TSA comment period closes March 1

By DAVE HOOK.

Do you know about 49 CFR 1552? This regulation deals with alien flight training and flight school security awareness training and is one of the few federal security regulations that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration requires compliance from general aviation. Are you interested in submitting your comments to the TSA and the Office of Management and Budget concerning this training? Now’s your chance.

Periodically a federal agency like the TSA must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to continue to use manpower and resources to collect information. Called an Information Collection Request, an ICR is one of the ways that OMB ensures that information collection activities remain valid in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. An agency must have an OMB control number to be legal to collect specific information. In order to continue to require and collect information from flight schools concerning alien flight training and employee security awareness training, the TSA needs a control number from OMB. But before they can do that, there must be an opportunity for public comment.

Here is what the TSA is telling the OMB: Some 507,750 hours are needed by the TSA to process an estimated 57,500 responses so it may perform its responsibilities with a price tag of over $11.9 million. The TSA is requesting approval to collect this information for another 36 months.

The TSA is requesting comments from the public concerning the collection of this information. Specifically, the TSA wants to know:

1. Is the information necessary? More to the point, is the information necessary for the proper performance of the agency and does it have practical use?
2. Are the estimated manpower and resources burdens accurate?
3. Are there means to improve information quality, usefulness, and clarity?
4. Are there ways to reduce the burden for collecting the information?

For those wishing to submit comments, you have until Thursday, March 1. Click here to go to the U.S. Federal Register webpage for this ICR. Click here to see what the TSA registered with the OMB. To submit your comments send an email to [email protected] and address your comments to the Desk Officer, Department of Homeland Security/TSA.

Fly safe, and be secure!