[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66190-66191]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26075]


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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

ACTION: Notice and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The FTC requests that the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) extend for three years the current PRA clearance for information 
collection requirements contained in the Antitrust Improvements Act 
Rules (``HSR Rules'') and corresponding Notification and Report Form 
for Certain Mergers and Acquisitions (``Notification and Report 
Form''). The current clearance expires on December 31, 2019.

DATES: Comments must be received by January 2, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Comments in response to this notice should be submitted to 
the OMB Desk Officer for the Federal Trade Commission within 30 days of 
this notice. You may submit comments using any of the following 
methods:
    Electronic: Write ``HSR Rules: PRA Comment, P072108,'' on your 
comment and file your comment online at https://www.regulations.gov, by 
following the instructions on the web-based form.
    Email: [email protected].
    Fax: (202) 395-5806.
    Mail: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for the Federal Trade 
Commission, New Executive Office Building, Docket Library, Room 10102, 
725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert L. Jones, Assistant Director, 
Premerger Notification Office, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade 
Commission, Room CC-5301, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 
20580, or by telephone to (202) 326-2740.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: HSR Rules and Notification and Report Form, 16 CFR parts 
801-803.
    OMB Control Number: 3084-0005.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Abstract: Section 7A of the Clayton Act (``Act''), 15 U.S.C. 18a, 
as amended by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, 
Public Law 94-435, 90 Stat. 1390, requires all persons contemplating 
certain mergers or acquisitions to file notification with the 
Commission and the Assistant Attorney General and to wait a designated 
period of time before consummating such transactions. Congress 
empowered the Commission, with the concurrence of the Assistant 
Attorney General, to require ``that the notification . . . be in such 
form and contain such documentary material and information . . . as is 
necessary and appropriate'' to enable the agencies ``to determine 
whether such acquisitions may, if consummated, violate the antitrust 
laws.'' 15 U.S.C. 18a(d). Congress similarly granted rulemaking 
authority to, among other things, ``prescribe such other rules as may 
be necessary and appropriate to carry out the purposes of this 
section.'' Id.
    Pursuant to that section, the Commission, with the concurrence of

[[Page 66191]]

the Assistant Attorney General, developed the HSR Rules and the 
corresponding Notification and Report Form.
    On September 11, 2019, the Commission sought comment on the 
reporting requirements associated with the HSR Rules and corresponding 
Notification and Report Form. 84 FR 47951. No relevant comments were 
received. Pursuant to the OMB regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, that 
implement the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., the FTC is providing this 
second opportunity for public comment while seeking OMB approval to 
renew the pre-existing clearance for those information collection 
requirements.
    The following discussion presents the FTC's PRA burden analysis 
regarding completion of the Notification and Report Form. For more 
details about the requirements of the HSR Rules, the background behind 
these information collection provisions, and the basis for the 
calculations summarized below, see 84 FR 47951.
    Likely Respondents: Merging Parties.
    Estimated Annual Hours Burden: 181,091 hours [derived from 4,894 
non-index filings x 37 hours/each) + (five index filings x two hours/
each) + (one withdrawn transaction later restarted x three hours)].
    Estimated Annual Cost Burden: $83,301,860, which is derived from 
$460/hour x 181,091 hours.

Request for Comment

    Your comment--including your name and your state--will be placed on 
the public record of this proceeding at the https://www.regulations.gov 
website. Because your comment will be made public, you are solely 
responsible for making sure that your comment does not include any 
sensitive personal information, such as anyone's Social Security 
number; date of birth; driver's license number or other state 
identification number, or foreign country equivalent; passport number; 
financial account number; or credit or debit card number. You are also 
solely responsible for making sure that your comment does not include 
any sensitive health information, such as medical records or other 
individually identifiable health information. In addition, your comment 
should not include any ``trade secret or any commercial or financial 
information which . . . is privileged or confidential''--as provided by 
Section 6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 
16 CFR 4.10(a)(2)--including in particular competitively sensitive 
information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, formulas, 
patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or customer names.

Heather Hippsley,
Deputy General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2019-26075 Filed 12-2-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6750-01-P