[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38305-38306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16696]


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

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Notice of Submission for Approval: Declaration for Federal 
Employment (OF 306)

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: 30-day notice and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Suitability 
Executive Agent Programs, is notifying the general public and other 
Federal agencies that OPM is seeking Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) renewal of a previously approved information collection, 
Declaration for Federal Employment (OF 306).

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until September 5, 
2019. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on 
the proposed information collection to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget by the following 
method: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments. All submissions received must include the agency 
name and docket number for this document. The general policy for 
comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make 
these submissions available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any 
personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this information collection, 
with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting 
Office of Personnel Management, Suitability Executive Agent Programs, 
1900 E Street NW, Suite 1435, Washington, DC 20415 or by electronic 
mail at [email protected]. Please contact Colleen Crowley at 202-606-2245 
if you have questions.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1), OPM is providing an additional 30 days 
for public comments. OPM previously solicited comments for this 
collection, with a 60-day public comment period, at 84 FR 5733 
(February 22, 2019). 2,748 comments were received. This notice 
announces that OPM has submitted to OMB a request to renew with no 
changes a previously approved information collection, OMB number 3206-
0182, Declaration for Federal Employment (OF 306). The public has an 
additional 30-day opportunity to comment.
    The Declaration for Federal Employment Optional Form (OF) 306 is 
completed by applicants who are under consideration for Federal or 
Federal contract employment. It collects information about an 
applicant's selective service registration, military service, and 
general background. The information collected on this form is mainly 
used to determine a person's acceptability for Federal and Federal 
contract employment, and his or her retirement status and life 
insurance enrollment. However, if necessary, and usually in conjunction 
with another form or forms, the information on this form may be used in 
conducting an investigation to determine a person's suitability or 
ability to hold a security clearance, and it may be disclosed to 
authorized officials making similar, subsequent determinations. The OF 
306 permits applicants to disclose and explain their personal history 
in advance of the background investigation, consistent with a Privacy 
Act requirement to ``collect information to the greatest extent 
practicable directly from the subject individual when the information 
may result in adverse determinations about an individual's rights, 
benefits, and privileges under Federal programs.'' See 5 U.S.C. 
552a(3)(2).
    The OF 306 requests that the applicant provide personal identifying 
data, including past convictions, imprisonments, probations, paroles or 
military court martial, delinquency on a Federal debt, Selective 
Service Registration, United States military service, Federal civilian 
or military retirement benefits received or applied for, and life 
insurance enrollment. To be clear, providing information regarding past 
criminal conduct does not in itself impact an individual's eligibility 
for most positions in the federal government. Renewal of the form is 
not changing any current policies.
    In the February 22, 2019 Federal Register Notice, OPM proposed to 
change the form to provide clarification for respondents who may have 
completed pretrial diversionary programs.
    OPM has decided to renew the form in its current state, without the 
modifications proposed in the February 22, 2019 Federal Register 
Notice. This will permit OPM time to carefully evaluate and consider 
the 2,748 comments submitted during the comment period by members of 
the public and other stakeholders. We will take these comments into 
consideration to evaluate the best way forward to allow for both 
continuing to support second chance hiring initiatives and providing 
federal agencies with the ability to make informed hiring and vetting 
decisions.
    OPM supports efforts by the Administration and Congress to take 
steps to reform the criminal justice system and improve second chance 
hiring employment opportunities. For most federal jobs, questions 
regarding criminal history do not appear on initial job applications, 
and agencies do consider people with criminal records when filling most 
government positions if they are the best candidates and can comply 
with existing requirements.

[[Page 38306]]

Later in the process, generally after there has been a conditional 
offer of employment, individuals seeking admission to the civil service 
are asked to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF 306) and 
undergo an investigation to establish ``suitability'' or fitness for 
employment. See 5 CFR 330.1300.
    Past criminal conduct does not prohibit a person from being hired 
into the vast majority of federal jobs, and each decision is determined 
on a case by case basis.

Analysis

    Agency: Office of Personnel Management, Suitability Executive Agent 
Programs.
    Title: Declaration for Federal Employment, Optional Form (OF) 306.
    OMB Number: 3206-0182.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Number of Respondents: 315,478.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 15 minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 78,870.

Office of Personnel Management.
Steve Hickman,
Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2019-16696 Filed 8-5-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6325-53-P