Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Labor (DOL or the Department), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements can be properly assessed. Currently, DOL is soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Conference Evaluations Generic Clearance.

A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the ADDRESSES section below on or before August 3, 2009.

The Department of Labor is particularly interested in comments which:

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

ADDRESSES:

Send comments to Darrin A. King, Departmental Clearance Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210. Mr. King can be reached on 202-693-4129 (this is not a toll free number) or by e-mail at DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The Department of Labor (DOL) conducts a variety of voluntary Customer Satisfaction Surveys of regulated/non-regulated entities, which are specifically designed to gather information from a customer's perspective as prescribed by E.O. 12862, Setting Customer Service Standards, September 11, 1993. These Customer Satisfaction Surveys provide information on customer attitudes about the delivery and quality of agency products/services and are used as part of an ongoing process to improve DOL programs. This generic clearance allows agencies to gather information from both Federal and non-Federal users.

In addition to conducting Customer Satisfaction Surveys, the Department also includes the use of evaluation forms for those DOL agencies conducting conferences. These evaluations are helpful in determining the success of the current conference, in developing future conferences, and in meeting the needs of the Department's product/service users.

II. Current Actions

Over the past three years the DOL has conducted more than two dozen customer satisfaction surveys and conference evaluations, which have helped assess the Department's products and services and has led to improvements in areas deemed necessary. Office of Management and Budget approval for this collection of information expires September 30, 2009. DOL proposes to seek continued approval for this collection of information for an additional three years.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Agency: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management.

Title: Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Conference Evaluations Generic Clearance.

OMB Number: 1225-0059.

Affected Public: Individuals and households; business or other for-profit; not-for-profit institutions; Farms; Federal Government; and State, Local, or Tribal Government.

Estimated Total Respondents/Responses: 200,000.

Frequency: On occasion and usually only one time per respondent.

Average Time per Response: Varies by survey/evaluation generally ranging from 3 to 15 minutes with an average of approximately 6 minutes.

Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 20,000.

Total Estimated Burden Cost (excludes hourly wage costs): $0.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the information collection request; they also will become a matter of public record.