[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 51 (Thursday, March 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18684-18685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-05380]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[SEC File No. 270-625 OMB Control No. 3235-0686]


Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension: Implementing the 
Whistleblower Provisions of Section 21F of the Securities

Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549-2736.

Exchange Act of 1934--Form WB-APP

    Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) (``PRA''), the Securities and 
Exchange Commission (``Commission'') is soliciting comments on the 
collection of information summarized below. The Commission plans to 
submit an extension for this current collection of information to the 
Office of Management and Budget for approval.
    In Release No. 34-64545,\1\ the Commission adopted rules 
(``Rules'') and forms to implement Section 21F of the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 entitled ``Securities Whistleblower Incentives and 
Protection,'' which was created by Section 922 of the Dodd- Frank Wall 
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd-Frank Act'').\2\
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    \1\ Implementation of the Whistleblower Provisions of Section 
21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Release No. 34-64545; 
File No. S7-33-10 (adopted May 25, 2011).
    \2\ Public Law 111-203, 922(a), 124 Stat 1841 (2010).
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    The Rules describe the whistleblower program that the Commission 
has established pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act which requires the 
Commission to pay an award, subject to certain limitations and 
conditions, to whistleblowers who voluntarily provide the Commission 
with original information about a violation of the Federal securities 
laws that leads to the successful enforcement of a covered judicial or 
administrative action, or of a related action. The Rules define certain 
terms critical to the operation of the whistleblower program, outline 
the procedures for applying for awards and the Commission's procedures 
for making decisions on claims, and generally explain the scope of the 
whistleblower program to the public and to potential whistleblowers.
    Form WB-APP is a form that is submitted by whistleblowers filing a 
claim for a whistleblower award. Form WB-APP is required for 
application for an award under the Rules. On December 4, 2020, the 
Commission approved an updated version of the WB-APP in accordance with 
its amended rules.\3\ The updated WB-APP removed the requirement for 
the filer to submit their Social Security Number and modified the order 
of the questions on the form. Although a new question has been added to 
the form, there have been no substantive changes made to the WB-APP 
since that approval. The Commission estimates that it takes a 
whistleblower, on average, two hours to complete Form WB-APP. The 
completion time depends largely on the complexity of the alleged 
violation and the amount of information the whistleblower possesses in 
support of his or her application for an award. Based on the receipt of 
approximately 192 submissions on average for the past eight fiscal 
years, the Commission estimates that the total annual PRA burden of 
Form WB-APP is 384 hours. Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether 
this collection of information

[[Page 18685]]

is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden imposed by the 
collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology. Consideration will be given to comments and 
suggestions submitted by May 13, 2024.
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    \3\ SEC Release 34-89963, 2020 WL 5763381, 85 FR 70898 (Nov. 5, 
2020).
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    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information under the PRA unless it 
displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Please direct your written comments to: David Bottom, Director/
Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o John 
Pezzullo, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549, or send an email to: 
[email protected].

    Dated: March 8, 2024.
J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-05380 Filed 3-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P