Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitt...
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION:
Notice of information collection; request for comment.
SUMMARY:
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations, FRA seeks approval of the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below. Before submitting this ICR to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval, FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of the activities identified in the ICR.
DATES:
Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 22, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed ICR should be submitted on
https://www.regulations.gov
to Docket No. FRA-2026-0037. All comments received will be posted without change to the docket, including any personal information provided. Please refer to the assigned OMB control number (2130-0537) in any correspondence submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in response to this notice in a subsequent notice, made available to the public, and include them in its information collection submission to OMB for approval.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms. Joanne Swafford, Information Collection Clearance Officer, at email:
joanne.swafford@dot.gov
or telephone: (757) 897-9908.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520, and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 1320, require Federal agencies to provide 60 days' notice to the public to allow comment on information collection activities before seeking OMB approval of the activities.
See44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.8 through 1320.12. Specifically, FRA invites interested parties to comment on the following ICR regarding: (1) whether the information collection activities are necessary for FRA to properly execute its functions, including whether the activities will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FRA's estimates of the burden of the information collection activities, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimates; (3) ways for FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information being collected; and (4) ways for FRA to minimize the burden of information collection activities on the public, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
See44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1).
FRA believes that soliciting public comment may reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens associated with the collection of information that Federal regulations mandate. In summary, comments received will advance three objectives: (1) reduce reporting burdens; (2) organize information collection requirements in a “user-friendly” format to improve the use of such information; and (3) accurately assess the resources expended to retrieve and produce information requested.
See44 U.S.C. 3501.
The summary below describes the ICR that FRA will submit for OMB clearance as the PRA requires:
Title:
Railroad Police Officers.
OMB Control Number:
2130-0537.
Abstract:Title 49 CFR part 207 requires railroads to notify States of all designated police officers who perform duties in their respective jurisdictions who were commissioned as police officers by another State or States. This is necessary to verify proper police authority. In addition, if a railroad or police officer certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of a State or jurisdiction transfers primary employment or residence from the certifying or commissioning State to another one, the railroad police officer must apply to be certified or commissioned as a police officer under the laws of the State of new primary employment or residence not later than one year after the date of transfer.
In this 60-day notice, after a thorough review, FRA is making multiple adjustments to its estimates that decrease the currently approved burden hours from 18 hours to 15 hours. This burden decrease is the result of changes summarized below.
Section 207.4 requires railroads to provide written notice of a railroad police officer's commission to each State in which the railroad police officer will protect the railroads' property, personnel, passengers, and cargo. Railroads are also required to keep copies of these written notices. The revised estimate of 52 responses was calculated by applying a 10% employment turnover to the 525 annual commissions reported by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). In addition, after further clarification from OMB, § 207.4(c) verification by States for receipt of written notices was determined to be excluded from coverage under the PRA.
Lastly, § 207.6 requires commissioned railroad police officers who transfer primary employment or residence from one State to another State or jurisdiction to apply to be commissioned as a police officer under the laws of the State of the new primary State of employment or residence. FRA revised this estimate from 50 transfers annually to 8 transfers annually to reflect more accurately the expected number of transfers over the next three-year information collection period.
Overall, these adjustments reduced the annual burden by three hours.
Type of Request:
Extension without change (with changes in estimates) of a currently approved collection.
( printed page 21865)
Affected Public:
Railroads and States.
Form(s):
N/A.
Respondent Universe:
768 railroads.
Frequency of Submission:
On occasion.
Reporting Burden
CFR Section
Respondent
universe
(railroads)
Total annual
responses
Average time
per response
Total annual
burden hours
Wage rate 1
Total annual
dollar cost
equivalent
(A)
(B)
(C) = A * B
(D) = C * wage rates
207.4 Notice to State officials
—(a) Written notice of railroad (RR) police officer's commission to each State in which the RR police officer shall protect the RR's property, personnel, passengers, and cargo
768
52 written notices
15
13
$90.19
$1,172.47
—(b) RR copy of written notices to State officials
768
52 records
2
1.73
90.19
156.03
207.6 Transfers
—Application by RR police officers for new State certification/commission when transferring primary employment or residence from one State to another
768
8 records
2
0.27
90.19
24.35
Total 2
768
112 responses
15
1,352.85
1
The dollar equivalent cost is derived from the 2024 Surface Transportation Board Full Year Wage A&B data series using employee group 200 (Professional Administrative Staff) hourly wage rate of $51.54. The total burden wage rate (straight time plus 75%) used in the table is $90.19 ($51.54 × 1.75 = $90.19).
2
Totals may not add up due to rounding.
Total Estimated Annual Responses:
112 responses.
Total Estimated Annual Burden:
15 hours.
Total Estimated Annual Burden Hour Dollar Cost Equivalent:
$1,352.85.
FRA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of information that does not display a currently valid OMB control number.