[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 74109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28262]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[NRC-2021-0220]


Revision of Fees for the Criminal History Program: Fee Recovery 
for Fiscal Year 2022

AGENCY: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notification to licensees of criminal history check fee 
increase.

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SUMMARY: The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will increase 
the current fee of 10 dollars assessed to applicants and licensees for 
criminal history record checks to 35 dollars. This fee increase is 
necessary to recover the full cost for the administration of the 
Criminal History Program (CHP). Information regarding this change can 
be found on the NRC's CHP public website at https://www.nrc.gov/security/chp.html and in the CHP users guide at https://www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals/criminal-history-user-guide.pdf.

DATES: The fee increase will begin on March 1, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2021-0220 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS 
Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or 
by email to [email protected].
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents, by appointment, at the NRC's PDR, Room P1 B35, One White 
Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. To make 
an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to 
[email protected] or call 1-800-397-4209 or 301-415-4737, between 
8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doreen Turner, Office of Nuclear 
Security and Incident Response, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001, telephone: 301-415-7553, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    In July 2017, the NRC lowered the fee assessed to applicants and 
licensees for criminal history record checks from 26 dollars to 10 
dollars to draw down on a surplus balance of fee receipts. The NRC's 
CHP costs have historically been fully covered from fees collected. 
Over the past several years, the surplus balance of CHP funding has 
been exhausted, and the program is now operating at a deficit.
    Pursuant to requirements in the Chief Financial Officers Act of 
1990 (31 U.S.C.), the NRC conducts biennial reviews of the charges 
assessed to applicants and licensees for CHP background checks to 
assess the suitability of fees to cover both the cost charged by the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the costs of NRC to 
administer the program. The biennial review completed in Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2019, concluded that the current fee of 10 dollars being charged 
to applicants and licensees was not sufficient to recover the full cost 
of administering the program and the NRC should increase its fee. 
During FY 2020, the fees charged to applicants and licensees for CHP 
records checks were not raised due to the COVID-19 public health 
emergency and a decision by the NRC to defer the fee increase 
temporarily.

II. Discussion

    The last biennial review completed by NRC at the end of FY 2021 
reaffirmed that the current fee of 10 dollars being charged to 
applicants and licensees was not sufficient to recover the full cost of 
administering the program, and the NRC should increase its fee to 35 
dollars. This fee is the sum of the user fee charged by the FBI ($11.25 
effective January 1, 2019) plus NRC's direct and indirect costs 
incurred in processing fingerprints.
    As a reminder, payment is due upon fingerprint card submission, and 
the NRC's preferred method of payment is through Pay.gov at https://www.pay.gov which includes payment by debit or credit card or 
electronic funds transfer (e-check). Although electronic is preferred, 
the NRC also accepts cashier checks or money orders made payable to the 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Fingerprint cards along with proof 
of payment should be sent to:

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Director, Division of Physical and 
Cyber Security Policy, Attn: Criminal History Program/Mail Stop--T-
07D04M, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-2738
Contact: Doreen Turner, Criminal History Program Manager, Ph. 301-415-
7553, [email protected]

    Dated: December 22, 2021.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Sabrina D. Atack,
Acting Director, Division of Physical and Cyber Security Policy, Office 
of Nuclear Security and Incident Response.
[FR Doc. 2021-28262 Filed 12-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P