Proposed Collection; Comment Request

RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD

Proposed Collection; Comment Request

SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirement of Section 3506 (c)(2)(A)

of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which provides opportunity for

public comment on new or revised data collections, the Railroad

Retirement Board (RRB) will publish periodic summaries of proposed data

collections.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed information

collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of

the agency, including whether the information has practical utility;

(b) the accuracy of the RRB's estimate of the burden of the collection

of the information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize

the burden related to the collection of information on respondents,

including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of

information technology.

Title and purpose of information collection:

Employee's Certification; OMB 3220-0140.

Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), provides for the

payment of an annuity to the spouse or divorced spouse of a retired

railroad employee. For the spouse or divorced spouse to qualify for an

annuity, the RRB must determine if any of the employee's previous

marriages create an impediment either to the current marriage between

the employee and his or her spouse or to the marriage which previously

existed between the employee and his or her former spouse.

The requirements relating to obtaining evidence for determining

valid marital relationships are prescribed in 20 CFR 219.30 through

219.35.

Section 2(e) of the RRA requires that an employee must relinquish

all rights to any railroad employer service before a spouse annuity can

be paid.

The RRB uses Form G-346 to obtain the information needed for

determining if any of the employee's previous marriages create an

impediment to the current marriage. Form G-346 is completed by the

retired employee who is the husband or wife of the applicant for a

spouse annuity. Completion is required to obtain a benefit. One

response is requested of each respondent.

The RRB proposes minor and cosmetic editorial changes to Form G-

346. The RRB estimates that 5,400 G-346's are completed annually at an

estimated completion time of five minutes per response. Total

respondent burden is estimated at 450 hours.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS: To request more information or to

obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms, and/

or supporting material, please call the RRB Clearance Officer at (312)

751-3363. Comments regarding the information collection should be

addressed to Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 N. Rush

Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092. Written comments should be

received within 60 days of this notice.

Chuck Mierzwa,

Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 99-21880 Filed 8-23-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7905-01-M