03-2154. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on [phone].

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of information are 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 proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (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.

Proposed Project

Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (0930-0158, revision)—SAMHSA will request renewal of OMB approval for the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form for Federal agency and federally regulated drug testing programs which must comply with the HHS Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs (59 FR 29908) dated June 9, 1994, and for the information provided by laboratories for the National Laboratory Certification Program (NLCP).

The Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form is used by all Federal agencies and employers regulated by the Department of Transportation to document the collection and chain of custody of urine specimens at the collection site, for laboratories to report results, and for Medical Review Officers to make a determination. The Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form approved by OMB three years ago will be submitted for OMB approval without any revision.

Prior to an inspection, a laboratory is required to submit specific information regarding its laboratory procedures. A major change in the submitted information requires a laboratory to provide specific information on its specimen validity testing procedures. Since all certified laboratories are expected to have the capability to conduct specimen validity tests on regulated specimens, collecting this information prior to an inspection allows the inspectors to thoroughly review and understand the laboratory's specimen validity testing procedures before arriving at the laboratory.

The NLCP application form is being revised compared to the previous form. The major change in the NLCP application form includes, where appropriate in each section, a request for specific information on the applicant laboratory's ability to conduct specimen validity testing (i.e., determining if a specimen is adulterated or substituted). Since all certified laboratories are expected to have the capability to conduct specimen validity tests on regulated specimens, it is necessary to ensure that each applicant laboratory has the same capability before being certified.

The annual total burden estimates for the Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form, the NLCP application, the NLCP inspection checklist, and NLCP recordkeeping requirements are shown in the following table.

Form/respondent	Burden/response (Hrs.)	Number of responses	Total annual burden (Hrs.)
Custody and Control Form:
Donor	.08	7,096,000	567,680
Collector	.07	7,096,000	496,720
Laboratory	.05	7,096,000	354,800
Medical Review Officer	.05	7,096,000	354,800
Laboratory Application	3.00	3	9
Laboratory Inspection Checklist	3.00	110	330
Laboratory Recordkeeping	250.00	55	13,750
Total			1,788,089

Send comments to Nancy Pearce, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, Room 16-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Dated: January 23, 2003.

Richard Kopanda,

Executive Officer, SAMHSA.