[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 10 (Friday, January 15, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2681-2682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-948]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Bureau of Labor Statistics


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of 
information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to ensure that 
requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden 
(time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are 
clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on 
respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the proposed 
revision of the ``Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services 
Survey.''
    A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can be 
obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the addresses 
section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
addresses section below on or before March 16, 1999.
    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments which:
    Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
    Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting 
electronic submissions of responses.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Karin G. Kurz, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3255, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20212. Ms. Kurz can be 
reached on 202-606-7628 (this is not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Under the direction of the Secretary of Labor, the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) is directed by law to collect, collate, and report 
full and complete statistics on the conditions of labor and the 
products and distribution of the products of the same; the Consumer 
Price Index (CPI) is one of these statistics. The collection of data 
from a

[[Page 2682]]

wide spectrum of retail establishments and government agencies is 
essential for the timely and accurate calculation of the Commodities 
and Services (C&S) component of the CPI.
    The CPI is the only index compiled by the U.S. Government that is 
designed to measure changes in the purchasing power of the urban 
consumer's dollar. The CPI is a measure of the average change in prices 
paid by urban consumers for a fixed market basket of goods and 
services.
    The CPI is used most widely as a measure of inflation, and serves 
as an indicator of the effectiveness of government economic policy. It 
also is used as a deflator of other economic series, that is, to adjust 
other series for price changes and to translate these series into 
inflation-free dollars. A third major use of the CPI is to adjust 
income payments. Over two million workers are covered by collective 
bargaining contracts which provide for increases in wage rates based on 
increases in the CPI.
    The continuation of the collection of prices for the CPI is 
essential since the CPI is the nation's chief source of information on 
retail price changes. If the information on C&S prices were not 
collected, Federal fiscal and monetary policies would be hampered due 
to the lack of information on price changes in a major sector of the 
U.S. economy, and estimates of the real value of the Gross National 
Product could not be made. The consequences to both the Federal and 
private sectors would be far-reaching and would have serious 
repercussions on Federal government policy and institutions.

II. Current Actions

    A new item optimization model for outlet selection will yield 
larger samples for the 1998 revision over the samples selected for the 
1987 revision. Through rotation, the smaller 1987 revision-based 
samples are being replaced by the larger 1998 revision-based samples. 
The BLS also plans to shift to a rotation model that results in 
rotating the full C&S sample in four years, rather than the five-year 
process currently followed. This change in rotation strategy 
effectively expands the rotation collection each year, by 25 percent. 
The impact of using a new item optimization model, constructed to 
reduce the variance of the CPI, combined with a new four-year rotation 
cycle, would yield approximately 2,700 additional outlets each year, 
and would stabilize once full rotation occurs. A limited supplemental 
collection of prices for use in improving hedonic-based quality 
adjustments also is planned.
    Currently, data for the CPI are recorded on collection schedules by 
CPI field staff in assigned retail outlets and are mailed to the 
National Office for processing. A key element for the future is the 
development of a process to convert all data collection and 
transmission to electronic systems. When in place, a fully implemented 
Computer-Assisted Data Collection (CADC) system for the CPI will result 
in significant advantages by increasing productivity and improving the 
overall quality of the CPI. Electronic data collection and transmission 
will provide long-term savings through a major reduction of mail, 
paper, and printing costs. Electronic systems will provide an 
opportunity to reduce data capture and review time, and to improve 
survey logistics management.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: Consumer Price Index Commodities and Services Survey.
    OMB Number: 1220-0039.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; not-for profit 
institutions; and State, Local or Tribal Government.

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                                                                                                                            Minutes per      Estimated
                 Form No.                   Total number                     Frequency                     Total annual      response      total burden
                                           of respondents                                                    responses       (average)         hours
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BLS 3400.................................          11,831  Annual.......................................          11,831           4                 789
BLS 3400A.2..............................          11,831  Annual.......................................          11,831          36               7,099
BLS 3400B................................          11,831  Annual.......................................          11,831          23               4,535
BLS 3400C................................           3,076  Annual.......................................           3,076           6.9               354
BLS 3401.................................          37,844  Monthly/Bimonthly............................         325,530          14.187          76,972
                                          ----------------                                               -----------------------------------------------
    Totals...............................          42,487  .............................................         337,361          16              89,749
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    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintenance): $0.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for Office of Management and Budget 
approval of the information collection request; they also will become a 
matter of public record.

    Signed at Washington, D.C., this 12th day of January 1999.
W. Stuart Rust, Jr.,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. 99-948 Filed 1-14-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-M