[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 158 (Thursday, August 17, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56058-56059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-17651]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

[Docket ID: OPM-2023-0024]


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice of a modified system of records.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, the Office of 
Personnel Management (OPM) proposes to modify an OPM system of records 
titled, ``OPM/GOVT-1 General Personnel Records'' System of Records. The 
records in this system of records are maintained by OPM and employing 
agencies in accordance with OPM regulations and instructions. OPM 
proposes to modify this system of records by revising Routine Uses 
``s'' and ``hh''.

DATES: Submit comments on or before September 18, 2023. The modified 
routine uses will be effective on September 21, 2023.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by one of the following 
methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
    All submissions received must include the agency name and docket 
number for this Federal Register document. The general policy for 
comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make 
these submissions available for public viewing on the internet at 
https://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, 
including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marc Flaster, Senior Agency Official 
for Privacy (Acting), Office of Personnel Management at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, 
5 U.S.C. 552a, the Office of Personnel Management (``OPM''), proposes 
to make certain modifications to the ``OPM/GOVT-1 General Personnel 
Records'' system of records pending a comprehensive review and update 
at a later date. Specifically, OPM proposes to revise Routine Use ``s'' 
to specify that OPM may disclose records from this system of records to 
other Federal entities for the purpose of conducting research and 
statistical analysis for government-wide evaluation and reporting about 
the Federal workforce. In its current form, Routine Use ``s'' only 
permits internal use of the records for such purposes.
    Routine Use ``s'' currently reads as follows:
    s. By the agency maintaining the records or by the OPM to locate 
individuals for personnel research or survey response, and in the 
production of summary descriptive statistics and analytical studies in 
support of the function for which the records are collected and 
maintained, or for related workforce studies. While published 
statistics and studies do not contain individual identifiers, in some 
instances, the selection of elements of data included in the study may 
be structured in such a way as to make the data individually 
identifiable by inference.
    OPM proposes to revise Routine Use ``s'' to read as follows:
    s. To disclose to another Federal agency, by the agency maintaining 
the records or by OPM, for research or analytical purposes, including 
to locate individuals for personnel research or survey response, to 
produce summary descriptive statistics, or to conduct analytical 
studies in support of the function for which the records are collected 
and maintained, or for related workforce studies; provided that the 
disclosure is made pursuant to a written agreement that clearly 
outlines the relevant authorities, limits the disclosure only to those 
records that are necessary for a clearly documented purpose, and limits 
the use of the records for that purpose.
    OPM also proposes to revise Routine Use ``hh'' to clarify that the 
records in this system of records may be disclosed in the context of an 
appropriate computer matching program. The current language of this 
Routine Use does not track the definition of ``matching program'' in 
the Privacy Act and the revised language is intended to correct that 
and permit disclosure in the context of any approved matching program 
that meets the definition in the Act.
    Routine Use ``hh'' currently reads as follows:
    hh. To disclose relevant information with personal identifiers of 
Federal civilian employees whose records are contained in the EHRI to 
authorized Federal agencies and non-Federal entities for use in 
computer matching. The matches will be performed to help eliminate 
waste, fraud, and abuse in Governmental programs; to help identify 
individuals who are potentially in violation of civil or criminal law 
or regulation; and to collect debts and overpayments owed to Federal, 
State, or local governments and their components. The information 
disclosed may include, but is not limited to, the name, social security 
number, date of birth, sex, annualized salary rate, service computation 
date of basic active service, veteran's preference, retirement status, 
occupational series, health plan code, position occupied, work schedule 
(full time, part time, or intermittent), agency identifier, geographic 
location (duty station location), standard metropolitan service area, 
special program identifier, and submitting office number of Federal 
employees.
    OPM proposed to revise Routine Use ``hh'' to read as follows:
    hh. To other Federal agencies, such as the Social Security 
Administration, the Department of Education, and the Department of 
Health and Human Services, and to non-Federal entities, relevant 
information with personal identifiers of Federal civilian employees 
whose records are contained in the EHRI to authorized Federal agencies 
and non-Federal entities for use in a computer matching program, as 
defined in 5 U.S.C. 552a(a)(8), to help eliminate waste, fraud, and 
abuse in Governmental programs; to help identify individuals who are 
potentially in violation of civil or criminal law or regulation; to 
collect debts and overpayments owed to Federal, State, or local 
governments and their components; and to identify individuals as 
Federal civilian employees when relevant to their receiving a benefit 
from the matching partner.
    In addition to revising the above-referenced Routine Uses, OPM also 
proposes to make certain administrative adjustments to the SORN to 
update the System Manager to reflect organizational changes at OPM and 
to

[[Page 56059]]

update the description of the System Location for accuracy.
    OPM has provided a report of this modified system of records to the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs of the Senate, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) and OMB Circular A-108, ``Federal Agency 
Responsibilities for Review, Reporting, and Publication under the 
Privacy Act,'' dated December 23, 2016. This modified system will be 
included in OPM's inventory of records systems.

Office of Personnel Management.
Kayyonne Marston,
Federal Register Liaison.

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
    General Personnel Records, OPM/GOVT-1.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    Unclassified.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    Records on current Federal employees are located within the 
employing agency. Records maintained in paper may also be located at 
OPM or with personnel officers, or at other designated offices of local 
installations of the department or agency that employs the individual. 
When agencies determine that duplicates of these records need to be 
located in a second office, e.g., an administrative office closer to 
where the employee actually works, such copies are covered by this 
system of records. Some agencies have employed the electronic Official 
Personnel Folder (eOPF) information technology system to store their 
records electronically. Although stored in eOPF, agencies are still 
responsible for the maintenance of their records. In addition, certain 
data elements from the eOPF are collected and maintained in OPM's 
Enterprise Human Resource Integration (EHRI) system.
    Former Federal employees' paper Official Personnel Folders (OPFs) 
are located at the National Personnel Records Center, National Archives 
and Records Administration, in Valmeyer, Illinois. Former Federal 
employees' electronic Official Personnel Folders (eOPF) are located in 
the eOPF system at OPM.
    Note 1--The records in this system are records of the OPM and must 
be provided to those OPM employees who have an official need or use for 
those records. Therefore, if an employing agency is asked by an OPM 
employee to access the records within this system, such a request must 
be honored.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    a. Executive Director, Human Capital Data Management and 
Modernization, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW, 
Washington, DC 20415; Associate Director, Employee Services, U.S. 
Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415.
    b. For current Federal employees, OPM has delegated to the 
employing agency the Privacy Act responsibilities concerning access, 
amendment, and disclosure of the records within this system notice.
* * * * *

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
* * * * *
    s. To disclose to another Federal agency, by the agency maintaining 
the records or by OPM, for research or analytical purposes, including 
to locate individuals for personnel research or survey response, to 
produce summary descriptive statistics, or to conduct analytical 
studies in support of the function for which the records are collected 
and maintained, or for related workforce studies; provided that the 
disclosure is made pursuant to a written agreement that clearly 
outlines the relevant authorities, limits the disclosure only to those 
records that are necessary for a clearly documented purpose, and limits 
the use of the records for that purpose.
* * * * *
    hh. To other Federal agencies, such as the Social Security 
Administration, the Department of Education, and the Department of 
Health and Human Services, and to non-Federal entities, relevant 
information with personal identifiers of Federal civilian employees 
whose records are contained in the EHRI to authorized Federal agencies 
and non-Federal entities for use in a computer matching program, as 
defined in 5 U.S.C. 552a(a)(8), to help eliminate waste, fraud, and 
abuse in Governmental programs; to help identify individuals who are 
potentially in violation of civil or criminal law or regulation; to 
collect debts and overpayments owed to Federal, State, or local 
governments and their components; and to identify individuals as 
Federal civilian employees when relevant to their receiving a benefit 
from the matching partner.
* * * * *

HISTORY:
    OPM/GOVT-1, ``General Personnel Records'', 77 FR 73694 (December 
11, 2012), 80 FR 74815 (November 30, 2015), 76 FR 32997 (June 7, 2011), 
71 FR 35342 (June 19, 2006), 65 FR 24732 (April 27, 2000), and 61 FR 
36919 (July 15, 1996).

[FR Doc. 2023-17651 Filed 8-16-23; 8:45 am]
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