system of
records, (2) the Agency has determined that as a result of the
suspected or confirmed breach there is a risk of harm to individuals,
the Agency (including its information systems, programs, and
operations), the Federal Government, or national security; and (3) the
disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably
necessary to assist in connection with the Agency's efforts to respond
to the suspected or confirmed breach or to prevent, minimize, or remedy
such harm.
(6) Disclosure to assist another agency in its efforts to respond
to a breach.
To another Federal agency or Federal entity, when the Agency
determines that information from this system of records is reasonably
necessary to assist the recipient agency or entity in (1) responding to
a suspected or confirmed breach or (2) preventing, minimizing, or
remedying the risk of harm to individuals, the recipient agency or
entity (including its information systems, programs, and operations),
the Federal Government, or national security, resulting from a
suspected or confirmed breach.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
The paper records are maintained in locked file cabinets inside of
a locked office located in the Office of Civil Rights, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004. Users access the electronic
records via the internet. All of the logic and processing functionality
of ICOM resides on one or more central servers, with users accessing
ICOM from Web browsers.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
These records are retrieved by the individual's/employees' name.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
Records stored in this system are subject to EPA records schedule
number (EPA 0541).
ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
Computer-stored information is protected in accordance
with the Agency's security requirements.
Access to the ICOM is limited to authorized and licensed
users only. Access is granted via internet browser using uniquely
assigned user identification and password. Only computers from approved
IP addresses can access the database where ICOM records are stored.
User access is granted in accordance with a role matrix that allows
access to only those records necessary for approved Agency employee to
conduct the necessary activities associated with processing an EEO
complaint.
The ICOM contractor is subject to the Federal Acquisition
Regulations (FAR) Privacy Act clauses in its contract with EPA.
ICOM servers are housed in a locked facility in a locked
room requiring appropriate identification and biometrics to enter.
Paper ICOM records are stored in locked file cabinets in a
locked office. Only OCR staff with the appropriate security clearance
and specific job function of processing EEO complaints has keys to
access the paper records.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURE:
Individuals seeking access to information in this system of records
about themselves are required to provide adequate identification (e.g.,
driver's license, military identification card, employee badge or
identification card). Additional identity verification procedures may
be required, as warranted. Requests must meet the requirements of EPA
regulations that implement the Privacy Act of 1974, at 40 CFR part 16.
CONTESTING RECORDS PROCEDURES:
Requests for correction or amendment must identify the record to be
changed and the corrective action sought. Complete EPA Privacy Act
procedures are described in EPA's Privacy Act regulations at 40 CFR
part 16.
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
Any individual who wants to know whether this system of records
contains a record about him or her, who wants access to his or her
record, or who wants to contest the contents of a record, should make a
written request to the Attn: Agency Privacy Officer, MC 2831T, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460, [email protected].
EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
None.
HISTORY:
None.
Dated: June 5, 2019.
Vaughn Noga,
Senior Agency Official for Privacy.
[FR Doc. 2019-14468 Filed 7-17-19; 8:45 am]
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