82 FR 12220 - Agency Information Collection Activities

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 39 (March 1, 2017)

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or Commission) announces that it is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for a three-year extension without change of the Demographic Information on Federal Job Applicants, OMB No. 3046-0046.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12220-12225]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03904]


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EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities

AGENCY: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

ACTION: Notice of information collection--extension without change: 
Demographic information on applicants for Federal employment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Equal 
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or Commission) announces that 
it is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request 
for a three-year extension without change of the Demographic 
Information on Federal Job Applicants, OMB No. 3046-0046.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before 
March 31, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice must be submitted to Joseph B. Nye, 
Policy Analyst, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, email 
[email protected]. Commenters are also encouraged to send 
comments to the EEOC online at http://www.regulations.gov, which is the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal. Follow the instructions on the Web site for 
submitting comments. In addition, the EEOC's Executive Secretariat will 
accept comments in hard copy. Hard copy comments should be sent to 
Bernadette Wilson, Acting Executive Officer, EEOC, 131 M Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20507. Finally, the Executive Secretariat will accept 
comments totaling six or fewer pages by facsimile (``fax'') machine 
before the same deadline at (202) 663-4114. (This is not a toll-free 
number.) Receipt of fax transmittals will not be acknowledged, except 
that the sender may request confirmation of receipt by calling the 
Executive Secretariat staff at (202) 663-4070 (voice) or (202) 663-4074 
(TTY). (These are not toll-free telephone numbers.) The EEOC will post 
online at http://www.regulations.gov all comments submitted via this 
Web site, in hard copy, or by fax to the Executive Secretariat. These 
comments will be posted without change, including any personal 
information you provide. However, the EEOC reserves the right to 
refrain from posting libelous or otherwise inappropriate comments 
including those that contain obscene, indecent, or profane language; 
that contain threats or defamatory statements; that contain hate speech 
directed at race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, 
disability, or genetic information; or that promote or endorse services 
or products. All comments received, including any personal information 
provided, also will be available for public inspection during normal 
business hours by appointment only at the EEOC Headquarters Library, 
131 M Street NE., Washington, DC 20507. Upon request, individuals who 
require assistance viewing comments will be provided appropriate aids 
such as readers or print magnifiers. To schedule an appointment, 
contact EEOC Library staff at (202) 663-4630 (voice) or (202) 663-4641 
(TTY). (These are not toll-free numbers.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamie Price, Federal Sector Programs, 
Office of Federal Operations, 131 M Street NE., Washington, DC 20507, 
(202) 663-4484 (voice); (202) 663-4593 (TTY).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EEOC's Demographic Information on 
Federal Job Applicants form (OMB No. 3046-0046) is intended for use by 
federal agencies in gathering data on the race, ethnicity, sex, and 
disability status of job applicants. This form is used by the EEOC and 
other agencies to gauge progress and trends over time with respect to 
equal employment opportunity goals.
    Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, and OMB regulation 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), the Commission sought public 
comment on extending its form without change through a 60-day notice 
published October 20, 2016. Comments were invited on whether this 
collection would continue to enable it to:
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed data collection tool will have 
practical utility by enabling a federal agency to determine whether 
recruitment activities are effectively reaching all segments of the 
relevant labor pool in compliance with the laws enforced by the 
Commission and whether the agency's selection procedures allow all 
applicants to compete on a level playing field regardless of race, 
national origin, sex or disability status;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
applicants for federal employees who choose to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
    One comment was received. The commenter was concerned that there is 
a severe under reporting in the federal government because both OPM's 
``Self Identification of Disability'' SF256 Form and the ``Demographic 
Information on Federal Job Applicants'' form fail to consider the 
individual's privacy. The commenter believes that anonymous collection 
of this data would result in a more accurate representation for all 
groups.
    With respect to the Demographic Information on Federal Job 
Applicants form, EEOC believes that anonymity is addressed, as the form 
states in its first paragraph that it is not placed in the individual's 
personnel file or forwarded to the panel rating the applications, the 
selecting official, or anyone else that can affect the application. 
EEOC cannot address the comment as it relates to OPM's Form 256.

Overview of This Information Collection

    Collection Title: Demographic Information on Federal Job 
Applicants.
    OMB Control No.: 3046-0046.
    Description of Affected Public: Individuals submitting applications 
for federal employment.
    Number of Annual Responses: 5,800.

[[Page 12221]]

    Estimated Time per Response: 3 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 290.\1\
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    \1\ This total is calculated as follows: 5,800 annual responses 
x 3 minutes per response = 17,400 minutes. 17,400/60 = 290 hours.
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    Annual Federal Cost: None.
    Abstract: Under section 717 of Title VII and 501 of the 
Rehabilitation Act, the Commission is charged with reviewing and 
approving federal agencies plans to affirmatively address potential 
discrimination before it occurs. Pursuant to such oversight 
responsibilities, the Commission has established systems to monitor 
compliance with Title VII and the Rehabilitation Act by requiring 
federal agencies to evaluate their employment practices through the 
collection and analysis of data on the race, national origin, sex and 
disability status of applicants for both permanent and temporary 
employment.
    Several federal agencies (or components of such agencies) have 
previously obtained separate OMB approval for the use of forms 
collecting data on the race, national origin, sex, and disability 
status of applicants. In order to avoid unnecessary duplication of 
effort and a proliferation of forms, the EEOC seeks an extension of the 
approval of a common form to be used by all federal agencies.
    Response by applicants is optional. The information obtained will 
be used by federal agencies only for evaluating whether an agency's 
recruitment activities are effectively reaching all segments of the 
relevant labor pool and whether the agency's selection procedures allow 
all applicants to compete on a level playing field regardless of race, 
national origin, sex, or disability status. The voluntary responses are 
treated in a highly confidential manner and play no part in the job 
selection process. The information is not provided to any panel rating 
the applications, to selecting officials, to anyone who can affect the 
application, or to the public. Rather, the information is used in 
summary form to determine trends over many selections within a given 
occupational or organization area. No information from the form is 
entered into an official personnel file.
    Burden Statement: Because of the predominant use of online 
application systems, which require only pointing and clicking on the 
selected responses, and because the form requests only eight questions 
regarding basic information, the EEOC estimates that an applicant can 
complete the form in approximately 3 minutes or less. Based on past 
experience, we expect that 5,800 applicants will choose to complete the 
form.

    Dated: February 23, 2017.

    For the Commission.
Victoria A. Lipnic,
Acting Chair.
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[FR Doc. 2017-03904 Filed 2-28-17; 8:45 am]
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