[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18068-18070]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06537]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency


Agency Information Collection Requirements; Information 
Collection Renewals; Submission for OMB Review; Request for a Religious 
Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement; and Request for a 
Medical Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

AGENCY: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and requests for comment.

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SUMMARY: The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork 
and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the renewal of two 
information collections as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may 
not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond 
to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is 
soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information 
collections titled, ``Request for a Religious Exception to the COVID-19 
Vaccine Requirement;'' and ``Request for a Medical Exception to the 
COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement.'' The OCC is also giving notice that it 
has sent the collection to OMB for review.

DATES: You should submit written comments by April 28, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Commenters are encouraged to submit comments by email, if 
possible. You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].

[[Page 18069]]

     Mail: Chief Counsel's Office, Attention: Comment 
Processing, 1557-0352 or 1557-0353, Office of the Comptroller of the 
Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218, Washington, DC 20219.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218, 
Washington, DC 20219.
     Fax: (571) 465-4326.
    Instructions: You must include ``OCC'' as the agency name and 
``1557-0352 or ``1557-0353'' in your comment. In general, the OCC will 
publish comments on www.reginfo.gov without change, including any 
business or personal information provided, such as name and address 
information, email addresses, or phone numbers. Comments received, 
including attachments and other supporting materials, are part of the 
public record and subject to public disclosure. Do not include any 
information in your comment or supporting materials that you consider 
confidential or inappropriate for public disclosure.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should also be sent within 30 days of publication of this 
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    On January 18, 2022, the OCC published a 60-day notice for this 
information collection, 87 FR 2669. You may review comments and other 
related materials that pertain to this information collection following 
the close of the 30-day comment period for this notice by the method 
set forth in the next bullet.
     Viewing Comments Electronically: Go to www.reginfo.gov. 
Hover over the ``Information Collection Review'' tab and click on 
``Information Collection Review'' drop-down menu. From the ``Currently 
under Review'' drop-down menu, select ``Department of Treasury'' and 
then click ``submit.'' This information collection can be located by 
searching by OMB control number ``1557-0352'' or ``1557-0353''or 
``Request for a Religious Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccine 
Requirement;'' and ``Request for a Medical Exception to the COVID-19 
Vaccine Requirement.''. Upon finding the appropriate information 
collection, click on the related ``ICR Reference Number.'' On the next 
screen, select ``View Supporting Statement and Other Documents'' and 
then click on the link to any comment listed at the bottom of the 
screen.
     For assistance in navigating www.reginfo.gov, please 
contact the Regulatory Information Service Center at (202) 482-7340.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shaquita Merritt, OCC Clearance 
Officer, (202) 649-5490, Chief Counsel's Office, Office of the 
Comptroller of the Currency, 400 7th Street SW, Suite 3E-218, 
Washington, DC 20219. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a 
speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay 
services.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal 
agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for each collection of information that they conduct or sponsor. 
``Collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 
1320.3(c) to include agency requests or requirements that members of 
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a 
third party. The OCC requests that OMB extend its approval of the 
emergency approvals for the collections in this notice.
    Title: Request for a Religious Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccine 
Requirement.
    OMB Control No.: 1557-0353.
    Title: Request for a Medical Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccine 
Requirement.
    OMB Control No.: 1557-0352.
    Abstract: The President, by Executive order 13991 (January 20, 
2021) established the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. The Taskforce 
was established to give the heads of Federal agencies ongoing guidance 
to keep their employees safe and their agencies operating during the 
COVID-19 pandemic. The Taskforce issued guidance, in accordance with 
the President's Executive Order 14043 (September 9, 2021), requiring 
federal employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November 22, 
2021 absent a legally required exception. To determine whether 
employees who requested a religious or medical exception qualified for 
the exception sought, or, alternatively, were required to comply with 
the November 22 deadline, the OCC developed the ``Request for Religious 
Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Form'' and the 
``Request for Medical Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement 
Form'' (collectively, Request forms). The Request forms were developed, 
consistent with guidance issued by the Task force and the U.S. 
Department of Treasury's Office of Civil Rights and Diversity, to 
gather information from employees and applicants for employment who 
requested religious or medical exceptions to determine whether such 
employees qualified for legal exceptions to the vaccine requirement. 
The Request forms also were used to collect information from job 
applicants who requested a legal exception upon receiving an offer of 
employment from the OCC.
    To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide 
injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending 
on the course of ongoing litigation, Office of the Comptroller of the 
Currency will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 
vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring 
Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees while the 
injunction is in effect.
    Type of Review: Extension, without change, of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit; individuals.
    Religious Exception:
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 4 Job Applicants.
    Estimated Burden per Respondent: 0.50 hours.
    Total Burden: 2 hours.
    Medical Exception:
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 2 Job Applicants; 66 Medical 
Professionals.
    Estimated Burden per Respondent: 0.25 hours for Job Applicants; 
0.50 hours for Medical Professionals.
    Total Burden: 33.5 hours.
    On January 18, 2022, the OCC published a 60-day notice for this 
information collection, 87 FR 2669. No comments were received. Comments 
continue to be invited on:
    (a) Whether the collections of information are necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information has practical utility;
    (b) The accuracy of the agency's estimates of the burden of the 
collections of information;
    (c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected;
    (d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collections on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology; and
    (e) Estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information.

A Notice Regarding Injunctions

    The vaccination requirement issued pursuant to E.O. 14043, is 
currently the

[[Page 18070]]

subject of a nationwide injunction. While that injunction remains in 
place, the OCC will not process requests for a medical or religious 
exception from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to E.O. 
14043. The OCC will also not request the submission of any medical or 
religious information related to a request for an exception from the 
vaccination requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043 while the injunction 
remains in place. But the OCC may nevertheless receive information 
regarding a medical or religious exception. That is because, if the OCC 
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, the OCC 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 or religious exception from the COVID-19 
vaccination requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043 is not undertaken to 
implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

Theodore J. Dowd,
Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
[FR Doc. 2022-06537 Filed 3-28-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-33-P