Document ID: EPA-HQ-OEI-2014-0014-0002
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Privacy Act; Systems of Records
Posted Date: 2021-09-07T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50110-50113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19311]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8729-01-OMS]

Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of a modified system of records.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of the 
Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Office of Technology Solutions, is 
giving notice that it proposes to modify a system of records pursuant 
to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974. EPA is making updates to 
its system of records, PeoplePlus, EPA-1 and is modifying this system 
of records notice to reflect those updates. EPA's Office of Human 
Resources (OHR) previously used the EPA-1 PeoplePlus system to 
administer several human resources functions, including time and 
attendance, payroll, workforce transformation, and entrance on duty 
system. The PeoplePlus system will now only be used for time and 
attendance, and EPA's OCFO will now manage the system.

DATES: Persons wishing to comment on this system of records notice must 
do so by October 7, 2021. New routine uses for this system of records 
will be effective October 7, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OEI-2014-0014, by one of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments.
    Email: docket_oms@epa.gov. Include the Docket ID number in the 
subject line of the message.
    Fax: 202-566-1752.
    Mail: OMS Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code: 
2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    Hand Delivery: OMS Docket, EPA/D.C., WJC West Building, Room 3334, 
1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. Such deliveries are 
only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and 
special

[[Page 50111]]

arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OEI-
2014-0014. The EPA's policy is that all comments received will be 
included in the public docket without change and may be made available 
online at https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed 
to be Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or other information 
for which disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit 
information that you consider to be CUI or otherwise protected through 
https://www.regulations.gov. The https://www.regulations.gov website is 
an ``anonymous access'' system for the EPA, which means the EPA will 
not know your identity or contact information. If you submit an 
electronic comment, the EPA recommends that you include your name and 
other contact information in the body of your comment. If the EPA 
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot 
contact you for clarification, the EPA may not be able to consider your 
comment. If you send an email comment directly to the EPA without going 
through https://www.regulations.gov, your email address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the public docket and made available on the internet. 
Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form 
of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional 
information about the EPA public docket, visit the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the https://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CUI or other information 
for which disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, 
such as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard 
copy. Publicly available docket materials are available either 
electronically in https://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the 
OMS Docket, EPA/D.C., WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 
Ave. NW, Washington. DC 20460. The Public Reading Room is normally open 
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday excluding legal 
holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 
566-1744, and the telephone number for the OMS Docket is (202) 566-
1752.

Temporary Hours During Covid-19

    Out of an abundance of caution for members of the public and our 
staff, the EPA Docket Center and Reading Room are closed to the public, 
with limited exceptions, to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19. 
Our Docket Center staff will continue to provide remote customer 
service via email, phone, and webform. We encourage the public to 
submit comments via https://www.regulations.gov/ or email, as there may 
be a delay in processing mail and faxes.
    Hand deliveries and couriers may be received by scheduled 
appointment only. For further information on EPA Docket Center services 
and the current status, please visit us online at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Clanton, Director, Office of 
Technology Solutions; 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Mail Code 2731R, 
Washington, DC 20460; email address: Clanton.Michael@epa.gov; telephone 
number: 202 564-1084.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA's OHR has been using the PeoplePlus 
system to administer payroll, HR processes, and time and attendance.
    EPA is removing the following systems/functions from the PeoplePlus 
system: Payroll (Federal Personnel Payroll System), Workforce 
Transformation, and Tracking System and Entrance on Duty System (WTTS/
EODS)--web-based Human Resources Management Suite (HRMS), and Oracle's 
Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE). Specifically, the 
Department of the Interior, Interior Business Center will be hosting 
the systems/functions.
    PeoplePlus will continue to administer EPA's time and attendance, 
and EPA is retaining those provisions of the EPA-1 SORN for these 
functions. The information maintained in PeoplePlus's time and 
attendance system is not being modified and the portions of the EPA-1 
SORN not modified here remain unchanged.
    The system manager, authority for maintenance of the system, 
purpose of the system, categories of records in the system, record 
source categories, routine uses, and policy and practices for storage 
and retrieval are being modified to reflect the updated usage and 
collection.

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
    PeoplePlus; EPA-1.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Computer Center 
(NCC), 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27711.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    Michael Clanton, Director, Office of Technology Solutions; 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Mail Code 2731R, Washington, DC 20460; email 
address: Clanton.Michael@epa.gov; telephone number: 202 564-1084.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    5 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. 5501 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. 5525 et 
seq.; 5 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.; 31 U.S.C. 3512; 
Executive Order 9397 (Nov. 22, 1943); 5 U.S.C. 6362.

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
    As revised herein, PeoplePlus administers EPA's time and attendance 
by allowing EPA federal employees to document their time and 
attendance, including assigning time reporting and work codes. This 
time and attendance information is exchanged with EPA's payroll 
provider allowing for the processing of EPA employee payroll. 
PeoplePlus also allows EPA employees to track, request, and cancel 
various absence forms, including sick leave, annual leave, 
administrative leave, and time off awards.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Current and former EPA employees.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    PeoplePlus contains general EPA employee time and attendance 
information. This includes elements (Hours/Time Reporting Code/Work 
Code) associated with bi-weekly time and attendance and elements 
(Start-End Dates/Leave Category/Absence Type/Duration) related to 
submitting absence requests for various types of leave. PeoplePlus 
contains employee information for payroll processing, including: Names, 
SSNs, EINs, DOBs, Addresses, Work Telephone #s, and Employee IDs.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    EPA's payroll provider, the individual on whom the record is 
maintained, and Agency officials such as managers and supervisors.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    The routine uses below are both related to and compatible with the 
original purpose for which the information was collected. The following 
routine uses apply to this system:
    A. Disclosure for Law Enforcement Purposes: Information may be 
disclosed

[[Page 50112]]

to the appropriate Federal, State, local, tribal, or foreign agency 
responsible for investigating, prosecuting, enforcing, or implementing 
a statute, rule, regulation, or order, if the information is relevant 
to a violation or potential violation of civil or criminal law or 
regulation within the jurisdiction of the receiving entity.
    B. Disclosure Incident to Requesting Information: Information may 
be disclosed to any source from which additional information is 
requested (to the extent necessary to identify the individual, inform 
the source of the purpose of the request, and to identify the type of 
information requested,) when necessary to obtain information relevant 
to an agency decision concerning retention of an employee or other 
personnel action (other than hiring,) retention of a security 
clearance, the letting of a contract, or the issuance or retention of a 
grant, or other benefit.
    C. Disclosure to Requesting Agency: Disclosure may be made to a 
Federal, State, local, foreign, or tribal or other public authority of 
the fact that this system of records contains information relevant to 
the retention of an employee, the retention of a security clearance, 
the letting of a contract, or the issuance or retention of a license, 
grant, or other benefit. The other agency or licensing organization may 
then make a request supported by the written consent of the individual 
for the entire record if it so chooses. No disclosure will be made 
unless the information has been determined to be sufficiently reliable 
to support a referral to another office within the agency or to another 
Federal agency for criminal, civil, administrative, personnel, or 
regulatory action.
    D. Disclosure to Office of Management and Budget: Information may 
be disclosed to the Office of Management and Budget at any stage in the 
legislative coordination and clearance process in connection with 
private relief legislation as set forth in OMB Circular No. A-19.
    E. Disclosure to Congressional Offices: Information may be 
disclosed to a congressional office from the record of an individual in 
response to an inquiry from the congressional office made at the 
request of the individual.
    F. Disclosure to Department of Justice: Information may be 
disclosed to the Department of Justice, or in a proceeding before a 
court, adjudicative body, or other administrative body before which the 
Agency is authorized to appear, when:
    1. The Agency, or any component thereof;
    2. Any employee of the Agency in his or her official capacity;
    3. Any employee of the Agency in his or her individual capacity 
where the Department of Justice or the Agency have agreed to represent 
the employee; or
    4. The United States, if the Agency determines that litigation is 
likely to affect the Agency or any of its components, is a party to 
litigation or has an interest in such litigation, and the use of such 
records by the Department of Justice or the Agency is deemed by the 
Agency to be relevant and necessary to the litigation provided, 
however, that in each case it has been determined that the disclosure 
is compatible with the purpose for which the records were collected.
    G. Disclosure to the National Archives: Information may be 
disclosed to the National Archives and Records Administration in 
records management inspections.
    H. Disclosure to Contractors, Grantees, and Others: Information may 
be disclosed to contractors, grantees, consultants, or volunteers 
performing or working on a contract, service, grant, cooperative 
agreement, job, or other activity for the Agency and who have a need to 
have access to the information in the performance of their duties or 
activities for the Agency. When appropriate, recipients will be 
required to comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974 as 
provided in 5 U.S.C. 552a(m).
    I. Disclosures for Administrative Claims, Complaints and Appeals: 
Information from this system of records may be disclosed to an 
authorized appeal grievance examiner, formal complaints examiner, equal 
employment opportunity investigator, arbitrator or other person 
properly engaged in investigation or settlement of an administrative 
grievance, complaint, claim, or appeal filed by an employee, but only 
to the extent that the information is relevant and necessary to the 
proceeding. Agencies that may obtain information under this routine use 
include, but are not limited to, the Office of Personnel Management, 
Office of Special Counsel, Merit Systems Protection Board, Federal 
Labor Relations Authority, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and 
Office of Government Ethics.
    J. Disclosure to the Office of Personnel Management: Information 
from this system of records may be disclosed to the Office of Personnel 
Management pursuant to that agency's responsibility for evaluation and 
oversight of Federal personnel management.
    K. Disclosure in Connection With Litigation: Information from this 
system of records may be disclosed in connection with litigation or 
settlement discussions regarding claims by or against the Agency, 
including public filing with a court, to the extent that disclosure of 
the information is relevant and necessary to the litigation or 
discussions and except where court orders are otherwise required under 
section (b)(11) of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(11).
    The two routine uses below (L and M) are required by OMB Memorandum 
M-17-12.
    L. Disclosure to Persons or Entities in Response to an Actual or 
Suspected Breach of Personally Identifiable Information: To appropriate 
agencies, entities, and persons when (1) the Agency suspects or has 
confirmed that there has been a breach of the system of records, (2) 
the Agency has determined that as a result of the suspected or 
confirmed breach there is a risk of harm to individuals, the Agency 
(including its information systems, programs, and operations), the 
Federal Government, or national security; and (3) the disclosure made 
to such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary to 
assist in connection with the Agency's efforts to respond to the 
suspected or confirmed breach or to prevent, minimize, or remedy such 
harm.
    M. Disclosure to Assist Another Agency in Its Efforts to Respond to 
a Breach of Personally Identifiable Information: To another Federal 
agency or Federal entity, when the Agency determines that information 
from this system of records is reasonably necessary to assist the 
recipient agency or entity in (1) responding to a suspected or 
confirmed breach or (2) preventing, minimizing, or remedying the risk 
of harm to individuals, the recipient agency or entity (including its 
information systems, programs, and operations), the Federal Government, 
or national security, resulting from a suspected or confirmed breach.
    N. Disclosure to EPA's Payroll Processing Entity: To EPA's current 
payroll provider to process EPA's payroll.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
    These records are maintained electronically on servers located at 
EPA, NCC.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
    Records are retrieved by the employee identification number and/or 
employee network ID.

[[Page 50113]]

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
    The records contained in this system of records are covered by EPA 
record schedule 300 for purposes of retention and disposal. Records are 
maintained for 3 years.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
    Security controls used to protect personally identifiable 
information (PII) in PeoplePlus are commensurate with those required 
for an information system rated MODERATE for confidentiality, 
integrity, and availability, as prescribed in National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication, 800-53, ``Security 
and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and 
Organizations,'' Revision 5.
    1. Administrative Safeguards: PeoplePlus follows procedures set out 
by NIST 800-53 and EPA's Chief Information Officer (CIO) Security 
Procedures including that EPA personnel are required to complete annual 
agency Information Security and Privacy training. EPA personnel are 
instructed to lock their computers when they leave their desks.
    2. Technical Safeguards: Computer records are maintained in a 
secure password-protected environment. Access to computer records is 
limited to those who have a need to know. Permission level assignments 
allow users access only to those functions for which they are 
authorized. Data stored on the server is encrypted. Backups will be 
maintained at a disaster recovery site.
    3. Physical Safeguards: All servers are maintained in secure, 
access-controlled areas or buildings.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    Individuals seeking access to information in this system of records 
about themselves are required to provide adequate identification (e.g., 
driver's license, military identification card, employee badge, or 
identification card). Additional identity verification procedures may 
be required, as warranted. Requests must meet the requirements of EPA 
regulations that implement the Privacy Act of 1974, at 40 CFR part 16.

CONTESTING RECORDS PROCEDURES:
    Requests for correction or amendment must identify the record to be 
changed and the corrective action sought. Complete EPA Privacy Act 
procedures are described in EPA's Privacy Act regulations at 40 CFR 
part 16.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
    Any individual who wants to know whether this system of records 
contains a record about him or her should make a written request to the 
EPA, Attn: Agency Privacy Officer, MC 2831T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC 20460, privacy@epa.gov.

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    None.

HISTORY:
    EPA-1, PeoplePlus previously issued SORN modifications published in 
the Federal Register on June 5, 2014 (79 FR 32543), July 9, 2007 (72 FR 
37217-37220), October 10, 2003 (68 FR 58670), and February 22, 2002 (67 
FR 8246).

Vaughn Noga,
Senior Agency Official for Privacy.
[FR Doc. 2021-19311 Filed 9-3-21; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P