2018-10858. Collection of Information Under Review by Office of Management and Budget; OMB Control Number: 1625-0012

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Thirty-day notice requesting comments.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 the U.S. Coast Guard is forwarding an Information Collection Request (ICR), abstracted below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), requesting an extension of its approval for the following collection of information: 1625-0012, Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariner; without change. Our ICR describes the information we seek to collect from the public. Review and comments by OIRA ensure we only impose paperwork burdens commensurate with our performance of duties.

DATES:

Comments must reach the Coast Guard and OIRA on or before June 21, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by Coast Guard docket number [USCG-2018-0134] to the Coast Guard using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Alternatively, you may submit comments to OIRA using one of the following means:

(1) Email: [e-mail].

(2) Mail: OIRA, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503, attention Desk Officer for the Coast Guard.

A copy of the ICR is available through the docket on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov. Additionally, copies are available from: Commandant (CG-612), Attn: Paperwork Reduction Act Manager, U.S. Coast Guard, 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE, Stop 7710, Washington, DC 20593-7710.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Anthony Smith, Office of Information Management, telephone [phone], or fax [phone], for questions on these documents.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

This Notice relies on the authority of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended. An ICR is an application to OIRA seeking the approval, extension, or renewal of a Coast Guard collection of information (Collection). The ICR contains information describing the Collection's purpose, the Collection's likely burden on the affected public, an explanation of the necessity of the Collection, and other important information describing the Collection. There is one ICR for each Collection. The Coast Guard invites comments on whether this ICR should be granted based on the Collection being necessary for the proper performance of Departmental functions. In particular, the Coast Guard would appreciate comments addressing: (1) The practical utility of the Collection; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden of the Collection; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of information subject to the Collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the Collection on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. These comments will help OIRA determine whether to approve the ICR referred to in this Notice.

We encourage you to respond to this request by submitting comments and related materials. Comments to Coast Guard or OIRA must contain the OMB Control Number of the ICR. They must also contain the docket number of this request, [USCG-2018-0134], and must be received by June 21, 2018.

Submitting Comments

We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be submitted using http://www.regulations.gov,, contact the person in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate instructions. Documents mentioned in this notice, and all public comments, are in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following that website's instructions. Additionally, if you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments are posted.

We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the docket, you may review a Privacy Act notice regarding the Federal Docket Management System in the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal Register (70 FR 15086).

OIRA posts its decisions on ICRs online at http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain after the comment period for each ICR. An OMB Notice of Action on each ICR will become available via a hyperlink in the OMB Control Number: 1625-0012.

Previous Request for Comments

This request provides a 30-day comment period required by OIRA. The Coast Guard published the 60-day notice (83 FR 9010, March 2, 2018) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That Notice elicited one comment. The commenter expressed concern about the burden of the master signing all three copies of the collection in ink. The commenter explained that when the entire crew is discharged, the master must sign his name in excess of 60 times. The commenter also proposed allowing digital signatures on the collection.

In response to the burden of signing a certificate more than once, the Coast Guard is bound by regulation in 46 CFR 14.307(a) to require the certificate and its copies to be ink signed. We may consider changing this regulation at a future time. The Coast Guard will not accept electronic signed certificates at this time because the regulation expressly states they must be ink signed. Additionally, the Coast Guard has not evaluated or selected any certain software for electronic signatures from the public and do not currently have the capabilities to implement electronic signature verification. Accordingly, no changes have been made to the Collections.

Information Collection Request

Title: Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariner.

OMB Control Number: 1625-0012.

Summary: Title 46, United States Code 10311 requires each master or individual in charge of a vessel, to prepare a Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariners for each mariner being discharged from the vessel. These documents are used to establish evidence of sea service aboard U.S. flagged merchant vessels for merchant mariners to upgrade their credentials, establish proof of eligibility for union and other benefits, and in litigation where vessel service is an issue.

Need: The information collected provides the U.S. Coast Guard evidence of sea service used in determining eligibility for issuance of a merchant mariner credential, to determine eligibility for various benefits such as medical and retirement, and to provide information to the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) on the availability of mariners in a time of a national emergency.

Forms: CG-718A. Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariner.

Respondents: Shipping companies, masters or individuals in charge of a vessel.

Frequency: On occasion.

Hour Burden Estimate: The estimated annual burden remains 1,478 hours a year.

Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.

Dated: May 16, 2018.

James D. Roppel,

U.S. Coast Guard, Acting Chief, Office of Information Management.