[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 1, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5237-5238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1298]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Survey of 
Housing Starts, Sales, and Completions

ACTION: Notice.

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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 and/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 April 3, 2006.

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 Erica Filipek, Census Bureau, Room 2105, FOB 4, 
Washington, DC 20233-6900, (301) 763-5161 (or via the Internet at 
Erica.mary.filipek @census.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau plans to request an extension of the current 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of the Survey of 
Housing Starts, Sales and Completions, also known as the Survey of 
Construction (SOC), to collect monthly data on new residential 
construction from a sample of owners or builders. The Census Bureau 
uses the Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) electronic 
questionnaires SOC-QI/SF.1 and SOC-QI/MF.1 to collect data on start and 
completion dates of construction, physical characteristics of the 
structure (floor area, number of bathrooms, type of heating system, 
etc), and if applicable, date of sale, sales price, and

[[Page 5238]]

type of financing. The SOC program provides widely used measures of 
construction activity, including the economic indicators Housing Starts 
and Housing Completions, which are from the New Residential 
Construction series, and New Residential Sales.
    We sample about 2,350 new buildings each month (28,200 per year). 
We inquire about the progress of each building multiple times until it 
is completed (and a sales contract is signed, if it is a single-family 
house that is built for sale). We conduct an average of 6.25 interviews 
for each building sampled. The total number of interviews conducted 
each year is about 176,250. Each interview takes 5 minutes on average. 
Therefore the total annual burden is 14,688 hours.
    We do not plan any changes to the SOC-QI/SF.1 and SOC-QI/MF.1 
forms.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau uses its field representatives to collect the 
data. The field representatives conduct interviews to obtain data.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0607-0110.
    Form Number: SOC-QI/SF.1 and SOC-QI/MF.1.
    Type of Review: Regular review.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-
profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 28,200.
    Estimated Time per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 14,688.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Public: $386,441. The estimated 
cost is based on an average hourly pay for respondent to be $26.31. 
This estimate was taken from the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey for 2004.
    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 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: January 26, 2006.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E6-1298 Filed 1-31-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P