[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 29774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-14917]



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POSTAL SERVICE


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Notice of the addition of a routine use to an existing system 
of records.

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SUMMARY: This document publishes notice of the addition of a routine 
use to Privacy Act system of records USPS 050.020, Finance Records--
Payroll System. The routine use allows disclosure of limited 
information to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for 
the purpose of identifying postal employees who are absent parents 
owing child support obligations and/or parents involved in parental 
kidnapping and child custody cases.
    This notice complies with subsection (e)(11) of the Privacy Act (5 
U.S.C. 552a), which requires agencies to publish advance notice of any 
new use of information in a system of records.

DATES: Any interested party may submit written comments on the proposed 
routine use. This proposal will become effective without further notice 
July 22, 1996, 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, Room 8650, Washington, DC 20260-5242. Copies of 
all written comments will be available at the above address for public 
inspection and photocopying between 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., Monday 
through Friday.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Privacy Act system of records USPS 050.020, 
Finance Records--Payroll System, contains records about current and 
former postal employees. The records are used for handling payroll and 
other administrative functions. It is proposed that the system be 
amended to add routine use No. 31, which will allow the Postal Service 
to disclose limited information to the Department of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS) for the purpose of identifying postal employees who are 
absent parents owing child support obligations and/or individuals 
involved in parental kidnapping and child custody cases.
    The Office of Child Support Enforcement of the DHHS operates a 
Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) pursuant to section 653 of Title 
42, U.S.C. The FPLS was established to locate absent parents and later 
broadened to locate persons involved in parental kidnapping and child 
custody cases. The FPLS obtains from state child support enforcement 
agencies information about individuals who owe child support 
obligations and/or individuals who are involved in the unlawful taking 
or restraint of a child. It compares that information to federal 
employment data and returns matching records to the state child support 
enforcement agencies for follow-up. Proposed routine use No. 31 allows 
the Postal Service to disclose to DHHS information about current or 
former postal employees for matching under the FPLS. Information 
disclosed will be limited to those data elements considered relevant to 
that purpose.
    The proposed routine use is compatible with the purpose for 
collecting the information; that is, for handling all necessary payroll 
functions. It is the policy of the Postal Service that postal employees 
should honor their parental responsibilities and financial obligations. 
In implementing that policy, the Postal Service helps enforce court 
orders for child support by garnishment of wages. Because information 
within system USPS 050.020 is collected to handle payroll functions, 
and wage garnishment is a primary means of child support enforcement, 
proposed routine use No. 31 is clearly compatible with the purpose of 
the system.
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(11), interested persons are invited to 
submit written data, views, or arguments on this proposal. A report of 
the proposed routine use has been sent to Congress and to the Office of 
Management and Budget for their evaluation.
    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 in the Federal Register on November 22, 1993 (58 FR 61718-
61719). The Postal Service proposes adding routine use No. 31 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:
* * * * *
    31. Disclosure of limited information about current or former 
postal employees, who are identified through computer matching, may be 
made to the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to 42 
U.S.C. 653, Parent Locator Service, for further release to state child 
support enforcement agencies when needed for locating noncustodial 
parents in order to establish and/or enforce child support obligations 
and for locating parents who may be involved in parental kidnapping or 
child custody cases.
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 96-14917 Filed 6-11-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P