81 FR 48799 - Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 143 (July 26, 2016)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the utility of government information, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This notice accompanies a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and invites comment on the information collection request Airline and Vessel and Traveler Information Collection. This information collection request pertains to CDC's activities with regard to requirements at proposed Sec. 71.4 and Sec. 71.5 that airlines and vessels arriving to the United States from foreign countries send passenger, crew, and conveyance information (aka manifests) to CDC in the event that a communicable disease of public health concern is suspected or confirmed in a person aboard who poses a potential public health risk to other travelers and their communities after arriving in the United States. This information also pertains to current activities with regard to the collection of manifests from domestic flights within the United States, as well as the collection of traveler information using the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) on both international and domestic flights.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48799-48801]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17601]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[60Day-16-16AVM; Docket No. CDC-2016-0065]


Proposed Data Collection Submitted for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

AGENCY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice with comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as part 
of its continuing efforts to reduce public burden and maximize the 
utility of government information, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or 
continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice accompanies a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking and invites comment on the information collection request 
Airline and Vessel and Traveler Information Collection. This 
information collection request pertains to CDC's activities with regard 
to requirements at proposed Sec.  71.4 and Sec.  71.5 that airlines and 
vessels arriving to the United States from foreign countries send 
passenger, crew, and conveyance information (aka manifests) to CDC in 
the event that a communicable disease of public health concern is 
suspected or confirmed in a person aboard who poses a potential public 
health risk to other travelers and their communities after arriving in 
the United States. This information also pertains to current activities 
with regard to the collection of manifests from domestic flights within 
the United States, as well as the collection of traveler information 
using the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) on both international and 
domestic flights.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 26, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CDC-2016-
0065 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Leroy A. Richardson, Information Collection Review 
Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road 
NE., MS-D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket Number. All relevant comments received will be posted 
without change to Regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided. For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to Regulations.gov.

    Please note:  All public comment should be submitted through the 
Federal eRulemaking portal (Regulations.gov) or by U.S. mail to the 
address listed above.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on the 
proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan 
and instruments, contact the Information Collection Review Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE., MS-
D74, Atlanta, Georgia 30329; phone: 404-639-7570; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of 
information they conduct or sponsor. In addition, the PRA also requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each new 
proposed collection, each proposed extension of existing collection of 
information, and each reinstatement of previously approved information

[[Page 48800]]

collection before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To 
comply with this requirement, we are publishing this notice of a 
proposed data collection as described below.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (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; and (e) estimates of capital or start-
up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services 
to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This 
includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, 
install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of 
collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to 
train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of 
information, to search data sources, to complete and review the 
collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the 
information.

Proposed Project

    Airline and Vessel and Traveler Information Collection (42 CFR part 
70 and 71)--New--Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, National 
Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

    Under the Public Health Service Act (42 United States Code Sec.  
264) and under 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Sec.  71.32(b) and 
42 CFR 70.2, CDC can order airlines and vessels arriving from another 
country or traveling between states to submit a data set including 
airline or vessel details, and passenger and crew member information if 
CDC reasonably believes that a traveler exposed to or infected with a 
communicable disease of public health concern could have put other 
passengers at risk for a communicable disease. In the accompanying 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, CDC is proposing to create two specific 
provisions that require the submission of airline and vessels and 
traveler data CDC. These provisions are proposed Sec.  71.4 
Requirements relating to collection, storage, and transmission of 
airline passenger, crew, and flight information for public health 
purposes and proposed Sec.  71.5 Requirements relating to collection, 
storage and transmission of ship passenger, crew and voyage information 
for public health purposes. CDC anticipates that, while this is not a 
new practice, the listing of specific variables in specific regulatory 
provisions, will improve the submission of more timely, accurate, and 
complete traveler contact information by air and maritime companies.
    While not associated with this NPRM, CDC is also seeking approval 
for domestic airline and vessel and traveler information orders under 
current authorities in 42 CFR 70.2. This activity is also currently 
already current practice.
    Additionally, CDC requests to transition the Passenger Locator Form 
(PLF), previously included and approved by OMB in 0920-0134 Foreign 
Quarantine Regulations, into this Information Collection Request. 
Further, CDC is requesting approval for the use of the PLF for the 
collection of traveler information from individuals on domestic 
flights. The PLF, a form developed by the International Civil Aviation 
Organization (ICAO) in concert with its international member states and 
other aviation organizations, is used when there is a confirmation or 
strong suspicion that an individual(s) aboard a flight is infected with 
or exposed to a communicable disease that is a threat to co-travelers, 
and CDC is made aware of the individual(s) prior to arrival in the 
United States. This prior awareness can provide CDC with an opportunity 
to collect traveler contact information directly from the traveler 
prior to departure from the arrival airport.
    Stopping a communicable disease outbreak--whether it is naturally 
occurring or intentionally caused--requires the use of the most rapid 
and effective public health tools available. Basic public health 
practices, such as collaborating with airlines in the identification 
and notification of potentially exposed contacts, are critical tools in 
the fight against the introduction, transmission, and spread of 
communicable diseases in the United States.
    The collection of timely, accurate, and complete contact 
information enables Quarantine Public Health Officers in CDC's Division 
of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) to notify state and local 
health departments in order for them to make contact with individuals 
who may have been exposed to a contagious person during travel and 
identify appropriate next steps.
    In the event that there is a confirmed case of communicable disease 
of public health concern aboard an aircraft or ship, CDC collects 
manifest information for those passengers and crew at risk for 
exposure. The specific manifest of PLF information collection differs 
depending on the communicable disease that is confirmed during air or 
maritime travel. CDC uses this manifest and PLF information to 
coordinate with state and local health departments so they can follow-
up with residents who live or are currently located in their 
jurisdiction. In general, state and local health departments are 
responsible for the contact investigations. In rare cases, CDC may use 
the manifest and PLF data to perform the contact investigation 
directly. In either case, CDC works with state and local health 
departments to ensure individuals are contacted and provided 
appropriate public health follow-up.
    While the title of this information collection request includes 
vessels, CDC does not routinely collect vessel manifest information, 
and does so less than 10 times per year. Therefore, there is no vessel 
and maritime traveler information collection in the burden table.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

    CDC estimates that for each set of vessel and traveler information 
ordered, airlines require approximately six hours to review the order, 
search their records, and send those records to CDC. CDC anticipates 
that travelers will need approximately five minutes to complete the 
PLF. There is no cost to respondents other than their time perform 
these actions. For manifest information, CDC does not have a specified 
format for these submissions, only that it is one acceptable to both 
CDC and the respondent.

[[Page 48801]]



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                                                                     Number of    Average burden
      Type of respondent            Form name        Number of     responses per   per response    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent      (in hours)      (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Airline Medical Officer or      Domestic TB                    1               1          360/60               6
 Equivalent/Computer and         Manifest
 Information Systems Manager.    Template.
Airline Medical Officer or      Domestic Non-TB               28               1          360/60             168
 Equivalent/Computer and         Manifest
 Information Systems Manager.    Template.
Airline Medical Officer or      International TB              67               1          360/60             402
 Equivalent/Computer and         Manifest
 Information Systems Manager.    Template.
Airline Medical Officer or      International                 29               1          360/60             174
 Equivalent/Computer and         Non-TB Manifest
 Information Systems Manager.    Template..
Traveler......................  Public Health          2,700,000               1            5/60         225,000
                                 Passenger
                                 Locator Form:
                                 Outbreak of
                                 public health
                                 significance
                                 (international
                                 flights).
Traveler......................  Public Health                800               1            5/60              67
                                 Passenger
                                 Locator Form:
                                 Limited onboard
                                 exposure
                                 (international
                                 flights.
Traveler......................  Public Health                800               1            5/60              67
                                 Passenger
                                 Locator Form
                                 (domestic
                                 flights).
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ................  ..............  ..............  ..............         225,884
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Leroy A. Richardson,
Chief, Information Collection Review Office, Office of Scientific 
Integrity, Office of the Associate Director for Science, Office of the 
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2016-17601 Filed 7-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4163-18-P