[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 38 (Monday, February 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14071-14073]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03814]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Agency Information Collection Activities; Information Collection 
Renewal; Comment Request for OGE Form 278e Executive Branch Personnel 
Public Financial Disclosure Report

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: After this first round notice and public comment period, the 
Office of Government Ethics (OGE) plans to request that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) renew its approval under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act for a modified version of an existing information 
collection, entitled the OGE Form 278e Executive Branch Personnel 
Public Financial Disclosure Report.

DATES: Written comments by the public and agencies on the proposed 
modification and extension are invited and must be received by April 
26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to OGE by any of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected] (Include reference to ``OGE Form 278e 
paperwork comment'' in the subject line of the message.)
    Mail: Office of Government Ethics, Attention: Jennifer Matis, 
Associate Counsel, 250 E Street SW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20024-
3249.
    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-

[[Page 14072]]

482-9216; TTY: 800-877-8339; Email: [email protected]. A copy of the form 
with proposed changes marked in red is available here: https://oge.box.com/s/jrca898wqy81iwy1gklc8ydoyuyp963b.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure 
Report.
    Agency Form Number: OGE Form 278e.
    Abstract: The OGE Form 278e collects information from certain 
officers and high-level employees in the executive branch for conflicts 
of interest review and public disclosure. The form also collects 
information from 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. The information is collected in 
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 13104 and OGE's implementing financial 
disclosure regulations at 5 CFR part 2634. The information collected 
relates to: assets and income; transactions; gifts, reimbursements and 
travel expenses; liabilities; agreements or arrangements; outside 
positions; and compensation over $5,000 paid by a source--all subject 
to various reporting thresholds and exclusions.
    OGE has approval for five versions of the Form 278e: a PDF version, 
an Excel version, an electronic version called Integrity, a Chinese 
language version, and a Spanish language version. The translated 
versions are intended to be informational only, to allow more members 
of the public to understand the content of filers' public reports. The 
version of the Form 278e that is produced by Integrity is a streamlined 
output report format that presents only the filer's inputs in given 
categories and does not report other categories not selected by the 
filer. It is this output report that is made available to the public in 
PDF form. Most public disclosure filers now use Integrity to file the 
OGE Form 278e. However, OGE also continues to maintain an Excel version 
of the form and a 508 compliant PDF version accessible to users who use 
screen readers to access and interact with digital information.
    OGE seeks renewal of the OGE Form 278e with several modifications. 
OGE sought and received input from a variety of stakeholders before 
proposing these modifications. Comments submitted by the public in 
response to the Federal Register notices published during the last 
renewal in 2021 were reconsidered. In addition, OGE solicited and 
received additional comments from OGE employees, agency ethics 
officials (who are the individuals responsible for reviewing the 
completed forms for potential conflicts of interest), interested 
Congressional offices, and the public. On January 19, 2023, OGE held a 
public meeting to discuss potential changes to the OGE Forms 450 and 
278e and accepted written comments in lieu of appearing in-person. See 
87 FR 73766 (Dec. 1, 2022).
    OGE considered each comment submitted. The proposed modifications 
discussed below incorporate the suggested changes that OGE believes 
will provide added clarity and value to the financial disclosure 
process. OGE is declining to make other suggested changes at this time 
due to OGE's lack of regulatory authority to make such changes, lack of 
interest by the affected agencies, and/or the associated costs to 
Integrity.
    The proposed modifications are described below. These changes apply 
to the English language versions of the form only; OGE will update its 
Spanish and Chinese instructional versions at a later date.

Changes to All English Versions (Excel, PDF, and Integrity)

    OGE proposes to add a question for all filers regarding their type 
of appointment. The options offered are ``PAS,'' ``Non-Career,'' and 
``Career.'' The information may be provided by the filer or by their 
agency. This information will appear on the cover page. This change was 
requested by a good government group in order to help the public 
understand the filer's potential conflicts. One of the primary purposes 
of the public financial disclosure report is to allow the public to 
understand any potential conflicts of interest the filer might have. 
Knowing the filer's type of appointment is important to this 
understanding because different types of officials have different 
ethics requirements.
    OGE also proposes to identify the date of appointment on the cover 
page of reports for all filers other than nominees (who have not yet 
been appointed at the time they complete the form). Integrity currently 
identifies the date of appointment on the cover page of a new entrant 
report only. The Excel and PDF versions currently have one field for 
both date of appointment and date of termination, which OGE proposes 
separating into two fields. The purpose is to benefit the public's 
understanding of the time period during which the individual was in a 
public filing position.
    Lastly, OGE proposes to add a link to its online Public Financial 
Disclosure Guide, the most widely used resource for completing and 
reviewing public financial disclosure reports.

Changes to the Excel and PDF Versions Only

    OGE proposes instructional changes to the Excel and PDF versions to 
provide better guidance to those filers who do not use the Integrity 
application. OGE does not propose any changes to the information 
collected on the Excel and PDF versions of the form, beyond the 
addition of ``appointment type'' discussed above.
    OGE proposes two changes to the initial instructions page to 
improve clarity: (1) changing the topic headings to plain language 
questions (e.g., changing ``Late Filing'' to ``What Happens if I File 
Late?''); and (2) consolidating the guidance on which parts to complete 
into a new section headed ``What Parts Must I Complete?''
    In the rest of the instructions, OGE proposes to add clarifying 
guidance on reporting requirements, exceptions to reporting 
requirements, and definitions. OGE also proposes to add specific 
instructions to avoid reporting unnecessary personal information. 
Finally, OGE proposes to add a note indicating that the reporting 
thresholds for gifts are applicable for calendar years 2023-2025 and 
that the amounts are adjusted every three years.
    OMB Control Number: 3209-0001.
    Type of Information Collection: Extension of a currently approved 
collection.
    Type of Review Request: Regular.
    Affected Public: Private citizen Presidential nominees to executive 
branch positions subject to Senate confirmation; other private citizens 
who are potential (incoming) Federal employees whose positions are 
designated for public disclosure filing; those who file termination 
reports from such positions after their Government service ends; and 
Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 4,257.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 42,570 hours.
    Request for Comments: OGE is publishing this first round notice of 
its intent to request paperwork clearance renewal for OGE Form 278e. 
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). OGE

[[Page 14073]]

specifically seeks comments on whether the proposed changes will change 
the burden of completing the form. Comments received in response to 
this notice will be summarized for, and may be included with, the OGE 
request for extension of OMB paperwork approval. The comments will also 
become a matter of public record.

    Approved: February 20, 2024.
Shelley K. Finlayson,
Acting Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 2024-03814 Filed 2-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6345-03-P