[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 16 (Monday, January 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3774-3775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1669]


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POSTAL SERVICE


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Notice of modifications to an existing system of records and 
the addition of new routine uses to that and another existing system of 
records.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this document is to publish notice of 
modifications to existing system of records USPS 050.040, Finance 
Records--Uniform Allowance Program and the addition of new routine uses 
to that system and to system of records USPS 050.020, Finance Records--
Payroll System. The modifications to USPS 050.040 are prompted by 
changes in the Postal Service's procedures for providing monetary 
allowances to postal employees purchasing authorized uniforms. The 
modifications to USPS 050.020 are prompted by requirements of the 
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 
(Pub. L. 104-193). That Act requires agencies to report new-hire and 
wage data to the Department of Health and Human Services which will use 
the data to locate individuals to establish paternity and enforce child 
support obligations.

DATES: Any interested party may submit written comments on the proposed 
amendments and additions. This proposal will become effective without 
further notice on March 27, 1998, unless comments received on or before 
that date result in a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this proposal should be mailed or 
delivered to: PAYROLL ACCOUNTING/RECORDS, UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE, 
475 L'ENFANT PLAZA SW RM 8831, WASHINGTON DC 20260-5243.
    Copies of all written comments will be available at the above 
address for public inspection and photocopying between 8:00 a.m. and 
4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betty E. Sheriff, (202) 268-2608.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to recent changes in the Postal 
Service uniform program, the Postal Service will disclose data from its 
system USPS 050.040, Finance Records--Uniform Allowance Program to 
contractors who provide uniform distribution and postal payment card 
services.
    The Postal Service uniform program requires certain employees to 
wear prescribed uniforms in performing their duties. These employees 
are entitled to a uniform allowance to purchase authorized uniform 
items which meet Postal Service specifications. As a result of recent 
changes in the uniform allowance program, employees will purchase 
uniform items from a centralized distribution firm using a purchasing 
card issued by a financial institution. The proposed system 
modifications support those changes by expanding the ``system 
location'' to include contractor facilities and by adding a routine use 
permitting disclosure to contract distribution firms and financial 
institutions to provide uniform items and purchasing card services, 
respectively.
    Pursuant to Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and 
Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, the Postal Service will 
disclose data from its system USPS 050.020, Finance Records--Payroll 
System to the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), 
Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and 
Human Services (DHHS) for use in its Federal Parent Locator System 
(FPLS) and Federal Tax Offset System, DHHS/OCSE No. 09-90-0074. 
Information on this system was last published at 61 FR 38754, July 25, 
1996.
    FPLS is a computerized network through which states may request 
location information from federal and state agencies to find non-
custodial parents and/or their employers for purposes of establishing 
paternity and securing support. Effective October 1, 1997, the FPLS 
will be enlarged to include the Directory of New Hires, a database 
containing information on employees commencing employment, quarterly 
wage data on private and public sector employees, and information on 
unemployment compensation benefits. Effective October 1, 1998, the FPLS 
will be expanded to include a Federal Case Registry. The Federal Case 
Registry will contain abstracts on all participants involved in child 
support enforcement cases. When the Federal Case Registry is 
instituted, its files will be matched on an ongoing basis against the 
files in the National Directory of New Hires to determine if an 
employee is a participant in a child support case anywhere in the 
country. If the FPLS identifies a person as being a participant in a 
state child support case, that state will be notified of the 
participant's current employer. State requests to the FPLS for location 
information will also continue to be processed after October 1, 1998.
    The data to be disclosed by the Postal Service to the FPLS include 
employee name, social security number, address, date of birth, and 
employment information such as date of hire and work location.
    In addition, names and social security numbers submitted by the 
Postal Service to the FPLS will be disclosed by the OCSE to the Social 
Security Administration for verification to ensure that the social 
security number provided is correct. The data disclosed by the Postal 
Service to the FPLS also will be disclosed by the OCSE to the Secretary 
of the Treasury for verifying claims for the advance payment of earned 
income tax credit or to verify an employment claim on a tax return.
    Addition of the routine uses to USPS 050.020 and USPS 050.040 is 
proposed in accordance with the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3)). The 
Privacy Act permits the disclosure of information about individuals 
without their consent for a routine use when the information's use will 
be compatible with the purpose for which the information was originally 
collected. Data within USPS 050.040 is kept for the purpose of funding 
the procurement of uniforms. Disclosure of

[[Page 3775]]

this information to financial institutions and uniform distribution 
firms, each providing services related to purchasing uniform items, is 
consistent and compatible with that purpose. Similarly, since the 
proposed uses of the data within USPS 050.020 are required by Public 
Law 104-193, they are necessary and proper uses and therefore 
compatible uses which meet Privacy Act requirements.
    The system modifications and additions are not expected to have any 
undue effect on individual privacy rights. The modifications to USPS 
050.040 do not alter the scope or character of information collected by 
the system. The contract financial institutions and uniform 
distribution firms have been made subject to the Privacy Act in 
accordance with subsection (m) and are required to apply appropriate 
protections subject to the audit and inspection of the Postal 
Inspection Service. Records within USPS 050.040 and 050.020 continue to 
be kept in a secured environment, with automated data processing 
physical and administrative security and technical software applied to 
data on computer media. Paper records are kept in a secured area of 
post offices and are made available internally on an official need-to-
know basis.
    Postal Service records disclosed to the OCSE will be accomplished 
by Connect:Direct, hardcopy medium, or other means ensuring the 
security of the data. The FPLS will ensure the data's integrity to the 
greatest extent practicable by validating names and social security 
numbers with Social Security Administration records and the Postal 
Service will be notified of any invalid, incomplete, and corrected 
social security numbers.
    USPS Privacy Act system 050.020 was last published in its entirety 
in the Federal Register on December 4, 1992 (57 FR 57515-57519) and was 
amended on November 22, 1993 (58 FR 61718-61719) and June 12, 1996 (61 
FR 29774). USPS Privacy Act system 050.040 was last published in its 
entirety in the Federal Register on October 26, 1989 (54 FR 43669-
43670). The Postal Service proposes amending these systems as shown 
below.
USPS 050.020

SYSTEM NAME:
    Finance Records--Payroll System, 050.020.
* * * * *

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
[Change to read:]
    General routine use statements a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, j, k, l, and 
m listed in the prefatory statement at the beginning of the Postal 
Service's published system notices apply to this system. Other routine 
uses are as follows:
* * * * *
[Add the following:]
    33. Disclosure of information about current or former postal 
employees may be made to the Office of Child Support Enforcement, 
Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and 
Human Services Federal Parent Locator System (FPLS) and Federal Tax 
Offset System for locating individuals and identifying their income 
sources to establish paternity, establish and modify orders of support, 
and for enforcement action.
    34. Disclosure of information about current or former postal 
employees may be made to the Social Security Administration for 
verifying social security numbers in connection with the operation of 
the FPLS by the Office of Child Support Enforcement.
    35. Disclosure of information about current or former postal 
employees may be made to the Department of the Treasury for purposes of 
administering the Earned Income Tax Credit Program (Section 32, 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986) and verifying a claim with respect to 
employment in a tax return.
USPS 050.040

SYSTEM NAME:
    Finance Records--Uniform Allowance Program, 050.040.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
[Change to read:]
    Postal facilities employing personnel entitled to uniform 
allowances and the Information Service Center, St. Louis, MO, and 
contractor facilities where necessary to perform uniform supply and 
postal purchasing card services.
* * * * *

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
[Change to read:]
    Name, Social Security number, home address; uniform code, 
designation code, and pay location; account balance and invoices and 
other information relating to the uniform item(s) purchase.
* * * * *

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
[Change to read:]
    General routine use statements a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, j, k, l, and 
m listed in the prefatory statement at the beginning of the Postal 
Service's published system notices apply to this system. Other routine 
uses are as follows:
* * * * *
[Add the following:]
    3. Disclosure of information about current or former employees may 
be made to a financial institution under contract with the Postal 
Service to provide purchasing card services with respect to the 
purchase of uniform items.
    4. Disclosure of information about current or former employees may 
be made to a distribution firm under contract with the Postal Service 
to provide fulfillment services with respect to the purchase of uniform 
items.
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 98-1669 Filed 1-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P