Privacy and Disclosure of Official Records and Information, 32494-32495 [E6-8697]
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 6, 2006 / Proposed Rules
references B-N Group Ltd. Britten-Norman
Service Bulletin SB number 303, Issue 1,
dated May 14, 2004, for information on
required actions.
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on May
30, 2006.
David R. Showers,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate,
Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. E6–8713 Filed 6–5–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
20 CFR Parts 401 and 402
RIN 0960–AG14
Privacy and Disclosure of Official
Records and Information
Social Security Administration.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
AGENCY:
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with PROPOSAL
ACTION:
SUMMARY: We propose to amend our
privacy and disclosure rules to help
preserve the anonymity of, and help
protect the physical well-being of, SSA
employees who reasonably believe that
they are at risk of injury or other harm
if certain employment information
about them is disclosed. These changes
in the regulations would ensure uniform
application of the policy for at-risk
employees.
DATES: To be sure that your comments
are considered, we must receive them
no later than August 7, 2006.
ADDRESSES: You may give us your
comments by: using our Internet facility
(i.e., Social Security Online) at https://
policy.ssa.gov/erm/rules.nsf/
Rules+Open+To+Comment or the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov; e-mail to
regulations@ssa.gov; by telefax to (410)
966–2830, or letter to the Commissioner
of Social Security, P.O. Box 17703,
Baltimore, MD 21235–7703. You may
also deliver them to the Office of
Regulations, Social Security
Administration, 100 Altmeyer Building,
6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore,
MD. 21235–6401, between 8 a.m. and
4:30 p.m. on regular business days.
Comments are posted on our Internet
site, or you may inspect them on regular
business days by making arrangements
with the contact person shown in this
preamble.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edie
McCracken, Social Insurance Specialist,
Office of Public Disclosure, 3–A–6
Operations Building, 6401 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235–6401,
(410) 965–6117 or TTY (410) 965–5609.
For information on eligibility or filing
for benefits, call our national toll-free
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:48 Jun 05, 2006
Jkt 208001
number, 1–800–772–1213 or TTY 1–
800–325–0778, or visit our Internet
Website, Social Security Online, at
https://www.socialsecurity.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Version
The electronic file of this document is
available on the date of publication in
the Federal Register at https://
www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/.
Background
Former Commissioner Kenneth S.
Apfel approved a recommendation of
the National Health and Safety
Partnership Committee for Security
(NHSPCS) to implement a nationwide
program to enhance the safety and
security of SSA employees who are
victims, or potential victims, of
domestic violence. The NHSPCS’
proposed program was developed,
during the era of ‘‘partnership’’, by a
joint union/management workgroup. It
was intended to safeguard the
anonymity of at-risk employees when
requests for their work location and/or
phone number were received, by
delaying the disclosure of the
information when certain conditions
were met. This would have entailed a
change in SSA policy that now permits
such information requests to be
honored. No action was ever taken on
the recommendation when the
‘‘partnership’’ was dissolved by
Executive Order 13203 on February 17,
2001. We are now proposing a modified
approach to strengthening our privacy
and disclosure rules to better safeguard
at-risk employees.
Explanation of Changes
We propose to amend subsection
(b)(3)(c)(4) of Appendix A to Part 401
and add a new subsection (e) to § 402.45
to permit SSA to exercise its discretion,
consistent with the Freedom of
Information Act and the rules of the
Office of Personnel Management (5 CFR
part 293), to withhold the work location
and telephone number of employees
who reasonably believe that they are at
risk of injury or other harm by the
disclosure of such information. These
proposed changes would clarify our
procedures for access to, and disclosure
of, personally identifiable information
regarding employees and enhance our
ability to maintain adequate safeguards
against disclosures in situations in
which an employee may be at risk or
fear for his/her physical safety.
We propose to amend Part 401,
Appendix A, (b)(3)(c)(4) by removing
the first sentence, ‘‘Location of duty
station, including room number and
telephone number.’’ We also propose to
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
revise § 402.45 by adding a new
subsection (e). New subsection
§ 402.45(e) will fully describe the rules
governing the release of personally
identifiable information as it pertains to
employees’ telephone numbers and duty
stations (including room numbers, bay
designations, or other identifying
information regarding buildings or
places of employment).
Clarity of These Proposed Rules
Executive Order 12866, as amended
by Executive Order 13258, requires each
agency to write all rules in plain
language. In addition to your
substantive comments on these
proposed rules, we invite your
comments on how to make these
proposed rules easier to understand. For
example:
• Have we organized the material to
suit your needs?
• Are the requirements in the rules
clearly stated?
• Do the rules contain technical
language or jargon that is not clear?
• Would a different format (grouping
and order of sections, use of headings,
paragraphing) make the rules easier to
understand?
• Would more (but shorter) sections
be better?
• Could we improve clarity by adding
tables, lists, or diagrams?
• What else could we do to make the
rules easier to understand?
Regulatory Procedures
Executive Order 12866
We have consulted with the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and
determined that these proposed rules
would meet the criteria for a significant
regulatory action under Executive Order
12866, as amended by Executive Order
13258. Thus, they were subject to OMB
review.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
We certify that these proposed rules
would not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial number of small
entities because they affect only
individuals or entities acting on their
behalf. Thus, a regulatory flexibility
analysis as provided in the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, as amended, is not
required.
Paperwork Reduction Act
These proposed rules impose no
reporting or record keeping
requirements subject to OMB clearance.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 96.001, Social SecurityDisability Insurance; 96.002, Social SecurityRetirement Insurance; 96.004, Social
E:\FR\FM\06JNP1.SGM
06JNP1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 6, 2006 / Proposed Rules
Security-Survivors Insurance; 96.006,
Supplemental Security Income).
List of Subjects in 20 CFR Parts 401 and
402
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Dated: February 27, 2006.
Jo Anne B. Barnhart,
Commissioner of Social Security.
Internal Revenue Service
For the reasons set out in the
preamble, we propose to amend subpart
C of part 401 and part 402 of chapter III
of title 20 of the Code of Federal
Regulations as set forth below:
PART 401—PRIVACY AND
DISCLOSURE OF OFFICIAL RECORDS
AND INFORMATION
1. The authority citation for part 401
continues to read as follows:
Authority: Secs. 205, 702(a)(5), 1106, and
1141 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
405, 902(a)(5), 1306, and 1320b–11); 5 U.S.C.
552 and 552a; 8 U.S.C. 1360; 26 U.S.C. 6103;
30 U.S.C. 923.
Appendix A to Part 401—[Amended]
2. Appendix A, paragraph (b)(3)(c)(4)
is amended by removing the first
sentence.
PART 402—AVAILABILITY OF
INFORMATION AND RECORDS TO
THE PUBLIC
1. The authority citation for part 402
continues to read as follows:
Authority: Secs. 205, 702(a)(5), and 1106 of
the Social Security Act; (42 U.S.C. 405,
902(a)(5), and 1306); 5 U.S.C. 552 and 552a;
8 U.S.C. 1360; 18 U.S.C. 1905; 26 U.S.C.
6103; 30 U.S.C. 923b; 31 U.S.C. 9701; E.O.
12600, 52 FR 23781, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p.
235.
2. Section 402.45 is amended by
adding paragraph (e) to read as follows:
Availability of records.
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with PROPOSAL
*
*
*
*
*
(e) Federal employees. The agency
will generally not disclose information
when the data sought is a list of
telephone numbers and/or duty stations
of one or more Federal employees
which, as determined by the official
responsible for custody of the
information:
(1) Is selected in such a way that
would reveal more about the employee
on whom information is sought than the
aforementioned items, the disclosure of
which would constitute a clearly
unwarranted invasion of personal
privacy; or
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:48 Jun 05, 2006
Jkt 208001
[FR Doc. E6–8697 Filed 6–5–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191–02–P
Administrative practice and
procedure, Freedom of information,
Privacy.
§ 402.45
(2) Would otherwise be protected
from mandatory disclosure under an
exemption of the FOIA.
26 CFR Part 1
[REG–112994–06]
RIN 1545–BF47
Guidance Under Section 7874
Regarding Expatriated Entities and
Their Foreign Parents
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking
by cross-reference to temporary
regulation and notice of public hearing.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In the Rules and Regulations
section of this issue of the Federal
Register, the IRS is issuing temporary
regulations relating to the determination
of whether a foreign entity shall be
treated as a surrogate foreign
corporation under section 7874(a)(2)(B)
of the Code. The text of those
regulations also serves as the text of
these proposed regulations. This
document also provides notice of a
public hearing on these proposed
regulations.
Written or electronic comments
must be received by September 5, 2006.
Outlines of topics to be discussed at the
public hearing scheduled for October
24, 2006, at 10 a.m., must be received
by October 3, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Send submissions to:
CC:PA:LPD:PR (REG–112994–06), room
5203, Internal Revenue Service, PO Box
7604, Ben Franklin Station, Washington,
DC 20044. Submissions may be handdelivered Monday through Friday
between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
to: CC:PA:LPD:PR (REG–112994–06),
Courier’s Desk, Internal Revenue
Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC, or sent
electronically, via the IRS Internet site
at: https://www.irs.gov/regs or via the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov (IRS–REG–
112994–06). The public hearing will be
held in the auditorium, Internal
Revenue Building, 1111 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Concerning the proposed regulations,
Milton Cahn at (202) 622–3860;
concerning submission and delivery of
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
32495
comments and the public hearing,
Treena Garrett, (202) 622–7180 (not tollfree numbers).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background and Explanation of
Provisions
Temporary regulations in the Rules
and Regulations section of this issue of
the Federal Register amend the Income
Tax Regulations (26 CFR part 1) relating
to section 7874. The temporary
regulations set forth rules relating to the
determination of whether a foreign
entity shall be treated as a surrogate
foreign corporation under section
7874(a)(2)(B) of the Code. The text of
those regulations also serves as the text
of these proposed regulations. The
preamble to the temporary regulations
explains the amendments.
Special Analyses
It has been determined that this notice
of proposed rulemaking is not a
significant regulatory action as defined
in Executive Order 12866. Therefore, a
regulatory assessment is not required.
Pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility
Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6), it is hereby
certified that this regulation will not
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities.
Accordingly, a regulatory flexibility
analysis is not required. The nature of
the businesses that are most likely to
consider corporate expatriation
transactions, as well as the complexity
and the costs of structuring and
implementing those transactions, makes
it unlikely that a substantial number of
small entities will engage in such
transactions. In addition, any economic
impact to entities affected by section
7874, large or small, is derived from the
operation of the statute or its intended
application, not the proposed
regulations in this notice of proposed
rulemaking. Pursuant to section 7805(f)
of the Code, this notice of proposed
rulemaking will be submitted to the
Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small
Business Administration for comment
on its impact on small business.
Comments and Public Hearing
Before these proposed regulations are
adopted as final regulations,
consideration will be given to any
written comments (a signed original and
eight (8) copies) or electronic comments
that are submitted timely to the IRS. The
IRS and Treasury Department
specifically request comments on the
clarity of the proposed regulations and
how they can be made easier to
understand. All comments will be
available for public inspection and
copying.
E:\FR\FM\06JNP1.SGM
06JNP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 6, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 32494-32495]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8697]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
20 CFR Parts 401 and 402
RIN 0960-AG14
Privacy and Disclosure of Official Records and Information
AGENCY: Social Security Administration.
ACTION: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We propose to amend our privacy and disclosure rules to help
preserve the anonymity of, and help protect the physical well-being of,
SSA employees who reasonably believe that they are at risk of injury or
other harm if certain employment information about them is disclosed.
These changes in the regulations would ensure uniform application of
the policy for at-risk employees.
DATES: To be sure that your comments are considered, we must receive
them no later than August 7, 2006.
ADDRESSES: You may give us your comments by: using our Internet
facility (i.e., Social Security Online) at https://policy.ssa.gov/erm/
rules.nsf/Rules+Open+To+Comment or the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
https://www.regulations.gov; e-mail to regulations@ssa.gov; by telefax
to (410) 966-2830, or letter to the Commissioner of Social Security,
P.O. Box 17703, Baltimore, MD 21235-7703. You may also deliver them to
the Office of Regulations, Social Security Administration, 100 Altmeyer
Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD. 21235-6401, between 8
a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on regular business days. Comments are posted on our
Internet site, or you may inspect them on regular business days by
making arrangements with the contact person shown in this preamble.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edie McCracken, Social Insurance
Specialist, Office of Public Disclosure, 3-A-6 Operations Building,
6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401, (410) 965-6117 or
TTY (410) 965-5609. For information on eligibility or filing for
benefits, call our national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-
800-325-0778, or visit our Internet Website, Social Security Online, at
https://www.socialsecurity.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Version
The electronic file of this document is available on the date of
publication in the Federal Register at https://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/
index.html.
Background
Former Commissioner Kenneth S. Apfel approved a recommendation of
the National Health and Safety Partnership Committee for Security
(NHSPCS) to implement a nationwide program to enhance the safety and
security of SSA employees who are victims, or potential victims, of
domestic violence. The NHSPCS' proposed program was developed, during
the era of ``partnership'', by a joint union/management workgroup. It
was intended to safeguard the anonymity of at-risk employees when
requests for their work location and/or phone number were received, by
delaying the disclosure of the information when certain conditions were
met. This would have entailed a change in SSA policy that now permits
such information requests to be honored. No action was ever taken on
the recommendation when the ``partnership'' was dissolved by Executive
Order 13203 on February 17, 2001. We are now proposing a modified
approach to strengthening our privacy and disclosure rules to better
safeguard at-risk employees.
Explanation of Changes
We propose to amend subsection (b)(3)(c)(4) of Appendix A to Part
401 and add a new subsection (e) to Sec. 402.45 to permit SSA to
exercise its discretion, consistent with the Freedom of Information Act
and the rules of the Office of Personnel Management (5 CFR part 293),
to withhold the work location and telephone number of employees who
reasonably believe that they are at risk of injury or other harm by the
disclosure of such information. These proposed changes would clarify
our procedures for access to, and disclosure of, personally
identifiable information regarding employees and enhance our ability to
maintain adequate safeguards against disclosures in situations in which
an employee may be at risk or fear for his/her physical safety.
We propose to amend Part 401, Appendix A, (b)(3)(c)(4) by removing
the first sentence, ``Location of duty station, including room number
and telephone number.'' We also propose to revise Sec. 402.45 by
adding a new subsection (e). New subsection Sec. 402.45(e) will fully
describe the rules governing the release of personally identifiable
information as it pertains to employees' telephone numbers and duty
stations (including room numbers, bay designations, or other
identifying information regarding buildings or places of employment).
Clarity of These Proposed Rules
Executive Order 12866, as amended by Executive Order 13258,
requires each agency to write all rules in plain language. In addition
to your substantive comments on these proposed rules, we invite your
comments on how to make these proposed rules easier to understand. For
example:
Have we organized the material to suit your needs?
Are the requirements in the rules clearly stated?
Do the rules contain technical language or jargon that is
not clear?
Would a different format (grouping and order of sections,
use of headings, paragraphing) make the rules easier to understand?
Would more (but shorter) sections be better?
Could we improve clarity by adding tables, lists, or
diagrams?
What else could we do to make the rules easier to
understand?
Regulatory Procedures
Executive Order 12866
We have consulted with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
and determined that these proposed rules would meet the criteria for a
significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866, as amended
by Executive Order 13258. Thus, they were subject to OMB review.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
We certify that these proposed rules would not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because they
affect only individuals or entities acting on their behalf. Thus, a
regulatory flexibility analysis as provided in the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, as amended, is not required.
Paperwork Reduction Act
These proposed rules impose no reporting or record keeping
requirements subject to OMB clearance.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 96.001, Social
Security-Disability Insurance; 96.002, Social Security-Retirement
Insurance; 96.004, Social
[[Page 32495]]
Security-Survivors Insurance; 96.006, Supplemental Security Income).
List of Subjects in 20 CFR Parts 401 and 402
Administrative practice and procedure, Freedom of information,
Privacy.
Dated: February 27, 2006.
Jo Anne B. Barnhart,
Commissioner of Social Security.
For the reasons set out in the preamble, we propose to amend
subpart C of part 401 and part 402 of chapter III of title 20 of the
Code of Federal Regulations as set forth below:
PART 401--PRIVACY AND DISCLOSURE OF OFFICIAL RECORDS AND
INFORMATION
1. The authority citation for part 401 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: Secs. 205, 702(a)(5), 1106, and 1141 of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405, 902(a)(5), 1306, and 1320b-11); 5
U.S.C. 552 and 552a; 8 U.S.C. 1360; 26 U.S.C. 6103; 30 U.S.C. 923.
Appendix A to Part 401--[Amended]
2. Appendix A, paragraph (b)(3)(c)(4) is amended by removing the
first sentence.
PART 402--AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION AND RECORDS TO THE PUBLIC
1. The authority citation for part 402 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: Secs. 205, 702(a)(5), and 1106 of the Social Security
Act; (42 U.S.C. 405, 902(a)(5), and 1306); 5 U.S.C. 552 and 552a; 8
U.S.C. 1360; 18 U.S.C. 1905; 26 U.S.C. 6103; 30 U.S.C. 923b; 31
U.S.C. 9701; E.O. 12600, 52 FR 23781, 3 CFR, 1987 Comp., p. 235.
2. Section 402.45 is amended by adding paragraph (e) to read as
follows:
Sec. 402.45 Availability of records.
* * * * *
(e) Federal employees. The agency will generally not disclose
information when the data sought is a list of telephone numbers and/or
duty stations of one or more Federal employees which, as determined by
the official responsible for custody of the information:
(1) Is selected in such a way that would reveal more about the
employee on whom information is sought than the aforementioned items,
the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion
of personal privacy; or
(2) Would otherwise be protected from mandatory disclosure under an
exemption of the FOIA.
[FR Doc. E6-8697 Filed 6-5-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P