Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has submitted the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The notice for the proposed information collection is published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are encouraged. Your comments should address any of the following: (a) 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; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of the agencies estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) 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 submission of responses; and (e) Assess information collection costs.

To request additional information on the proposed project or to obtain a copy of the information collection plan and instruments, call (404) 639-7570 or send an email to omb@cdc.gov. Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the items contained in this notice should be directed to the Attention: CDC Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503 or by fax to (202) 395-5806. Written comments should be received within 30 days of this notice.

Proposed Project

Airline and Traveler Information Collection: Domestic Manifests and the Passenger Locator Form—Existing Information Collection in use without an OMB Control Number—National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Background and Brief Description

Stopping a communicable disease outbreak—whether it is naturally occurring or intentionally caused—requires the use of the most rapid and effective public health tools available. Basic public health practices, such as collaborating with airlines in the identification and notification of potentially exposed contacts, are critical tools in the fight against the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases in the United States.

The collection of timely, accurate, and complete contact information enables Quarantine Public Health Officers in CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine (DGMQ) to notify state and local health departments in order for them to make contact with individuals who may have been exposed to a contagious person during travel and identify appropriate next steps.

Under the Public Health Service Act (42 United States Code 264) and under 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 70.2 CDC can order airlines traveling between states to submit a data set, including airline flight details, and passenger and crew member information, if CDC reasonably believes that a traveler exposed to or infected with a communicable disease of public health concern could have put other passengers at risk for a communicable disease.

In order to collect this data set, aka a manifest, CDC seeking approval for domestic airline and traveler information orders under current authorities in 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 70.2. This activity is already current practice.

Additionally, CDC requests to transition the Passenger Locator Form (PLF), previously included and approved by OMB in 0920-0134 Foreign Quarantine Regulations, into this Information Collection Request. Further, CDC is requesting approval for the use of the PLF for the collection of traveler information from individuals on domestic flights. The PLF, a formed developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in concert with its international member states and other aviation organizations, is used when there is a confirmation or strong suspicion that an individual(s) aboard a flight is infected with or exposed to a communicable disease that is a threat to co-travelers, and CDC is made aware of the individual(s) prior to arrival in the United States. This prior awareness can provide CDC with an opportunity to collect traveler contact information directly from the traveler prior to departure from the arrival airport. CDC conducts this information collection under its regulations at 42 CFR 70.6 for domestic flights and 71.32 and 71.33 for flights arriving from foreign countries.

CDC seeks a three-year OMB clearance for this information collection request.

Estimated Annualized Burden Hours

CDC estimates that for each set of airline and traveler information ordered, airlines require approximately six hours to review the order, search their records, and send those records to CDC. CDC anticipates that travelers will need approximately five minutes to complete the PLF. There is no cost to respondents other than their time to perform these actions. For manifest information, CDC does not have a specified format for these submissions, only that it is one acceptable to both CDC and the respondent.