Paperwork Reduction Act

Overview

The primary goals of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 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; and,
• Improving the federal government's accountability for managing information collection activities.

The DOL Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) maintains a program that provides oversight for DOL information collection (paperwork) activities.

Overseeing Information Collections and Paperwork Reduction Process

The 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, section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and other applicable laws; and,
• The collection imposes minimum burden on the public and offers practical utility.

The OCIO also provides overall management of DOL’s information collection enterprise including:

• Managing efforts to reduce DOL's public paperwork burden in accordance with applicable directives;
• 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 DOL’s information collection inventory; and,
• 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 States is available on the White House Web Site and can be viewed at the following URL: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/inforeg_infocoll#icbusg.

Additional Resources

• Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.)
• Regulations Implementing Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (5 C.F.R. part 1320)
• Information Collection Status Information (RegInfo.gov)
• Federal Register (OFR)
• Regulatory Activity (Regulations.gov)

Have a suggestion or a question about DOL information collections?

Send an email to DOL_PRA_PUBLIC@dol.gov. Please be as specific as you can in identifying the information collection (e.g., provide the information collection name or a form or OMB control number.)