82 FR 9394 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension With Change, of a Previously Approved Collection Amendment to Registration Statement of Foreign Agents (NSD-5)

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 23 (February 6, 2017)

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), National Security Division (NSD), will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information collection is published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 23 (Monday, February 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9394-9395]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-02396]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1124-0003]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection 
eComments Requested; Extension With Change, of a Previously Approved 
Collection Amendment to Registration Statement of Foreign Agents (NSD-
5)

AGENCY: Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit, 
Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), National Security 
Division (NSD), U.S. Department of Justice.

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Justice (DOJ), Foreign Agents Registration 
Act (FARA) Unit, Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES), 
National Security Division (NSD), will be submitting the following 
information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information collection is published 
to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
April 7, 2017. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 
1320.10.

[[Page 9395]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have additional comments 
especially on the estimated public burden or associated response time, 
suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed information collection 
instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact 
Heather H. Hunt, Chief, Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit, 
Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, National Security 
Division, 600 E Street NW., Bicentennial (BICN) Building--Room 1300, 
Washington, DC 20530 (phone: 202-233-0776).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Written comments and suggestions from the 
public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of 
information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of 
the following four points:

--Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the National Security 
Division, including whether the information will have practical 
utility;
--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;
--Evaluate whether and if so how the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected can be enhanced; and
--Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
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.

Overview of This Information Collection

    1. Type of Information Collection: Extension of a currently 
approved collection.
    2. The Title of the Form/Collection: Amendment to Registration 
Statement (Foreign Agents).
    3. The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: The form number is NSD-5. The 
applicable component within the Department of Justice is the Foreign 
Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit, Counterintelligence and Export 
Control Section, in the National Security Division. Pursuant to the 
Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 611 et 
seq. (FARA or the Act), the FARA registration forms previously 
submitted to OMB for 3 year renewal approvals, have since March 2011 
contained fillable-fileable, and E-signature capabilities. The FARA 
eFile system, in operation since March 1, 2011, permits registrants to 
file their registration forms electronically to the FARA Registration 
Unit, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. FARA eFile is accessed via the 
Department's FARA public Web site located at https://www.fara.gov/efile.html, and provides instructions to assist registrants in 
completing, signing and submitting the required FARA registration 
forms, as well as instructions on how to electronically pay the 
required registration fees via online credit or debit card payments.
    4. Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Primary: Private Sector, Business or other 
for-profit, Not-for-profit institutions, and individuals. The form 
contains registration statement information used for registering 
foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as 
amended, 22 U.S.C. 611 et seq.
    5. An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of 
time estimated for an average respondent to respond: The total 
estimated number of responses to the form is 255 at approximately 1.5 
hours (1 hour and 30 minutes) per response, based on an average of FARA 
Amendment to Registration Statement filings received from January 1, 
2014 through December 31, 2016. Internal sample testing shows an 
average of 1 hour and 30 minutes per respondent is needed to complete 
form NSD-5 (OMB 1124-0003). The following factors were considered when 
creating the burden estimate: the estimated total number of registrant 
respondents, the ability of registrants to access or gather the 
necessary data from sometimes multiple offices within their corporate 
structures, the review time necessary to identify errors of previously 
filed FARA registration forms now in need of amending via form NSD-5 
with corresponding attached pages of amended disclosure responses, and 
the intuitive registration features NSD makes available for registrant 
respondents via the online FARA eFile registration and payment system 
located at https://www.fara.gov/efile.html. NSD estimates that nearly 
all of the approximately 255 respondents will fully complete the form.
    6. An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: The estimated public burden associated with this 
collection is 382.50 annual burden hours. It is estimated that 
respondents will take 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the form. The 
burden hours for collecting respondent data equals 382.50 annual burden 
hours (255 respondents x 1 hours and 30 minutes (1.5 hours) = 382.50 
hours).
    7. Registrants/foreign agents and the general public are alerted 
that in the future, the National Security Division will complete its 
ongoing multi-year design review, testing, and requirements enhancement 
efforts to offer a Web form version of form NSD-5. NSD continues to 
make progress in enhancing the functionality of FARA eFile. Personnel 
are in the process of developing and testing new Web form versions of 
its current fillable FARA registration forms with the intent of 
providing greater standardization, improved intuitive features, and 
less burdensome requirements that will benefit registrants and foreign 
agents who are required to register under FARA. New capabilities are 
expected to improve online search capabilities. NSD is confident that 
the new features will offer an enhanced system, promoting greater 
transparency.
    If additional information is required contact: Melody D. Braswell, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two 
Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE., 3E.405A, Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: February 1, 2017.
Melody D. Braswell,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2017-02396 Filed 2-3-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4410-PF-P