Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 40 / Wednesday, February 28, 2001 / Notices 12813

be subject to an NIC three to five

member Peer Review Process.

Number of Awards: One (1).

NIC Application Number: 01P05 This

number should appear as a reference

line in your cover letter and also in box

11 of Standard Form 424.

Executive Order 12372: This program

is subject to the provisions of Executive

Order 12372. Executive Order 12372

allows States the option of setting up a

system for reviewing applications from

within their States for assistance under

certain Federal programs. Applicants

(other than Federally-recognized Indian

tribal governments) should contact their

State Single Point of Contact (SPOC), a

list of which is included in the

application kit, along with further

instructions on proposed projects

serving more than one State.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number: 16.603.

Dated: February 8, 2001.

Morris L. Thigpen,

Director, National Institute of Corrections.

[FR Doc. 01–4822 Filed 2–27–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4410–36–M

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. ICR–1218–0236(2001)]

Procedures for the Handling of

Discrimination Complaints Under

Federal Employee-Protection Statutes;

Extension of the Office of Management

of Budget’s Approval of InformationCollection (Paperwork) Requirements

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of an opportunity for

public comment.

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public

comment concerning its request to the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for an extension of the

information-collection requirements

contained in section 24.3 (‘‘Complaint’’)

of 29 CFR part 24 (‘‘Procedures for the

Handling of Discrimination Complaints

under Federal Employee Protection

Statutes’’). Section 24.3 specifies the

procedures employees must use to file

a complaint with OSHA alleging that

their employer violated a Federal statute

that prohibits retaliation against

employees who report unsafe or

unlawful practices used by the

employer that may damage the

environment.

DATES: Submit written comments on or

before April 30, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

to the Docket Office, Docket No. ICR

1218–0236(2001), OSHA, U.S.

Department of Labor, Room N–2625,

200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202)

693–2350. Commenters may transmit

written comments of 10 pages or less by

facsimile to: (202) 693–1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Renee Carter, Office of General Industry

Compliance Assistance, Directorate of

Compliance Programs, U.S. Department

of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC, 20210;

telephone: (202) 693–1850; e-mail:

Renee.carter@osha.gov; or facsimile:

(847) 297–4874. A copy of the Agency’s

Information-Collection Request (ICR)

supporting the need for the information

collections specified in the Federal

employee-protection statutes addressed

in this notice is available for inspection

and copying in the Docket Office, or by

requesting a copy from Todd Owen at

(202) 693–2444. For electronic copies of

this ICR, contact OSHA on the Internet

at http://www.osha.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Department of Labor, as part of its

continuing effort to reduce paperwork

and respondent (e.g., employer) burden,

conducts a preclearance consultation

program to provide the public with an

opportunity to comment on proposed

and continuing information-collection

requirements in accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program

ensures that information is in the

desired format, reporting burden (time

and costs) is minimal, collection

instruments are clearly understood, and

OSHA’s estimate of the information

burden is correct.

The Agency is responsible for

investigating alleged violations of

‘‘whistle blower’’ provisions contained

in a number of Federal statutes. These

provisions prohibit retaliation by

employers against employees who

report unsafe or unlawful practices used

by the employers that may damage the

environment. Accordingly, these

provisions prohibit an employer from

discharging or taking any other

retaliatory action against an employee

with respect to compensation, or the

terms, conditions, or privileges of

employment because the employee

engages in any of the protected activities

specified by the ‘‘whistle blower’’

provisions of the Federal statutes. These

provisions include the: Safe Water

Drinking Act, 42 U.S.C. 300j–9(i); Water

Pollution Control Act, 33 U.S.C. 1367;

Toxic Substances Control Act, 15 U.S.C.

2622; Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42

U.S.C. 6971; Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C.

7622; Energy Reorganization Act of

1974, 42 U.S.C. 5851; and

Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation and Liability

Act of 1980, 42 U.S.C. 9610.

Under 29 CFR part 24 (‘‘Procedures

for the Handling of Discrimination

Complaints under Federal Employee

Protection Statutes’’), section 24.3

(‘‘Complaint’’) specifies the procedures

that an employee must use to file a

complaint with OSHA alleging that their

employer violated a ‘‘whistle blower’’

provision for which the Agency has

investigative responsibility. Any

employee who believes that such a

violation occurred may file a complaint,

or have the complaint filed on their

behalf. While OSHA specifies no

particular form for filing a complaint,

paragraph (c) of 29 CFR 24.3 (‘‘Form of

complaint’’) requires that ‘‘a complaint

must be in writing and should include

a full statement of the acts and

omissions, with pertinent dates, which

are believed to constitute the violation.’’

II. Special Issues for Comment

The Agency has a particular interest

in comments on the following issues:

• Whether the proposed informationcollection requirements are necessary

for the proper performance of the

Agency’s functions, including whether

the information is useful;

• The accuracy of the Agency’s

estimate of the burden (time and costs)

of the information-collection

requirements, including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used;

• The quality, utility, and clarity of

the information collected; and

• Ways to minimize the burden on

employers who must comply; for

example, by using automated or other

technological information-collection

and -transmission techniques.

III. Proposed Actions

OSHA proposes to extend OMB’s

approval of the collection-ofinformation (paperwork) requirements

contained in the paragraph (c) of 29 CFR

24.3 (‘‘Complaints’’). The Agency will

summarize the comments submitted in

response to this notice, and will include

this summary, along with the

comments, in its request to OMB to

extend the approval of these

information-collection requirements.

Type of Review: Extension of

currently approved informationcollection requirements.

Title: Procedures for the Handling of

Discrimination Complaints.

OMB Number: 1218–0236.

12814 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 40 / Wednesday, February 28, 2001 / Notices

Affected Public: Individuals.

Number of Respondents: 1,700.

Frequency: On occasion.

Total Responses: 1,700.

Average Time Per Response: 1 hour.

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 1,700

hours.

Estimated Cost (Operation and

Maintenance): $0.

IV. Authority and Signature

R. Davis Layne, Acting Assistant

Secretary of Labor for Occupational

Safety and Health, directed the

preparation of this notice. The authority

for this notice is the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3506)

and Secretary of Labor’s Order No 3–

2000 (65 FR 50017).

Signed at Washington, DC, on February 23,

2001.

R. Davis Layne,

Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 01–4900 Filed 2–27–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–P

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

[Docket No. ICR–1218–0172(2001)]

Student Data Form; Extension of the

Office of Management and Budget’s

Approval of Information-Collection

(Paperwork) Requirements

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice of an opportunity for

public comment.

SUMMARY: OSHA solicits public

comment concerning its request to the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for an extension of the

information-collection requirements

specified in its Student Data Form.

DATES: Submit written comments on or

before April 30, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

to the Docket Office, Docket No. ICR

1218–0020(2001), OSHA, U.S.

Department of Labor, Room N–2625,

200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, DC 20210; telephone: (202)

693–2350. Commenters may transmit

written comments of 10 pages or less by

facsimile to: (202) 693–1648.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cindy Bencheck, Division of Training

and Educational Programs, OSHA Office

of Training and Education, 1555 Times

Drive, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018;

telephone: (847) 297–4810; e-mail:

cindy.bencheck@oti.osha.gov; or

facsimile: (847) 297–4874. A copy of the

Agency’s Information-Collection

Request (ICR) supporting the need for

the information collections specified in

the Student Data Form is available for

inspection and copying in the Docket

Office, or by requesting a copy from

Todd Owen at (202) 693–2444. For

electronic copies of this ICR, contact

OSHA on the Internet at http://

www.osha.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Department of Labor, as part of its

continuing effort to reduce paperwork

and respondent (e.g., employer) burden,

conducts a preclearance consultation

program to provide the public with an

opportunity to comment on proposed

and continuing information-collection

requirements in accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program

ensures that information is in the

desired format, reporting burden (time

and costs) is minimal, collection

instruments are clearly understood, and

OSHA’s estimate of the information

burden is correct.

Section 21 of the Occupational Safety

and Health Act of 1970 (the ‘‘OSH Act’’)

(29 U.S.C. 670) authorizes the

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (‘‘OSHA’’ or the

‘‘Agency’’) to conduct education and

training courses. These courses must

ensure an adequate number of qualified

personnel to fulfill the purposes of the

Act, provide them with short-term

training, inform them of the importance

and proper use of safety and health

equipment, and train employers and

employees to recognize, avoid, and

prevent unsafe and unhealthful working

conditions, occupational education and

training courses.

Under Section 21 of the Act, the

OSHA Training Institute (the

‘‘Institute’’) provides basic,

intermediate, and advanced training and

education in occupational safety and

health for Federal and State compliance

officers, Agency professionals and

technical-support personnel, employers,

employees, organizations representing

employees and employers, educators

who develop curricula and teach

occupational safety and health courses,

and representatives of professional

safety and health groups. The Institute

provides courses on occupational safety

and health at its national training

facility in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Students attending Institute courses

complete a one-page Student Data Form

(OSHA Form 182, 5/98 edition) on the

first day of class. The form provides

information under five major categories

titled ‘‘Course Information,’’ ‘‘Personal

Data,’’ ‘‘Employer Data,’’ ‘‘Emergency

Contacts,’’ and ‘‘Student Groups.’’ The

OSHA Office of Training and Education

(the ‘‘Office’’) compiles, for each fiscal

year, the following information from the

‘‘Course Information’’ and ‘‘Student

Groups’’ categories: Total student

attendance at the Institute; the number

of students attending each training

course offered by the Institute; and the

types of students attending these

courses (for example, students from

Federal or State occupational safety and

health agencies). The Office uses this

information to demonstrate, in an

accurate and timely manner, that the

Agency is providing the training and

employee education mandated by

Section 21 of the Act. OSHA also uses

this information to evaluate training,

and to make decisions regarding

program/course revisions, budget

support, and tuition costs.

The Agency uses the information

collected under the ‘‘Course

Information,’’ ‘‘Personal Data,’’ and

‘‘Employer Data’’ to identify privatesector students so that it can collect

tuition costs from them or their

employers as authorized by 31 U.S.C.

9701 (‘‘Fees and Charges for

Government Services and Things of

Value’’); Office of Management and

Budget Circular A–25 (‘‘User Charges’’);

and 29 CFR part 1949 (‘‘Office of

Training and Education, Occupational

Safety and Health Administration’’).

The information in the ‘‘Personal Data’’

and Emergency Contacts’’ categories

permits OSHA to contact students who

are residing in local hotels/motels if an

emergency arises at their home or place

of employment, and to alert supervisors/

alternate contacts of a trainee’s injury or

illness.

II. Special Issues for Comment

The Agency has a particular interest

in comments on the following issues:

• Whether the proposed informationcollection requirements are necessary

for the proper performance of the

Agency’s functions, including whether

the information is useful;

• The accuracy of the Agency’s

estimate of the burden (time and costs)

of the information-collection

requirements, including the validity of

the methodology and assumptions used;

• The quality, utility, and clarity of

the information collected; and

• Ways to minimize the burden on

employers who must comply; for

example, by using automated or other

technological information-collection

and -transmission techniques.