Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Redistricting Data Program
| Published date | 07 May 2021 |
| Citation | 86 FR 24582 |
| Record Number | 2021-09673 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Census Bureau,Commerce Department |
Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 87 (Friday, May 7, 2021)
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 87 (Friday, May 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24582-24584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09673]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Redistricting Data Program
AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the
proposed revision of the Redistricting Data Program (RDP) prior to the
submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for
approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
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information collection must be received on or before July 6, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to [email protected]. Please reference ``Redistricting Data Program
(RDP)'' in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2021-0010, to the Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received
are part of the public record. No comments will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until after the comment period
has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. All
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to James Whitehorne, Chief, Redistricting & Voting Rights Data Office,
by phone 301-763-4039 or by email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting a three-year clearance to
continue the phases of the Redistricting Data Program (RDP). The
current three-year RDP clearance and the project specific Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 0607-0988 will expire in
November 2021. The new clearance allows the Census Bureau to provide
RDP specific materials, burden hours, and procedures to fifty-two state
liaisons to complete Phase 4: Collection of Post 2020 Census
Redistricting Data Plans and Phase 5: Review of the 2020 Census RDP and
Recommendations for the 2030 RDP. RDP is executed under the provisions
of Title 13, Section 141(c) of the United States Code (U.S.C.).
Under the provisions of Public Law 94-171, as amended (Title 13,
United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)), ``[t]he officers or
public bodies having initial responsibility for the legislative
apportionment or districting of each State may, not later than 3 years
before the decennial census date, submit to the Secretary a plan
identifying the geographic areas for which specific tabulations of
population are desired.'' ``Tabulations of population for the areas
identified in any plan approved by the Secretary shall be completed by
[her] as expeditiously as possible after the decennial census date and
reported to the Governor of the State involved and to the officers or
public bodies having responsibility for legislative apportionment or
districting of such State, except that such tabulations of population
of each State requesting a tabulation plan, and basic tabulations of
population of each other State, shall, in any event, be completed,
reported, and transmitted to each respective State within one year
after the decennial census date.''
II. Method of Collection
The Census Bureau develops and uses different methods to collect
data from program participants. The Census Bureau issued invitations
letters by mail (U.S. Postal Service) and follow-up emails to the
officers or public bodies having initial responsibility for legislative
reapportionment and redistricting. Fifty-two states and state
equivalents, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, have identified non-partisan liaisons that are already
working directly with the Census Bureau on the 2020 Census RDP.
Phase 1: Block Boundary Suggestion Project was conducted and
completed in fiscal years 2015 through 2017.
Phase 2: The Voting District Project was conducted and completed in
fiscal years 2018 through 2020.
Phase 3: Delivery of the 2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data
was originally scheduled for completion on April 1, 2021. Due to COVID-
19-related delays and prioritizing the delivery of the apportionment
results, the Census Bureau will deliver the redistricting data to all
states and state equivalents as Legacy Format Summary File by August
16, 2021, and with the full redistricting data toolkit for easier
access and use of the data by Sept. 30, 2021.
Phase 4: Collection of Post Census Redistricting Data Plans.
Between January 2022 and July 2022, the Census Bureau will solicit from
each state the newly drawn 118th Congressional Districts and State
Legislative Districts. This effort will occur every two years in
advance of the 2030 Census in order to update these boundaries with new
or changed plans. A verification phase will occur with each update.
Phase 5: Review of the 2020 Census RDP and Recommendations for the
2030 Census RDP (2020 post-data collection). As the final phase of the
2020 Census RDP, the Census Bureau will work with the states to conduct
a thorough review of the RDP. The intent of this review, and the final
report that results, is to provide guidance to the Secretary and the
Census Bureau Director in planning the 2030 Census RDP.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-0988.
Form Number(s): Phase 4 Yes/No Participation Form.
Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Revision of a
Currently Approved Collection.
Affected Public: All fifty states, the District of Columbia, and
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 52.
Estimated Time per Response:
Phase 4: 8 hours.
Phase 5: 2 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 520 hours.
Phase 4: 416 hours.
Phase 5: 104 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 (This is not the cost of
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services
required specifically by the collection.)
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Public Law 94-171, as amended (Title 13, United
States Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your
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personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any
time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-09673 Filed 5-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
