2020-20346. Submission for Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection 3206-0258: Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (SF 85P) and Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions (SF 85P-S)

AGENCY:

Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION:

60-day notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposes to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) renew a previously-approved information collection, Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (SF 85P) and Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions (SF 85P-S).

DATES:

Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until November 16, 2020. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1).

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by docket number and title, by the following method:

Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this document. The general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

A copy of this ICR, with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by contacting Lisa Loss, 202-606-1800, or U. S. Office of Personnel Management, Suitability Executive Agent Programs, P. O. Box 699, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, or sent by email to [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OPM is soliciting comments for this collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). The Office of Management and Budget is particularly interested in comments that:

1. Evaluate 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;

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submissions of responses.

The Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions, SF 85P and Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions, SF 85P-S, are information collections completed by applicants for, or incumbents of, Federal Government civilian positions, or positions in private entities performing work for the Federal Government under contract (SF 85P only). The collections are used as the basis of information for background investigations to establish that such persons are:

• Suitable for employment or retention in Federal employment in a public trust position or fit for employment or retention in Federal employment in the excepted service when the duties to be performed are equivalent in degree of trust reposed in the incumbent to a public trust position;
• Fit to perform work on behalf of the Federal Government pursuant to the Government contract, when the duties to be performed are equivalent in degree of trust reposed in the individual to a public trust position;
• Eligible for physical and logical access to federally controlled facilities or information systems, when the duties to be performed by the individual are equivalent to the duties performed by an employee in a public trust position.

For applicants, the SF 85P and SF 85P-S are to be used only after a conditional offer of employment has been made. The SF 85P-S is supplemental to the SF 85P and is used only as approved by OPM, for certain positions such as those requiring carrying of a firearm. e-QIP (Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing) is a web-based system application that houses the SF 85P and SF 85P-S. A variable in assessing burden hours is the nature of the electronic application. The electronic application includes branching questions and instructions which provide for a tailored collection from the respondent based on varying factors in the respondent's personal history. The burden on the respondent is reduced when the respondent's personal history is not relevant to particular question, since the question branches, or expands for additional details, only for those persons who have pertinent information to provide regarding that line of questioning. Accordingly, the burden on the respondent will vary depending on whether the information collection relates to the respondent's personal history.

OPM recommends renewal of the form without any proposed changes, except to underlying authorities, which have been revised in the period since the last renewal, and the Privacy Act Information Statement, to acknowledge the transfer of background investigations files from OPM to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. No other changes are recommended at this time. Ongoing assessments will occur to ensure the SF 85P and SF 85P-S reflect and collect pertinent information for the investigative process and align with governing policies, rules, and regulations requiring use of these forms.

Analysis

Agency: Office of Personnel Management.

Title: Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions (SF 85P) and Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions (SF 85P-S).

OMB Number: 3206-0258.

Affected Public: Individuals.

Number of Respondents: 112,894 (SF 85P); 11,717 (SF 85P-S).

Estimated Time per Respondent: 155 minutes (SF 85P); 10 minutes (SF 85P-S).

Total Burden Hours: 282,235 (SF 85P); 1,953 (SF 85P-S).

Office of Personnel Management.

Alexys Stanley,

Regulatory Affairs Analyst.