03-30937. Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Upon written request, copies available from: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Filings and Information Services, 450 Fifth Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549.

Extension:

Rules 8b-1 to 8b-32; SEC File No. 270-135; OMB Control No. 3235-0176.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) is soliciting comments on the collections of information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit these existing collections of information to the Office of Management and Budget for extension and approval.

Rules Under Section 8(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

Rules 8b-1 to 8b-32 (17 CFR 270.8b-1 to 8b-32) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a) (the “Act”) are the procedural rules an investment company must follow when preparing and filing a registration statement. These rules were adopted to standardize the mechanics of registration under the Act and to provide more specific guidance for persons registering under the Act than the information contained in the statute. For the most part, these procedural rules do not require the disclosure of information. Two of the rules, however, require limited disclosure of information.^[1] The information required by the rules is necessary to ensure that investors have clear and complete information upon which to base an investment decision. The Commission uses the information that investment companies provide on registration statements in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection and policy-making roles. The respondents to the collection of information are investment companies filing registration statements under the Act.

The Commission does not estimate separately the total annual reporting and recordkeeping burden associated with rules 8b-1 to 8b-32 because the burden associated with these rules are included in the burden estimates the Commission submits for the investment company registration statement forms (e.g., Form N-1A, Form N-2, Form N-3, and Form N-4). For example, a mutual fund that prepares a registration statement on Form N-1A must comply with the rules under section 8(b), including rules on riders, amendments, the form of the registration statement, and the number of copies to be submitted. Because the fund only incurs a burden from the section 8(b) rules when preparing a registration statement, it would be impractical to measure the compliance burden of these rules separately. The Commission believes that including the burden of the section 8(b) rules with the burden estimates for the investment company registration statement forms provides a more accurate and complete estimate of the total burdens associated with the registration process.

Written comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 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. Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted in writing within 60 days of this publication.

Please direct your written comments to Kenneth A. Fogash, Acting Associate Executive Director/CIO, Office of Information Technology, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 5th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20549.

Dated: December 9, 2003.

Margaret H. McFarland,

Deputy Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  Rule 8b-3 (17 CFR 270.8b-3) provides that whenever a registration form requires the title of securities to be stated, the registrant must indicate the type and general character of the securities to be issued. Rule 8b-22 (17 CFR 270.8b-22) provides that if the existence of control is open to reasonable doubt, the registrant may disclaim the existence of control, but it must state the material facts pertinent to the possible existence of control.