[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12943-12944]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-6401]


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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 
with 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. The 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is soliciting comments concerning the 
proposed reinstatement of the ``National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 
1979.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can 
be obtained by contacting the individual listed 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 May 19, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 4080, 
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 20212, telephone number 
202-691-7628 (this is not a toll free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
telephone number 202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) is a 
representative national sample of persons who were born in the years 
1957 to 1964 and lived in the U.S. in 1978. These respondents were ages 
14-22 when the first round of interviews began in 1979; they will be 
ages 39 to 47 when the planned 21st round of interviews is conducted 
from January to November 2004. The NLSY79 was conducted annually from 
1979 to 1994 and has been conducted biennially since 1994. The 
longitudinal focus of this survey requires information to be collected 
from the same individuals over many years in order to trace their 
education, training, work experience, fertility, income, and program 
participation.
    In addition to the main NLSY79, the biological children of female 
NLSY79 respondents have been surveyed since 1986, when the National 
Institute of Child Health and Human Development began providing funding 
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to gather a large amount of 
information about the lives of these children. A battery of child 
cognitive, socio-emotional, and physiological assessments has been 
administered biennially since 1986 to NLSY79 mothers and their 
children. Starting in 1994, children who had reached age 15 by December 
31 of the survey year (the Young Adults) were interviewed about their 
work experiences, training, schooling, health, fertility, and self-
esteem, as well as sensitive topics addressed in a supplemental, self-
administered questionnaire.
    The BLS contracts with the Center for Human Resource Research 
(CHRR) of the Ohio State University to implement the NLSY79, Child, and 
Young Adult surveys. Interviewing of respondents is conducted by the 
National Opinion Research Center (NORC) of the University of Chicago. 
Among the objectives of the Department of Labor (DOL) are to promote 
the development of the U.S. labor force and the efficiency of the U.S. 
labor market. The BLS contributes to these objectives by gathering 
information about the labor force and labor market and disseminating it 
to policy makers and the public so that participants in those markets 
can make more informed and, thus, more efficient, choices. Research 
based on the NLSY79 contributes to the formation of national policy in 
the areas of education, training, employment programs, and school-to-
work transitions. In addition to the reports that the BLS produces 
based on data from the NLSY79, members of the academic community 
publish articles and reports based on NLSY79 data for the DOL and other 
funding agencies. The survey design provides data gathered from the 
same respondents over time to form the only data set that contains this 
type of intergenerational information for these important population 
groups. Without the collection of these data, an accurate longitudinal 
data set could not be provided to researchers and policy makers, and 
the DOL would not have the data for use in performing its policy and 
report-making activities.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
    [sbull] Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including

[[Page 12944]]

whether the information will have practical utility;
    [sbull] 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;
    [sbull] Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    [sbull] 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.

III. Current Actions

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics seeks approval to conduct the round 
21 interviews of the NLSY79 and the associated surveys of biological 
children of female NLSY79 respondents. The main NLSY79 interview has an 
average response time of approximately 60 minutes per respondent. The 
time estimate for the NLSY79 Child Survey involves three components:
    [sbull] The Mother Supplement is administered to female NLSY79 
respondents who live with biological children under age 15. This 
questionnaire will be administered to about 2,000 women, who will be 
asked a series of questions about each child under age 15. On average, 
these women each have about 1.5 children under age 15, for a total 
number of approximately 3,000 children.
    [sbull] The Child Supplement involves aptitude testing of about 
2,700 children under age 15.
    [sbull] The Child Self-Administered Questionnaire is administered 
to approximately 1500 children ages 10 to 14.
    In addition to the main NLSY79 and Child Survey, the Young Adult 
Survey will be administered to approximately 2,800 youths ages 15 to 20 
who are the biological children of female NLSY79 respondents. These 
youths will be contacted for an interview regardless of whether they 
reside with their mothers.
    During the field period, about 200 main NLSY79 interviews are 
validated to ascertain whether the interview took place as the 
interviewer reported and whether the interview was done in a polite and 
professional manner.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously 
approved collection for which approval has expired.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.
    OMB Number: 1220-0109.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.

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                                            Total                                     Total
                 Form                    respondents           Frequency            responses     Average time per response     Estimated total burden
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NLSY79 Round 21 Pretest..............              30  Biennially..............              30  60 minutes.................  30 hours
Main NLSY79 Survey...................           8,000  Biennially..............           8,000  60 minutes.................  8,000 hours
Main NLSY79 Validation Reinterview...             200  Biennially..............             200  6 minutes..................  20 hours
Mother Supplement....................           2,000  Biennially..............           3,000  21 minutes.................  1,050 hours
Child Supplement.....................           2,700  Biennially..............           2,700  31 minutes.................  1,395 hours
Child Self-Administered Questionnaire           1,500  Biennially..............           1,500  30 minutes.................  750 hours
Young Adult Survey...................           2,800  Biennially..............           2,800  45 minutes.................  2,100 hours
Totals...............................  ..............  ........................          18,230  ...........................  13,345 hours
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Note: The number of respondents for the Mother Supplement (2,000) is less than the number of responses (3,000) because mothers are asked to provide
  separate responses for each of the biological children with whom they reside.

    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 in Washington, DC, this 7th day of March, 2003.
Jesus Salinas,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics.
[FR Doc. 03-6401 Filed 3-17-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P