Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals

Federal Register: April 23, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 77)

Notices

Page 18548-18549

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr23ap09-24

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau

Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Survey of

Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 2010 Re-Engineered SIPP--Dress

Rehearsal

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on or before June 22, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental

Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 7845, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at dHynek@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions should be directed to Patrick J. Benton, Census Bureau, Room HQ-6H045,

Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-4618.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Abstract

   The Census Bureau will be conducting a dress rehearsal for the Re- engineered SIPP from January to March of 2010. The SIPP is a household- based survey designed as a continuous series of national panels. The

   Re-engineered SIPP design is a revision of the 2008 Panel SIPP

   Instrument, in which respondents were interviewed at 4-month intervals or ``waves'' over the life of the panel. The current 2008 Panel was molded around a central ``core'' of labor force and income questions that remain fixed throughout the life of the panel and then supplemented with questions designed to address specific needs called

   ``topical modules.'' Examples of these topical modules include Medical

   Expenses, Child Care, Retirement and Pension Plan Coverage, Marital

   History, and others.

   In contrast, the new Re-engineered SIPP will interview respondents in one year intervals, using the previous calendar year as the reference period. The content of the Re-engineered SIPP will match that of the 2008 Panel SIPP very closely. The Re-engineered SIPP will not contain free-standing topical modules. However, a portion of the 2008

   Panel topical module content will be integrated into the Re-engineered

   SIPP interview. The Re-engineered SIPP will use an Event History

   Calendar (EHC), which records dates of events and spells of coverage.

   The EHC should provide increased accuracy to dates reported by respondents.

   The SIPP represents a source of information for a wide variety of topics and allows information for separate topics to be integrated to form a single, unified database so that the interaction between tax, transfer, and other government and private policies can be examined.

   Government domestic policy formulators depend heavily upon the SIPP information concerning the distribution of income received directly as money or indirectly as in-kind benefits and the effect of tax and transfer programs on this distribution. They also need improved and expanded data on the income and general economic and financial situation of the U.S. population, which the SIPP has provided on a continuing basis since 1983. The SIPP has measured levels of economic well being and permitted changes in these levels to be measured over time.

   The 2010 Re-engineered SIPP dress rehearsal will be conducted from

   January 2010 to March 2010. Approximately 8,000 households are selected for the 2010 Re-engineered SIPP dress rehearsal, of which, 5,120 households will likely be interviewed. We estimate that each household contains 2.0 people aged 15 and above, yielding approximately 10,240 person-level interviews in the dress rehearsal. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. The total annual burden for 2010 Re-engineered SIPP dress rehearsal interviews would be 5,120 hours in FY 2010.

   In addition, we will be conducting practice interviews for 2010 Re- engineered SIPP Field Representatives (FR) in November and December of 2009. These practice interviews will consist of 200 Field

   Representatives interviewing 3 households of two persons each at 30 minutes per interview. The resulting burden hours for the practice interviews are 600 burden hours.

2. Method of Collection

   The 2010 Re-engineered SIPP dress rehearsal instrument will consist of one household interview, which will reference the calendar year 2009. The interview is conducted in person with all household members 15 years old or over using regular proxy-respondent rules.

3. Data

   OMB Control Number: None.

   Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.

   Type of Review: Regular submission.

   Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

   Estimated Number of Respondents: 11,440 people.

   Estimated Time per Response: 30 minutes per person on average.

   Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 5,720.

   Estimated Total Annual Cost: The only cost to respondents is their time.

   Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

   Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182.

4. Request for Comments

   Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden

   (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information;

   (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

   Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

   Page 18549

   Dated: April 17, 2009.

   Glenna Mickelson,

   Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.

   FR Doc. E9-9324 Filed 4-22-09; 8:45 am

   BILLING CODE 3510-07-P