[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 131 (Monday, July 9, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35771-35772]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-17029]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 4 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, Pub. L. 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before September 7, 
2001.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Madeleine Clayton, 
Departmental Paperwork 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 
3387, 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 one to four 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 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 people, yielding 78,750 interviews in Wave 1 
and subsequent waves. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. Three 
waves of interviewing will occur in the 2001 SIPP Panel during FY 2002. 
The total annual burden for 2001 Panel SIPP interviews would be 118,125 
hours in FY 2002.
    The topical modules for the 2001 Panel Wave 4 collect information 
about:

[[Page 35772]]

     Annual Income and Retirement Accounts
     Taxes
     Work Schedule
     Child Care
    Wave 4 interviews will be conducted from February 2002 through May 
2002.
    A 10-minute reinterview of 2,500 persons is conducted at each wave 
to ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews would require an 
additional 1,253 burden hours in FY 2002.
    An additional 2,100 burden hours is requested in order to continue 
the SIPP Methods Panel testing. The test targets SIPP 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 one to four 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: 0607-0875.
    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: 121,478.
    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 3, 2001.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-17029 Filed 7-6-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P