[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 110 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37536-37541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12252]


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EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities

AGENCY: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

ACTION: Notice of information collection--extension without change: 
Demographic Information on Applicants for Federal Employment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Equal 
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or Commission) announces that 
it intends to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a 
request for a three-year extension of a Commission form (Demographic 
Information on Applicants OMB No. 3046-0046).

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before 
July 10, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods--
please use only one method:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    Fax: (202) 663-4114. Only comments of six or fewer pages will be 
accepted via FAX transmittal to assure access to the equipment. Receipt 
of FAX transmittals will not be acknowledged, except that the sender 
may request confirmation of receipt by calling the Executive 
Secretariat staff at (202) 921-2815 (voice), 1-800-669-6820 (TTY), or 
1-844-234-5122 (ASL video phone).
    Mail: Comments may be submitted by mail to Raymond Windmiller, 
Executive Officer, Executive Secretariat, Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission, 131 M Street NE, Washington, DC 20507.
    Hand Delivery/Courier: Raymond Windmiller, Executive Officer, 
Executive Secretariat, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 131 M 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20507.
    Instructions: All comments received will be posted without change 
to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. However, the Commission reserves the right to refrain from 
posting libelous or otherwise inappropriate comments, including those 
that contain obscene, indecent, or profane language; that contain 
threats or defamatory statements; that contain hate speech based upon 
race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, or 
genetic information; or that promote or endorse services or products.
    Docket: Copies of comments received are also available for review 
at the Commission's library. Copies of comments received in response to 
this notice will be made available for viewing by appointment only at 
131 M Street NE, Suite 4NW08R, Washington, DC 20507. Members of the 
public may schedule an appointment by sending an email to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Doernberg, Federal Sector 
Programs, Office of Federal Operations, at (202) 921-2948 (voice) or 
[email protected]. Requests for this notice in an alternative 
format should be made to the Office of Communications and Legislative 
Affairs at (202) 921-3191 (voice), (800) 669-6820 (TTY), or (844) 234-
5122 (ASL Video Phone).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EEOC's Demographic Information on 
Applicants (OMB No. 3046-0046) is intended for use by federal agencies 
in gathering data on the race, ethnicity, sex, and disability status of 
job applicants. This form is used by the EEOC and other agencies to 
gauge progress and trends over time with respect to equal employment 
opportunity goals.
    On March 8, 2023, the Commission published a 60-Day Notice 
informing the public of its intent to request from OMB an extension 
without change of the information collection requirements associated 
with a Commission form (Demographic Information on Applicants OMB No. 
3046-0046). 88 FR 14363 (March 8, 2023). Pursuant to the

[[Page 37537]]

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35, and OMB 
regulation 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), the Commission solicited public comment 
to enable it to:
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed data collection tool will have 
practical utility by enabling a federal agency to determine whether 
recruitment activities are effectively reaching all segments of the 
relevant labor pool in compliance with the laws enforced by the 
Commission and whether the agency's selection procedures allow all 
applicants to compete on a level playing field regardless of race, 
national origin, sex, or disability status;
    (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; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
applicants for federal employees who choose 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 submission of responses.
    The Commission received three comments unrelated to these topics.

Overview of This Information Collection

    Collection Title: Demographic Information on Applicants.
    OMB Control No.: 3046-0046.
    Description of Affected Public: Individuals submitting applications 
for federal employment.\1\
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    \1\ Each agency is responsible for its own burden estimates.
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    Number of Annual Responses: 9,092.
    Estimated Time per Response: 3 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours (EEOC only): 455.\2\
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    \2\ This total is calculated as follows: 9,092 annual responses 
from EEOC applicants x 3 minutes per response = 27,276 minutes. 
27,276/60 = 455 hours each year and approximately 1,364 hours for 
the three-year period.
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    Annual Federal Cost: None.
    Abstract: Under section 717 of title VII and 501 of the 
Rehabilitation Act, the Commission is charged with reviewing and 
approving federal agencies' plans to affirmatively address potential 
discrimination before it occurs. Pursuant to such oversight 
responsibilities, the Commission has established systems to monitor 
compliance with title VII and the Rehabilitation Act by requiring 
federal agencies to evaluate their employment practices through the 
collection and analysis of data on the race, national origin, sex, and 
disability status of applicants for both permanent and temporary 
employment.
    While several federal agencies (or components of such agencies) 
have obtained OMB approval for the use of forms collecting data on the 
race, national origin, sex, and disability status of applicants, it is 
not an efficient use of government resources for each federal agency to 
separately seek OMB approval. Accordingly, to avoid unnecessary 
duplication of effort and a proliferation of forms, the EEOC seeks 
approval of a form to be used by federal agencies.
    Response by applicants is completely optional. The information 
obtained will be provided in the form of aggregate data and used by 
federal agencies only for evaluating whether an agency's recruitment 
activities are effectively reaching all segments of the relevant labor 
pool and whether the agency's selection procedures allow all applicants 
to compete on a level playing field regardless of race, national 
origin, sex, or disability status. The voluntary responses provided by 
applicants are treated in a highly confidential manner and play no part 
in the selection of the individual for employment. The information is 
not provided to any panel rating the applications, to selecting 
officials, to anyone who can affect the application or to the public. 
Rather, the information is used in summary form to determine trends 
over many selections within a given occupational or organization area. 
No information from the form is entered into an official personnel 
file.
    The present Notice is for a three-year extension without change to 
the Commission's existing form for collecting voluntary demographic 
information from federal applicants. The Commission remains engaged in 
interagency discussions about equitable data collection, including (a) 
the Federal Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnicity 
Standards convened by OMB; and (b) the Subcommittee on Sexual 
Orientation, Gender Identity, and Variations in Sex Characteristics 
convened by the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee 
on Equitable Data. As the work of those groups continues, the 
Commission may seek authorization from OMB, pursuant to the Paperwork 
Reduction Act, to amend the race, ethnicity, and/or sex questions on 
the Demographic Information on Applicants form.
    Burden Statement: Because of the predominant use of online 
application systems, which require only pointing and clicking on the 
selected responses, and because the form requests only seven questions 
regarding basic information, the EEOC estimates that an applicant can 
complete the form in approximately 3 minutes or less. Based on past 
experience, we expect that 9,092 applicants will choose to complete the 
form for vacancies at the EEOC annually.
    Upon approval of this common form by OMB, federal agencies may 
request OMB approval to use this common form without having to publish 
notices and request public comments for 60 and 30 days. Each agency 
must account for the burden associated with their use of the common 
form.\3\
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    \3\ ``Frequently Asked Questions about ROCIS's New Common Forms 
Module'' provides further information about common forms and can be 
found by searching www.whitehouse.gov.

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    For the Commission.

    Dated: June 5, 2023.
Charlotte A. Burrows,
Chair, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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[FR Doc. 2023-12252 Filed 6-7-23; 8:45 am]
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