Notice2024-01404
Agency Information Collection Activities; Request for Comments; Information on Meetings With Outside Parties
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 25, 2024
Issuing agencies
Management and Budget Office
Abstract
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is proposing to revise the information collection 0348-0065 that it uses for members of the public who request a meeting with OIRA on rules under review. The information collected would be subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and this notice announces and requests comment on OIRA's proposal for such a collection.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 17 (Thursday, January 25, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 17 (Thursday, January 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4997-4998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01404]
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OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
Agency Information Collection Activities; Request for Comments;
Information on Meetings With Outside Parties
AGENCY: Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the
President.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is proposing to revise the
information collection 0348-0065 that it uses for members of the public
who request a meeting with OIRA on rules under review. The information
collected would be subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and
this notice announces and requests comment on OIRA's proposal for such
a collection.
DATES: Provide comments within 30 days of January 25, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments by the following method:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted
electronically, including attachments to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>,
will be posted to the docket unchanged. Please submit comments only and
cite ``Information Collection 0348-0065'' in all correspondence related
to this collection. To confirm receipt of your comment(s), please check
<a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, approximately two to three business days after
submission to verify.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Jones, 202-395-5897.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Information on Meetings with Outside Parties Pursuant to
Executive Order 12866.
Abstract: Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and
Review,'' issued by President Clinton on September 30, 1993, as
amended, establishes and governs the process under which OIRA reviews
agency draft proposed and final regulatory actions. The Executive Order
also establishes a disclosure process regarding the OIRA
Administrator's (or his/her designee's) meetings with outside parties
during formal review of a regulatory action (E.O. 12866 meetings) if
such meetings occur.
Summary of Current Meeting Process. OIRA currently discloses the
subject, date, and participants of the E.O. 12866 meeting on the
<a href="http://Reginfo.gov">Reginfo.gov</a> website, as well as any materials provided to OIRA at such
meetings.
These meetings occur at the initiative and request of outside
parties who request a meeting to present views on a regulatory action
under OIRA review. OIRA invites representatives from the agency or
agencies that would issue the regulatory action. If such meetings
occur, OIRA does not take minutes during the meeting but would post on
RegInfo.gov any written materials provided by outside parties during
these meetings, including the initial meeting request.
To help ensure transparency associated with meetings pursuant to
Executive Order 12866, OIRA collects and discloses the following
information from outside parties that request a meeting with OIRA to
present their views on a regulatory action currently under review:
1. The name of the regulatory action under review on which the
party would like to present its views.
2. Names of all attendees who will be present at the meeting from
the outside party or parties, including each attendee's organization or
affiliation.
3. Electronic copies of all briefing materials provided by the
requester that will be used during the presentation.
4. An acknowledgment by the requesting party that all information
submitted to OIRA pursuant to this collection and meeting request will
be made publicly available at <a href="http://Reginfo.gov">Reginfo.gov</a>.
Proposed Revisions. OMB is considering revisions to this
information collection with the goal of collecting additional
information from meeting requesters to facilitate further transparency,
as well as improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the meeting
request process. Such information includes:
<bullet> Narrative descriptions accompanying meeting requests. An
optional narrative description, provided by the requester, that states
the purpose of the meeting and a brief, informal summary of the views
they anticipate presenting. This information, which would be disclosed,
would help OIRA
[[Page 4998]]
and action agencies invite the appropriate government officials,
particularly when regulatory actions may address many subjects and have
many separate provisions.
<bullet> Meeting requesters and represented interests. Individual
or organizational meeting requesters often request meetings on behalf
of themselves. Sometimes, however, a meeting requester does so on
behalf of another individual or organization with interests in the
regulatory action. For example, a law firm or government affairs firm
may request an E.O. 12866 meeting on behalf of a client who has a stake
in the regulatory action. In other cases, a congressional office may
facilitate a meeting request for an individual constituent concerned
about a rulemaking. OIRA thus proposes to collect information in
mandatory fields on the (1) name of the individual requesting the
meeting; (2) the meeting requester's organization, if any; (3) the name
of the individual or organization whose interests are being
represented; and (4) if the previous field names an individual, the
individual's organizational affiliation, if any.
This information would facilitate transparency about who requests
E.O. 12866 meetings, the interests represented, and the types of
organizations involved. In addition, OIRA will also continue to take
meeting attendance and, when feasible, update this information for the
public record in cases where participant information is not initially
provided.
<bullet> Previous request or participation in an E.O. 12866
meeting. OIRA proposes to require meeting requesters (the individual
participants rather than their representatives) to note whether they
have previously requested or participated in an E.O. 12866 meeting on
any regulatory action within the last three years. This information,
which would be disclosed, would allow OIRA to track participation of
members of the public that have not historically requested meetings. In
addition, OIRA proposes to ask and disclose whether a requester has
previously requested or participated in an E.O. 12866 meeting
associated with the specific regulatory action (at the same stage of
the regulatory process).
<bullet> Request for accommodations. OIRA also welcomes meeting
requesters to specify whether any accommodations are requested.
OIRA welcomes any and all public comments on the proposed revisions
to the collection of information, such as the accuracy of OIRA's burden
estimate, the practical utility of collecting this information, and
whether there are additional pieces of information that could be
collected from meeting requesters to further the disclosure provisions
of Executive Order 12866.
Current actions: Proposal for revising an existing information
collection requirement.
Type of review: Revision.
Affected public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and
Organizations, State, Local, Territorial, or Tribal Governments.
Expected average annual number of respondents: 300.
Average annual number of responses per respondent: 2.
Total number of responses annually: 600.
Burden per response: 15 minutes.
Total average annual burden: 150 hours.
Request for comments: OMB anticipates that comments submitted in
response to this notice will be summarized or included in the request
for OMB approval. Comments are invited on: (a) whether the collection
of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions
of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including
through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of
information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs
and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to
provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose,
or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the
time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install, and
utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting,
validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining
information, and disclosing and providing information; to respond to a
collection of information, search data sources, and complete and review
the collection of information; to transmit or otherwise disclose the
information; and to train personnel to be able to carry out the
foregoing tasks.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
Privacy Act Statement: Response to this request for comment is
voluntary. The information will be used to inform sound decision-making
regarding OIRA's information collection. Please note that all
submissions received in response to this notice may be posted on
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> or otherwise released in their entirety,
including any personal and business confidential information provided.
Do not include in your submissions any information of a confidential
nature, such as personal or proprietary information; or any information
you would not like to be made publicly available. The OMB System of
Records Notice, OMB Public Input System of Records, OMB/INPUT/01, 88 FR
20913 (<a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/07/2023-07452/privacy-act-of-1974-system-of-records">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/04/07/2023-07452/privacy-act-of-1974-system-of-records</a>), includes a list of routine uses
associated with the collection of this information.
Richard L. Revesz,
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-01404 Filed 1-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3110-01-P
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