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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 120 (Friday, June 25, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33784-33785]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13524]

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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Submission for Renewal of a Previously Approved Information 
Collection 3206-0261: Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF 85)

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposes to request 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) renew a previously-approved 
information collection, Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF 
85).

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until August 24, 
2021. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1).

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by the following method:
    Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    All submissions received must include the agency name and docket 
number for this document. The general policy for comments and other 
submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions 
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as they are 
received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact 
information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A copy of this ICR, with applicable 
supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting Lisa Loss, 202-
606-1800, or U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Suitability Executive 
Agent Programs, P.O. Box 699, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, or sent by email 
to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPM is soliciting comments for this 
collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). The Office of Management and Budget is particularly 
interested in comments that:
    1. 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;
    2. 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;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. 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.
    The Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions, SF 85 is an 
information

[[Page 33785]]

collection completed by applicants for, or incumbents of, Federal 
Government civilian positions, or positions in private entities 
performing work for the Federal Government under contract. The 
collection is used as the basis of information for background 
investigations to establish that such persons are:
     Suitable for employment or retention in Federal employment 
in a low risk, non-sensitive position, or fit for employment or 
retention in Federal employment in the excepted service when the duties 
to be performed are equivalent to a low risk, non-sensitive position;
     Fit to perform work on behalf of the Federal Government 
pursuant to the Government contract, when the duties to be performed 
are equivalent to a low risk, non-sensitive position;
     Eligible for physical and logical access to federally 
controlled facilities or information systems, when the duties to be 
performed by the individual are equivalent to the duties performed by 
an employee in a low risk, non-sensitive position.
    For applicants, the SF 85 is to be used only after a conditional 
offer of employment has been made. e-QIP (Electronic Questionnaires for 
Investigations Processing) is a web-based system application that 
houses the SF 85. A variable in assessing burden hours is the nature of 
the electronic application. The electronic application includes 
branching questions and instructions which provide for a tailored 
collection from the respondent based on varying factors in the 
respondent's personal history. The burden on the respondent is reduced 
when the respondent's personal history is not relevant to particular 
question, since the question branches, or expands for additional 
details, only for those persons who have pertinent information to 
provide regarding that line of questioning. Accordingly, the burden on 
the respondent will vary depending on whether the information 
collection relates to the respondent's personal history.
    OPM recommends renewal of the form without any proposed changes, 
except to underlying authorities, which have been revised in the period 
since the last renewal; the Privacy Act Information Statement, to 
acknowledge the transfer of background investigations files from OPM to 
the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency; and the Purpose 
Statement, to make more clear that the form may be used for 
investigations for fitness for appointment to a position in the 
excepted service. No other changes are recommended at this time. 
Ongoing assessments will occur to ensure the SF 85 reflects and 
collects pertinent information for the investigative process and aligns 
with governing policies, rules, and regulations requiring use of this 
form.

Analysis

    Agency: Office of Personnel Management.
    Title: Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions (SF 85).
    OMB Number: 3206-0261.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Number of Respondents: 55,040.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 120 minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 110,080.

Office of Personnel Management.
Alexys Stanley,
Regulatory Affairs Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2021-13524 Filed 6-24-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-53-P
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