[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 135 (Thursday, July 13, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43286-43287]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-17722]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 4 of the 
2000 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 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

[[Page 43287]]

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 2000 Panel is currently scheduled for just over one year and 
will include 3 waves of interviewing. We are considering extending the 
panel to include 9 waves. A request for OMB clearance of the core 
questions and Wave 4 topical modules will be submitted if the panel is 
extended. Approximately 11,500 households are in the 2000 Panel. We 
estimate that each household will contain 2.1 persons, yielding 24,150 
interviews in each wave. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. If the 
2000 Panel is extended, three waves of interviewing would occur in the 
2000 Panel during FY 2001. The total annual burden for 2000 Panel SIPP 
interviews would be 36,255 hours in FY 2001.
    The topical modules for the 2000 Panel Wave 4 would collect 
information about:
     Annual Income and Retirement Accounts
     Child Care
     Work Schedule
     Taxes
     Children's Well-Being
    Wave 4 interviews would be conducted from February 2001 through May 
2001.
    A 10-minute reinterview of 750 persons is conducted at each wave to 
ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews would require an additional 
375 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 4 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 2000 panel, respondents are interviewed 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: 0607-0865.
    Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 24,150 persons per wave.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes per person on average.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 37,650.
    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. 00-17722 Filed 7-12-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P