Notice of Request to OMB for Approval for Continuation of Form OPM-1386B

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Notice of Request to OMB for Approval for Continuation of Form

OPM-1386B

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

ACTION: Proposed information collection submitted for public comment

and recommendations.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(44 U.S.C. 3506-3507), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is

submitting to the Office of Management and Budget a request to extend

its approval of form OPM--1386B, Applicant Race and National Origin

Questionnaire, which gathers information concerning the race and

national origin of applicants for employment under the Outstanding

Scholar provision of the Luevano Consent Decree, 93 F.R.D. 68 (1981).

This proposed extension was also reported on October 27, 1995 at 60

FR 55070. At that time, the public was invited to comment on the need

for this information, its practical utility, the accuracy of OPM's

burden estimate, and on ways to minimize that reporting burden. During

the sixty-day comment period OPM received only one substantive comment,

which was that OPM should specify that the current version of form

2386, for which an approval extension is sought, is Form OPM-1386B.

That fact is made explicit in the current announcement and all persons

who requested copies of the form were sent Form OPM-1386B.

For copies of the proposal, contact James M. Farron at (202) 418-

3208 or by e-mail to [email protected].

DATES: Comments on this proposal should be received on or before March

22, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Send or deliver any comments to BOTH of the following

addresses: Patricia Paige, Director, Staffing Reinvention Office,

Employment Service, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 1900 E Street,

NW, Washington, DC 20415; and Joseph Lackey, OPM Desk Officer of

Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,

New Executive Office Building, NW, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For further information, contact Mike Carmichael or Christina Gonzales,

(202) 606-0830, FAX (202) 606-2329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose of Form OPM-1386B

A Federal court decree, issued in 1981 and still binding, requires

recordkeeping on Federal employment selection procedures, including

race and national origin (RNO) data, to determine the ``relative impact

of the procedure upon blacks and upon Hispanics as compared with non-

Hispanic whites.'' OPM and other agencies use form OPM-1386B to collect

the RNO data from applicants being considered for selection under the

Outstanding Scholar provision of the decree. Using the standardized

form makes it easier to collect and consolidate the required data for

use by the Federal Government and by the plaintiffs. OPM and agencies

do not need to use form OPM-1386B to collect data on applicants being

considered through traditional examining processes; court-required data

on those applicants is collected as part of an application process that

is not required for Outstanding Scholars.

The form OPM-1386B is not considered in the selection process, but

is used to collect statistical data.

Annual Reporting Burden

Approximately 100,000 forms will be processed annually. The average

estimated response time is 5 minutes for a total public burden of 8,333

hours.

Office of Personnel Management.

Lorraine A. Green,

Deputy Director.

[FR Doc. 96-3767 Filed 2-20-96; 8:45 am]

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