This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

39042 

Vol. 72, No. 136 

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 

AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL 

DEVELOPMENT 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: United States Agency for 

International Development. 

ACTION: Privacy Act System of Records 

Notice. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of 

the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), 

the United States Agency for 

International Development (USAID) is 

giving notice that it proposes to 

establish a new system of records, the 

Partner Vetting System (PVS). The PVS 

will support the vetting of individuals, 

officers, or other officials of nongovernmental organizations who apply 

for USAID contracts, grants, cooperative 

agreements, or other funding, or who 

apply for registration with USAID as 

Private and Voluntary Organizations 

(PVOs), ensuring that neither USAID 

funds nor USAID-funded activities 

inadvertently or otherwise provide 

support to entities or individuals 

associated with terrorism. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before August 27, 2007. 

Unless there is a further notice in the 

Federal Register, this new system of 

records will become effective on August 

27, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

to: 

E-mail: privacy@usaid.gov. 

Fax: (703) 666–1466. 

Mail: Chief Privacy Officer, United 

States Agency for International 

Development, 1300 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW., Office 2.12–003, 

Washington, DC 20523–2120. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general questions, please contact: 

Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Office 

of Security, United States Agency for 

International Development, Ronald 

Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20523. 

For privacy issues please contact: Chief 

Privacy Officer, United States Agency 

for International Development, 1300 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Office 

2.12–003, Washington, DC 20523–2120. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USAID is 

establishing a new system of records 

pursuant to the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 

552a), entitled the Partner Vetting 

System (PVS). Since September 2001, in 

accordance with Executive Order 13224 

which prohibits any transactions or 

dealings with entities or individuals 

designated as terrorists, USAID has 

taken several steps to ensure USAID 

funds are not provided to individuals or 

entities associated with terrorism. These 

efforts include: (1) Requiring that all 

solicitations, contracts, Annual Program 

Statements or Requests for Applications, 

grants or cooperative agreements, or 

other comparable documents contain 

language reminding USAID partners of 

the laws and Executive Orders 

prohibiting the provision of resources 

and support to individuals and 

organizations associated with terrorism; 

(2) requiring all non-governmental 

organization (NGO) applicants for grants 

and cooperative agreements to submit 

terrorist financing certifications; and (3) 

requiring USAID contracting officers 

and agreement officers to check 

applicable terrorist listings to ensure 

that potential contractors, grantees, subcontractors, and sub-grantees are not on 

these listings. 

In addition to the precautions 

described above, there is also a statutory 

requirement for vetting under USAID’s 

West Bank and Gaza (WBG) program. 

Since Fiscal Year 2003, the annual 

foreign operations appropriations 

legislation has required that, ‘‘the 

Secretary of State shall take all 

appropriate steps to ensure that such 

assistance is not provided to or through 

any individual, private or government 

entity, or education institution that the 

Secretary knows or has reason to believe 

advocates, plans, sponsors, engages in, 

or has engaged in, terrorist activity.’’ 

Accordingly, USAID’s mission for the 

WBG developed anti-terrorism 

procedures for all awards that it 

administers and has conducted vetting 

since 2003. A recent review of the WBG 

program by the Government 

Accountability Office (GAO) identified 

processes and procedures that could be 

improved and streamlined with the use 

of additional information technology. 

The PVS is being created, in part, as a 

result of these recommendations and 

will assist not only the mission for WBG 

in better tracking and managing the 

overall vetting process, but all locations 

in which USAID has or will have a 

program. 

PVS will facilitate the management 

and collection of information from 

individuals, officers, employees, or 

other officials of NGOs who apply for 

USAID contracts, grants, cooperative 

agreements or other USAID funding, or 

who apply for registration with USAID 

as PVOs. The information will be used 

to conduct national security screening 

of such individuals and NGOs to ensure 

that USAID funds do not inadvertently 

or otherwise provide support to entities 

or individuals associated with terrorism. 

To thoroughly conduct this screening, it 

is necessary to collect information on 

the principal officers and other 

employees of applicant organizations or 

on individuals that are applying directly 

for awards on their own behalf. 

Principal officers may include directors, 

program managers, members of 

governing bodies, or other individuals 

with operational control of the 

organization or those individuals that 

administer funds. 

The primary source of information in 

PVS will be collected directly from the 

individuals acting in their own capacity 

or from the appointed official for the 

NGO applying for USAID funding or 

registration as a PVO. An exemption 

will not be claimed for information 

collected directly from the individuals 

acting in their own capacity or from the 

appointed official for the NGO and this 

information will be treated as 

unclassified. USAID is currently 

devising a retention schedule for these 

records. However, some information 

may be obtained from other U.S. 

government agencies or another 

agency’s system of records. Any 

information that is recompiled from 

another agency’s system of records will 

follow the retention plan for that 

agency, will carry the appropriate 

classification level, and be considered 

exempt under the originating agency’s 

exemptions. 

Electronic Access Addresses 

You may submit comments by 

sending e-mail to: privacy@usaid.gov. 

You may submit comments by 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 136 / Tuesday, July 17, 2007 / Notices 39043 

submitting a facsimile document to: 

(703) 666–1466. 

Dated: February 28, 2007. 

Philip M. Heneghan, 

Chief Privacy Officer. 

Editorial Note: This document was 

received at the Office of the Federal Register 

on July 5, 2007. 

USAID–027 

SYSTEM NAME: 

Partner Vetting System (PVS). 

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: 

Classified and Sensitive but 

Unclassified. 

SYSTEM LOCATION: 

The United States Agency for 

International Development (USAID), 

Office of Security, 1300 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, Washington, DC 20523, and 

any relevant location(s) where USAID 

has a program. 

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE

SYSTEM: 

a. Individuals who are directors, 

officers, or are otherwise employed by 

either for-profit or non-profit nongovernmental organizations who apply 

for USAID contracts, grants, cooperative 

agreements or other types of 

instruments; 

b. Individuals who apply for personal 

services contracts or for other contracts, 

grants, or cooperative agreements; 

c. Individuals or organizations who 

attempt to obtain other USAID 

assistance or benefits; and 

d. Individuals who are officers or 

other officials of non-profit, nongovernmental organizations who apply 

for registration with USAID as Private 

and Voluntary Organizations (PVOs). 

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: 

Sensitive but Unclassified and nonexempt identifying information in this 

system includes, but is not limited to: 

a. Full name (including any aliases or 

variations of spelling), 

b. Date and place of birth, 

c. Government-issued identification 

information (including, but not limited 

to, social security number, passport 

number, or other numbers originated by 

a government that specifically identifies 

an individual), 

d. Current mailing address, 

e. Telephone and fax numbers, 

f. Email addresses, 

g. Country of origin and/or 

nationality, 

h. Citizenship, 

i. Gender, and 

j. Profession or other employment 

data. 

Classified and exempt information in 

this system includes, but is not limited 

to: 

a. Results generated from the 

screening of individuals covered by this 

notice; 

b. Intelligence and law enforcement 

information related to national security; 

and 

c. National security vetting and 

terrorism screening information, 

provided to USAID by other agencies. 

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM: 

18 U.S.C. 2339A, 2339B and 2339C; 

22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.; Section 559 of 

the FY06 Foreign Operations 

Appropriations Act; Executive Orders 

13224, 13099 and 12947; and HSPD–6. 

PURPOSE(S): 

To support the vetting of directors, 

officers, or other employees of nongovernmental organizations who apply 

for USAID contracts, grants, cooperative 

agreements or other funding or who 

apply for registration with USAID as 

Private and Voluntary Organizations. 

The information collected from these 

individuals is specifically used to 

conduct screening to ensure that USAID 

funds and USAID-funded activities are 

not purposefully or inadvertently used 

to provide support to entities or 

individuals deemed to be a risk to 

national security. 

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE

SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND

THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES: 

USAID may disclose relevant system 

records in accordance with any current 

and future blanket routine uses 

established for its record systems. See 

the Statement of General Routine Uses 

(and amendments), 42 FR 47371 

(September 20, 1977); 59 FR 52954 

(October 20, 1994); 59 FR 62747 

(December 6, 1994). Routine uses are 

not meant to be mutually exclusive and 

may overlap in some cases. 

DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING

AGENCIES: 

None. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, 

RETRIEVING, PROTECTING, ACCESSING, 

RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE

SYSTEM: 

STORAGE: 

Records in this system are stored in 

both paper and electronic format. Paper 

records are maintained by the USAID 

regional offices when the information 

cannot be collected electronically. 

Electronic storage is on servers (hard 

disk media) and magnetic tapes (or 

other backup media), stored within a 

secure location within the USAID 

Washington headquarters. 

RETRIEVABILITY: 

Records in this system are retrieved 

by individual name, date of birth, place 

of birth, social security numbers, 

passport numbers or other identifying 

data specified under Categories of 

Records in the System. 

SAFEGUARDS: 

USAID maintains all classified 

records in an authorized security 

container with access limited to 

authorized government personnel and 

authorized contractors. Physical 

security protections include guards and 

locked facilities requiring badges. Only 

authorized government personnel and 

authorized contractors can access 

records within the system. USAID 

mandates and certifies that physical and 

technological safeguards appropriate for 

classified and Sensitive but Unclassified 

systems are used to protect the records 

against unauthorized access. All 

authorized government personnel and 

authorized contractors with access to 

the system must hold appropriate 

security clearance, sign a non-disclosure 

agreement, and undergo both privacy 

and security training. 

For paper records: Classified and 

Sensitive but Unclassified records are 

kept in an approved security container 

at the USAID Washington headquarters, 

and at the relevant location(s) where 

USAID has a program. Access to these 

records is limited to those authorized 

government personnel and authorized 

contractors who have a need for the 

records in the performance of their 

official duties. 

For electronic records: Records are 

kept in a secure database in the USAID 

Washington headquarters. Access to the 

records is restricted to those authorized 

government personnel and authorized 

contractors with a specific role in the 

vetting process as part of the 

performance of their official duties. The 

PVS database is housed on and accessed 

from a Sensitive but Unclassified 

computer network. Vetting requests, 

analyses, and results will be stored 

separately on a classified computer 

network. Both computer networks and 

the PVS database require a user 

identification name and password and 

approval from the Office of Security. An 

audit trail is maintained and 

periodically reviewed to monitor access 

to the system. Authorized government 

personnel and authorized contractors 

assigned roles in the vetting process are 

provided role-specific training to ensure 

that they are knowledgeable in how to 

protect personally identifiable 

information. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
39044 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 136 / Tuesday, July 17, 2007 / Notices 

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL: 

Records in this system will be 

retained and disposed of in accordance 

with a records schedule to be approved 

by the National Archives and Records 

Administration. 

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS: 

Coordinator for Counterterrorism, 

Office of Security, United States Agency 

for International Development, Ronald 

Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20523. 

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE: 

To the extent applicable, because this 

system contains classified information 

related to the government’s national 

security programs, records in this 

system may be exempt from 

notification, access, and amendment as 

permitted by subsection (j) and (k) of the 

Privacy Act. 

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES: 

United States citizens or legal 

permanent residents can request access 

to a non-exempt record pertaining to 

him/her by sending a request in writing, 

signed, to the Chief Privacy Officer at 

the following address: Chief Privacy 

Officer, United States Agency for 

International Development, 1300 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Office 

2.12–003, Washington, DC 20523–2120. 

When requesting access to records 

covered by this Notice, an individual 

should provide his/her full name, date 

of birth, and complete address. An 

individual requesting access to records 

in person must provide identity 

documents, such as a governmentissued photo ID, sufficient to satisfy the 

custodian of the records that the 

requester is entitled to access. 

Requesters should also reasonably 

specify the record contents being 

sought. Rules regarding access to 

Privacy Act records appear in 22 CFR 

Part 215. If additional information or 

assistance is required, contact: Chief 

Privacy Officer, United States Agency 

for International Development, 1300 

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Office 

2.12–003, Washington, DC 20523–2120. 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

Requests for correction or amendment 

must identify the information to be 

changed and the corrective action 

sought. Requests must be submitted to 

the Chief Privacy Officer as provided in 

the record access procedures above. 

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: 

Information in this system is obtained 

from the non-governmental 

organization’s official who is 

responsible for completing the 

application package required to compete 

for USAID funds or who apply for 

registration with USAID as a Private and 

Voluntary Organization. In the case of 

applications by an individual in his/her 

own capacity, the information will be 

collected directly from the individual 

applicant. Information in this system 

may also be obtained from public 

sources, agencies conducting national 

security screening, law enforcement and 

intelligence agency record systems, and 

other government databases. 

EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM: 

To the extent applicable, records in 

this system may be exempt from any 

part of 5 U.S.C. 552a except subsections 

(b), (c)(1) and (2), (e)(4)(A) through (F), 

(e)(6), (7), (9), (10), and (11) if the 

records in the system are subject to the 

exemption found in 5 U.S.C. 552a(j). To 

the extent applicable, records in this 

system may be exempt from subsections 

(c)(3), (d), (e)(1), (e)(4)(G), (H), (I), and (f) 

of 5 U.S.C. 552a if the records in the 

system are subject to the exemption 

found in 5 U.S.C. 552a(k). Any other 

exempt records from other systems of 

records that are recompiled into this 

system are also considered exempt to 

the extent they are claimed as such in 

the original systems. Rules have been 

promulgated in accordance with the 

requirements of 5 U.S.C. 553(b), (c), and 

(e). 

[FR Doc. 07–3330 Filed 7–16–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6116–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Request for Proposals (RFP): 

Demonstration Program for 

Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Seafood 

Processing and/or Fishery Worker 

Housing Grants 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(RHS) announces the availability of 

agriculture, aquaculture, and seafood 

processing and/or fishery worker 

housing grants in the States of Alaska, 

Mississippi, Utah, and Wisconsin. This 

Notice was published on April 6, 2004, 

in the Federal Register, vol. 69, page 

18040, to award $4,970,500 in grant 

funds for a housing demonstration 

program for agriculture, aquaculture, 

and seafood processing and/or fishery 

workers in the above states. 

Public Law 108–199 (Agriculture, 

Rural Development, Food and Drug 

Administration, and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2004) authorized 

RHS to establish a demonstration 

program to provide financial assistance 

(grants) for processing and/or fishery 

worker housing in the States of Alaska, 

Mississippi, Utah, and Wisconsin. This 

RFP requests proposals from qualified 

private and public nonprofit agencies, 

non-profit cooperatives, state and local 

governments, and tribal organizations in 

Alaska, Mississippi, Utah, and 

Wisconsin to construct housing for 

agriculture, aquaculture, and seafood 

processing and/or fishery workers. Any 

one project may not receive grant funds 

of more than $1,370,595 from this 

program. Applications will only be 

accepted from applicants who will use 

the funds awarded in the following 

states: Alaska, Mississippi, Utah, or 

Wisconsin. Housing facilities 

constructed under this RFP are expected 

to increase the supply of housing for 

agriculture, aquaculture, and seafood 

processing and/or fishery workers in 

markets where adequate housing is not 

available. The Agency has remaining 

funds in the amount of $1,370,595 

which will be awarded in this Notice. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 

44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., OMB must 

approve all ‘‘collections of information’’

by RHS. The Act defines ‘‘collection of 

information’’ as a requirement for 

‘‘answers to * * * identical reporting or 

recordkeeping requirements imposed on 

ten or more persons * * *.’’ (44 U.S.C. 

3502(3)(A)) Because this RFP will 

receive less than 10 applicants, the 

Paperwork Reduction Act does not 

apply. 

General Information 

The agriculture, aquaculture, and 

seafood processing and/or fishery 

worker housing grants authorized by 

Public Law 108–199 are for the purpose 

of developing a housing demonstration 

program for agriculture, aquaculture, 

and seafood processing and/or fishery 

worker housing in markets that have a 

demonstrated need for housing for such 

workers. Under Public Law 108–199, 

RHS had the authority to award 

$4,970,500 in grant funds for a housing 

demonstration program for agriculture, 

aquaculture, and seafood processing 

and/or fishery workers in Alaska, 

Mississippi, Utah, and Wisconsin. This 

Notice is awarding the remaining 

$1,370,595 for the aforementioned 

purposes. 

As part of the application, all 

applicants must also provide a Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number. As required by 

the Office of Management and Budget 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES