[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 103 (Wednesday, May 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29956-29958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10335]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit 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: The American Community Survey.
    Form Number(s): ACS-1, ACS-1(SP), ACS-1PR, ACS-1PR(SP),ACS-1(GQ), 
ACS-1(PR)(GQ), GQFQ, ACS CATI (HU), ACS CAPI (HU), ACS Reinterview 
(HU), GQ Reinterivew.
    Agency Approval Number: 0607-0810.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Burden: 1,994,500 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 3,220,000.
    Average Hours Per Response: 37 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau has developed a methodology to 
collect and update every year demographic, social, economic, and 
housing data that are essentially the same as the ``long-form'' data 
that the Census Bureau traditionally has collected once a decade as 
part of the decennial census. Federal and state government agencies use 
such data to evaluate and manage federal programs and to distribute

[[Page 29957]]

funding for various programs that include food stamp benefits, 
transportation dollars, and housing grants. State, county, and 
community governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and the 
general public use information like housing quality, income 
distribution, journey-to-work patterns, immigration data, and regional 
age distributions for decision-making and program evaluation.
    In years past, the Census Bureau collected the long-form data only 
once every ten years, which become out of date over the course of the 
decade. To provide more timely data, the Census Bureau developed an 
alternative called the American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS blends 
the strength of small area estimation with the high quality of current 
surveys. There is an increasing need for current data describing lower 
geographic detail. The ACS is now the only source of data available for 
small-area levels across the Nation and in Puerto Rico. In addition, 
there is an increased interest in obtaining data for small 
subpopulations such as groups within the Hispanic, Asian, and American 
Indian populations, the elderly, and children. The ACS provides current 
data throughout the decade for small areas and small subpopulations.
    In its reengineering efforts for Census 2010, the Census Bureau is 
working to achieve a simplified census based on addressing the needs of 
different population groups, creating an integrated system for data 
capture, processing, and tabulation, and conducting early testing and 
evaluation to achieve operational efficiencies. Decennial census data 
collection efforts will now be spread throughout the decade. The 
operations, and the systems and technologies that support them, will be 
revised and improved to support a continuous data collection program.
    Currently, the Census Bureau is implementing an alternative census 
design. The design retains a short form to conduct a census count and 
collect a few basic characteristics and removes the long form from the 
decennial census, opting instead to replace the once-a-decade long-form 
survey with a continuous annual survey, the American Community Survey. 
Given the escalating complexity of collecting data, the separation of 
long-form data collection from the 2010 Census is critical. The 
American Community Survey achieves this goal.
    The American Community Survey provides more timely information for 
critical economic planning by governments and the private sector. In 
the current information-based economy, federal, state, tribal, and 
local decision-makers, as well as private business and nongovernmental 
organizations, need current, reliable, and comparable socioeconomic 
data to chart the future.
    The ACS began providing up-to-date profiles in 2006 for areas and 
population groups of 65,000 or more people, providing policymakers, 
planners, and service providers in the public and private sectors with 
information every year-not just every ten years. The ACS program will 
provide estimates annually for all states and for all medium and large 
cities, counties, and metropolitan areas. For smaller areas and 
population groups, it will take three to five years to accumulate 
information to provide accurate estimates. After that period of time, 
the multiyear average estimates will be updated annually.
    Using the Master Address File (MAF) from the decennial census that 
is updated each year, Census will select a sample of addresses, mail 
survey forms each month to a new group of potential households, and 
attempt to conduct interviews over the telephone with households that 
have not responded. Upon completion of the telephone follow-up, Census 
will select a sub-sample of the remaining households, which have not 
responded, typically at a rate of one in three, to designate a 
household for a personal interview. Census will also conduct interviews 
with a sample of residents at a sample of group quarters (GQ) 
facilities. Collecting these data from a new sample of HU and GQ 
facilities every month will not only provide more timely data but will 
lessen respondent burden in the decennial census.
    We will release a yearly microdata file, similar to the Public Use 
Microdata Sample file of the Census 2000 long-form records. In 
addition, we will produce total population summary tabulations similar 
to the Census 2000 tabulations down to the block group level. The 
microdata files, tabulated files, and their associated documentation 
are available through the Internet.
    For the 2008 ACS, we will use modified data collection materials 
based upon results of the 2006 ACS Content Test. The content of the 
2008 American Community Survey questionnaire and data collection 
instruments for both residential and group quarters operations reflect 
2006 tested changes to content, instructions, and forms design. These 
survey instruments will also include changes based on wording, format 
and instructions of the 2010 Census form for gender, age, relationship, 
race, Hispanic origin, and tenure.
    The 2006 ACS Content Test resulted in a Census Bureau 
recommendation to OMB to modify twelve (seven housing and five 
population) question series on the ACS. The modified housing questions 
are: Year Structure Built, Value of Property, Number of Rooms, Number 
of Bedrooms, Kitchen Facilities, Plumbing Facilities, and Telephone 
Service Availability, and Food Stamp Benefit. The modified population 
questions are: School Enrollment, Educational Attainment, Residence 1 
Year Ago, Disability, and Labor Force Status.
    Two ACS questions, veteran years of military service and seasonal 
residence, will no longer be included in the ACS. The Veterans 
Administration has determined that these data are no longer needed 
annually at small geographic areas. The seasonal residence question was 
included in the ACS for the Census Bureau to evaluate seasonality 
effects. We now have enough data and do not need to continue this data 
collection.
    The Census Bureau proposes including three new subjects on the ACS: 
Health insurance coverage, marital history, and veteran's service-
connected disability ratings.
    Census is beginning the once-a-decade process of confirming the 
statutory basis of each question on the ACS. Census will be seeking 
documentation and confirmation from other Federal agencies to ensure 
that every ACS question is fully justified and that data are needed 
annually at small geographic areas. This documentation will be 
submitted to Congress by March 31, 2008, as required by statute, and to 
OMB and the public as well.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households, business or other for-
profit organizations, not-for-profit institutions, Farms.
    Frequency: Monthly. Respondents are required to provide a response 
only once.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 141, 193, and 221.
    OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
    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

[[Page 29958]]

within 30 days of publication of this notice to Brian Harris-Kojetin, 
OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) or e-mail 
([email protected]).

    Dated: May 23, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E7-10335 Filed 5-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P