[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 36 (Thursday, February 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11567-11568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03883]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[SEC File No. 270-625, OMB Control No. 3235-0686]


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Upon Written Request Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 
20549-2736

Extension:
    Form TCR and Form WB-APP--Implementing the Whistleblower 
Provisions of Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

    Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) (``PRA''), the Securities and 
Exchange Commission (``Commission'') is soliciting comments on the 
collection of information summarized below. The Commission plans to 
submit an extension for this current collection of information to the 
Office of Management and Budget for approval.
    In Release No. 34-64545,\1\ the Commission adopted rules 
(``Rules'') and forms to implement Section 21F of the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 entitled ``Securities Whistleblower Incentives and 
Protection,'' which was created by Section 922 of the Dodd-Frank Wall 
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (``Dodd-Frank Act'').\2\ The 
Rules describe the whistleblower program that the Commission has 
established pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act which requires the 
Commission to pay an award, subject to certain limitations and 
conditions, to whistleblowers who voluntarily provide the Commission 
with original information about a violation of the federal securities 
laws that leads to the successful enforcement of a covered judicial or 
administrative action, or of a related action. The Rules define certain 
terms critical to the operation of the whistleblower program, outline 
the procedures for applying for awards and the Commission's procedures 
for making decisions on claims, and generally explain the scope of the 
whistleblower program to the public and to potential whistleblowers.
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    \1\ Implementation of the Whistleblower Provisions of Section 
21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Release No. 34-64545; 
File No. S7-33-10 (adopted May 25, 2011).
    \2\ Public Law 111-203, 922(a), 124 Stat 1841 (2010).
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    Form TCR is a form submitted by whistleblowers who wish to provide 
information to the Commission and its staff regarding potential 
violations of the securities laws. Form TCR is required for submission 
of information under the Rules. The Commission estimates that it takes 
a whistleblower, on average, one and one-half hours to complete Form 
TCR. Based on the receipt of an average of approximately 560 annual 
Form TCR submissions for the past three fiscal years, the Commission 
estimates that the annual reporting burden of Form TCR is 840 hours.
    Form WB-APP is a form that is submitted by whistleblowers filing a 
claim for a whistleblower award. Form WB-APP is required for 
application for an award under the Rules. On December 4, 2020, the 
Commission approved an updated version of the WB-APP in conjunction 
with its newly amended rules. The updated WB-APP removes the 
requirement for the filer to submit their Social Security Number and 
modified the order of the questions on the form. No substantive changes 
were made to the WB-APP. The Commission estimates that it takes a 
whistleblower, on average, two hours to complete Form WB-APP. The 
completion time depends largely on the complexity of the alleged 
violation and the amount of information the whistleblower possesses in 
support of his or her application for an award. Based on the receipt of 
an average of approximately 215 \3\ annual Form WB-APP submissions for 
the past six fiscal years, the Commission estimates that the annual 
reporting burden of Form WB-APP is 430 hours.
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    \3\ This figure does not include Form WB-APP submissions which 
were facially deficient, subsequently withdrawn, or submitted by 
individuals who have been barred by the Commission from 
participation in the whistleblower program.
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    Estimated annual reporting burden = 1,270 hours.

[[Page 11568]]

    The public may view background documentation for this information 
collection at the following website: www.reginfo.gov. Find this 
particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to (i) www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain and (ii) David Bottom, 
Director/Chief Information Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, 
c/o Cynthia Roscoe, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549, or by 
sending an email to: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#702022312f3d11191c121f08300315135e171f06"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="451517041a08242c29272a3d053620266b222a33">[email protected]</span></a>.

    Dated: February 22, 2021.
J. Matthew DeLesDernier,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-03883 Filed 2-24-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P


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