[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 26 (Friday, February 7, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7305-7306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02396]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Proposed Collection; Comment Request for a Modified OGE Form 
201, Request To Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel 
Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice of request for agency and public comments.

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SUMMARY: After publication of this second round notice, the U.S. Office 
of Government Ethics (OGE) plans to submit a proposed modified OGE Form 
201, Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel 
Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records, to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval of a 
three-year extension under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The OGE 
Form 201 is used by persons requesting access to executive branch 
public financial disclosure reports and other covered records.

DATES: Written comments by the public and agencies on this proposed 
extension are invited and must be received by March 9, 2020.

[[Page 7306]]


ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this paperwork notice to the 
Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for OGE, via fax at 
202-395-6974 or email at [email protected]. (Include 
reference to ``OGE Form 201 paperwork comment'' in the subject line of 
the message).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grant Anderson at the U.S. Office of 
Government Ethics; telephone: 202-482-9318; TTY: 800-877-8339; FAX: 
202-482-9237; Email: [email protected]. An electronic copy of the OGE 
Form 201 version used to manually submit access requests to OGE or 
other executive branch agencies by mail or FAX is available in the 
Forms Library section of OGE's website at http://www.oge.gov. A paper 
copy may also be obtained, without charge, by contacting Mr. Anderson. 
An automated version of the OGE Form 201, also available on OGE's 
website, enables the requester to electronically fill out, submit and 
receive access to copies of the public financial disclosure reports 
certified by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch 
Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records.
    Agency Form Number: OGE Form 201.
    OMB Control Number: 3209-0002.
    Type of Information Collection: Extension with modifications of a 
currently approved collection.
    Type of Review Request: Regular.
    Respondents: Individuals requesting access to executive branch 
public financial disclosure reports and other covered records.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 7,600.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 1,300 hours.
    Abstract: The OGE Form 201 collects information from, and provides 
certain information to, persons who seek access to OGE Form 278 Public 
Financial Disclosure Reports, including OGE Form 278-T Periodic 
Transaction Reports, and other covered records. The form reflects the 
requirements of the Ethics in Government Act, subsequent amendments 
pursuant to the Representative Louise McIntosh Slaughter Stop Trading 
on Congressional Knowledge Act, and OGE's implementing regulations that 
must be met by a person before access can be granted. These 
requirements include the address of the requester, as well as any other 
person on whose behalf a record is sought, and acknowledgement that the 
requester is aware of the prohibited uses of executive branch public 
disclosure financial reports. See 5 U.S.C. appendix 105(b) and (c) and 
402 (b)(1) and 5 CFR 2634.603(c) and (f). Executive branch departments 
and agencies are encouraged to use the OGE Form 201 for individuals 
seeking access to public financial disclosure reports and other covered 
documents. OGE permits departments and agencies to use or develop their 
own forms as long as the forms collect and provide all of the required 
information.
    OGE recently revised its OGE/GOVT-1, Executive Branch Personnel 
Public Financial Disclosure Reports and Other Name-Retrieved Ethics 
Program Records system of records. The revisions were published in the 
Federal Register on September 9, 2019, and went into effect on November 
8, 2019. The revisions included several new and modified routine uses. 
The information collected on the OGE Form 201 is maintained in the OGE/
GOVT-1 Governmentwide system of records, and the form contains a 
Privacy Act statement referencing OGE/GOVT-1 as required by section 
(e)(3) of the Privacy Act. Accordingly, OGE proposes to update the 
Privacy Act statement in accordance with changes to the OGE/GOVT-1 
system of records. This change will have no material effect on the 
burden to filers.
    On January 15, 2020, OGE published a final rule making inflationary 
adjustments to the Ethics in Government Act civil monetary penalties in 
accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act 
Improvements Act of 2015. Pursuant to these changes, the penalty for 
misuse of public reports is now $20,489. Accordingly, OGE proposes to 
update the penalty amount stated on the Form 201, in the paragraph 
above the applicant's signature. This change will have no material 
effect on the burden to filers.
    On November 25, 2019, OGE published a first round notice of its 
intent to request approval for the modified OGE Form 201, Request to 
Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel Public 
Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records. See 84 FR 64895. 
OGE received no responses to that notice.
    Request for Comments: Agency and public comment is again invited 
specifically on the need for and practical utility of this information 
collection, the accuracy of OGE's burden estimate, the enhancement of 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected, and the 
minimization of burden (including the use of information technology). 
The comments will become a matter of public record.

    Approved: February 3, 2020.
Emory Rounds,
Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 2020-02396 Filed 2-6-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6345-03-P