[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 224 (Tuesday, November 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70630-70631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23043]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Transportation Security Administration


Extension Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB 
Review: Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) Program

AGENCY: Transportation Security Administration (TSA), DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that TSA has forwarded the Information 
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval of an extension of the 
currently approved collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The 
ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected 
burden. TSA published a Federal Register notice, with a 60-day comment 
period soliciting comments, of the following collection of information 
on August 23, 2005, 70 FR 43902.

DATES: Send your comments by December 22, 2005. A comment to OMB is 
most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be faxed to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: DHS-TSA 
Desk Officer, at (202) 395-5806.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katrina Wawer, Information Collection 
Specialist, Office of Transportation Security Policy, TSA-9, 
Transportation Security Administration, 601 South 12th Street, 
Arlington, VA 22202-4220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is 
not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it 
displays a valid OMB control number. Therefore, in preparation for OMB 
review and approval of the following information collection, TSA is 
soliciting comments to--
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed information requirement 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;
    (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 using appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.

Information Collection Requirement

    Title: Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) Program.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    OMB Control Number: 1652-0011.
    Forms(s): FFDO online application.
    Affected Public: Applicants to the FFDO Program and current FFDOs.
    Abstract: To further supplement the security measures being 
implemented by TSA, Congress and the President enacted the Arming 
Pilots Against Terrorism Act (APATA) as Title XIV of the Homeland 
Security Act (Pub. L. 107-296, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2300), codified 
at 49 U.S.C. 44921. APATA required TSA to establish a program to 
screen, select, train, deputize, equip, and supervise qualified 
volunteer pilots of passenger aircraft. With the enactment of the 
Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (Pub. L. 108-176, 
Dec. 12, 2003, 117 Stat. 2490, 2561), the program was expanded to 
include pilots of cargo aircraft, as well as flight engineers and 
navigators on both passenger and cargo aircraft. These individuals, 
known as Federal Flight Deck Officers (FFDOs), are authorized to 
transport and carry a firearm and to use force, including deadly force, 
to defend the flight deck of an aircraft against acts of criminal 
violence or air piracy. Information collected as the result of this 
renewal request would be used to assess the qualifications and 
suitability of prospective and current FFDOs through an online 
application, to ensure the readiness of every FFDO, to administer the 
program, and for security purposes.
    Number of Respondents: Up to 13,780 annually.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: An estimated 13,780 hours annually. 
The burden estimate stated in the August 23, 2005 notice did not 
account for the total reporting burden, and thus has been revised here.


[[Page 70631]]


    Issued in Arlington, Virginia, on November 15, 2005.
Lisa S. Dean,
Privacy Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-23043 Filed 11-21-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-62-P