[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66655-66656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27747]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4737-N-08]


Notice of Proposed Information Collection for Public Comment: 
Data Collection Techniques for Identifying the Housing Subsidy Status 
of Survey Respondents

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described 
below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department 
is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES:  Comment Due Date: December 31, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments should refer to the proposal by name and/or OMB 
Control Number and should be sent to: Reports Liaison Officer, Office 
of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street, Room 8228, SW., Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harold R. Holzman, Program Evaluation 
Division, Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 8140, 
Washington, DC 20410, telephone 202-708-3700, extension 5709. This is 
not a toll-free number. E-mail: [email protected]. Copies of 
the proposed forms and other available documents may be obtained from 
Harold Holzman.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department will submit the proposed 
information collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended).
    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to: 
(1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper

[[Page 66656]]

performance of functions to the agency, including if the information 
will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's 
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (3) 
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who respond, including through the use of appropriate automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology that 
will reduce respondent burden (e.g., permitting electronic submission 
of responses).
    This notice also provides the following information:
    Title of Proposal: Data Collection Techniques for Identifying the 
Housing Subsidy Status of Survey Respondents.
    Description of the Need for Information and Proposed Use: The 
Department is conducting under contract a study to develop techniques 
to more accurately identify respondents' housing subsidy status in the 
American Housing Survey (AHS). The AHS provides information about the 
Nation's housing needs, with emphasis on the condition of the housing 
of low income households, as required by the Housing and Urban/Rural 
Recovery Act of 1983. The AHS data are also the basis of an annual 
report on housing quality that Congress requires of the President. 
Further, AHS data allow the Department to evaluate the housing needs of 
low-income families.
    Accuracy of the results has been an issue in past versions of the 
AHS. Specifically, a substantial proportion of respondents misidentify 
their housing subsidy status in the survey. This threatens the accuracy 
of information that is reported to Congress, and it also can lead the 
Department to provide inadequate amounts of housing assistance to low-
income families.
    Some housing subsidy misidentifications in the AHS involve a `false 
positive' pattern: individuals who do not receive a housing subsidy 
based on program records indicate that they do receive a subsidy in the 
AHS. The present investigation is an attempt to determine whether 
alternative survey questions would reduce the number of false positives 
in the AHS.
    To identify false positives, it is necessary to first identify 
individuals who believe themselves in receipt of a housing subsidy, 
then use program records to determine whether they are actually 
receiving a subsidy. In the present study, screening interviews matched 
with program records will be used to identify individuals who fit the 
false positive pattern. Alternative questions designed to more 
effectively identify false positives will be tested in a second 
interview with a sample of such individuals.
    Members of the Affected Public: (1) Randomly selected individuals 
will participate in screening interviews; and (2) a subset of the 
randomly selected individuals will participate in a second interview.
    Estimation of the Total Number of Hours Needed With Those Surveyed 
to Conduct the Information Collection, Including Number of Respondents, 
Frequency of Response, and Hours of Response: The researchers will 
complete screening interviews with 800 individuals. The individuals 
will be interviewed by telephone, in their homes, or in another place 
that is convenient for them. The screening interviews will involve 
questions about housing subsidies, to identify individuals who believe 
themselves in receipt of a subsidy. Fifteen individuals who believe 
themselves in receipt of a subsidy but who are not according to program 
records will participate in a second interview. This second interview 
will test alternative questions designed to more accurately identify 
individuals' housing subsidy status.
    Estimation of the Total Number of Hours Needed With Those Surveyed 
to Conduct the Information Collection, Including Number of Respondents, 
Frequency of Response, and Hours of Response:

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                                                     Number of       Number of      Minutes per    Total burden
              Types of respondents                  respondents      responses      respondent         hours
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Randomly selected individuals...................             800               1               5              67
Low-income individuals who incorrectly believe                15               1              60              15
 that they are receiving a housing subsidy......
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    Total.......................................             815  ..............  ..............              82
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    Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Pending OMB for 
approval.

    Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended.

    Dated: October 23, 2002.
Harold L. Bunce,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs.
[FR Doc. 02-27747 Filed 10-31-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-62-M