[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 16 (Monday, January 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3774-3775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1669]
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POSTAL SERVICE
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: Postal Service.
ACTION: Notice of modifications to an existing system of records and
the addition of new routine uses to that and another existing system of
records.
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SUMMARY: The purpose of this document is to publish notice of
modifications to existing system of records USPS 050.040, Finance
Records--Uniform Allowance Program and the addition of new routine uses
to that system and to system of records USPS 050.020, Finance Records--
Payroll System. The modifications to USPS 050.040 are prompted by
changes in the Postal Service's procedures for providing monetary
allowances to postal employees purchasing authorized uniforms. The
modifications to USPS 050.020 are prompted by requirements of the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
(Pub. L. 104-193). That Act requires agencies to report new-hire and
wage data to the Department of Health and Human Services which will use
the data to locate individuals to establish paternity and enforce child
support obligations.
DATES: Any interested party may submit written comments on the proposed
amendments and additions. This proposal will become effective without
further notice on March 27, 1998, unless comments received on or before
that date result in a contrary determination.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on this proposal should be mailed or
delivered to: PAYROLL ACCOUNTING/RECORDS, UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE,
475 L'ENFANT PLAZA SW RM 8831, WASHINGTON DC 20260-5243.
Copies of all written comments will be available at the above
address for public inspection and photocopying between 8:00 a.m. and
4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betty E. Sheriff, (202) 268-2608.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to recent changes in the Postal
Service uniform program, the Postal Service will disclose data from its
system USPS 050.040, Finance Records--Uniform Allowance Program to
contractors who provide uniform distribution and postal payment card
services.
The Postal Service uniform program requires certain employees to
wear prescribed uniforms in performing their duties. These employees
are entitled to a uniform allowance to purchase authorized uniform
items which meet Postal Service specifications. As a result of recent
changes in the uniform allowance program, employees will purchase
uniform items from a centralized distribution firm using a purchasing
card issued by a financial institution. The proposed system
modifications support those changes by expanding the ``system
location'' to include contractor facilities and by adding a routine use
permitting disclosure to contract distribution firms and financial
institutions to provide uniform items and purchasing card services,
respectively.
Pursuant to Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and
Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, the Postal Service will
disclose data from its system USPS 050.020, Finance Records--Payroll
System to the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE),
Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS) for use in its Federal Parent Locator System
(FPLS) and Federal Tax Offset System, DHHS/OCSE No. 09-90-0074.
Information on this system was last published at 61 FR 38754, July 25,
1996.
FPLS is a computerized network through which states may request
location information from federal and state agencies to find non-
custodial parents and/or their employers for purposes of establishing
paternity and securing support. Effective October 1, 1997, the FPLS
will be enlarged to include the Directory of New Hires, a database
containing information on employees commencing employment, quarterly
wage data on private and public sector employees, and information on
unemployment compensation benefits. Effective October 1, 1998, the FPLS
will be expanded to include a Federal Case Registry. The Federal Case
Registry will contain abstracts on all participants involved in child
support enforcement cases. When the Federal Case Registry is
instituted, its files will be matched on an ongoing basis against the
files in the National Directory of New Hires to determine if an
employee is a participant in a child support case anywhere in the
country. If the FPLS identifies a person as being a participant in a
state child support case, that state will be notified of the
participant's current employer. State requests to the FPLS for location
information will also continue to be processed after October 1, 1998.
The data to be disclosed by the Postal Service to the FPLS include
employee name, social security number, address, date of birth, and
employment information such as date of hire and work location.
In addition, names and social security numbers submitted by the
Postal Service to the FPLS will be disclosed by the OCSE to the Social
Security Administration for verification to ensure that the social
security number provided is correct. The data disclosed by the Postal
Service to the FPLS also will be disclosed by the OCSE to the Secretary
of the Treasury for verifying claims for the advance payment of earned
income tax credit or to verify an employment claim on a tax return.
Addition of the routine uses to USPS 050.020 and USPS 050.040 is
proposed in accordance with the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3)). The
Privacy Act permits the disclosure of information about individuals
without their consent for a routine use when the information's use will
be compatible with the purpose for which the information was originally
collected. Data within USPS 050.040 is kept for the purpose of funding
the procurement of uniforms. Disclosure of
[[Page 3775]]
this information to financial institutions and uniform distribution
firms, each providing services related to purchasing uniform items, is
consistent and compatible with that purpose. Similarly, since the
proposed uses of the data within USPS 050.020 are required by Public
Law 104-193, they are necessary and proper uses and therefore
compatible uses which meet Privacy Act requirements.
The system modifications and additions are not expected to have any
undue effect on individual privacy rights. The modifications to USPS
050.040 do not alter the scope or character of information collected by
the system. The contract financial institutions and uniform
distribution firms have been made subject to the Privacy Act in
accordance with subsection (m) and are required to apply appropriate
protections subject to the audit and inspection of the Postal
Inspection Service. Records within USPS 050.040 and 050.020 continue to
be kept in a secured environment, with automated data processing
physical and administrative security and technical software applied to
data on computer media. Paper records are kept in a secured area of
post offices and are made available internally on an official need-to-
know basis.
Postal Service records disclosed to the OCSE will be accomplished
by Connect:Direct, hardcopy medium, or other means ensuring the
security of the data. The FPLS will ensure the data's integrity to the
greatest extent practicable by validating names and social security
numbers with Social Security Administration records and the Postal
Service will be notified of any invalid, incomplete, and corrected
social security numbers.
USPS Privacy Act system 050.020 was last published in its entirety
in the Federal Register on December 4, 1992 (57 FR 57515-57519) and was
amended on November 22, 1993 (58 FR 61718-61719) and June 12, 1996 (61
FR 29774). USPS Privacy Act system 050.040 was last published in its
entirety in the Federal Register on October 26, 1989 (54 FR 43669-
43670). The Postal Service proposes amending these systems as shown
below.
USPS 050.020
SYSTEM NAME:
Finance Records--Payroll System, 050.020.
* * * * *
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
[Change to read:]
General routine use statements a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, j, k, l, and
m listed in the prefatory statement at the beginning of the Postal
Service's published system notices apply to this system. Other routine
uses are as follows:
* * * * *
[Add the following:]
33. Disclosure of information about current or former postal
employees may be made to the Office of Child Support Enforcement,
Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and
Human Services Federal Parent Locator System (FPLS) and Federal Tax
Offset System for locating individuals and identifying their income
sources to establish paternity, establish and modify orders of support,
and for enforcement action.
34. Disclosure of information about current or former postal
employees may be made to the Social Security Administration for
verifying social security numbers in connection with the operation of
the FPLS by the Office of Child Support Enforcement.
35. Disclosure of information about current or former postal
employees may be made to the Department of the Treasury for purposes of
administering the Earned Income Tax Credit Program (Section 32,
Internal Revenue Code of 1986) and verifying a claim with respect to
employment in a tax return.
USPS 050.040
SYSTEM NAME:
Finance Records--Uniform Allowance Program, 050.040.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
[Change to read:]
Postal facilities employing personnel entitled to uniform
allowances and the Information Service Center, St. Louis, MO, and
contractor facilities where necessary to perform uniform supply and
postal purchasing card services.
* * * * *
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
[Change to read:]
Name, Social Security number, home address; uniform code,
designation code, and pay location; account balance and invoices and
other information relating to the uniform item(s) purchase.
* * * * *
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
[Change to read:]
General routine use statements a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, j, k, l, and
m listed in the prefatory statement at the beginning of the Postal
Service's published system notices apply to this system. Other routine
uses are as follows:
* * * * *
[Add the following:]
3. Disclosure of information about current or former employees may
be made to a financial institution under contract with the Postal
Service to provide purchasing card services with respect to the
purchase of uniform items.
4. Disclosure of information about current or former employees may
be made to a distribution firm under contract with the Postal Service
to provide fulfillment services with respect to the purchase of uniform
items.
Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 98-1669 Filed 1-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P
