[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 92 (Friday, May 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30799-30801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10121]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Data 
Security Requirements for Accessing Confidential Data

AGENCY: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 
National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics 
(NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the 
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and 
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This is the second 
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal 
Register and no comments were received. NCSES is forwarding the 
proposed Data Security Requirements for Accessing Confidential Data 
information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance simultaneously with the publication of this second notice. 
The full submission may be found at: http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, 
Alexandria, VA 22314, or send email to [email protected]. Individuals 
who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the 
Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is 
accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (including 
federal holidays). Comments

[[Page 30800]]

regarding this information collection are best assured of having their 
full effect if received within 30 days of this notification. Copies of 
the submission(s) may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556.
    Comments: Comments regarding (a) whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the NSF, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the NSF's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
use, and clarity of the information on respondents; and (d) ways to 
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 should be addressed to the points 
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NCSES may not conduct or sponsor a 
collection of information unless the collection of information displays 
a currently valid OMB control number and the agency informs potential 
persons who are to respond to the collection of information that such 
persons are not required to respond to the collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Comments: Comments regarding (a) whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the NSF, including whether the information will have practical utility; 
(b) the accuracy of the NSF's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, use, and 
clarity of the information to be collected, including through the use 
of automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated or other forms of information technology should 
be addressed to the points of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section.
    Title of Collection: Data Security Requirements for Accessing 
Confidential Data.
    OMB Control Number: 3145-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: Title III of the Foundations for Evidence-
Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (44 U.S.C. 3583; hereafter referred to 
as the Evidence Act) mandates that OMB establish a Standard Application 
Process (SAP) for requesting access to certain confidential data 
assets. While the adoption of the SAP is required for statistical 
agencies and units designated under the Confidential Information 
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018 (CIPSEA), it is 
recognized that other agencies and organizational units within the 
Executive Branch may benefit from the adoption of the SAP to accept 
applications for access to confidential data assets. The SAP is a 
process through which agencies, the Congressional Budget Office, State, 
local, and Tribal governments, researchers, and other individuals, as 
appropriate, may apply to access confidential data assets held by a 
federal statistical agency or unit for the purposes of developing 
evidence. With the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) as 
advisors, the entities upon whom this requirement is levied are working 
with the SAP Project Management Office (PMO) and with OMB to implement 
the SAP.
    The SAP Portal is a single web-based common application designed to 
collect information from individuals requesting access to confidential 
data assets from federal statistical agencies and units. When an 
application for confidential data is approved through the SAP Portal, 
NCSES will collect information to fulfill its data security 
requirements. This is a required step before providing the individual 
with access to restricted use microdata for the purpose of evidence 
building. NCSES's data security agreements and other paperwork, along 
with the corresponding security protocols, allow NCSES to maintain 
careful controls on confidentiality and privacy, as required by law. 
NCSES' collection of data security information will occur outside of 
the SAP Portal.
    The following bullets outline the major components and processes in 
and around the SAP Portal, leading up to NCSES' collection of security 
requirements.
     SAP Policy: At the recommendation of the ICSP, the SAP 
Policy establishes the SAP to be implemented by statistical agencies 
and units and incorporates directives from the Evidence Act. The SAP 
Policy was submitted to the public for comment in January 2022 (87 FR 
2459) and has since been issued by OMB (M-23-04).
     The SAP Portal: The SAP Portal is an application interface 
connecting applicants seeking data with a catalog of metadata for data 
assets owned by the federal statistical agencies and units. The SAP 
Portal is not a new data repository or warehouse; confidential data 
assets will continue to be stored in secure data access facilities 
owned and hosted by the federal statistical agencies and units. The 
Portal will provide a streamlined application process across agencies, 
reducing redundancies in the application process.
     Data Discovery: Individuals begin the process of accessing 
restricted use data by discovering confidential data assets through the 
SAP metadata catalog, maintained by federal statistical agencies at 
www.researchdatagov.org.
     SAP Application: Individuals who have identified and wish 
to access confidential data assets are able to apply for access through 
the SAP Portal. Applicants must create an account and follow all steps 
to complete the application. Applicants enter personal, contact, and 
institutional information for the research team and provide summary 
information about their proposed project.
     Submission for Review: Agencies approve or reject an 
application within a prompt timeframe. Agencies may also request 
applicants to revise and resubmit their application.
     Access to Confidential Data: Approved applicants are 
notified through the SAP Portal that their proposal has been accepted. 
This concludes the SAP Portal process. Agencies will contact approved 
applicants to initiate completion of their security documents. The 
completion and submission of the agency's security requirements will 
take place outside of the SAP Portal.
     Collection of Information for Data Security Requirements: 
In the instance of a positive determination for an application 
requesting access to an NCSES-owned confidential data asset, NCSES will 
contact the applicant(s) to initiate the process of collecting 
information to fulfill its data security requirements. This process 
allows NCSES to place the applicant(s) in a trusted access category.
    Estimate of Burden: The amount of time to complete the agreements 
and other paperwork that comprise NCSES's security requirements will 
vary based on the confidential data assets requested. To obtain access 
to NCSES confidential data assets, it is estimated that the average 
time to complete and submit NCSES's data security agreements and other 
paperwork is 60 minutes. This burden estimate has changed from the time 
of the 60-day FRN submission to account for 30 minutes of CIPSEA 
training required for each applicant. This estimate does not include 
the time needed to complete and submit an application within the SAP 
Portal. An additional burden

[[Page 30801]]

estimate for application renewals has also been added to account for 35 
minutes of annual burden when renewing an application. All efforts 
related to SAP Portal applications occur prior to and separate from 
NCSES's effort to collect information related to data security 
requirements.
    The expected number of applications in the SAP Portal that receive 
a positive determination from NCSES in a given year may vary. Overall, 
per year, NCSES estimates it will collect data security information for 
20 application submissions, with two applicants per application, that 
received a positive determination within the SAP Portal. NCSES 
estimates that the total burden for the collection of information for 
data security requirements over the course of the three-year OMB 
clearance will be about 120 hours and, as a result, an average annual 
burden of 40 hours.
    In addition, individuals must renew applications annually and take 
annual CIPSEA training. An average of 90 applicants per year renew 
their applications, taking an average of 35 minutes for training and 
completion of the amendment form for a total of 157.5 total burden 
hours over the course of the three-year OMB clearance and an annual 
burden of 52.5 hours.
    Comments: As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), comments on the 
information collection activities as part of this study were solicited 
through the publication of a 60-Day Notice in the Federal Register at 
87 FR 65611. NCSES received no comments.
    Updates: The 30-day FRN specified 30 minutes of burden per 
applicant to complete security paperwork. This estimate has been 
updated to reflect an additional 30 minutes of required CIPSEA 
training, for a total of 60 minutes of burden per applicant. In 
addition, the burden estimate has been updated to account for 
application renewals, for a total of 35 minutes of burden per 
applicant.

    Dated: May 8, 2023.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2023-10121 Filed 5-11-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P