Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended, 23298-23299 [05-8852]

Agencies

• Internal Revenue Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23298-23299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8852]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Internal Revenue Service


Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended

AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service, Treasury.

ACTION: Notice of alteration to a Privacy Act system of records.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 
1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 552a, the Treasury Department, Internal 
Revenue Service, gives notice of a proposed alteration to the system of 
records, Treasury/IRS 60.000--Employee Protection System Records.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than June 3, 2005. The system 
of records will be effective June 13, 2005, unless comments are 
received which result in a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to the Office of Governmental 
Liaison and Disclosure, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20224. Comments will be made available for 
inspection and copying in the National Office room upon request. An 
appointment for inspecting the comments can be made by calling (202) 
622-5164. This is not a toll free number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chief, Office of Employee Protection, 
Internal Revenue Service, 477 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226, 
telephone (313) 628-3742. This is not a toll free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This gives notice of a proposed alteration 
to a Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service system of 
records entitled ``Treasury/IRS 60.000--Employee Protection System 
Records'' which is subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a. 
The proposed alteration will add individuals who are potentially 
dangerous to IRS contractors to the system of records.
    The Employee Protection System Records system of records was 
established to enhance the security and safety of Internal Revenue 
Service employees who are engaged in the assessment and collection of 
Federal taxes. This system consists of information furnished by 
Internal Revenue Service employees or other parties with respect to an 
individual who is involved in a tax administration matter before the 
Internal Revenue Service.
    The records in this system are maintained for a period of five 
years, after which the records are reviewed to determine whether there 
is a need to maintain the information in the system. This system 
currently consists primarily of records of potentially dangerous 
taxpayers formerly maintained under the system of records entitled 
``Treasury/IRS 60.001--Assault and Threat Investigation Files, 
Inspection, and Records'' pertaining to assaults, threats, and suicide 
threats maintained in the Treasury/IRS 60.007--Miscellaneous 
Information File, Inspection.
    The alteration will add records to the system that will include 
reports of incidents of threats of harm to, or intimidation of, 
government contractors by individual taxpayers, threats of suicide made 
by a taxpayer in response to a contact by a government contractor, 
results of investigations into those incidents, determinations as to 
whether the taxpayer should be considered a potentially dangerous 
taxpayer or a taxpayer who should be approached with caution, and 
related correspondence.
    The system notice was last published in its entirety in the Federal 
Register on November 30, 2001, at 66 FR 59839.
    The report of an altered system of records, as required by 5 U.S.C. 
552a(r) of the Privacy Act, has been submitted to the Committee on 
Government Reform of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the 
Office of Management and Budget, pursuant to Appendix I to OMB Circular 
A-130, ``Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records About 
Individuals,'' dated November 30, 2000.
    For the above reasons, the IRS proposes to amend its system of 
records as set forth below:
Treasury/IRS 60.000

System name:
    Employee Protection System Records
* * * * *

Categories of individuals covered by the system:
    Description of the changes:
    a. The first sentence is removed and in its place add the following 
sentence to read: ``Individuals attempting to interfere with the 
administration of internal revenue laws through assaults, threats, 
suicide threats, filing or threats of filing frivolous criminal or 
civil legal action against Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees or 
contractors or the employees' or contractors' immediate family members, 
or forcible interference of any officer, government contractor or 
employee while discharging the official duties at his/her position.''
* * * * *
    b. Category (4) is amended by adding ``or contractor'' immediately 
after the words ``employees'' and is revised to read: ``Individuals who 
have committed the acts set forth in any of the above criteria, but 
whose acts have been directed against employees or contractors of other 
governmental agencies at Federal, State, county, or local levels;''
* * * * *

Category of records in the system:
    Description of the changes: Category (8) is amended by adding ``or 
contractors'' immediately after the words ``IRS employee'' and is 
revised to

[[Page 23299]]

read: ``(8) Correspondence regarding the reporting of the incident, 
referrals for investigation, investigation of the incident; and result 
of investigation (i.e. designation as potentially dangerous taxpayer, 
or other designation to alert IRS employees or contractors to approach 
the individual with caution).''
* * * * *

Purpose:
    Description of the change: Remove the current entry and in its 
place add the following language: ``This system of records documents 
reports by Internal Revenue Service employees of attempts by taxpayers 
to obstruct or impede Internal Revenue Service employees, contractors, 
or other law enforcement personnel in the performance of their official 
duties, investigations into the matters reported, and conclusions as to 
whether the taxpayers should be considered potentially dangerous 
taxpayers or should otherwise be approached with caution by employees 
or contractors of the Internal Revenue Service or any other law 
enforcement organization.''

Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the System, Including Categories 
of Users and the Purposes of Such Uses:
* * * * *
    Description of change: The period at the end of routine use (6) is 
replaced with a semicolon, ``;'' and the following routine use is added 
at the end thereof: ``(7) Provide information to a government 
contractor to alert the contractor that a taxpayer may be potentially 
dangerous.''
* * * * *

Records source categories:
    Description of the change: Remove the current entry and in its 
place add the following to read: ``Department of the Treasury personnel 
and records, newspapers and periodicals, taxpayers (witnesses and 
informants), state and local government agency personnel and records, 
and anonymous individuals. This system of records may also contain 
investigatory material compiled for criminal law enforcement purposes 
whose sources need not be reported.''
* * * * *

    Dated: April 25, 2005.
Jesus Delgado-Jenkins,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Management.
[FR Doc. 05-8852 Filed 5-3-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830-01-P