[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 4609]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01332]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Electronic Public Financial Disclosure Extension 
Request

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) seeks comment on the 
development of a new module allowing filers to request an extension of 
the time available to file a public financial disclosure report within 
its Integrity electronic filing system. This notice announces that OGE 
intends to submit this collection to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all written comments received by 
March 25, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to OGE by the following methods:
    Email: [email protected] (Include reference to ``Extension Module PRA 
Comment'' in the subject line of the message.)
    Mail: Office of Government Ethics, 250 E Street SW, Suite 750, 
Washington DC 20024-3249, Attention: Jennifer Matis, Associate Counsel.
    Instructions: Comments may be posted on OGE's website, www.oge.gov. 
Sensitive personal information, such as account numbers or Social 
Security numbers, should not be included. Comments generally will not 
be edited to remove any identifying or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Matis at the U.S. Office of 
Government Ethics; telephone: 202-482-9216; TTY: 800-877-8339; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Electronic Public Financial Disclosure Extension Request.
    Abstract: The Integrity Public Financial Disclosure Extension 
Request will be a module within OGE's Integrity electronic filing 
application. Certain officers and high-level employees in the executive 
branch are required to file public financial disclosure reports via the 
OGE Form 278e and OGE Form 278-T for the purpose of conflict of 
interest review and public disclosure. The form is also completed by 
individuals who are nominated by the President for high-level executive 
branch positions requiring Senate confirmation and individuals entering 
into and departing from other public reporting positions in the 
executive branch.
    In 2014, OGE sought and received approval to incorporate the OGE 
Form 278e into its Integrity electronic filing application. Integrity 
has been in use since January 1, 2015, and most public financial 
disclosure filers now use Integrity to file the OGE Form 278e and OGE 
Form 278-T. Although Integrity is primarily used by current executive 
branch federal employees, it is also used to file termination reports 
by certain filers who have recently left government service.
    The proposed module within Integrity will allow filers to easily 
request an extension of time to file their report. The module can be 
``turned on'' by the filers' reporting agency, or the agency may choose 
not to use it. Requests for extensions are currently made by calling or 
emailing the filer's agency ethics official and require that the filer 
provide a reason for requesting an extension. The ethics official can 
then manually enter the number of days granted into Integrity and those 
days will be displayed on the cover page of the printed report, which 
is made public in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 13107. If the extension was 
granted because the filer is in a combat zone, the reason for the 
extension is also noted on the report. Once the new feature is deployed 
and an agency chooses to enable the feature, their filers will request 
an extension through the Integrity module. The electronic extension 
request will then be presented within the Integrity application to the 
appropriate ethics official at the employing agency. If the ethics 
official grants the request, the required information will 
automatically appear on the filer's report as generated by the 
Integrity application.
    OGE believes that many agencies will avail themselves of the option 
to use the new module. For those that do, automating this process will 
make it easier for both the filer and the agency ethics officials and 
will reduce the chance that required information will be omitted from 
the filer's report. The development of this feature has been ranked a 
high priority by the Integrity Advisory Council (IAC), which is 
comprised of a diverse group of agencies that have at least 90% of 
their financial disclosure filers utilizing the Integrity application. 
The IAC was established to advise OGE on proposed enhancements, 
improvements, and support services.
    OMB Control Number: To Be Determined.
    Type of Information Collection: New collection.
    Type of Review Request: Regular.
    Affected Public: Private citizens who file termination reports from 
such positions after their government service ends.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 511.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 17 hours.
    Request for Comments: Public comment is invited specifically on the 
need for and practical utility of this information collection, the 
accuracy of OGE's burden estimate, the enhancement of quality, utility 
and clarity of the information collected, and the minimization of 
burden (including the use of information technology). Comments received 
in response to this notice will be summarized for, and may be included 
with, the OGE request for OMB approval under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act. The comments will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: January 18, 2024.
Shelley K. Finlayson,
Acting Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 2024-01332 Filed 1-23-24; 8:45 am]
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