Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 183 / Thursday, September 21, 2006 / Notices 55221 

collection instruments are clearly 

understood, and the impact of collection 

requirements on respondents can be 

properly assessed. Currently, the 

Employment and Training 

Administration is soliciting comments 

concerning the proposed extension of 

data collection for the ETA Form 9117 

(formerly ETA–9023), Trade Adjustment 

Assistance (TAA) Reserve Funding 

Request Form (1205–0275, expires 12/ 

31/2006). A copy of the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) can 

be obtained by contacting the office 

listed below in the ADDRESSES section of 

this notice. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted to the office listed in the 

addressee section below on or before 

November 20, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: Erica R. Cantor, 

Administrator, Office of National 

Response, Employment and Training 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Labor, Room C–5311, 200 Constitution 

Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20210. 

Phone (202) 693–2757 (this is not a tollfree number), fax (202) 693–3584, or email cantor.erica@dol.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background: The Trade Adjustment 

Assistance (TAA) and Alternative Trade 

Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) 

programs provide assistance to workers 

that have been adversely affected by 

foreign trade. Under the Trade Act of 

1974, as amended by the Trade Reform 

Act of 2002, the statutory training cap 

is $220 million each year, with 

additional funding available for job 

search and relocation allowances and 

State administration. To be eligible for 

TAA or ATAA benefits, a group of 

workers, a company official, a union or 

other duly authorized representative, or 

a One Stop Operator or partner must file 

a petition with the Department of Labor. 

If the Department determines that the 

workers meet the statutory criteria, it 

issues a certification of eligibility for the 

workers in the group to apply for 

benefits and services through 

partnerships between the State 

Workforce Agencies (SWAs) and the 

One Stop Career Center system. On 

average, approximately 120,000 workers 

are potentially eligible to apply for TAA 

benefits and services each year. Of those 

potentially eligible, roughly 40,000 

individuals begin receiving TAA-funded 

benefits and services each year. In 

addition, 40,000 individuals who began 

receiving services in previous years 

continue to receive them. 

II. Review Focus: The Department of 

Labor is particularly interested in 

comments which: 

• Evaluate whether the proposed 

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 

proposed 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 submissions 

of responses. 

III. Current Actions: This is a notice 

to extend the collection period that is 

currently approved by OMB (1205–0275 

expires December 31, 2006). 

The ETA–9117(formerly ETA–9023) 

has been successfully utilized by the 

ETA and SWAs since its 

implementation in July 2004. The 

Department distributes $165 million of 

the $220 million appropriation available 

for TAA training at the beginning of 

each fiscal year as formula base 

allocations. The remaining training 

funds or $55 million is held in reserve 

by the Department to support States that 

experience large unanticipated layoffs 

that cannot be covered by their formula 

base allocation. The reserve funds are 

requested using the ETA–9117 (formerly 

ETA–9023) which provides essential 

information needed to determine the 

reasonableness of requests for TAA 

reserve funding such as the number of 

individuals currently enrolled in 

training that require additional funding 

through the current fiscal year; the 

number of new enrollees that require 

funding through the current fiscal year; 

the number of individuals requesting 

job search and relocation allowances; 

accrual expenditures for the most recent 

available funds; active certifications; 

and the circumstances necessitating the 

request for additional funding. 

Type of Review: Extension and 

revision of a currently approved 

collection. 

Agency: Employment and Training 

Administration. 

Title: Trade Adjustment Assistance 

(TAA) Reserve Funding Request Form. 

OMB Number: 1205–0275. 

Agency Number: ETA–9117 (formerly 

ETA–9023). 

Affected Public: State, local or tribal 

Government. 

Total Respondents: 25. 

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 75. 

Cite/reference Total respondents Frequency Total responses 

Average time 

per response 

(hours) 

Total requested burden 

TAA Reserve Request Form ............................................... 25 On occasion ... 25 3 75 

Comments submitted in response to 

this comment request will be 

summarized and/or included in the 

request for Office of Management and 

Budget approval of the information 

collection request; they will also 

become a matter of public record. 

Dated: September 11, 2006. 

Erica R. Cantor, 

Administrator, Office of National Response. 

[FR Doc. 06–7936 Filed 9–20–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4510–30–P 

MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION 

BOARD 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Proposed Collection 

AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection 

Board. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Merit Systems Protection 

Board (MSPB) intends to request 

approval of a revised information 

collection from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) under 

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(44 U.S.C. 3506 and 3507). The 

currently approved information 

collection is the MSPB Appeal Form, 

MSPB Form 185 (OMB Control Number 

3124–0009). The MSPB intends to make 

one substantive change to the 

information collected on the MSPB 

Appeal Form: Individuals who file 

appeals with the MSPB will be required 

to provide the last four digits of their 

Social Security numbers. In addition, 

several minor edits have been made to 

the Appeal Form to make the process 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
55222 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 183 / Thursday, September 21, 2006 / Notices 

easier to understand. At this time, the 

MSPB is requesting public comments on 

the revised MSPB Form 185, which is 

available for review on the MSPB Web 

site at http://mspb.gov/ 

headlinespage.html. In addition to 

soliciting comments on the changes to 

the Appeal Form, we are also soliciting 

comments on the public reporting 

burden. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before November 20, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the 

Office of the Clerk of the Board, Merit 

Systems Protection Board, 1615 M 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20419. 

Because of possible mail delays, 

respondents are encouraged to submit 

comments by e-mail to mspb@mspb.gov 

or by facsimile (fax) transmittal to (202) 

653–7130. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Office of the Clerk of the Board, 1615 M 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20419; 

telephone (202) 653–7200; facsimile 

(fax) (202) 653–7130; e-mail to 

mspb@mspb.gov. Persons without 

Internet access may request a paper 

copy of the MSPB Appeal Form from 

the Office of the Clerk. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

current version of the MSPB Appeal 

Form was approved by OMB, in 

accordance with the requirements of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act, in July 2003. 

At the same time, OMB approved the 

Board’s use of e-Appeal, the MSPB’s 

Web-based system for filing appeals 

online (https://e-appeal.mspb.gov). 

Once OMB has approved the changes to 

the paper-based form as described 

below, the MSPB will incorporate these 

changes into e-Appeal. 

Social Security Numbers 

In Part 1 of the revised Appeal Form, 

each appellant is required to provide the 

last four digits of his or her Social 

Security number. The instructions for 

this item state as follows: ‘‘The Merit 

Systems Protection Board requires that 

you provide it with the last four digits 

of your Social Security number. This 

information will be used solely for 

identification purposes in the 

processing of your appeal. Failure to 

provide this information may result in 

the delay or non-processing of your 

appeal.’’

The reason for requiring this 

information is to ascertain whether an 

appellant has filed previous appeals 

with the MSPB that may affect the 

processing of the new appeal. Because 

of the similarity of names and the 

possibility of name changes, and 

because appellants sometimes use 

nicknames instead of formal names, it 

can be difficult to determine whether 

the person who has filed a new appeal 

is the same person who filed one or 

more previous Board appeals. Although 

requiring the last four digits of the 

appellant’s Social Security number will 

not result in certainty as to the filer’s 

identity, it will give the MSPB more 

assurance in this regard. 

Section 7(a) of the Privacy Act of 1974 

provides that it is unlawful for a federal 

agency to ‘‘deny to any individual any 

right, benefit, or privilege provided by 

law because of such individual’s refusal 

to disclose his social security account 

number.’’ Because federal law provides 

federal employees the right to file 

appeals with the MSPB, that right 

cannot be conditioned on the 

individual’s providing the MSPB with 

his or her Social Security number. 

According to a Policy Analyst with the 

Information Policy and Technology 

Branch of the OMB, OMB takes the 

position that the last four digits of an 

individual’s Social Security number do 

not constitute that individual’s Social 

Security number, and can be made 

mandatory. The Board will carefully 

safeguard the last four digits of Social 

Security numbers provided by 

appellants in MSPB proceedings. This 

information will not generally be 

disclosed to third parties. 

Estimated Reporting Burden 

In accordance with the requirements 

of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

the MSPB is soliciting comments on the 

public reporting burden for this 

information collection. The public 

reporting burden for this collection of 

information is estimated to vary from 20 

minutes to 4 hours, with an average of 

60 minutes per response, including time 

for reviewing the form and instructions, 

searching existing data sources, 

gathering the data necessary, and 

completing and reviewing the collection 

of information. 

Specifically, the MSPB invites 

comments on: (1) Whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of MSPB’s 

functions, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) the accuracy of the MSPB’s estimate 

of burden of the proposed collection of 

information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 

and clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques, 

when appropriate, and other forms of 

information technology. 

ESTIMATED ANNUAL REPORTING BURDEN

5 CFR Parts Annual number 

of respondents 

Frequency per 

response 

Total annual response Hours per response Total hours 

1201, 1208, and 1209 ...................................... 7,150 1 7,150 1.0 7,150 

Dated: September 15, 2006. 

Bentley M. Roberts, Jr., 

Clerk of the Board. 

[FR Doc. 06–7831 Filed 9–20–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7401–01–P 

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS 

ADMINISTRATION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: NARA is giving public notice 

that the agency proposes to request 

extension of a currently approved 

information collection used when 

former Federal civilian employees and 

other authorized individuals request 

information from or copies of 

documents in Official Personnel Folders 

or Employee Medical Folders from the 

National Personnel Records Center 

(NPRC) of the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA). The 

public is invited to comment on the 

proposed information collection 

pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES