Collection of Information Under Review by Office of Management and Budget; OMB Control Number: 1625-NEW

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 approval for the following collection of information: 1625-NEW, Merchant Mariner Credentialing—Job Task Analysis. Our ICR describe 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 January 15, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by Coast Guard docket number [USCG-2019-0753] to the Coast Guard using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. Alternatively, you may submit comments to OIRA using one of the following means:

(1) Email: OIRA-submission@omb.eop.gov.

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

(3) Fax: 202-395-6566. To ensure your comments are received in a timely manner, mark the fax, attention Desk Officer for the Coast Guard.

A copy of the ICR is available through the docket on the internet at https://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 202-475-3532, or fax 202-372-8413, 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. Consistent with the requirements of Executive Order 13771, Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs, and Executive Order 13777, Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda, the Coast Guard is also requesting comments on the extent to which this request for information could be modified to reduce the burden on respondents. 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-2019-0753], and must be received by January 15, 2020.

Submitting Comments

We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be submitted using https://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 https://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 https://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-NEW.

Previous Request for Comments

This request provides a 30-day comment period required by OIRA. The Coast Guard has published the 60-day notice (84 FR 54351, October 7, 2019) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That Notice elicited no comments. Accordingly, no changes have been made to the Collection.

Information Collection Request

Title: Merchant Mariner Credentialing—Job Task Analysis.

OMB Control Number: 1625-NEW.

Summary: The Coast Guard's Merchant Mariner Credentialing Program establishes the requirements for the issuance of a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) with the officer or rating endorsements necessary for employment on U.S. flagged vessels. To improve the credentialing process, inform future decisions, and ensure the Coast Guard maintains standards reflecting changes in technology, the Coast Guard is conducting a Job Task Analysis (JTA) for each officer and rating endorsement issued on an MMC. Information shall be collected through focus group discussions and the administration of surveys. Participation is voluntary.

Need: The Coast Guard issues credentials to merchant mariners in accordance with 46 CFR Subchapter B. Screening and assessing applicants for competency ensure they do not present a safety or security risk, they are medically qualified to serve, and that they have the training and experience to serve in the position for which they are applying. The JTA shall inform the training and assessment processes.

Forms: None.

Respondents: Merchant mariners and shoreside personnel.

Frequency: On occasion.

Hour Burden Estimate: The estimated burden is 3,060 hours per year.

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