Privacy Act of 1974; New System of Records, 53759-53764 [2015-22085]

Download as PDF 53759 Notices Federal Register Vol. 80, No. 173 Tuesday, September 8, 2015 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Agricultural Marketing Service [Document Number AMS–NOP–15–0037; NOP–15–11] Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. AGENCY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, (5 U.S.C. App.), the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Department of Agriculture, is announcing a meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to assist the Department in the development of standards for substances to be used in organic production and to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on any other aspects of the implementation of Organic Foods Production Act. DATES: The Board will hold two webinars at which it will receive public comment: October 13 and October 20, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A face-to-face meeting will be held October 26–29, 2015, from approximately 9:00 a.m. to approximately 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Deadline to sign up for oral comment: midnight Eastern Time, 30 days after publication of this notice. Deadline to submit written comments: midnight Eastern Time, 30 days after publication of this notice. ADDRESSES: The October 13 and 20 meetings will take place via webinar (access information will be available prior to the webinars). The October 26– 29, 2015 meeting will take place at the Stoweflake Conference Center, 1746 Mountain Road Stowe, VT 05672, (802) 253–7355, www.stoweflake.com. Detailed information pertaining to the meetings, including instructions about providing written and oral comments asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:18 Sep 04, 2015 Jkt 235001 can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/ NOSBMeetings FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Michelle Arsenault, Advisory Committee Specialist, National Organic Standards Board, USDA–AMS–NOP, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Room 2642-So., Mail Stop 0268, Washington, DC 20250–0268; Phone: (202) 720–3252; Email: nosb@ams.usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NOSB makes recommendations to the Department of Agriculture about whether substances should be allowed or prohibited in organic production and/or handling, assists in the development of standards for organic production, and advises the Secretary on other aspects of the implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act (7 U.S.C. 6501–6522). The public meeting allows the NOSB to discuss and vote on proposed recommendations to the USDA, receive updates from the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) on issues pertaining to organic agriculture, and receive comments from the organic community. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting agenda, NOSB proposals and discussion documents, instructions for submitting and viewing public comments, and instructions for requesting time for oral comments will be available on the NOP Web site at www.ams.usda.gov/NOSBMeetings. Meeting topics will encompass a wide range of issues, including: substances petitioned for addition to or deletion from the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List), substances on the National List that require NOSB review before their 2017 sunset dates, and guidance on organic policies. At this meeting, the NOSB will complete its review of substances that have a sunset date in 2017, fulfilling the NOSB’s responsibilities described in the Organic Foods Production Act’s sunset provision (section 2118(e)). Public Comments: Written comments: Written public comments will be accepted on or before midnight Eastern Time, 30 days after publication of this notice via www.regulations.gov. Comments submitted after this date will be provided to the NOSB, but Board members may not have adequate time to consider those comments prior to making a recommendation. The NOP strongly prefers comments to be submitted electronically; however, PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 written comments may also be submitted (i.e. postmarked) by the deadline, via mail to Ms. Michelle Arsenault listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Oral Comments: The NOSB is providing the public multiple dates and opportunities to provide oral comments and will accommodate as many individuals and organizations as time permits. Persons or organizations wishing to make oral comments must pre-register by midnight Eastern Time, 30 days after publication of this notice, and can only register for one speaking slot: either during one of the two webinars, October 13 or 20, 2015, or at the face-to-face meeting October 26–29, 2015. Instructions for registering and participating in the webinar can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/NOSBMeetings or by contacting Michelle Arsenault listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Meeting Accommodations: The meeting hotel is ADA Compliant, and the USDA provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this public meeting, please notify Michelle Arsenault listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Determinations for reasonable accommodation will be made on a caseby-case basis. Dated: August 28, 2015. Rex A. Barnes, Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service. [FR Doc. 2015–21736 Filed 9–4–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–02–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Office of the Secretary [Docket No. FSIS–2011–0030] Privacy Act of 1974; New System of Records Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of proposed new system of records; request for comment. AGENCY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposes to establish a new system of SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1 asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 53760 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 173 / Tuesday, September 8, 2015 / Notices records titled USDA/FSIS–03 Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) II. The mission of FSIS is to protect public health by ensuring that meat, poultry, and processed egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. Thus, the Agency must detect food safety vulnerabilities as early and as specifically as possible so that the potential for harm can be promptly prevented, reduced, or eliminated. The CCMS II helps FSIS to effectively identify potentially unsafe meat, poultry, or processed egg products regulated by FSIS by recording, sorting, analyzing, and tracking consumer complaints regarding products’ potential adverse effects, and by tracking any subsequent analyses and investigations of those complaints. DATES: Effective Date: October 8, 2015. If no comments are received, the proposal will become effective on above date. If comments are received, they will be considered and, where adopted, the document will be republished with changes. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number FSIS– 2011–0030, by one of the following methods. • Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. • Mail: Director, Applied Epidemiology Division, Office of Public Health Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. Fax: (202) 720–8213. Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this rulemaking. All comments received will be posted without change to https:// www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. • Docket: For access to the docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general questions, please contact Dr. Karen Becker, Director, Applied Epidemiology Staff, Office of Public Health Systems, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20024; telephone (202) 690–6045. For privacy questions, please contact Ravoyne Payton, Acting Chief Privacy Officer, Policy, E-Government and Fair Information Practices, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250; telephone (202) 720–8755. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:18 Sep 04, 2015 Jkt 235001 U.S.C. 552a), requires agencies to publish in the Federal Register a notice of new or revised systems of records maintained by the agency. A system of records contains information that is retrieved by an individual’s name or other unique identifier. FSIS is proposing to establish a new Privacy Act system of records, entitled USDA/ FSIS–03, FSIS Consumer Complaint Monitoring System II (CCMS II), a relational database that collects information, retrieved by name or a unique identifying number assigned to an individual, to assist FSIS with traceback or trace-forward investigations and characterization of foodborne hazards. The primary goal of the CCMS II electronic database is to support and augment FSIS analysts in their ability to identify consumer health risks associated with regulated products. The CCMS II will assist FSIS to accomplish its safety mission by quickly and effectively identifying potentially unsafe meat, poultry, or processed egg products. More specifically, CCMS II helps FSIS to analyze, evaluate, and identify foodborne hazards in its regulated products; to assess the risk to human health; and to determine the appropriate response to known, emerging, or potential threats to the food supply or to the agriculture sector. Paper records printed from the electronic database are stored only in limited quantities and on rare occasions and are retrieved when needed as working copies. Such paper records are shredded upon termination of the need for a working copy. Information gathered and entered into CCMS II supports investigations that can involve trace back to sources of foodborne illness outbreaks and tracing hazardous product forward to identify distribution and disposition. Among other activities, CCMS II data and investigations may support complaint-related verification of hazard analysis and critical control points in producing establishments, analysis of school lunch product manufacturing specifications associated with an outbreak involving a National School Lunch Program product, and recall coordination for products identified as being adulterated or unwholesome. If a complaint involves an incident that is determined to be non-routine, alerts will be provided to management. A complaint that is put into CCMS II can be initiated in any of the following ways: (1) Calls from consumers or their representatives, or from representatives of State or local health departments and Federal agencies, including USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), (2) electronic hand-off from the USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline system, and (3) web forms submitted by consumers. Trained analysts review the complaint information. Once reviewed, the case is entered into the system directly or indirectly via a transfer from the Meat and Poultry Hotline System. Epidemiologists in the FSIS Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) analyze the information in CCMS II to determine necessary further analyses, investigation, or processing. OPHS leads the management and investigation of all cases entered into the system. Technical and scientific support is provided to other program areas, as necessary. Personal information about individuals collected in CCMS II includes first and last name, home or work address, telephone number or email, and details of the complaint, which can include medical symptoms and medical treatment obtained. Specific information about food items eaten also is collected in CCMS II. A unique case number is assigned to each complaint and provided to the individual making the report and can be used in lieu of or in addition to the personal information noted above for retrieving system information. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the Poultry Product Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.), and the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.), FSIS is authorized to inspect and regulate the production of meat, poultry, and egg products and to prevent the sale and movement in commerce of adulterated or misbranded articles in order to fulfill its food safety mission. In addition, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to give high priority to enhancing the ability of FSIS ‘‘. . . to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of meat and poultry products;’’ to strengthen the ability of FSIS ‘‘to collaborate with relevant agencies within the Department of Agriculture and with other entities in the Federal Government, the States, and Indian tribes . . . through the sharing of information and technology;’’ and expanding the capacity of FSIS ‘‘to protect against the threat of bioterrorism’’ (21 U.S.C. 679c (a)(1)(3) and (4)). In summary, all of these authorities allow FSIS to perform the functions of this system: To gather and maintain information related to foodborne hazards that will support investigations aimed to trace back foodborne illness outbreaks to its sources and to identify potentially unsafe meat, poultry, or processed egg products from entering commerce; to collaborate with federal, E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 173 / Tuesday, September 8, 2015 / Notices asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES State, local, and tribal public health partners in identifying potentially unsafe meat or poultry products; and to assess probable threats or risks to the food supply and devise an adequate response, to ultimately achieve its food safety mission. Background CCMS II system programs and use of resources comply with procedures for avoiding waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement; for obtaining, reporting, and using reliable and timely information for decision-making; and for appropriately identifying and managing program risks. To enable management and audit oversight, CCMS II includes management controls and performance measures for supported activities to ensure that decision-making is accurate, timely, complete, and effective. There are no Privacy Act exemptions being made for this application. Consistent with USDA’s public health mission, information stored in CCMS II may be shared with other USDA components, as well as with appropriate Federal, State, local, tribal, foreign, or international government agencies. This sharing will take place only after USDA determines that the receiving component or agency has a need to know the information to carry out national security, law enforcement, immigration, intelligence, or other functions consistent with the routine uses set forth in this system of records notice. In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(r), as implemented by Office of Management and Budget Circular A– 130, FSIS has provided a report of this new system of records to: The Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate; the Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate; the Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives; the Ranking Member, Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform, House of Representatives; and the Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Alfred V. Almanza, Acting Administrator. USDA/FSIS–03 SYSTEM OF RECORDS NAME: USDA/FSIS–03, FSIS Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) II. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:18 Sep 04, 2015 Jkt 235001 SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: PURPOSES: Unclassified. SYSTEM LOCATION: Records are maintained at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, and at USDA’s National Information Technology Center facility at 8930 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri 64114. CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM: Federal employees and private citizens involved in an FSIS investigation, including individuals who submit complaints; those who work in the food industry under FSIS’ inspection, such as private citizens who operate or work at establishments; those who work for operations that may be subject to FSIS surveillance or enforcement, such as private citizens employed at retail operations that grind meat or poultry; members of volunteer organizations who prepare or have prepared food; and State, tribal, and local government employees responsible for food safety or public health. CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: This system contains information pertaining to investigations of consumer complaints to aid in identifying and tracking potential public health crises. This information includes personal information, such as first and last names, home or work address, telephone number or email, and details concerning medical symptoms and care and cause of complaint. Each record is associated with an assigned case code to ease retrieval. AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM: • Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.); • Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); and • Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C 1031 et seq.). RESPONSIBLE AGENCY OFFICIAL FOR SYSTEM: Dr. David Goldman, Assistant Administrator, Office of Public Health Science (OPHS), Food Safety and Inspection Service(FSIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, Rm. 341–E JLW Bldg. Telephone (202) 720–2644. Or Dr. Karen Becker, Director Applied Epidemiology Division, Office of Public Health Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. Telephone (202) 690–6045; Fax:(202) 720–8213. PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 53761 The records provided by and about individuals in this system are used by FSIS to sort, evaluate, and investigate possible adverse effects from FSISregulated products. The information also supports trace back to the source of foodborne illness outbreaks and tracing hazardous products forward to identify distribution and disposition. CCMS II data and associated processes help FSIS to analyze, evaluate, and identify foodborne hazards in products regulated by the Agency; to assess the risk to human health; and to determine the appropriate response to known, emerging, or potential threats to the food supply or to the agriculture sector. ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES: In addition to those disclosures generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. 552a(b) of the Privacy Act of 1974, all or a portion of the records or information contained in this system may be disclosed outside USDA as a routine use pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3) as follows: 1. To the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) (including United States Attorney Offices) or other Federal agency conducting litigation, or in proceedings before any court, adjudicative or administrative body, when it is necessary for the litigation, and one of the following is a party to the litigation or has an interest in the litigation: a. USDA or any component thereof; b. any employee of USDA in his/her official capacity; c. any employee of USDA in his/her individual capacity where DOJ or USDA has agreed to represent the employee; or d. the United States or any agency thereof, and USDA determines that the records are both relevant and necessary to the litigation and the use of such records is compatible with the purpose for which USDA collected the records. 2. To a congressional office from the record of an individual in response to an inquiry from that congressional office made at the written request of the individual to whom the record pertains. 3. To the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or other Federal government agencies pursuant to records management inspections being conducted under the authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906. 4. To an agency, organization, or individual for the purpose of performing audit or oversight operations as authorized by law, but only such information as is necessary and relevant to such audit or oversight function. This would include, but not be limited to the E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1 asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 53762 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 173 / Tuesday, September 8, 2015 / Notices Comptroller General or any of his authorized representatives in the course of the performance of the duties of the Government Accountability Office, or USDA’s Office of the Inspector General or any authorized representatives of that office. 5. To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when: a. USDA or FSIS suspects or has confirmed that the security or confidentiality of information in the system of records has been compromised; b. USDA has determined that, as a result of the suspected or confirmed compromise, there is a risk of harm to economic or property interests, identity theft or fraud, or harm to the security or integrity of this system or other systems or programs (whether maintained by USDA or another agency or entity), or harm to the individual or individuals that rely upon the compromised information; and c. The disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary to assist in connection with USDA’s efforts to respond to the suspected or confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, or remedy such harm. 6. To contractors and their agents, grantees, experts, consultants, and others performing or working on a contract, service, grant, cooperative agreement, or other assignment for USDA, when necessary to accomplish an agency function related to this system of records. Individuals who provided information under this routine use are subject to the same Privacy Act requirements and limitations on disclosure as are applicable to USDA officers and employees. 7. To an appropriate Federal, State, tribal, local, international, or foreign law enforcement agency or other appropriate authority charged with investigating or prosecuting a violation or enforcing or implementing a law, rule, regulation, or order, where a record, either on its face or in conjunction with other information, indicates a violation or potential violation of law, which includes criminal, civil, or regulatory violations and such disclosure is proper and consistent with the official duties of the person making the disclosure. 8. To an appropriate Federal, State, tribal, local, international, or foreign law enforcement agency or appropriate authority responsible for protecting public health, preventing or monitoring disease or illness outbreaks, or ensuring the safety of the food supply. This includes the Department of Health and Human Services and its agencies, including the Centers for Disease VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:18 Sep 04, 2015 Jkt 235001 Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, other Federal agencies, and State, tribal, and local health departments. Certain complaintrelated information may be shared with the producing establishment for purposes of investigating the complaints. Except as stated, disclosure is made pursuant to requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES: None POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: STORAGE: Records in this system are stored electronically in a dedicated virtual server or on paper in secure facilities in a locked drawer behind a locked door within USDA facilities. Electronically stored records, including backup records maintained on their own dedicated virtual server in a separate location, are stored on magnetic disc, tape, digital media, and CD–ROM. (Paper records are printed from electronic storage only in limited quantities and on rare occasions when needed as working copies. Such paper records are kept in secure facilities in a locked drawer behind a locked door within USDA facilities, and immediately are shredded upon termination of the need for a working copy.) Security guards safeguard the buildings where the electronic and the working copies of records reside. RETRIEVABILITY: Retrieval is generally performed using the case code (a sequentially assigned, system-generated code created at the time of initial contact) or other database fields, such as establishment number or type of complaint. A name can also be used to retrieve individual records; however, using the case code or other database fields reduces the need for retrieval by information that could identify an individual. SAFEGUARDS: Records in this system are safeguarded in accordance with applicable rules and policies, including all applicable USDA automated systems security and access policies. This includes protection behind firewalls, network protection against intrusion, and vulnerability scanning and protection. Only users with a business need are allowed access through the use of an encrypted password. Role-based access controls are used to restrict access to CCMS II, which is accessible PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 via the FSIS Intranet. Furthermore, multiple levels of access exist, based on the user’s system role and job function. Each time users sign in to the application, the login credentials are checked against authorized system user role memberships to ensure the user’s access privileges are restricted to assigned level-of-access roles. User activity is also monitored, logged, and audited. Additionally, all users are required to undergo USDA-approved computer security awareness training prior to access and must complete computer security training yearly in order to retain access. An access agreement describes prohibited activities, such as browsing. RETENTION AND DISPOSAL: Records will be destroyed or maintained in accordance with the USDA’s published records disposition schedules, as approved by NARA. A backup of the Master File is created at the end of the calendar year, and backup records are maintained in accordance with General Records Schedule Authority N1–462–07–01, Item 2. System inputs are maintained in accordance with General Records Schedule Authority GRS 20, Item 2(a)(4), while system outputs (reports) are maintained in accordance with General Records Schedule Authority GRS 20, Item 16. SYSTEM MANAGER AND ADDRESS: Dr. Karen Becker, Director, Applied Epidemiology Staff, Office of Public Health Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 355 E Street SW. PPIII, 9th Floor Office 9–232, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone (202) 690–6045. NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE: An individual may request information regarding this system of records, or information as to whether this system contains records pertaining to such individual from the System Manager listed above. Individuals seeking notification of and access to any record contained in this system of records, or seeking to contest its content, may submit a request in writing to the Headquarters or FSIS Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer, whose contact information can be found at https://www.da.usda.gov/foia.htm under ‘‘Contacts.’’ If an individual believes more than one component maintains Privacy Act records concerning him or her, the individual may submit the request to the Chief FOIA Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 173 / Tuesday, September 8, 2015 / Notices When seeking records about yourself from this system of records or any other USDA system of records, your request must conform with the Privacy Act regulations set forth in 7 CFR part 1. You must first verify your identity, meaning that you must provide your full name, current address, and date and place of birth. You must sign your request, and your signature must either be notarized or submitted under 28 U.S.C. 1746, a law that permits statements to be made under penalty of perjury as a substitute for notarization. While no specific form is required, you may obtain forms for this purpose from the Chief FOIA Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250. In addition, you should provide the following: • An explanation of why you believe USDA would have information on you, • Which components of USDA you believe may have the information about you, • When you believe the records would have been created, • Any other information that will help the FOIA staff determine which USDA component agency may have responsive records, • If your request is seeking records pertaining to another living individual, you must include a statement from that individual certifying his/her agreement for you to access his/her records. Without this bulleted information, the component(s) may not be able to conduct an effective search, and your request may be denied due to lack of specificity. RECORDS ACCESS PROCEDURES: See ‘‘Notification Procedure’’ above. CONTESTING RECORDS PROCEDURES: See ‘‘Notification Procedure’’ above. asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: Information generally is obtained directly from the individual who is the subject of the records, or from someone acting on their behalf, such as Federal, State and Local health agencies, relatives, or a friend of the consumer. EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM: None VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:18 Sep 04, 2015 Jkt 235001 United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) II FSIS–2011–0030 New System of Records—Narrative Statement The mission of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is to protect public health by ensuring that meat, poultry, and processed egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. Natural events, accidents, or intentional acts can put the safety of food and the food supply chain at risk, and by doing so, put the health and welfare of consumers at risk. FSIS developed the Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS II) to help Agency personnel quickly and effectively identify potentially unsafe meat, poultry, or processed egg products. CCMS II is an electronic database accessed from FSIS’ Intranet and is used to record, sort, evaluate, and track complaints about possible adverse effects from meat, poultry, or processed egg products regulated by FSIS. CCMS II is also used to track subsequent analysis and investigations of these complaints. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.), the Poultry Product Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.), and the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031, et seq.), Congress has provided for the inspection and regulated processing and distribution of meat and meat products, poultry, and egg products to prevent the sale and movement in commerce of articles that are adulterated or misbranded. Specifically, 21 U.S.C. 451, 602, and 1031 note that the health and welfare of consumers are to be protected by assuring that meat and meat food products are wholesome and that regulation by the Secretary of Agriculture and cooperation by the States and other jurisdictions are appropriate to protect the health and welfare of consumers. Further, under 21 U.S.C. 679c(a)(1) and (3), the Secretary is authorized to give high priority to enhancing the ability of FSIS ‘‘. . . to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of meat and poultry products’’ and to ‘‘strengthen the ability of [FSIS] to collaborate with relevant agencies within the Department of Agriculture and with other entities in the Federal Government, the States, and Indian tribes . . . through the sharing of information and technology.’’ CCMS II helps to identify products in commerce that are potentially adulterated and enables FSIS to determine whether reported products are safe and wholesome. In addition, the system allows the Agency to collaborate with federal, State, local, and tribal public health partners in identifying potentially unsafe meat or poultry products—and helps the Agency to protect the consuming public from further harm. A complaint can be initiated by calls from consumers or their representatives, by representatives of State or local health departments and Federal agencies, including USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 53763 Food and Nutrition Service, or via electronic hand-off from USDA’s Meat and Poultry Hotline system and through web forms submitted by consumers. The information from these complaints, collected in CCMS II, is analyzed, evaluated, and classified as needing further action by trained analysts in FSIS’ Office of Public Health Science (OPHS). These and other analysts identify the organization that will perform any subsequent action, provide ongoing updates, coordinate communication with other USDA agencies as needed, and alert management in the event of a non-routine incident. OPHS will also determine and coordinate any needed laboratory analysis and provide technical and scientific support to other program areas. Until the complaint is resolved, any action taken is updated in CCMS II. CCMS II data can include certain information about individuals, such as first and last names, home or work address, telephone number or email, food product consumed, medical symptoms experienced, and medical care received. Some of this information can be and is used to retrieve records, such as first and last name, but by design and in general practice, a systemgenerated case code is used for retrieval. The case code is sequentially assigned at the time of the initial contact, and is provided to the submitter of the complaint. Other database fields, such as establishment number or type of complaint, can also be used for retrieval. The data within CCMS II is specifically used for the reasons the information was obtained: to help determine the safety of specific food products consumed by individuals who reported problems with the food items. Information from CCMS II may be shared in a controlled manner within FSIS and, as needed, with other public health partners, to determine whether there is a potential problem with the product, to help identify the origin of the product, to trace forward the product’s distribution or disposition, to follow-up with the individual who reported the problem, to ascertain whether others experienced similar problems with the same product, or for other reasons that derive directly from the reason the information was originally collected. There are other routine uses of CCMS II data permitted under U.S.C. 552a(b)(3), as contained in the Federal Register Notice and summarized here: To the Department of Justice for litigation purposes; to National Archives and Records Administration for records management; to a Congressional Office in response to an inquiry from the relevant constituent; to an appropriate authority for audit purposes; to an appropriate authority in response to a threat to information security or confidentiality; to an appropriate law enforcement authority in response to investigations, prosecutions, or enforcement actions; to contractors and agents performing a function on behalf of the agency relating to the collection of information to support surveillance, investigations, and facilitation of rapid detection and response to food borne hazards; to appropriate authorities responsible for public health/monitoring illness outbreaks/ensuring safety of the food supply because the data supports public E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1 53764 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 173 / Tuesday, September 8, 2015 / Notices asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES health officials in their ability to identify public health hazards and mitigate their impact through communication and information sharing among public health partners; and to producing establishments in connection with the Agency’s investigation of complaint-related information. CCMS II data and investigations also support other activities, including complaintrelated verification of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points in producing establishments, analysis of school lunch product manufacturing specifications, and recall coordination for product(s) identified as adulterated or unwholesome. Safeguards/Security Provided for This System FSIS has taken significant actions to safeguard the identifiable information about an individual in CCMS II and to control access to the system itself. Access to CCMS II is restricted to trained, authorized FSIS employees and to a limited number of users representing FSIS’ public health partners in the Department of Health and Human Services. Authorized users are assigned levelof-access roles based on their job functions. The level of access for the user restricts the data that may be seen and the degree to which data may be modified by the user. Firewalls and other security controls further prevent unauthorized access. As a result, the potential effect of CCMS II on an individual’s privacy is minimal. In addition to those disclosures generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. 552a(b) of the Privacy Act, records maintained in the system may be disclosed outside USDA for eight routine uses. These routine uses may be described as functional and housekeeping uses. The records are protected by the confidentiality requirements of USDA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer Cyber Security Manuals and the provisions of the Privacy Act. Only authorized USDA employees and contractors will have access to the records in this system, and this access will be on a need-to-know basis. Role-based access controls are used to restrict access to CCMS II, which is accessible via the FSIS Intranet. The system has been categorized as a Moderate impact system as identified in Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 199. The security controls implemented within the system will correspond with those published in the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800–53, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Technology Systems (Revision1) for a Moderate impact system. Users are granted system access only upon successful completion of security training and must successfully complete security training each year to retain access. Each user is supplied with a unique and strong user-id and password. The user roles are restrictive and based on the principle of least privilege allowing for adequate performance of job functions and access to information based on a need to know. Where appropriate, the system also will adhere to the security controls identified in VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:18 Sep 04, 2015 Jkt 235001 the Federal Information Security Control Audit Manual (FISCAM). The mandatory requirements of FIPS 199 and FIPS 200 support the Federal Information Security Management Act and FISCAM supports the mandated Office of Management and Budget Circular A–123, Management of Internal Controls. Moreover, system managers and users observe and adhere to specific USDA security requirements as set forth in the USDA Cyber Security Manuals, including but not limited to USDA Departmental Manual (DM) 3545– 000, Personnel Security, and DM 3510–001, Physical Security Standards for Information Technology Restricted Space. [FR Doc. 2015–22085 Filed 9–4–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Office of the Chief Economist; Public Comment Period for Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System Assessment Report Office of the Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture. ACTION: Request for Public Comment on Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System Assessment Report. AGENCY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has led the development of an interagency assessment report entitled ‘‘Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System.’’ The report has been developed to support the National Climate Assessment of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, and is called for under the President’s Climate Action Plan. USDA is requesting input from the public. This request is being published in the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period. Public comments will be considered during the preparation of the final report. The final report will be published on USDA’s Web site when it becomes available. Comments from the public will be accepted electronically via https:// www.globalchange.gov/notices. Comments may be submitted only online and via this address; instructions for doing this are on the Web site. DATES: Comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on October 8, 2015 will be considered. ADDRESSES: Comments from the public will be accepted electronically via https://www.globalchange.gov/notices. Comments may be submitted only online and via this address; instructions for doing this are on the Web site. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Hohenstein, Director, USDA Climate Change Program Office, telephone: 202–720–9978, Email: whohenst@oce.usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The public comment draft can be found online at www.globalchange.gov/ notices. Only comments received through the online comment system (www.globalchange.gov/notices) will be considered. All comments received will be considered by the report’s authors and will become part of the public record once the final report is issued. However, until the report is finalized and released to the public, commenters’ identities will not be shared with the authors. When the report is released in final form to the public, the comments, in association with the commenter’s name, will be made available upon request. No additional information a commenter submits as part of the registration process (such as an email address) will be disclosed publicly. The Department of Agriculture will publish a notice informing the public of the final report when it is issued. Robert Johansson, Chief Economist. [FR Doc. 2015–22668 Filed 9–4–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–38–P SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Rogue and Umpqua Resource Advisory Committee Forest Service, USDA. Notice of meeting. AGENCY: ACTION: The Rogue and Umpqua Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Roseburg, Oregon. The committee is authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (the Act) and operates in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the committee is to improve collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with Title II of the Act. Additional RAC information, including the meeting agenda and the meeting summary/minutes can be found at the following Web site: https:// tinyurl.com/qjkrxps. DATES: The meeting will be held October 14–15, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m. All RAC meetings are subject to cancellation. For status of meeting prior to attendance, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\08SEN1.SGM 08SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 173 (Tuesday, September 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53759-53764]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22085]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. FSIS-2011-0030]


Privacy Act of 1974; New System of Records

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of proposed new system of records; request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposes to establish a new 
system of

[[Page 53760]]

records titled USDA/FSIS-03 Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) 
Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) II.
    The mission of FSIS is to protect public health by ensuring that 
meat, poultry, and processed egg products are safe, wholesome, and 
accurately labeled. Thus, the Agency must detect food safety 
vulnerabilities as early and as specifically as possible so that the 
potential for harm can be promptly prevented, reduced, or eliminated. 
The CCMS II helps FSIS to effectively identify potentially unsafe meat, 
poultry, or processed egg products regulated by FSIS by recording, 
sorting, analyzing, and tracking consumer complaints regarding 
products' potential adverse effects, and by tracking any subsequent 
analyses and investigations of those complaints.

DATES: Effective Date: October 8, 2015. If no comments are received, 
the proposal will become effective on above date. If comments are 
received, they will be considered and, where adopted, the document will 
be republished with changes.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number FSIS-
2011-0030, by one of the following methods.
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Director, Applied Epidemiology Division, Office of 
Public Health Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250.
    Fax: (202) 720-8213.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number for this rulemaking. All comments received will be 
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided.
     Docket: For access to the docket, go to https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general questions, please contact 
Dr. Karen Becker, Director, Applied Epidemiology Staff, Office of 
Public Health Systems, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Department 
of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20024; telephone (202) 690-6045. For 
privacy questions, please contact Ravoyne Payton, Acting Chief Privacy 
Officer, Policy, E-Government and Fair Information Practices, Office of 
the Chief Information Officer, Department of Agriculture, Washington, 
DC 20250; telephone (202) 720-8755.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 
U.S.C. 552a), requires agencies to publish in the Federal Register a 
notice of new or revised systems of records maintained by the agency. A 
system of records contains information that is retrieved by an 
individual's name or other unique identifier. FSIS is proposing to 
establish a new Privacy Act system of records, entitled USDA/FSIS-03, 
FSIS Consumer Complaint Monitoring System II (CCMS II), a relational 
database that collects information, retrieved by name or a unique 
identifying number assigned to an individual, to assist FSIS with 
trace-back or trace-forward investigations and characterization of 
foodborne hazards. The primary goal of the CCMS II electronic database 
is to support and augment FSIS analysts in their ability to identify 
consumer health risks associated with regulated products. The CCMS II 
will assist FSIS to accomplish its safety mission by quickly and 
effectively identifying potentially unsafe meat, poultry, or processed 
egg products. More specifically, CCMS II helps FSIS to analyze, 
evaluate, and identify foodborne hazards in its regulated products; to 
assess the risk to human health; and to determine the appropriate 
response to known, emerging, or potential threats to the food supply or 
to the agriculture sector. Paper records printed from the electronic 
database are stored only in limited quantities and on rare occasions 
and are retrieved when needed as working copies. Such paper records are 
shredded upon termination of the need for a working copy. Information 
gathered and entered into CCMS II supports investigations that can 
involve trace back to sources of foodborne illness outbreaks and 
tracing hazardous product forward to identify distribution and 
disposition. Among other activities, CCMS II data and investigations 
may support complaint-related verification of hazard analysis and 
critical control points in producing establishments, analysis of school 
lunch product manufacturing specifications associated with an outbreak 
involving a National School Lunch Program product, and recall 
coordination for products identified as being adulterated or 
unwholesome. If a complaint involves an incident that is determined to 
be non-routine, alerts will be provided to management.
    A complaint that is put into CCMS II can be initiated in any of the 
following ways: (1) Calls from consumers or their representatives, or 
from representatives of State or local health departments and Federal 
agencies, including USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and 
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), (2) electronic hand-off from the 
USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline system, and (3) web forms submitted by 
consumers. Trained analysts review the complaint information. Once 
reviewed, the case is entered into the system directly or indirectly 
via a transfer from the Meat and Poultry Hotline System.
    Epidemiologists in the FSIS Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) 
analyze the information in CCMS II to determine necessary further 
analyses, investigation, or processing. OPHS leads the management and 
investigation of all cases entered into the system. Technical and 
scientific support is provided to other program areas, as necessary.
    Personal information about individuals collected in CCMS II 
includes first and last name, home or work address, telephone number or 
email, and details of the complaint, which can include medical symptoms 
and medical treatment obtained. Specific information about food items 
eaten also is collected in CCMS II. A unique case number is assigned to 
each complaint and provided to the individual making the report and can 
be used in lieu of or in addition to the personal information noted 
above for retrieving system information.
    Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the 
Poultry Product Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.), and the Egg 
Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.), FSIS is authorized to 
inspect and regulate the production of meat, poultry, and egg products 
and to prevent the sale and movement in commerce of adulterated or 
misbranded articles in order to fulfill its food safety mission. In 
addition, the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to give high 
priority to enhancing the ability of FSIS ``. . . to ensure the safety 
and wholesomeness of meat and poultry products;'' to strengthen the 
ability of FSIS ``to collaborate with relevant agencies within the 
Department of Agriculture and with other entities in the Federal 
Government, the States, and Indian tribes . . . through the sharing of 
information and technology;'' and expanding the capacity of FSIS ``to 
protect against the threat of bioterrorism'' (21 U.S.C. 679c (a)(1)(3) 
and (4)).
    In summary, all of these authorities allow FSIS to perform the 
functions of this system: To gather and maintain information related to 
foodborne hazards that will support investigations aimed to trace back 
foodborne illness outbreaks to its sources and to identify potentially 
unsafe meat, poultry, or processed egg products from entering commerce; 
to collaborate with federal,

[[Page 53761]]

State, local, and tribal public health partners in identifying 
potentially unsafe meat or poultry products; and to assess probable 
threats or risks to the food supply and devise an adequate response, to 
ultimately achieve its food safety mission.

Background

    CCMS II system programs and use of resources comply with procedures 
for avoiding waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement; for obtaining, 
reporting, and using reliable and timely information for decision-
making; and for appropriately identifying and managing program risks. 
To enable management and audit oversight, CCMS II includes management 
controls and performance measures for supported activities to ensure 
that decision-making is accurate, timely, complete, and effective.
    There are no Privacy Act exemptions being made for this 
application. Consistent with USDA's public health mission, information 
stored in CCMS II may be shared with other USDA components, as well as 
with appropriate Federal, State, local, tribal, foreign, or 
international government agencies. This sharing will take place only 
after USDA determines that the receiving component or agency has a need 
to know the information to carry out national security, law 
enforcement, immigration, intelligence, or other functions consistent 
with the routine uses set forth in this system of records notice.
    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(r), as implemented by Office of 
Management and Budget Circular A-130, FSIS has provided a report of 
this new system of records to: The Chairman, Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate; the Ranking 
Member, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United 
States Senate; the Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform, House of Representatives; the Ranking Member, Committee on 
Oversight and Governmental Reform, House of Representatives; and the 
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget.

Alfred V. Almanza,
Acting Administrator.
USDA/FSIS-03

System of records name:
    USDA/FSIS-03, FSIS Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) II.

Security classification:
    Unclassified.

System location:
    Records are maintained at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, and at USDA's National 
Information Technology Center facility at 8930 Ward Parkway, Kansas 
City, Missouri 64114.

Categories of individuals covered by the system:
    Federal employees and private citizens involved in an FSIS 
investigation, including individuals who submit complaints; those who 
work in the food industry under FSIS' inspection, such as private 
citizens who operate or work at establishments; those who work for 
operations that may be subject to FSIS surveillance or enforcement, 
such as private citizens employed at retail operations that grind meat 
or poultry; members of volunteer organizations who prepare or have 
prepared food; and State, tribal, and local government employees 
responsible for food safety or public health.

Categories of records in the system:
    This system contains information pertaining to investigations of 
consumer complaints to aid in identifying and tracking potential public 
health crises. This information includes personal information, such as 
first and last names, home or work address, telephone number or email, 
and details concerning medical symptoms and care and cause of 
complaint. Each record is associated with an assigned case code to ease 
retrieval.

Authority for maintenance of the system:
     Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.);
     Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); and
     Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C 1031 et seq.).

Responsible agency official for system:
    Dr. David Goldman, Assistant Administrator, Office of Public Health 
Science (OPHS), Food Safety and Inspection Service(FSIS), U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20250, Rm. 341-E JLW Bldg. Telephone (202) 720-2644.
    Or Dr. Karen Becker, Director Applied Epidemiology Division, Office 
of Public Health Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20250. Telephone (202) 690-6045; Fax:(202) 720-8213.

Purposes:
    The records provided by and about individuals in this system are 
used by FSIS to sort, evaluate, and investigate possible adverse 
effects from FSIS-regulated products. The information also supports 
trace back to the source of foodborne illness outbreaks and tracing 
hazardous products forward to identify distribution and disposition. 
CCMS II data and associated processes help FSIS to analyze, evaluate, 
and identify foodborne hazards in products regulated by the Agency; to 
assess the risk to human health; and to determine the appropriate 
response to known, emerging, or potential threats to the food supply or 
to the agriculture sector.

Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories 
of users and the purposes of such uses:
    In addition to those disclosures generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. 
552a(b) of the Privacy Act of 1974, all or a portion of the records or 
information contained in this system may be disclosed outside USDA as a 
routine use pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3) as follows:
    1. To the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) (including United States 
Attorney Offices) or other Federal agency conducting litigation, or in 
proceedings before any court, adjudicative or administrative body, when 
it is necessary for the litigation, and one of the following is a party 
to the litigation or has an interest in the litigation:
    a. USDA or any component thereof;
    b. any employee of USDA in his/her official capacity;
    c. any employee of USDA in his/her individual capacity where DOJ or 
USDA has agreed to represent the employee; or
    d. the United States or any agency thereof, and USDA determines 
that the records are both relevant and necessary to the litigation and 
the use of such records is compatible with the purpose for which USDA 
collected the records.
    2. To a congressional office from the record of an individual in 
response to an inquiry from that congressional office made at the 
written request of the individual to whom the record pertains.
    3. To the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) or 
other Federal government agencies pursuant to records management 
inspections being conducted under the authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 
2906.
    4. To an agency, organization, or individual for the purpose of 
performing audit or oversight operations as authorized by law, but only 
such information as is necessary and relevant to such audit or 
oversight function. This would include, but not be limited to the

[[Page 53762]]

Comptroller General or any of his authorized representatives in the 
course of the performance of the duties of the Government 
Accountability Office, or USDA's Office of the Inspector General or any 
authorized representatives of that office.
    5. To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when:
    a. USDA or FSIS suspects or has confirmed that the security or 
confidentiality of information in the system of records has been 
compromised;
    b. USDA has determined that, as a result of the suspected or 
confirmed compromise, there is a risk of harm to economic or property 
interests, identity theft or fraud, or harm to the security or 
integrity of this system or other systems or programs (whether 
maintained by USDA or another agency or entity), or harm to the 
individual or individuals that rely upon the compromised information; 
and
    c. The disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is 
reasonably necessary to assist in connection with USDA's efforts to 
respond to the suspected or confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, 
or remedy such harm.
    6. To contractors and their agents, grantees, experts, consultants, 
and others performing or working on a contract, service, grant, 
cooperative agreement, or other assignment for USDA, when necessary to 
accomplish an agency function related to this system of records. 
Individuals who provided information under this routine use are subject 
to the same Privacy Act requirements and limitations on disclosure as 
are applicable to USDA officers and employees.
    7. To an appropriate Federal, State, tribal, local, international, 
or foreign law enforcement agency or other appropriate authority 
charged with investigating or prosecuting a violation or enforcing or 
implementing a law, rule, regulation, or order, where a record, either 
on its face or in conjunction with other information, indicates a 
violation or potential violation of law, which includes criminal, 
civil, or regulatory violations and such disclosure is proper and 
consistent with the official duties of the person making the 
disclosure.
    8. To an appropriate Federal, State, tribal, local, international, 
or foreign law enforcement agency or appropriate authority responsible 
for protecting public health, preventing or monitoring disease or 
illness outbreaks, or ensuring the safety of the food supply. This 
includes the Department of Health and Human Services and its agencies, 
including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food 
and Drug Administration, other Federal agencies, and State, tribal, and 
local health departments. Certain complaint-related information may be 
shared with the producing establishment for purposes of investigating 
the complaints. Except as stated, disclosure is made pursuant to 
requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Disclosure to consumer reporting agencies:
    None

Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining, 
and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
    Records in this system are stored electronically in a dedicated 
virtual server or on paper in secure facilities in a locked drawer 
behind a locked door within USDA facilities. Electronically stored 
records, including backup records maintained on their own dedicated 
virtual server in a separate location, are stored on magnetic disc, 
tape, digital media, and CD-ROM. (Paper records are printed from 
electronic storage only in limited quantities and on rare occasions 
when needed as working copies. Such paper records are kept in secure 
facilities in a locked drawer behind a locked door within USDA 
facilities, and immediately are shredded upon termination of the need 
for a working copy.) Security guards safeguard the buildings where the 
electronic and the working copies of records reside.

Retrievability:
    Retrieval is generally performed using the case code (a 
sequentially assigned, system-generated code created at the time of 
initial contact) or other database fields, such as establishment number 
or type of complaint. A name can also be used to retrieve individual 
records; however, using the case code or other database fields reduces 
the need for retrieval by information that could identify an 
individual.

Safeguards:
    Records in this system are safeguarded in accordance with 
applicable rules and policies, including all applicable USDA automated 
systems security and access policies. This includes protection behind 
firewalls, network protection against intrusion, and vulnerability 
scanning and protection. Only users with a business need are allowed 
access through the use of an encrypted password. Role-based access 
controls are used to restrict access to CCMS II, which is accessible 
via the FSIS Intranet. Furthermore, multiple levels of access exist, 
based on the user's system role and job function. Each time users sign 
in to the application, the login credentials are checked against 
authorized system user role memberships to ensure the user's access 
privileges are restricted to assigned level-of-access roles. User 
activity is also monitored, logged, and audited. Additionally, all 
users are required to undergo USDA-approved computer security awareness 
training prior to access and must complete computer security training 
yearly in order to retain access. An access agreement describes 
prohibited activities, such as browsing.

Retention and disposal:
    Records will be destroyed or maintained in accordance with the 
USDA's published records disposition schedules, as approved by NARA. A 
backup of the Master File is created at the end of the calendar year, 
and backup records are maintained in accordance with General Records 
Schedule Authority N1-462-07-01, Item 2. System inputs are maintained 
in accordance with General Records Schedule Authority GRS 20, Item 
2(a)(4), while system outputs (reports) are maintained in accordance 
with General Records Schedule Authority GRS 20, Item 16.

System manager and address:
    Dr. Karen Becker, Director, Applied Epidemiology Staff, Office of 
Public Health Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 355 E Street 
SW. PPIII, 9th Floor Office 9-232, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone 
(202) 690-6045.

Notification procedure:
    An individual may request information regarding this system of 
records, or information as to whether this system contains records 
pertaining to such individual from the System Manager listed above. 
Individuals seeking notification of and access to any record contained 
in this system of records, or seeking to contest its content, may 
submit a request in writing to the Headquarters or FSIS Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA) Officer, whose contact information can be found 
at https://www.da.usda.gov/foia.htm under ``Contacts.'' If an individual 
believes more than one component maintains Privacy Act records 
concerning him or her, the individual may submit the request to the 
Chief FOIA Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250.

[[Page 53763]]

    When seeking records about yourself from this system of records or 
any other USDA system of records, your request must conform with the 
Privacy Act regulations set forth in 7 CFR part 1. You must first 
verify your identity, meaning that you must provide your full name, 
current address, and date and place of birth. You must sign your 
request, and your signature must either be notarized or submitted under 
28 U.S.C. 1746, a law that permits statements to be made under penalty 
of perjury as a substitute for notarization. While no specific form is 
required, you may obtain forms for this purpose from the Chief FOIA 
Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20250. In addition, you should provide the following:
     An explanation of why you believe USDA would have 
information on you,
     Which components of USDA you believe may have the 
information about you,
     When you believe the records would have been created,
     Any other information that will help the FOIA staff 
determine which USDA component agency may have responsive records,
     If your request is seeking records pertaining to another 
living individual, you must include a statement from that individual 
certifying his/her agreement for you to access his/her records.
    Without this bulleted information, the component(s) may not be able 
to conduct an effective search, and your request may be denied due to 
lack of specificity.

Records access procedures:
    See ``Notification Procedure'' above.

Contesting records procedures:
    See ``Notification Procedure'' above.

Record source categories:
    Information generally is obtained directly from the individual who 
is the subject of the records, or from someone acting on their behalf, 
such as Federal, State and Local health agencies, relatives, or a 
friend of the consumer.

Exemptions claimed for the system:
    None

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

Consumer Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS) II

FSIS-2011-0030

New System of Records--Narrative Statement

    The mission of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is 
to protect public health by ensuring that meat, poultry, and 
processed egg products are safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled. 
Natural events, accidents, or intentional acts can put the safety of 
food and the food supply chain at risk, and by doing so, put the 
health and welfare of consumers at risk. FSIS developed the Consumer 
Complaint Monitoring System (CCMS II) to help Agency personnel 
quickly and effectively identify potentially unsafe meat, poultry, 
or processed egg products. CCMS II is an electronic database 
accessed from FSIS' Intranet and is used to record, sort, evaluate, 
and track complaints about possible adverse effects from meat, 
poultry, or processed egg products regulated by FSIS. CCMS II is 
also used to track subsequent analysis and investigations of these 
complaints.
    Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601, et seq.), 
the Poultry Product Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451, et seq.), and the 
Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031, et seq.), Congress has 
provided for the inspection and regulated processing and 
distribution of meat and meat products, poultry, and egg products to 
prevent the sale and movement in commerce of articles that are 
adulterated or misbranded. Specifically, 21 U.S.C. 451, 602, and 
1031 note that the health and welfare of consumers are to be 
protected by assuring that meat and meat food products are wholesome 
and that regulation by the Secretary of Agriculture and cooperation 
by the States and other jurisdictions are appropriate to protect the 
health and welfare of consumers.
    Further, under 21 U.S.C. 679c(a)(1) and (3), the Secretary is 
authorized to give high priority to enhancing the ability of FSIS 
``. . . to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of meat and poultry 
products'' and to ``strengthen the ability of [FSIS] to collaborate 
with relevant agencies within the Department of Agriculture and with 
other entities in the Federal Government, the States, and Indian 
tribes . . . through the sharing of information and technology.'' 
CCMS II helps to identify products in commerce that are potentially 
adulterated and enables FSIS to determine whether reported products 
are safe and wholesome. In addition, the system allows the Agency to 
collaborate with federal, State, local, and tribal public health 
partners in identifying potentially unsafe meat or poultry 
products--and helps the Agency to protect the consuming public from 
further harm.
    A complaint can be initiated by calls from consumers or their 
representatives, by representatives of State or local health 
departments and Federal agencies, including USDA's Agricultural 
Marketing Service and Food and Nutrition Service, or via electronic 
hand-off from USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline system and through web 
forms submitted by consumers. The information from these complaints, 
collected in CCMS II, is analyzed, evaluated, and classified as 
needing further action by trained analysts in FSIS' Office of Public 
Health Science (OPHS). These and other analysts identify the 
organization that will perform any subsequent action, provide 
ongoing updates, coordinate communication with other USDA agencies 
as needed, and alert management in the event of a non-routine 
incident. OPHS will also determine and coordinate any needed 
laboratory analysis and provide technical and scientific support to 
other program areas. Until the complaint is resolved, any action 
taken is updated in CCMS II. CCMS II data can include certain 
information about individuals, such as first and last names, home or 
work address, telephone number or email, food product consumed, 
medical symptoms experienced, and medical care received. Some of 
this information can be and is used to retrieve records, such as 
first and last name, but by design and in general practice, a 
system-generated case code is used for retrieval. The case code is 
sequentially assigned at the time of the initial contact, and is 
provided to the submitter of the complaint. Other database fields, 
such as establishment number or type of complaint, can also be used 
for retrieval.
    The data within CCMS II is specifically used for the reasons the 
information was obtained: to help determine the safety of specific 
food products consumed by individuals who reported problems with the 
food items. Information from CCMS II may be shared in a controlled 
manner within FSIS and, as needed, with other public health 
partners, to determine whether there is a potential problem with the 
product, to help identify the origin of the product, to trace 
forward the product's distribution or disposition, to follow-up with 
the individual who reported the problem, to ascertain whether others 
experienced similar problems with the same product, or for other 
reasons that derive directly from the reason the information was 
originally collected. There are other routine uses of CCMS II data 
permitted under U.S.C. 552a(b)(3), as contained in the Federal 
Register Notice and summarized here:
    To the Department of Justice for litigation purposes; to 
National Archives and Records Administration for records management; 
to a Congressional Office in response to an inquiry from the 
relevant constituent; to an appropriate authority for audit 
purposes; to an appropriate authority in response to a threat to 
information security or confidentiality; to an appropriate law 
enforcement authority in response to investigations, prosecutions, 
or enforcement actions; to contractors and agents performing a 
function on behalf of the agency relating to the collection of 
information to support surveillance, investigations, and 
facilitation of rapid detection and response to food borne hazards; 
to appropriate authorities responsible for public health/monitoring 
illness outbreaks/ensuring safety of the food supply because the 
data supports public

[[Page 53764]]

health officials in their ability to identify public health hazards 
and mitigate their impact through communication and information 
sharing among public health partners; and to producing 
establishments in connection with the Agency's investigation of 
complaint-related information.
    CCMS II data and investigations also support other activities, 
including complaint-related verification of Hazard Analysis and 
Critical Control Points in producing establishments, analysis of 
school lunch product manufacturing specifications, and recall 
coordination for product(s) identified as adulterated or 
unwholesome.

Safeguards/Security Provided for This System

    FSIS has taken significant actions to safeguard the identifiable 
information about an individual in CCMS II and to control access to 
the system itself. Access to CCMS II is restricted to trained, 
authorized FSIS employees and to a limited number of users 
representing FSIS' public health partners in the Department of 
Health and Human Services. Authorized users are assigned level-of-
access roles based on their job functions. The level of access for 
the user restricts the data that may be seen and the degree to which 
data may be modified by the user. Firewalls and other security 
controls further prevent unauthorized access. As a result, the 
potential effect of CCMS II on an individual's privacy is minimal.
    In addition to those disclosures generally permitted under 5 
U.S.C. 552a(b) of the Privacy Act, records maintained in the system 
may be disclosed outside USDA for eight routine uses. These routine 
uses may be described as functional and housekeeping uses.
    The records are protected by the confidentiality requirements of 
USDA's Office of the Chief Information Officer Cyber Security 
Manuals and the provisions of the Privacy Act. Only authorized USDA 
employees and contractors will have access to the records in this 
system, and this access will be on a need-to-know basis. Role-based 
access controls are used to restrict access to CCMS II, which is 
accessible via the FSIS Intranet.
    The system has been categorized as a Moderate impact system as 
identified in Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 199. 
The security controls implemented within the system will correspond 
with those published in the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Special Publication 800-53, Recommended Security Controls 
for Federal Information Technology Systems (Revision1) for a 
Moderate impact system. Users are granted system access only upon 
successful completion of security training and must successfully 
complete security training each year to retain access. Each user is 
supplied with a unique and strong user-id and password. The user 
roles are restrictive and based on the principle of least privilege 
allowing for adequate performance of job functions and access to 
information based on a need to know.
    Where appropriate, the system also will adhere to the security 
controls identified in the Federal Information Security Control 
Audit Manual (FISCAM). The mandatory requirements of FIPS 199 and 
FIPS 200 support the Federal Information Security Management Act and 
FISCAM supports the mandated Office of Management and Budget 
Circular A-123, Management of Internal Controls.
    Moreover, system managers and users observe and adhere to 
specific USDA security requirements as set forth in the USDA Cyber 
Security Manuals, including but not limited to USDA Departmental 
Manual (DM) 3545-000, Personnel Security, and DM 3510-001, Physical 
Security Standards for Information Technology Restricted Space.

[FR Doc. 2015-22085 Filed 9-4-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P
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