[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 66 (Friday, April 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18573-18574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6965]


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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 ``National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 
1997.'' A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR) can 
be obtained by contacting the individual listed in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the 
ADDRESSES section below on or before June 3, 2008.

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, 202-691-7628. (This 
is not a toll free number.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy A. Hobby, BLS Clearance Officer, 
202-691-7628. (See ADDRESSES section.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) is a 
nationally representative sample of persons who were born in the years 
1980 to 1984. These respondents were ages 12-17 when the first round of 
annual interviews began in 1997; the twelfth round of annual interviews 
will be conducted from September 2008 to May 2009. The Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) contracts with the National Opinion Research Center 
(NORC) at the University of Chicago to conduct the NLSY97. The primary 
objective of the survey is to study the transition from schooling to 
the establishment of careers and families. The longitudinal focus of 
this survey requires information to be collected from the same 
individuals over many years in order to trace their education, 
training, work experience, fertility, income, and program 
participation.
    One of the goals of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to produce and 
disseminate timely, accurate, and relevant information about the U.S. 
labor force. The BLS contributes to this goal by gathering information 
about the labor force and labor market and disseminating it to 
policymakers and the public so that participants in those markets can 
make more informed, and thus more efficient, choices. Research based on 
the NLSY97 contributes to the formation of national policy in the areas 
of education, training, employment programs, and school-to-work 
transitions. In addition to the reports that the BLS produces based on 
data from the NLSY97, members of the academic community publish 
articles and reports based on NLSY97 data for the DOL and other funding 
agencies. To date, more than 70 articles examining NLSY97 data have 
been published in scholarly journals. The survey design provides data 
gathered from the same respondents over time to form the only data set 
that contains this type of information for this important population 
group. Without the collection of these data, an accurate longitudinal 
data set could not be provided to researchers and policymakers, thus 
adversely affecting the DOL's ability to perform its policy- and 
report-making activities.

II. Current Action

    The BLS seeks approval to conduct round 12 of annual interviews of 
the NLSY97. Respondents to the NLSY97 will undergo an interview of 
approximately one hour during which they will answer questions about 
schooling and labor market experiences, family relationships, and 
community background. During the fielding period for the main round 12 
interviews, about 2 percent of respondents will be asked to participate 
in a brief validation interview a few weeks after the initial 
interview. The purpose of the validation interview is to verify that 
the initial interview took place as the interviewer reported and to 
assess the data quality of selected questionnaire items.
    The BLS proposes to record randomly selected segments of the main 
interviews and all validation interviews during round 12. Recording 
interviews can help the BLS and NORC to ensure that the interviews 
actually took place and that interviewers are reading the questions 
exactly as worded and entering the responses properly. Recording also 
can help to identify parts of the interview that might be causing 
problems or misunderstanding for interviewers or respondents. The BLS 
and NORC will not release any variables that are developed from the 
recording of the interviews to anyone not associated with the NLS 
program at the BLS or its contractors. Each respondent will be informed 
that the interview may be recorded for quality control, testing, and 
training purposes. If the respondent objects to the recording of the 
interview, the interviewer will confirm to the respondent that the 
interview will not be recorded and then proceed with the interview.

[[Page 18574]]

    During round 12, the BLS proposes to modify the financial and in-
kind incentives offered to respondents to encourage greater cooperation 
both in the current round and in future rounds. The changes to the 
round 12 incentive structure are based on the results of an incentive 
experiment conducted during rounds 10 and 11. Other changes in round 12 
include asking the political participation questions that were asked 
previously in rounds 8 and 10. The round 12 questionnaire includes an 
item in the health section and in the interviewer remarks section 
asking the respondent and interviewer, respectively, to code the 
respondent's skin color on a scale from 0 to 10. This information is 
useful for studying workplace discrimination and for assessing the risk 
of certain health conditions.

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.
     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 of a currently approved collection.
    Agency: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
    Title: National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997.
    OMB Number: 1220-0157.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.

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                                                                                   Average time      Estimated
             Form                    Total          Frequency          Total       per response    total burden
                                  respondents                        responses        (min.)          (hours)
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Main Round 12 Interview.......           7,350  Annually........           7,350              60           7,350
Round 12 Validation Interview.             147  Annually........             147               4              10
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    Totals....................           7,497  ................           7,497  ..............           7,360
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The difference between the total number of respondents and the total number of responses reflects the fact that
  about 147 respondents will be interviewed twice, once in the main round 12 survey and a second time in the
  validation interview.

    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 31st day of March, 2008.
Kimberley Hill,
Acting Chief, Division of Management Systems, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics.
 [FR Doc. E8-6965 Filed 4-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-24-P