[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 28 (Thursday, February 10, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 7838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02826]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Agency Information Collection Activities; Information Collection 
Renewal; Comment Request for OGE Form 319 Request for a Medical 
Exception to the Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: After this first round notice and public comment period, the 
Office of Government Ethics (OGE) plans to request that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) renew its approval under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act for an existing information collection, entitled the OGE 
Form 319 Request for a Medical Exception to the Covid-19 Vaccination 
Requirement. The form was originally granted emergency clearance on 
November 19, 2021.

DATES: Written comments by the public and agencies on this proposed 
extension are invited and must be received by April 11, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to OGE by any of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected] (Include reference to ``OGE Form 319 Request 
for a Medical Exception to the Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement 
comment'' in the subject line of the message.)
    Mail, Hand Delivery/Courier: Office of Government Ethics, 1201 New 
York Avenue NW, Suite 500, Attention: Jennifer Matis, Associate 
Counsel, Washington, DC 20005-3917.
    Instructions: Comments may be posted on OGE's website, www.oge.gov. 
Sensitive personal information, such as account numbers or Social 
Security numbers, should not be included. Comments generally will not 
be edited to remove any identifying or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Matis at the U.S. Office of 
Government Ethics; telephone: 202-482-9216; TTY: 800-877-8339; Email: 
[email protected]. A copy of the form may be obtained, without charge, by 
contacting Jennifer Matis.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Request for a Medical Exception to the Covid-19 Vaccination 
Requirement.
    Agency Form Number: OGE Form 319.
    Abstract: The OGE Form 319 collects information necessary to 
document the consideration, decision, and implementation of OGE 
employee requests for reasonable accommodation from the COVID 
vaccination requirement set forth in Executive Order 14043, Requiring 
Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees (Sept. 9, 
2021).
    OMB Control Number: 3209-0011.
    Type of Information Collection: Extension of a currently approved 
collection.
    Type of Review Request: Regular.
    Affected public: Medical providers who are asked to provide 
documentation in support of an employee's request for a medical 
exception to the requirement for COVID-19 vaccination.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 1 (based on an estimate of 
five respondents over a ten year period, rounded up).
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost Burden (in dollars): 17.
    Request for Comments: OGE is publishing this first round notice of 
its intent to request paperwork clearance renewal for the OGE Form 319. 
Public comment is 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). Comments received in response to this 
notice will be summarized for and included with the OGE request for 
extension of OMB paperwork approval. The comments will also become a 
matter of public record.
    A Notice Regarding Injunctions: The vaccination requirement issued 
pursuant to E.O. 14043 is currently the subject of a nationwide 
injunction. While that injunction remains in place, OGE will not 
process requests for a medical exception from the COVID-19 vaccination 
requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043. OGE will also not request the 
submission of any medical information related to a request for an 
exception from the vaccination requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043 while 
the injunction remains in place. But OGE may nevertheless receive 
information regarding a medical exception. That is because, if OGE were 
to receive a request for an exception from the COVID-19 vaccination 
requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043 during the pendency of the 
injunction, OGE will accept the request, hold it in abeyance, and 
notify the employee who submitted the request that implementation and 
enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to E.O. 
14043 is currently enjoined and that an exception therefore is not 
necessary so long as the injunction is in place. In other words, during 
the pendency of the injunction, any information collection related to 
requests for medical exception from the COVID-19 vaccination 
requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043 is not undertaken to implement or 
enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

    Approved: February 7, 2022.
Emory Rounds,
Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 2022-02826 Filed 2-9-22; 8:45 am]
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