97-8536. Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 64 (Thursday, April 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15892-15893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8536]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review

AGENCY: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.


[[Page 15893]]


ACTION: Notice of Extension Request and Change in Filing Requirements.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35, agencies are required to submit proposed information 
collection requests to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and approval, and to publish a notice in the Federal Register 
announcing to the public that the agency has made such a submission. 
The Commission has requested an extension of an existing collection, 
State and Local Government Information (EEO-4), with the following 
change in reporting requirements. Governments with from 250 to 999 
full-time employees will now submit a separate EEO-4 report only for 
those functions with 100 or more employees and one aggregate report 
that includes all the remaining functions with fewer than 100 full-time 
employees. All other state and local governments will continue to file 
their EEO-4 reports as they have in the past.

ADDRESSES: The Request for Clearance (SF83-l), supporting statement, 
and other documents submitted to OMB for review may be obtained from: 
Margaret Ulmer Holmes, EEOC Clearance Officer, 1801 L Street, NW, Room 
2928, Washington, DC, 20507.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joachim Neckere, Director, Program Research and Surveys Division at 
[phone] (voice) or [phone] (TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Type of Review: Notice and Change in Filing Requirements.
    Collection Title: State and Local Government Information (EEO-4).
    OMB Control Number: 3046-0008.
    Form Number: EEOC Form 164.
    Frequency of Report: Biennial.
    Type of Respondent: State and local government jurisdictions with 
100 or more full-time employees and a rotating probability sample of 
jurisdictions with from 15 to 99 full-time employees.
    Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Codes: 911-965.
    Description of Affected Public: State and local governments.
    Responses: 10,000.
    Reporting Hours: 40,000.
    Federal Cost: $47,000.
    Number of forms: 1.
    Abstract: Section 709(c) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 
1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 2000e-8(e), requires employers to make and 
keep records relevant to a determination of whether unlawful employment 
practices have been or are being committed and to make reports 
therefrom as required by the Commission. Pursuant to 29 CFR Section 
1602.32, state and local governments have been required to submit EEO-4 
reports to the Commission since 1973 (biennially in odd-numbered years 
since 1993). Currently all state and local governments with 250 or more 
full-time employees submit a separate report for each function, up to a 
maximum of 15 functions, which the government performs. All other 
governments in the EEO-4 survey file one report, covering all 
functional activities. On December 23, 1996, the Commission solicited 
public comment in the Federal Register concerning a change in the EEO-4 
collection that requires governments with from 250 to 999 full-time 
employees to submit a separate EEO-4 report only for those functions 
with 100 or more full-time employees and one aggregate report that 
includes the employment in all the remaining functions with fewer than 
100 full-time employees. All other state and local governments will 
continue to file their EEO-4 reports as they have in the past. The 
Commission did not receive any public comments to this notice. This 
reporting change will thus become effective beginning with the 1997 
EEO-4 survey.
    EEO-4 data are used by the Commission to investigate charges of 
employment discrimination against state and local governments and in 
the Commission's systemic program. The data are shared with several 
Federal government agencies. Pursuant to Section 709(d) of Title VII of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, EEO-4 data are also shared 
with approximately 83 State and Local Fair Employment Practices 
agencies. Aggregate data are used by researchers and the general 
public.
    Burden Statement: This change is being taken in the interest of 
streamlining the EEO-4 survey process and reducing the burden on state 
and local governments, while still maintaining sufficient data to meet 
the program needs of the Commission and other agencies that use these 
data. The change will result in a reduced expense and reporting burden 
for state and local governments as required under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3502(i). It is estimated that on an 
annual basis the total number of responses in this data collection will 
be 10,000 responses. The estimated burden hours will be reduced to 
approximately 40,000 hours. The number of respondents will remain at 
about 5,000 state and local governments.
    The reporting burden for this collection is based upon an average 
estimate per response and takes into consideration the large number of 
state and local governments that submit their reports on magnetic 
tapes. Burden hours for any particular government may differ from this 
average estimate depending on the accessibility of information and the 
degree of automation. The burden estimate includes the time needed for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data, and completing and reviewing the collection of 
information.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Commission certifies pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 605(b), enacted by 
the Regulatory Flexibility Act, Pub. L. No. 96-354, that this change 
will not have a significant impact on small employers or other entities 
because the change involves elimination of reporting requirements, and 
that a regulatory flexibility analysis therefore is not required.

    Dated: March 27, 1997.

    For the Commission.
Maria Borrero,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 97-8536 Filed 4-2-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6570-01-M