06-1018. Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report of Extension of Credit to Political Candidates-Form 183

AGENCY:

Research & Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics invites the general public, industry and other governmental parties to comment on the continuing need for and usefulness of BTS collecting reports from air carriers on the aggregated indebtedness balance of a political candidate or party for Federal office. The reports are required when the aggregated indebtedness is over $5,000 on the last day of a month.

DATES:

Written comments should be submitted by April 4, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bernie Stankus, Office of Airline Information, RTS-42, Room 4125, RITA, BTS, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001, Telephone Number [phone], Fax Number [phone] or e-mail [e-mail].

Comments: Comments should identify the associated OMB approval #2138-0016 and Docket 23343. Persons wishing the Department to acknowledge receipt of their comments must submit with those comments a self-addressed stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: Comments on OMB #2138-0016, Docket 23343. The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Approval No.: 2138-0016.

Title: Report of Extension of Credit to Political Candidates—Form 183, 14 CFR Part 374a.

Form No.: 183.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents: Certificated air carriers.

Number of Respondents: 2 (Monthly Average).

Number of Responses: 24.

Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour.

Total Annual Burden: 24 hours.

Needs and Uses: The Department uses this form as the means to fulfill its obligation under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (the Act). The Act's legislative history indicates that one of its statutory goals is to prevent candidates for Federal political office from incurring large amounts of unsecured debt with regulated transportation companies (e.g. airlines). This information collection allows the Department to monitor and disclose the amount of unsecured credit extended by airlines to candidates for Federal office. All certificated air carriers are required to submit this information.

The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), requires a statistical agency to clearly identify information it collects for non-statistical purposes. BTS hereby notifies the respondents and the public that BTS uses the information it collects under this OMB approval for non-statistical purposes including, but not limited to, publication of both Respondent's identity and its data, submission of the information to agencies outside BTS for review, analysis and possible use in regulatory and other administrative matters.

Issued in Washington, DC, on January 27, 2006.

Donald W. Bright,

Assistant Director, Airline Information, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.