U.S. Department of the Treasury

DATE: September 25, 2017

SUBJECT: Information Collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)

1. PURPOSE. This Directive establishes policy and assigns responsibilities associated with the information collection requirements mandated by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (Public Law 104–13; 44 USC Chapter 35). This Directive authorizes Treasury Directive Publication (TD P) 80-06, Handbook for Treasury Information Collections under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).
2. SCOPE. This Directive applies to all bureaus, offices, and organizations in the Department of the Treasury including the offices of Inspectors General within the Department, and with the exception of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The provisions of this Directive shall not be construed to interfere with or impede the authorities or independence of the Treasury Inspector General, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or the Special Inspector General for TARP.
3. BACKGROUND. The PRA was enacted to ensure that agencies do not overburden the public with federally-sponsored collections of information, by mandating that agencies minimize the information management burden that they place on the public. The PRA generally requires that no agency collect information from the public without notice and public comment and prior approval of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The PRA also requires agencies to report to Congress annually on their efforts to reduce the burden on the public, identify burden reduction initiatives, and disclose any unauthorized information collections from the public.
4. POLICY. It is the policy of the Department of the Treasury that:
   1. Each Treasury Bureau and Departmental Office must meet the PRA’s statutory obligations, as the failure to do so would put the Department at risk of collecting information in violation of the PRA;
   2. Each Treasury Bureau and Departmental Office must meet the PRA’s statutory obligations, as the failure to do so would put the Department at risk of collecting information in violation of the PRA;
      1. 1) Essential to the agency’s mission and have demonstrated practical utility for the agency in performing its function for the life cycle of the information, and
      2. 2) Collected in the most efficient, effective, and economical manner possible;
   3. Information gathering activities, including rulemaking, impose no more than the minimum burden on the public consistent with the need for information;
   4. Unless an exception from the PRA exists, Bureaus and Departmental Offices will not collect information through the Department websites, social media, or web-based interactions until approved by OMB;
   5. The Department will process an emergency request for OMB clearance of an information collection but only if, an unanticipated event has occurred, the normal OMB clearance process would likely prevent or disrupt the information collection, and there is a reasonable likelihood that one of the following will occur:
      1. 1) A statutory or court-ordered deadline will be missed, or
      2. 2) Significant harm to the public or a program will result;
   6. Each Bureau and Departmental Office will have a process in place to ensure that existing and new information collections have OMB clearance under the PRA.
5. DEFINITIONS. Please reference TD P 80-06 for more information.
6. RESPONSIBILITITES.
   1. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Systems and Chief Information Officer (DASIS/CIO) is the Senior Official designated by the PRA statute (44 USC 3506) and prescribed by Treasury Order 102-10 to administer the PRA.
   2. The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Privacy, Transparency, and Records (DASPTR) is delegated operational responsibilities for the PRA program within the Department. Please reference TD P 80-06 for more information.
   3. Heads of Bureaus, Under Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries and Inspectors General shall have responsibilities outlined further in the TD P 80-06.
   4. The PRA Officers within the Bureaus, Departmental Offices, or Inspectors General shall have responsibilities outlined further in TD P 80-06.
   5. Each Program Official (i.e., the person primarily responsible for the collection of information under a specific Bureau, Departmental Office, or Inspector General program office) shall have responsibilities outlined further in TD P 80-06.
7. AUTHORITIES.
   1. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-13) (44 USC Chapter 35).
   2. Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public (5 CFR Part 1320).
   3. Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Planning and Review, as supplemented by Executive Orders 13563 and 13610.
   4. Treasury Order 102-10, “Designation of Chief Information Officer for the Department of the Treasury.”
   5. E-Government Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347).
   6. The Privacy Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-579).
8. REFERENCES.
   1. OMB Memorandum: Information Collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
   2. OMB Memorandum: Social Media, Web-Based Interactive Technologies, and the Paperwork Reduction Act.
   3. OMB Memorandum: Paperwork Reduction Act – Generic Clearances.
   4. OMB Guidance: Standards and Guidance for Statistical Surveys; OMB Statistical Program and Standards.
   5. OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 15, Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administration Reports.
9. OFFICE OF PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Management. Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Privacy, Transparency, and Records.