[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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