81 FR 70112 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Proposed Collection; Comment Request for a Modified OGE Form 201 Ethics in Government Act Access Form

OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 196 (October 11, 2016)

After this first round notice and public comment period, the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) plans to submit a proposed modified OGE Form 201 Ethics in Government Act access form to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval of a three-year extension under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The OGE Form 201 is used by persons requesting access to executive branch public financial disclosure reports and other covered records.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70112-70113]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24501]


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OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB 
Review; Proposed Collection; Comment Request for a Modified OGE Form 
201 Ethics in Government Act Access Form

AGENCY: Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

ACTION: Notice of request for agency and public comments.

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SUMMARY: After this first round notice and public comment period, the 
U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) plans to submit a proposed 
modified OGE Form 201 Ethics in Government Act access form to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval of a 
three-year extension under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The OGE 
Form 201 is used by persons requesting access to executive branch 
public financial disclosure reports and other covered records.

DATES: Written comments by the public and agencies on this proposed 
extension are invited and must be received by December 12, 2016.

[[Page 70113]]


ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to OGE, by any of the following 
methods:
    Email: [email protected]. (Include reference to ``OGE Form 201 
Paperwork Comment'' in the subject line of the message.)
    FAX: 202-482-9237, Attn: Brandon Steele.
    Mail, Hand Delivery/Courier: Office of Government Ethics, 1201 New 
York Avenue NW., Suite 500, Attention: Brandon Steele, Assistant 
Counsel, Washington, DC 20005-3917.
    Instructions: Comments may be posted on OGE's Web site, 
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: Brandon Steele at the U.S. Office of 
Government Ethics; telephone: 202-482-9209; TTY: 800-877-8339; FAX: 
202-482-9237; Email: [email protected]. An electronic copy of the OGE 
Form 201 version used to manually submit access requests to OGE or 
other executive branch agencies by mail or FAX is available in the 
Forms Library section of OGE's Web site at http://www.oge.gov. A paper 
copy may also be obtained, without charge, by contacting Mr. Steele. An 
automated version of the OGE Form 201, also available on OGE's Web 
site, enables the requester to electronically fill out, submit and 
receive access to financial reports and certain related records for 
individuals who have been nominated by the President to executive 
branch positions requiring Senate confirmation, and individuals who 
have declared their candidacy for the Office of the President of the 
United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch 
Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records.
    Agency Form Number: OGE Form 201.
    OMB Control Number: 3209-0002.
    Type of Information Collection: Extension with modifications of a 
currently approved collection.
    Type of Review Request: Regular.
    Respondents: Individuals requesting access to executive branch 
public financial disclosure reports and other covered records.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 1003.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 170 hours.
    Abstract: The OGE Form 201 collects information from, and provides 
certain information to, persons who seek access to OGE Form 278 Public 
Financial Disclosure Reports, including OGE Form 278-T Periodic 
Transaction Reports, and other covered records. The form reflects the 
requirements of the Ethics in Government Act, subsequent amendments 
pursuant to the STOCK Act, and OGE's implementing regulations that must 
be met by a person before access can be granted. These requirements 
include the address of the requester, as well as any other person on 
whose behalf a record is sought, and acknowledgement that the requester 
is aware of the prohibited uses of executive branch public disclosure 
financial reports. See 5 U.S.C. appendix 105(b) and (c) and 402 (b)(1) 
and 5 CFR 2634.603(c) and (f). Executive branch departments and 
agencies are encouraged to utilize the OGE Form 201 for individuals 
seeking access to public financial disclosure reports and other covered 
documents. OGE permits departments and agencies to use or develop their 
own forms as long as the forms collect and provide all of the required 
information.
    OGE is proposing modifications to the automated version of the OGE 
Form 201, available only through the OGE Web site at www.oge.gov. 
Initially launched in March 2012, the automated version of the access 
form originally enabled a requestor to obtain immediately upon Web site 
submission of the completed form, those financial disclosure reports of 
individuals who have been nominated by the President to executive 
branch positions requiring Senate confirmation. OGE recently modified 
the technological process used to provide the information and no longer 
allows requesters to immediately download reports upon submission of 
the automated OGE Form 201. Instead, the forms are first reviewed by an 
OGE employee for completeness before the information is sent to the 
requester either by email or mail, according to the requester's 
preference. Adding this step helps ensure that the requirements of 
section 105(b) of the Ethics in Government Act are met before public 
financial disclosure reports are released. Because of this change in 
procedure, a requester using the automated OGE Form 201 now has the 
option of either providing a mailing address including street, city, 
state, and country information (as was previously required) or 
providing an email address plus city, state, and country information. 
Depending on which information the requester chooses to provide, the 
requested public financial disclosure reports will be either emailed or 
mailed to the requester. This change will not affect the estimated time 
of response to complete the form.
    OGE also intends to update the maximum civil monetary penalty for 
improperly obtaining or using a public financial disclosure report on 
both the automated and nonautomated versions of the form, in accordance 
with 5 CFR 2634.703.
    Request for Comments: OGE is publishing this first round notice of 
its intent to request paperwork clearance for a proposed modified OGE 
Form 201 Ethics Act Access Form. Agency and 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 extension of OMB 
paperwork approval. The comments will also become a matter of public 
record.

    Approved: September 30, 2016.
Walter M. Shaub, Jr.,
Director, U.S. Office of Government Ethics.
[FR Doc. 2016-24501 Filed 10-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6345-03-P