[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 135 (Thursday, July 13, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43285-43286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-17721]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 1 of the 
2001 Panel

ACTION: Proposed Collection; Comment Request.

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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 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: Written comments must be submitted on or before September 11, 
2000.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
6086, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via 
the Internet at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Judith H. Eargle, Census Bureau, FOB 3, Room 
3379, Washington, DC 20233-0001, (301) 457-3819.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau conducts the SIPP which is a household-based 
survey designed as a continuous series of national panels. New panels 
are introduced every few years with each panel usually having durations 
of 1 to 4 years. Respondents are interviewed at 4-month intervals or 
``waves'' over the life of the panel. The survey is molded around a 
central ``core'' of labor force and income questions that remain fixed 
throughout the life of the panel. The core is supplemented with 
questions designed to address specific needs, such as obtaining 
information on taxes, the ownership and contributions made to an 
Individual Retirement Account, Keogh, and 401K plans, examining 
patterns in respondent work schedules, and child

[[Page 43286]]

care arrangements. These supplemental questions are included with the 
core and are referred to as ``topical modules.''
    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. The SIPP has provided these kinds of 
data on a continuing basis since 1983 permitting levels of economic 
well-being and changes in these levels to be measured over time.
    The 2001 panel is currently scheduled for three years and will 
include nine waves of interviewing beginning February 2001. 
Approximately 50,000 households will be selected for the 2001 panel, of 
which, 37,500 are expected to be interviewed. We estimate that each 
household will contain 2.1 persons, yielding 78,750 interviews in Wave 
1 and subsequent waves. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. Two 
waves of interviewing will occur in the 2001 SIPP Panel during FY 2001. 
The total annual burden for 2001 Panel SIPP interviews would be 78,750 
hours in FY 2001.
    The topical modules for the 2001 Panel Wave 1 collect information 
about: Recipiency History Employment History Wave 1 interviews will be 
conducted from February 2001 through May 2001.
    A 10-minute reinterview of 2,500 persons is conducted at each wave 
to ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews would require an 
additional 835 burden hours in FY 2001.
    An additional 1,050 burden hours is requested in order to continue 
the SIPP Methods Panel testing which will be conducted during the 
period of Wave 1 interviewing. The test targets SIPP Wave 1 items and 
sections that require thorough and rigorous testing in order to improve 
the quality of core data.

II. Method of Collection

    The SIPP is designed as a continuing series of national panels of 
interviewed households that are introduced every few years with each 
panel having durations of 1 to 4 years. All household members 15 years 
old or over are interviewed using regular proxy-respondent rules. 
During the 2001 panel, respondents are interviewed a total of nine 
times (nine waves) at 4-month intervals making the SIPP a longitudinal 
survey. Sample people (all household members present at the time of the 
first interview) who move within the country and reasonably close to a 
SIPP primary sampling unit will be followed and interviewed at their 
new address. Individuals 15 years old or over who enter the household 
after Wave 1 will be interviewed; however, if these individuals move, 
they are not followed unless they happen to move along with a Wave 1 
sample individual.

III. Data

    OMB Number: Not Available.
    Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 78,750 persons per wave.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes per person on average.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 80,635.
    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.

IV. 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 or 
included in the request for the Office of Management and Budget 
approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter 
of public record.

    Dated: July 10, 2000.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-17721 Filed 7-12-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P