Privacy Act of 1974; Establishment of System of Records

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary

Privacy Act of 1974; Establishment of System of Records

Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended

(5 U.S.C. 552a), notice is hereby given that the Department of the

Interior proposes to establish a new system of records to be maintained

by the Office of Financial Management. The system, entitled

``Delinquent Debtors File--Interior, OS-84,'' will include information

pertaining to current Departmental employees, former Departmental

employees, and other Federal employees indebted and owing money to the

Department, who have been identified as delinquent debtors. The

information contained in this system will be used for the purpose of

collecting debts owed to the Department through administrative offset

or salary offset procedures. The notice is published in its entirety

below.

As required by the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C.

552a(r)), the Office of Management and Budget, the Senate Committee on

Governmental Affairs, and the House Committee on Government Operations

have been notified of this action.

5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(11) requires that the public be provided a 30-day

period in which to comment on the intended use of the information in

the system of records. The Office of Management and Budget, in its

Circular A-130, requires a 40-day period in which to review such

proposals. Written comments on this proposal can be addressed to the

Departmental Privacy Act Officer, Office of the Secretary, Office of

Administrative Services, 1849 ``C'' Street NW, Mail Stop 5412 MIB,

Washington, DC 20240, telephone (202) 208-6045. Comments received

within 40 days of publication in the Federal Register (November 14,

1994), will be considered. The system will be effective as proposed at

the end of the comment period, unless comments are received which would

require a contrary determination.

Dated: September 16, 1994.

Albert C. Camacho,

Director, Office of Administrative Services.

INTERIOR/OS-84

Delinquent Debtor File--Interior, OS-84.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Division

of Financial Management, m.s. 7258 MIB, 1849 C St. NW, Washington, DC

20240.

Employees, former employees, and other Federal employees indebted

and owing money to the Department of the Interior.

Delinquent debt records consisting of the debtor's name, Social

Security Number, address, amount of debt, date debt arose, office

referring debt, and related correspondence.

Federal Claims Collection Act of 1966, Pub. L. 89-508, Debt

Collection Act of 1982, Pub. L. 97-365, and E.O. 9397.

The primary purpose of the records is to collect debts owed to the

Department using salary offset or administrative offset procedures.

Disclosures outside the Department of the Interior may be made: (1)

To the General Accounting Office, Department of Justice, United States

Attorney, or other Federal agencies for further collection action on

any delinquent account when circumstances warrant; (2) To a commercial

credit reporting agency for the purpose of either adding to a credit

history file or obtaining a credit history file for use in the

administration of debt collection; (3) To a debt collection agency for

the purpose of collection services to recover indebtedness owed to the

Department; (4) To any Federal agency where the individual debtor is

employed or receiving some form of remuneration for the purpose of

enabling that agency to collect debts on the Department's behalf by

administrative or salary offset procedures under the provisions of the

Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365); (5) To any other Federal

agency including, but not limited to, the Internal Revenue Service

pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 3720A, for the purpose of effecting an

administrative offset against the debtor of a delinquent debt owed to

the Department by the debtor; (6) To the Internal Revenue Service by

computer matching to obtain the mailing address of a taxpayer for the

purpose of locating such taxpayer to collect or to compromise a Federal

claim by the Department against the taxpayer pursuant to 26 U.S.C.

6103(m)(2) and in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 37121, 3716, and 3718.

Note: The Department will disclose an individual's mailing address

obtained from the IRS pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 6103(m)(2) only for the

purpose of debt collection. Disclosures to a debt collection agency

will be made only to facilitate the collection or compromise of a

Federal claim under the Debt Collection Act of 1982. Disclosures to a

consumer reporting agency will be made only for the limited purpose of

obtaining a commercial credit report on the individual taxpayer.

Address information obtained from the Internal Revenue Service will not

be used or shared for any other Departmental purpose or disclosed to

another Federal, state, or local agency which seeks to locate the same

individuals for its own debt collection purpose; (7) To the Defense

Manpower Data Center, Department of Defense, the U.S. Postal Service or

to any other Federal, state, or local agency, a data base of

information consisting of the debtor's name, Social Security Number,

and amount owed, for the purpose of conducting an authorized computer

matching program in compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C.

552a), as amended, so as to identify and locate delinquent debtors in

order to start a recoupment process on an individual basis of any debt

owed to the Department by the debtors arising out of any administrative

or program activities or services administered by the Department; (8)

To any creditor Federal agency seeking assistance for the purpose of

that agency implementing administrative or salary offset procedures in

the collection of unpaid financial obligations owed the United States

government from an individual. (9) To the U.S. Department of Justice or

to a court or adjudicative body with jurisdiction when (a) the United

States, the Department of the Interior, a component of the Department,

or, when represented by the government, an employee of the Department

is a party to litigation or anticipated litigation or has an interest

in such litigation, and (b) the Department of the Interior determines

that the disclosure is relevant or necessary to the litigation and is

compatible with the purpose for which the records were compiled; (10)

Of information indicating a violation or potential violation of a

statute, regulation, rule, order or license, to appropriate Federal,

State, local or foreign agencies responsible for investigating or

prosecuting the violation or for enforcing or implementing the statute,

rule, regulation, order or license; (11) To a congressional office in

response to an inquiry the individual has made to the congressional

office.

Disclosures pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(12). Disclosures may be

made from this system to consumer reporting agencies as defined in the

Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681a(f)) or the Federal Claims

Collection Act of 1966 (31 U.S.C. 3701(a)(3)).

Records are stored in automated and manual form.

Records are retrieved by the name or Social Security Number of the

individual debtor.

Records are maintained with access controls meeting the

requirements of 43 CFR 2.51.

Records are retained by the Division of Financial Management only

for the duration of computer matching programs. Upon conclusion of

these programs, records are returned to their respective, originating

offices, where they are retained and disposed of in accordance with

approved agency schedules. Backup copies are retained for one calendar

year, and then destroyed.

Chief, Division of Financial Management, Office of the Secretary,

U.S. Department of the Interior, m.s. 7258 MIB, 1849 C St. NW,

Washington, DC 20240.

An individual requesting notification of the existence of records

on him or her should address his/her request to the System Manager. The

request must be in writing, signed by the requester, and comply with

the content requirements of 43 CFR 2.60.

An individual requesting access to records maintained on him or her

should address his/her request to the System Manager. The request must

be in writing, signed by the requester, and comply with the content

requirements of 43 CFR 2.63.

An individual requesting amendment of a record maintained on him or

her should address his/her request to the System Manager. The request

must be in writing, signed by the requester, and comply with the

content requirements of 43 CFR 2.71.

Departmental and Bureau financial offices.

None.

[FR Doc. 94-24666 Filed 10-4-94; 8:45 am]

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