[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34394-34395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9257]


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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 revision of the ``International Price Program--U.S. Export 
Price Indexes.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request 
(ICR) can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice on or before August 14, 2006.

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 U.S. Export Price Indexes, produced continuously by the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics' International Price Program (IPP) since 1971, 
measure price change over time for all categories of exported products, 
as well as many services. The Office of Management and Budget has 
listed the Export Price Indexes as a Principal Federal Economic 
Indicator since 1982. The indexes are widely used in both the public 
and private sectors. The primary public sector use is the deflation of 
the U.S. Trade Statistics and the Gross Domestic Product; the indexes 
also are used in formulating U.S. trade policy and in trade 
negotiations with other countries. In the private sector, uses of the 
Export Price Indexes include market analysis, inflation forecasting, 
contract escalation, and replacement cost accounting.
    The IPP indexes are closely followed statistics and are viewed as a 
sensitive indicator of the economic environment. The U.S. Department of 
Commerce uses the monthly statistics to produce monthly and quarterly 
estimates of inflation-adjusted trade flows. Without continuation of 
data collection, it would be extremely difficult to construct accurate 
estimates of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. In addition, Federal 
policymakers in the Department of Treasury, the Council of Economic 
Advisers, and the Federal Reserve Board utilize these statistics on a 
regular basis to improve these agencies' formulation and evaluation of 
monetary and fiscal policy and evaluation of the general business 
environment.

II. Current Action

    The IPP continues to modernize data collection and processing to 
permit more timely release of its indexes, and to reduce reporter 
burden. Recently, the IPP implemented changes to reduce burden on those 
reporters that are major traders and account for a significant portion 
of trade. Field economists are provided with more accurate information 
about the potential overlap between establishments that are both in the 
IPP and the Producer Price Index in order to better coordinate visits 
to establishments when obtaining new items for repricing. The IPP also 
implemented an enhanced refinement process that provides Industry 
Analysts the ability to reduce the burden for a respondent when 
necessary and modified the second stage selection algorithm to lower 
the percentage of infrequently traded areas that are sampled, because 
they are more likely to be out-of-scope for the IPP. These improvements 
should reduce the overall burden on respondents and improve the IPP's 
overall response rate at initiation. In addition, in 2003 the IPP 
introduced a web application for monthly data collection. This tool 
allows respondents to directly update their data online via the 
internet. Web collection has

[[Page 34395]]

expanded rapidly since the IPP began soliciting respondents and as of 
April 2006, the Program had solicited 70 percent of all respondents, 
with a goal of 75 percent by September 2006, and 95 percent by 
September 2007. Through April 2006, nearly 40 percent of the IPP 
respondents are actually utilizing web collection while the majority of 
respondents still use the mailout/faxback process. In addition, email 
repricing has the possibility of expanding and over time these various 
electronic data collection methods for repricing will continue to allow 
the IPP to collect and publish monthly data in a timely manner.

III. Desired Focus of Comments

     The Bureau of Labor Statistics is particularly interested in 
comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     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;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     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.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: International Price Program/U.S. Export Price Indexes.
    OMB Number: 1220-0025.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.

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                                                                                   Average time      Estimated
             Form                    Total          Frequency          Total       per response    total burden
                                  respondents                        responses        (hours)         (hours)
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Initiation Visit (includes               1,400  Annually........           1,400          1.0              1,400
 form 3008).
Form 3007D....................           2,700  Monthly.........          17,010           .6156          10,471
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    Totals....................           4,100  ................          18,410  ..............          11,871
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    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 at Washington, DC, this 6th day of June, 2006.
Catherine Kazanowski,
Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
[FR Doc. E6-9257 Filed 6-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P