[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 27, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 35219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12381]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 1 of the 
2008 Panel

ACTION: Proposed information 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: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before August 27, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Forms 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 Patrick J. Benton, Census Bureau, Room HQ-6H045, 
Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-4618.

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 a 
duration 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 on household members participation in government programs 
as well as prior labor force patterns of household members. 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 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 improved and expanded 
data on the income and general economic and financial situation of the 
U.S. population. The SIPP has provided this data on a continuing basis 
since 1983 permitting levels of economic well-being and changes in 
these levels to be measured over time.
    Depending on the outcome of current Census budget negotiations, the 
2008 panel is currently scheduled for 3 years and will include 9 waves 
of interviewing beginning February 2008. Approximately 32,650 to 65,300 
households will be selected for the 2008 panel, of which, 22,500 to 
45,000 households are expected to be interviewed. It is estimated that 
each household will contain 2.1 people, yielding 47,250 to 94,500 
person-level interviews in Wave 1 and subsequent waves (totaling 47,250 
to 94,500 burden hours). Two waves of interviewing will occur in the 
2008 SIPP Panel during FY 2008.
    The topical modules for the 2008 Panel Wave 1 collect information 
about:
     Recipiency History.
     Employment History.
    Wave 1 interviews will be conducted from February 2008 through May 
2008.
    A 10-minute reinterview of 1,550 to 3,100 people is conducted at 
each wave to ensure accuracy of responses. Reinterviews would require 
an additional 518 to 1,035 burden hours in FY 2008.

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 2008 panel, respondents are interviewed a total of 9 times 
(9 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: None.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 47,250-94,500 people per wave.
    Estimated Time per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 47,768-95,535.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $0.
    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: June 21, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-12381 Filed 6-26-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P