Document

Proposed Submission of Information Collection for OMB Review; Comment Request; Liability for Termination of Single-Employer Plans

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) intends to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) extend approval, under the Paperwork Reduction Act, of a collec...

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Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

AGENCY:

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

ACTION:

Notice of intent to request extension of OMB approval of collection of information.

SUMMARY:

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) intends to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) extend approval, under the Paperwork Reduction Act, of a collection of information contained in its regulation on Liability for Termination of Single-Employer Plans (OMB control number 1212-0017; expires May 31, 2017). This notice informs the public of PBGC's intent and solicits public comment on the collection of information.

DATES:

Comments should be submitted by May 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the Web site instructions for submitting comments.
Email: paperwork.comments@pbgc.gov.
Fax: 202-326-4224.
Mail or Hand Delivery: Regulatory Affairs Group, Office of the General Counsel, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, 1200 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20005-4026.

PBGC will make all comments, including personal information provided, available on its Web site at www.pbgc.gov.

Copies of the collection of information may be obtained without charge by writing to the Disclosure Division of the Office of the General Counsel of PBGC at the above address or by visiting that office or calling 202-326-4040 during normal business hours. TTY and TDD users may call the Federal relay service toll-free at 1-800-877-8339 and ask to be connected to 202-326-4040.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jo Amato Burns burns.jo.amato@pbgc.gov), Regulatory Affairs Group, Office of the General Counsel, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, 1200 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20005-4026, 202-326-4400, ext. 3072, or Deborah C. Murphy ( murphy.deborah@pbgc.gov), Assistant General Counsel, same address and phone number, ext. 3451. TTY and TDD users may call the Federal relay service toll-free at 800-877-8339 and ask to be connected to 202-326-4400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 4062 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, provides that the contributing sponsor of a single-employer pension plan and members of the sponsor's controlled group (“the employer”) incur liability (“employer liability”) if the plan terminates with assets insufficient to pay benefit liabilities under the plan. PBGC's statutory lien for employer liability and the payment terms for employer liability are affected by whether and to what extent employer liability exceeds 30 percent of the employer's net worth.

Section 4062.6 of PBGC's employer liability regulation (29 CFR 4062.6) requires a contributing sponsor, or member of the contributing sponsor's controlled group, that believes employer liability exceeds 30 percent of the collective net worth of persons subject to liability in connection with a plan termination to so notify PBGC upon plan termination and to submit net worth information. This information is necessary to enable PBGC to determine whether, and to what extent, employer liability exceeds 30 percent of the collective net worth of the employer (which includes the contributing sponsor and all and members of the sponsor's controlled group).

The collection of information under the regulation has been approved by OMB under control number 1212-0017 (expires May 31, 2017). PBGC intends to request that OMB extend its approval for another three years. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

PBGC estimates that an average of thirty contributing sponsors or controlled group members per year will respond to this collection of information. PBGC further estimates that the average annual burden of this collection of information will be 12 hours and $4,400 per respondent, with an average total annual burden of 360 hours and $133,200.

PBGC is soliciting public comments to:

Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; 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.

Deborah Chase Murphy,

Assistant General Counsel for Regulatory Affairs, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

[FR Doc. 2017-06283 Filed 3-29-17; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7709-02-P

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Federal Register Citation

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82 FR 15724

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“Proposed Submission of Information Collection for OMB Review; Comment Request; Liability for Termination of Single-Employer Plans,” thefederalregister.org (March 30, 2017), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2017-06283/proposed-submission-of-information-collection-for-omb-review-comment-request-liability-for-termination-of-single-employe.