[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 235 (Monday, December 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64591-64592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32054]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Title: 45 CFR Part 303.72--Request for collection of past-due 
support by Federal tax refund offset and administrative offset.
    OMB No.: 0970-0161.
    Description: The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) 
operates the Tax refund offset TROP. The TROP was enacted by Congress 
on August 13, 1981 (Pub. L. 97-35, section 2331). This is a 
computerized system operated by the Office of Child Support Enforcement 
(OCSE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and State child 
support agencies. The TROP was established to recover delinquent AFDC 
child support debts with ongoing cooperation of states and local child 
support agencies.
    The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-508) 
signed by the President in November 1990, expanded the Program to 
include a provision for non-AFDC cases.
    In 1996 the Debt Collection Improvement Act (Pub. L. 104-134) 
further expanded the program to increase the collection of nontax debts 
owed to the Federal Government and to assist families in collecting 
past-due child support. It required the development and implementation 
of procedures necessary to collect past-due support by administrative 
offset by agencies. As a result, this program is now known as the Tax 
Refund and Administrative Offset Program (TROP/ADOP).
    Purpose: Pursuant to Public Laws 97-35 enacted by Congress on 
August 13, 1981, Pub. L. 101-508 signed by the President in November 
1990 and Pub. L. 104-134 enacted into law on April 26, 1996, the Debt 
Collection Improvement Act of 1996, and pursuant to the Executive Order 
13019 dated September 28, 1996, the OCSE will match the tax refund 
records against Federal payment certification records and Federal 
financial assistance records. The purpose is to facilitate the 
collection of delinquent child support obligations from persons who may 
be entitled or eligible to receive certain Federal payments or Federal 
assistance. State child support agencies submit cases of delinquent 
child support claims to the OCSE for submission to the Financial 
Management Service (FMS). These cases are sent by on-line dial-up 
access via personal computer, tape and cartridge via mail, Mitron tape, 
file transfer, or electronic data transmission. The Office of Child 
Support Enforcement serves as a conduit between state child support 
enforcement agencies and the FMS by processing weekly updates of 
collection data and distributing the information back to the 
appropriate State child support agency. The information will be 
disclosed by OCSE to state child support agencies for use in the 
collection of child support debts, through locate action wage 
withholding or other enforcement actions.
    Respondents: State, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and 
Virgin Islands Governments.
    Respondents: State and local governments.

[[Page 64592]]



                                             Annual Burden Estimates                                            
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                                                                                          Average               
                                                                            Number of      burden       Total   
                         Instrument                            Number of    responses    hours per      burden  
                                                              respondents      per        response      hours   
                                                                            respondent   (minutes)              
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub/test tape & Data Spec...................................        1,744           52            5      7,557.3
Sub/test tape & Data Spec...................................           54           52            5          234
Withdrawal notice...........................................        1,744            5            2          291
Pre-offset notice...........................................           54       87,075            2     15,673.5
Case Cert...................................................           54           52            3        140.4
Payment Infor...............................................           26            1           10          4.3
Local office contact phone address..........................        1,744            1           30          872
Request for update..........................................           54           52            5          234
Federal Tax Offset contact..................................           54            1            2          1.8
Update Spec.................................................           54            1            2          1.8
Issuance of pre-offset notice...............................           54            1            2          1.8
Contact point for OCSE Pre-offset notice....................           30            1            1          0.9
Non-TANF Tax Refund Offset Information......................        1,744       40,735           10      6,789.2
Offset notice address/phone number change...................           54            1           10          9.0
Personal computer data......................................           54            1            5          4.5
Notice of intention.........................................           25            1            2          0.8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 31,816.3.
    Additional Information: Copies of the proposed collection may be 
obtained by writing to The Administration for Children and Families, 
Office of Information Services, Division of Information Resource 
Management Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, D.C. 
20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer.
    OMB Comment: OMB is required to make a decision concerning the 
collection of information between 30 and 60 days after publication of 
this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment is best 
assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of 
publication. Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent directly to the following: Office 
of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, 725 17th Street, 
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20503, Attn: Ms. Wendy Taylor.

    Dated: December 1, 1997.
Bob Sargis,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 97-32054 Filed 12-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M