[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 124 (Wednesday, June 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36755-36756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-10144]


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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: Monthly Survey of Residential Alterations and Repairs.
    Form Number(s): SORAR-705.
    Agency Approval Number: 0607-0130.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 5,100.
    Number of Respondents: 1,700.
    Avg Hours per Response: 15 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests an extension of the 
currently approved collection for the Monthly Survey of Residential 
Alterations and Repairs. The Census Bureau is responsible for preparing 
estimates of the expenditures for residential improvement and repairs. 
This segment of the construction industry amounted to more than $198 
billion in 2004. While the majority of the data are gathered from the 
Consumer Expenditure Survey (OMB number 1220-0050), a portion of the 
data ($55 billion in 2004) are collected on the SORAR-705 form. This 
survey is mailed to a sample of owners of rental or vacant residential 
properties. Since residential improvement and repairs are a large and 
growing economic sector, any measure of the construction industry would 
be incomplete without the inclusion of these data.
    The Census Bureau uses the information collected on Form SORAR-705 
to publish improvement and repair expenditures for rental and vacant 
residential properties. Data on improvements and repairs to owner-
occupied properties are collected in the Consumer Expenditure Survey. 
Combined published estimates are used by a variety of private 
businesses and trade associations for marketing studies, economic 
forecasts and assessments of

[[Page 36756]]

the construction industry. They also provide all levels of Government 
with a tool to evaluate economic policy and measure progress toward 
established goals. For example, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) 
uses the Census Bureau's improvement statistics to develop the 
residential structures component of the gross private domestic 
investment in the national income and product accounts.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Businesses or other 
for-profit.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 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 e-
mail ([email protected]).

    Dated: June 22, 2006,
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E6-10144 Filed 6-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P