SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION
SMART TRAVELER
ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP)
OMB
Number 1405-0152,
DS-4024, DS-4024e
The information solicited on this form is requested in connection with the provisions of 22 U.S.C. § 2715, 22 U.S.C. § 4802(b), 22 C.F.R. 71.1 and 22 C.F.R. 71.6.
The Department of State provides consular assistance and protection to U.S. nationals abroad. U.S. nationals include all United States citizens. U.S. nationals may register with U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. In the event of a family emergency, natural disaster or international crisis, U.S. embassies and consulates rely on this registration information to provide critical information and assistance to them.
22 U.S.C. § 2715 provides, inter alia, that in the case of a major disaster or incident abroad which affects the health and safety of nationals of the United States residing or traveling abroad, the Secretary of State shall provide prompt and thorough notification of all appropriate information concerning such disaster or incident and its effect on U.S. nationals to the next-of-kin of such individuals.
22 U.S.C. § 4802(b) provides inter alia, that the Secretary of State shall develop and implement policies and programs to provide for the safe and efficient evacuation of private U.S. nationals when their lives are endangered and develop a mechanism whereby United States nationals can voluntarily request to be placed on a list in order to be contacted in the event of an evacuation, or which, in the event of an evacuation, can maintain information on the location of U.S. nationals in high risk areas submitted by their relatives.
22 C.F.R. § 71.1 provides for Foreign Service Officers to perform duties for the protection of Americans abroad, as provided by regulations prescribed by the Secretary of State.
22 C.F.R. § 71.6 provides for Foreign Service Officers to extend every possible aid and assistance within their power to distressed American citizens within their districts, but they shall not expend the funds nor pledge the credit of the Government of the United States for this purpose, except in the case of American seamen, or except as authorized by the Department of State.
The Department of State has developed a Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) that makes it possible for U.S. nationals to register on line from anywhere in the world. The site uses secure encryption. The STEP system enables the Department and its embassies and consulates abroad to better assist U.S. nationals in the event of a crisis, disaster or other emergency, by providing information about which nationals are present in country
The primary purpose for soliciting the information is to enable U.S. nationals to register their whereabouts abroad on a voluntary basis, so that they may be contacted in the event of an evacuation or other emergency, in furtherance of the Secretary's responsibility for the protection of U.S. nationals abroad.
The STEP is intended for use by U.S. nationals residing or traveling abroad. U.S. nationals may register from their home or business in the United States prior to their overseas travel, or from anywhere in the world using the Internet. The service is available on the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs web site http://travel.state.gov/ at https://step.state.gov/step/. The information received is used to facilitate locating and contacting U.S. nationals in the event of a major disaster or incident abroad, and evacuation, or a family emergency.
This collection of information is stored and primarily collected through electronic means, but a paper version of the information collection has been developed to assist individuals who do not have access to the Internet. U.S. embassies and consulates can enter the data from the paper version received by mail or fax into the American Citizens Services (ACS) system. The paper version provides a convenient mechanism to supplement existing electronic registration services.
By registering over the Internet, U.S. nationals do not have to go to a U.S. embassy or consulate, thereby reducing the burden on the public. Increased security threats against U.S. embassies abroad were also a factor in the decision to use electronic registration in lieu of requiring individuals to go to a U.S. embassy or consulate. Traditional on-site registration will still be available.
The information in the STEP is not duplicative of information maintained elsewhere or otherwise available. Since U.S. adult passports are issued for a period of 10 years, the information on the passport application regarding intended places to visit and contacts in the event of an emergency are often not current. The STEP enables the public to register this information quickly and easily for each trip abroad.
The information collection does not involve small businesses or other small entities.
Protection of U.S. nationals, particularly in times of crisis or disaster, is a core function of the Department of State. It is essential that the Department have a reliable mechanism to facilitate communication with U.S. nationals in time[s] of emergency. If the collection were not conducted, the impact on U.S. nationals abroad during these times could be considerable.
No special circumstances exist.
The Department of State (Bureau of Consular Affairs, Directorate of Overseas Citizens Services, Program Management Office published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register on December 1, 2015 (80 FR 75161). There were no public comments. The Department is publishing a 30-day notice in the Federal Register to solicit public comments.
No payment or gift is provided to respondents.
Respondents are informed that release of information obtained in this collection is subject to the restrictions on dissemination contained in the Privacy Act (5 USC 552a). No other promises of confidentiality are made to respondents.
No questions of a sensitive nature are asked.
On average, 1,010,389 respondents file a registration request through STEP annually. The DS-4024 takes 20 minutes to complete. Therefore, the annual burden is calculated at 336,796 hrs. (1,010,389 respondents x 20 mins./60 mins. = 336,796 hrs.). The frequency of response is “on occasion.”
The annualized cost to all respondents for the hour burden for collections of information, based on appropriate wage rate categories, is $10,528,243. The annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, based on appropriate wage rate categories, was determined by figuring out the average hourly wage; $22.33 is the average mean hourly civilian earnings. $22.33/hr. was multiplied by 1.4 to get a weighted hourly wage of $31.26/hr. $31.26/hr. was then multiplied by 336,796 burden hours. The final calculation equals $10,528,243.
There are an estimated 2,560 respondents of the 1,010,389 respondents that mailed the STEP form to U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide. The total average postage cost burden for all respondents is $25,600. The respondents are located in the U.S. and abroad. The average postage cost burden on the respondent is determined using Priority Mail with a Flat Rate Envelope that is 12 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches. Domestic postage under this criterion averages $5. International postage under this criterion averages $15. Overall average for domestic and international postage for each respondent is $10. To determine the overall postage cost burden we multiplied 2,560 respondents by $10, which equals $25,600. The total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information is $25,600.
The projected annual cost to the federal government is as follows: for Calendar Year (CY) CY 2016, $9,545,144; CY 2017, $9,952,579; CY 2018 $9,416,816. Averaged over the three years, the cost is $9,638,179. The projected cost for each calendar year is based on multiplying the projected number of respondents (1,010,389) by the cost of five minutes processing time per form. We determined that half of the forms are processed by overseas Foreign Service Officers and half by Locally Employed Staff (LES) at embassies and consulates overseas. We used the recurring costs in the Bureau of Budget and Planning New Position Cost Model for overseas Foreign Service Officers and the LES Cost Worksheet for Locally Employed Staff to determine the cost rates.
Burden hour figures have increased from 329,430 hrs. to 336,796 hrs. The burden hour figures have increased since the last renewal because more U.S. travelers are taking advantage of the STEP program and this has resulted in a concurrent increase in the overall burden time. The total cost burden on the respondents increased from $25,000 to $25,600 because of the increase in the number of respondents. The costs to the government have changed because the method for determining the cost to the government estimations has changed since the last renewal so that the methodology is now consistent with cost estimation processes used throughout the Department of State.
The following revisions will be made to the DS-4024:
Personal Information: Eliminated the “U.S. address”, “Fax Number”, “Marital Status” and “Occupation” fields.
Combining the “Passport Number” and “Passport Card Number” fields into a single “U.S. Passport Information: Passport or Passport Card Number” field.
Eliminating the “Passport Issuance/Expiration date” fields.
Emergency Contact information: Eliminating the “Fax Number” field.
Eliminating the “Business Information” section in its entirety.
Destination: Eliminating the “Type of Visit”, “Fax Number” and “Destination Type” fields.
Additional Traveler Sections (#1, #2, and #3): Eliminating the “Passport Number,” “Passport Card Number,” Passport Date of Issue,” “Passport Date of Expiration,” and “Fax Number” fields. Adding “Passport or Passport Card Number” field.
Additional Destinations Sections (#1, #2, and #3): Eliminating the “Type of Visit”, “Fax Number” and “Destination Type” fields.
Changing the language for the Routine Uses in the Privacy Act Statement.
The information collected will not be published.
The OMB approval information and expiration date for this collection will be displayed.
No exceptions are being requested to the certification statement.
This collection does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR |
| Author | USDOS |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-24 |