[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 32011]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13369]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    DOC has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
clearance the following proposal for collection of information under 
the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Survey of Housing Starts, Sales, and Completions.
    Form Number(s): SOC-QI/SF.1, SOC-QI/MF.1.
    Agency Approval Number: 0607-0110.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 8,725 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 24,000.
    Avg Hours Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting an extension 
of the currently approved collection for the Survey of Housing Starts, 
Sales, and Completions, otherwise known as the Survey of Construction 
(SOC). The respondents are home builders, real estate agents, rental 
agents, or new home owners of sampled residential buildings.
    The Census Bureau uses the information collected in the SOC to 
publish estimates of the number of new residential housing units 
started, under construction, completed, and the number of new houses 
sold and for sale. Data for two principal economic indicators are 
produced from the SOC: New Residential Construction (housing starts and 
housing completions) and New Residential Sales. In addition, a number 
of other statistical series are produced, including extensive 
information on the physical characteristics of new residential 
buildings, and indexes measuring rates of inflation in the price of new 
buildings.
    Government agencies and private companies use statistics from SOC 
to monitor and evaluate the large and dynamic housing construction 
industry. For example, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 
System uses data from this survey to evaluate the effect of interest 
rates in this interest-rate sensitive area of the economy. The Bureau 
of Economic Analysis uses the data in developing the Gross Domestic 
Product (GDP). The private sector uses the information for estimating 
the demand for building materials and the many products used in new 
housing and to schedule production, distribution, and sales efforts. 
The financial community uses the data to estimate the demand for short-
term (construction loans) and long-term (mortgages) borrowing.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Section 182.
    OMB Desk Officer: Susan Schechter, (202) 395-5103.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, room 6625, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Susan Schechter, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) or 
email ([email protected]).

    Dated: May 22, 2003.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-13369 Filed 5-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P