[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 10, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11365-11366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5318]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 3 of the 
2004 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 May 10, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 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 20233-8400, (301) 763-3819.

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 about assets, liabilities, and child well-being, as well as 
expenses related to work, health care, and child support. 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

[[Page 11366]]

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 2004 panel is currently scheduled for 4 years and will include 
12 waves of interviewing, which began in February 2004. Approximately 
62,000 households were selected for the 2004 panel, of which, 46,500 
are expected to be interviewed. We estimate that each household will 
contain 2.1 people, yielding 97,650 interviews in Wave 1 and subsequent 
waves. Interviews take 30 minutes on average. Three waves of 
interviewing will occur in the 2004 SIPP Panel during FY 2005. The 
total annual burden for 2004 Panel SIPP interviews will be 146,475 
hours in FY 2005.
    The topical modules for the 2004 Panel Wave 3 collect information 
about:
     Medical Expenses and Utilization of Health Care 
(Adults and Children)
     Work Related Expenses and Child Support Paid
     Assets, Liabilities, and Eligibility
     Child Well-Being
    Wave 3 interviews will be conducted from October 2004 through 
January 2005. A 10-minute reinterview of 3,100 people is conducted at 
each wave to ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews will require an 
additional 1,553 burden hours in FY 2005.

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 2004 panel, respondents are interviewed a total of 12 times 
(12 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: 0607-0905.
    Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 97,650 people per wave.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 30 minutes per person on average.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 148,028.
    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: March 4, 2004.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-5318 Filed 3-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P