[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 237 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76048-76049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26889]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-23-23BI; Docket No. CDC-2022-0138]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing effort to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies the opportunity to comment on a proposed information 
collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This 
notice invites comment on a proposed information collection project 
titled Research Data Center Data Security Forms for Access to 
Confidential Data. CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) 
plans to collect information from the public for the purpose of 
evidence building using security forms, along with the corresponding 
security protocols, that allow NCHS to maintain careful controls on 
confidentiality and privacy, as required by law.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 10, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2022-
0138 by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. CDC will post, without change, all relevant comments 
to www.regulations.gov.
    Please note: Submit all comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
portal (www.regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the address listed 
above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact Jeffrey M. Zirger, Information Collection 
Review Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton 
Road NE, MS H21-8, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; Telephone: 404-639-7570; 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(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 they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information 
collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    The OMB is particularly interested in comments that will help:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected;
    4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submissions of responses; and
    5. Assess information collection costs.

Proposed Project

    Research Data Center (RDC) Data Security Forms for Access to 
Confidential Data--Existing Collection in use without an OMB Control 
Number--National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Section 306(b)(4) of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42 U.S.C. 
242k(b)(4)), as amended, authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (HHS), acting through the National Center for Health 
Statistics (NCHS), to receive requests for furnishing statistics to the 
public. NCHS receives requests for statistics from the public through 
the Standard Application Process (SAP). The public may apply to access 
confidential data assets held by a Federal statistical agency or unit 
through the SAP for the purposes of generating statistics and 
developing evidence. Once an application for confidential data is 
approved through the SAP, NCHS will collect information to meet its 
data security requirements through its Data Security Forms. This 
information collection through the Data Security Forms will occur 
outside of the SAP. This is a request for approval from OMB to collect 
information via the Researcher Data Center (RDC) Data Security Forms 
over the next three years.
    As part of a comprehensive data dissemination program, the RDC/
NCHS/CDC requires prospective researchers who need access to 
confidential data to complete a research proposal. Researchers self-
select whether they need access to confidential data to answer their 
research questions. The RDC requires the researcher to complete a 
research proposal, so NCHS understands the research proposed. The 
completed proposal is sent to NCHS through the SAP portal for review 
and adjudication. If the research proposal is approved by NCHS, then 
the researcher must fill out two of three data security forms. If the 
researcher will access the data at a RDC, then the ``Data Access Form'' 
and the ``Designated Agent Form'' would need to be completed and 
returned to NCHS. If the researcher will

[[Page 76049]]

access the data through the NCHS Virtual Data Enclave (VDE), then the 
``VDE Data Use Agreement Form'' and the ``Designated Agent Form'' would 
need to be completed and returned to NCHS.
    In order to capture the information needed to adjudicate a 
researcher's commitment to protect confidential NCHS data, researchers 
must complete and sign the data security forms. This request allows for 
both researcher signature and the time per response for a total 
estimated annual burden total of 110 hours. There is no cost to 
respondents other than their time to complete the forms.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondents           Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent       (in hrs.)       (in hrs.)
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Researcher....................  Research Data                110               1               1             110
                                 Center (RDC)
                                 Proposal.
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............             110
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Jeffrey M. Zirger,
Lead, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of Science, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2022-26889 Filed 12-9-22; 8:45 am]
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