Paperwork Reduction

Overview

The primary goals of the Department of Labor (DOL) paperwork reduction effort are:

• Minimizing paperwork burden imposed on the American public
• Ensuring maximum utility and quality of federal information
• Ensuring the use of information technology to improve Government performance
• Improving the federal government's accountability for managing information collection activities.

These goals were set by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995. The PRA requires DOL and other federal agencies to be accountable for reducing the burden of federal paperwork requirements. The Department's commitment to reducing paper burdens is reflected in our Progress Summary below.

The DOL Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) maintains a team that provides oversight for paperwork reduction. Responsibilities include:

• Synchronizing Efforts with the Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA)
• Overseeing Information Collections and the Paperwork Reduction Process
• Maintaining and Reporting the Results of an Annual Information Collection Budget

Progress Summary and Analysis for Reducing Paperwork Burden

The DOL is committed to reducing paperwork burden, and we have made progress in achieving federal goals. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) set government wide burden hour reduction goals of 10% for Fiscal Year (FY) 1996 and FY 1997, and 5% for FY 1998 - FY 2001. The Department adopted these reduction goals and by FY 2001, achieved an approximate 30% reduction in public burden hours. These reductions came as a result of program changes (those changes as a result of deliberate federal government action) and recognition of adjustments (those changes that are not a result of federal government action, such as new estimates).

While the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 does not specify burden reduction goals for periods following FY 2001, the Department still makes every effort to ensure that it achieves maximum practicable reductions given its statutory and programmatic responsibilities. To that end, DOL's total burden reduction for Fiscal Years 1995 through 2005 is approximately 38%. As noted above, these reductions came as a result of both program changes and the recognition of adjustments. The table below provides a year-by-year summary of DOL's burden reduction progress.

Synchronization with the Government Paperwork Elimination Act

The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) amends the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) in order to minimize the burden of federal paperwork demands upon the American public through the implementation of information technologies. GPEA sets forth two purposes: (1) to encourage replacing paper information collection processes with electronic processes and (2) enable federal agencies to achieve the purposes of the PRA more effectively.

For federal agencies to demonstrate full compliance with the PRA, they must also demonstrate full compliance with GPEA by providing electronic options for information collections "when practicable" by October 2003. (Federal Register, Vol. 64, No. 43, March 05, 1999).

Overseeing Information Collections and Paperwork Reduction Process

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) is responsible for overseeing the paperwork reduction process. Requests for information collections subject to the PRA must be announced for public comment in the Federal Register, reviewed by the OCIO, and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The CIO certifies that the DOL program agency has fully complied with all provisions of the PRA and other applicable laws and policies.

The OCIO reviews information collection requirements contained in regulatory documents and in information collection requests to ensure:

• Legal authority or necessity for the collection of information
• Compliance with the PRA, GPEA, Privacy Act, and other applicable laws
• The collection imposes minimum burden on the public and offers practical utility

We also provide overall management of DOLs information collection enterprise including:

• Managing efforts to reduce DOL's public paperwork burden in accordance with the Presidents Management Agenda
• Coordinating information collection activity with OMB and DOL agencies
• Conducting public consultations as required by 5 CFR 1320.5
• Providing training and technical assistance on PRA requirements
• Managing data associated with DOLs information collection inventory
• Providing reports to OMB and DOL senior management

Maintaining and Reporting the Results of an Annual Information Collection Budget

Annually, OMB issues a data request via an OMB Bulletin to all federal agencies, which contains instructions for agency preparation of the Information Collection Budget (ICB) submissions. The ICB serves as a mechanism to implement the paperwork reduction program and to help Executive Branch departments to better manage and control the use of federal information collections. Throughout the year, OCIO tracks ICB data and initiatives designed to reduce paperwork burden on the public, including the use of information technology to reduce the burden. OCIO coordinates with DOL agencies to complete the ICB and submits the report to OMB. OMB, in turn, uses this information to prepare the federal government's ICB, which is submitted to Congress.

The Information Collection Budget of the United Statesis available on the White House Web Site and can be viewed at the following URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/infocoll.html#icbusg

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