30644 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices

family income, names of children on

whose behalf the parent is applying for

tuition assistance, child’s date of birth;

information on child care providers

used, including name, address, provider

license number and State where issued,

tuition cost, and provider tax

identification number; and copies of IRS

Form 1040 and 1040A for verification

purposes.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

Pub. L. 106–58, section 643 and E.O.

9397.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE

SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND

THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:

Routine uses 1, and 3 through 11 of

the Prefatory Statement at the beginning

of OPM’s system notices (60 FR 63075,

effective January 17, 1996) applies to the

records maintained within the system.

There are no system unique routine

uses.

PURPOSE:

To establish and verify OPM

employees’ eligibility for child care

subsidies in order for OPM to provide

monetary assistance to its employees.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING,

RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND

DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

Storage:

Information may be collected on

paper or electronically and may be

stored as paper forms or on computers.

RETRIEVABILITY:

By name; may also be crossreferenced to Social Security Number.

SAFEGUARDS:

When not in use by an authorized

person, paper records are stored in

lockable file cabinets or secured rooms.

Electronic records are protected by the

use of passwords.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:

Disposition of records is according to

the National Archives and Records

Administration (NARA) guidelines.

SYSTEM MANAGER AND ADDRESS:

Director, Office of Human Resources

and EEO, Office of Personnel

Management, 1900 E Street, NW.,

Washington, DC 20415.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:

Individuals may submit a request on

whether a system contains records about

them to the system manager indicated.

Individuals must furnish the following

for their records to be located and

identified:

Full name.

Social Security Number.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURE:

Individuals wishing to request access

to records about them should contact

the system manager indicated.

Individuals must provide the following

information for their records to be

located and identified:

Full name.

Social Security Number.

Individuals requesting access must

also follow the OPM’s Privacy Act

regulations regarding verification of

identity and access to records (5 CFR

part 297).

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURE:

Individuals wishing to request

amendment of records about them

should contact the system manager

indicated. Individuals must furnish the

following information for their records

to be located and identified:

Full name.

Social Security Number.

Individuals requesting amendment

must also follow the OPM’s Privacy Act

regulations regarding verification of

identity and amendment of records (5

CFR part 297).

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

Information is provided by OPM

employees who apply for child care

tuition assistance. Furnishing of the

information is voluntary.

[FR Doc. 00–12054 Filed 5–11–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6325–01–P

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE

COMMISSION

Existing Collection; Comment Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available

From: Securities and Exchange

Commission, Office of Filings and

Information Services, Washington, D.C.

20549.

Extension: Rule 17g–1, SEC File No. 270–

208, OMB Control No. 3235–0213.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant

to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

[44 U.S.C. 3501–3520], the Securities

and Exchange Commission (the

‘‘Commission’’) is soliciting comments

on the collection of information

summarized below. The Commission

plans to submit this existing collection

of information to the Office of

Management and Budget for extension

and approval.

Rule 17g–1 [17 CFR 270.17g–1] under

the Investment Company Act of 1940

(the ‘‘Act’’) governs the fidelity bonding

of officers and employees of registered

management investment companies

(‘‘funds’’) and their advisers. Rule 17g–

1 requires, in part, the following:

• Independent Directors’ Approval

Requirements. At least annually, the

independent directors of a fund must

approve the form and amount of the

fund’s fidelity bond. Rule 17g–1

provides a schedule of minimum

amounts for fidelity bonds based on a

fund’s size. The independent directors

also must approve the amount of any

premium paid for any ‘‘joint bond’’

covering multiple funds or certain other

affiliates of the fund.

• Fidelity Bond Content

Requirements. The fidelity bond must

provide that it shall not be canceled,

terminated or modified except upon 60-

days written notice to the affected party

and to the Commission. In the case of

a joint bond, this 60-day notice also

must be given to each fund and to the

Commission. In addition, a joint bond

must provide that the fidelity insurance

company will provide all funds covered

by the bond with (i) A copy of the bond

and any amendments to the bond; (ii) a

copy of any formal filing of a claim on

the bond; and (iii) notification of the

terms of the settlement on any claim

prior to execution of that settlement.

• Joint Bond Agreement Requirement.

A fund that is insured by a joint bond

must enter into an agreement with all

other parties insured by the joint bond

regarding recovery under the joint bond.

• Required Filings with the

Commission. Upon execution of a

fidelity bond or any amendment thereto,

a fund must file with the Commission

a copy of: (i) The executed fidelity bond;

(ii) the resolution of the fund’s

independent directors approving the

fidelity bond; and (iii) a statement as to

the period for which the fidelity bond

premiums have been paid. In the case of

a joint bond, a fund also must file a

copy of: (i) A statement showing the

amount of a single insured bond the

fund would have maintained under the

rule had it not been named under a joint

bond; and (ii) each agreement between

the fund and all other insured parties.

A fund also must notify the Commission

in writing within 5 days of any claim

and settlement on a claim made under

a fidelity bond.

• Required Notices to Directors. A

fund must notify by registered mail each

member of its board of directors of (i)

any cancellation, termination or

modification of the fidelity bond at least

45 days prior to the effective date; and

(ii) the filing or settlement of any claim

under the fidelity bond when the

notification is filed with the

Commission.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices 30645

Rule 17g–1’s independent directors’

annual requirements, fidelity bond

content requirements, joint bond

agreement requirement and the required

notices to directors seek to ensure the

safety of fund assets against losses due

to the conduct of persons who may

obtain access to those assets. These

requirements also seek to facilitate

oversight of a fund’s fidelity bond. The

rule’s required filings with the

Commission are designed to assist the

Commission in monitoring funds’

compliance with the fidelity bond

requirements.

The Commission staff estimates that

approximately 3500 funds are subject to

the requirements of rule 17g–1, and that

on average a fund spends approximately

one hour per year complying with the

rule’s paperwork requirements. The

Commission staff therefore estimates the

total annual burden of the rule’s

paperwork requirements to be 3500

hours.

These estimates of average burden

hours are made solely for the purposes

of the Paperwork Reduction Act. These

estimates are not derived from a

comprehensive or even a representative

survey or study of Commission rules.

The collection of information required

by rule 17g–1 is mandatory and will not

be kept confidential. 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 control number.

Written comments are requested on:

(a) Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

Commission, including whether the

information has practical utility; (b) the

accuracy of the Commission’s estimate

of the burden of the collection of

information; (c) ways to enhance the

quality, utility and clarity of the

information collected; and (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on respondents, including

through the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology. Consideration will be given

to comments and suggestions submitted

in writing within 60 days of this

publication.

Please direct your written comments

to Michael E. Bartell, Associate

Executive Director, Office of

Information Technology, Securities and

Exchange Commission, 450 5th Street,

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549.

Dated: May 4, 2000.

Margaret H. McFarland,

Deputy Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–11917 Filed 5–11–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8010–01–M

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE

COMMISSION

Proposed Collection; Comment

Request

Upon Written Request, Copies Available

From: Securities and Exchange

Commission, Office of Filings and

Information Services, Washington, DC

20549.

Extension: Rule 17Ad–4(b) & (c), SEC File

No. 270–264, OMB Control No. 3235–0341,

Rule 17Ad–15, SEC File No. 270–360,

OMB Control No. 3235–0409.

Notice is hereby given that pursuant

to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) the Securities

and Exchange Commission

(‘‘Commission’’) is soliciting comments

on the collections of information

summarized below. The Commission

plans to submit these existing

collections of information to the Office

of Management and Budget for

extension and approval.

Rule 17Ad–4(b) & (c) Notices

Regarding Exempt Transfer Agent

Status

Rule 17Ad–4(b) & (c) is used to

document when transfer agents are

exempt, or no longer exempt, from the

minimum performance standards and

certain recordkeeping provisions of the

Commission’s transfer agent rules. Rule

17Ad–4(c) sets forth the conditions

under which a registered transfer agent

loses its exempt status. Once the

conditions for exemption no longer

exist, the transfer agent, to keep the

appropriate regulatory authority

(‘‘ARA’’) apprised of its current status,

must prepare, and file if the ARA for the

transfer agent is the Board of Governors

of the Federal Reserve System

(‘‘BGFRS’’) or the Federal Deposit

Insurance Corporation (‘‘FDIC’’), a

notice of loss of exempt status under

paragraph (c). The transfer agent then

cannot claim exempt status under Rule

17Ad–4(b) again until it remains subject

to the minimum performance standards

for non-exempt transfer agents for six

consecutive months. The ARAs use the

information contained in the notice to

determine whether a registered transfer

agent qualifies for the exemption, to

determine when a registered transfer

agent no longer qualifies for the

exemption, and to determine the extent

to which that transfer agent is subject to

regulation.

The BGFRS receives approximately

twelve notices of exempt status and six

notices of loss of exempt status

annually. The FDIC receives

approximately eighteen notices of

exempt status and three notices of loss

of exempt status annually. The

Commission and the Office of the

Comptroller of the Currency (‘‘OCC’’) do

not require transfer agents to file notice

of exempt status or loss of exempt

status. Instead, transfer agents whose

ARA is the Commission or OCC need

only to prepare and maintain these

notices. The Commission estimates that

approximately sixteen notices of exempt

status and loss of exempt status are

prepared annually by transfer agents

whose ARA is the Commission.

Similarly, the OCC estimates that the

transfer agents for which it is the ARA,

prepare and maintain approximately

fifteen notices of exempt status and loss

of exempt status annually. Thus, a total

of approximately seventy notices of

exempt status and loss of exempt status

are prepared and maintained by transfer

agents annually. Of these seventy

notices, approximately forty are filed

with an ARA. Any additional costs

associated with filing such notices

would be limited primarily to postage,

which would be minimal. Since the

Commission estimates that no more

than one-half hour is required to

prepare each notice, the total annual

burden to transfer agents is

approximately thirty-five hours. The

average cost per hours is approximately

$30. Therefore, the total cost of

compliance to the transfer agent

community is $1,050.

Transfer agents should prepare and

maintain in its possession or file with

its ARA notice of exempt status or loss

of exempt status for the period of the

exemption or loss of exemption. When

the transfer agent’s status changes, the

transfer agent should file a notice of

exempt status or loss of exempt status

reflecting that change. The notice

requirement is mandatory to determine

when a registered transfer agent no

longer qualifies for the exemption, and

to determine the extent to which that

transfer agent is subject to regulation.

Notices submitted according to Rule

17Ad–4(b) & (c) will not be kept

confidential.

Rule 17Ad–15 Signature Guarantees

Rule 17Ad–15 requires approximately

1,093 transfer agents to establish written

standards for the acceptance or rejection

of guarantees of securities transfers from

eligible guarantor institutions. Transfer

agents are required to establish

procedures to ensure that those

standards are used by the transfer agent

to determine whether to accept or reject

guarantees from eligible guarantor

institutions. Transfer agents must

maintain, for a period of three years

following the date of a rejection of

transfer, a record of all transfers

rejected, along with the reason for the