[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 23, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35764-35765]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-15085]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

U.S. Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Survey of 
Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 2011 Re-engineered SIPP--Field 
Test

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau.

ACTION: Notice.

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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 and/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 23, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork 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 plans to conduct a field test for the Re-
engineered SIPP from January to May of 2011. The SIPP is a household-
based survey designed as a continuous series of national panels. The 
SIPP is molded around a central ``core'' of labor force and income 
questions that remain fixed throughout the life of the panel and then 
supplemented with questions designed to address specific needs. 
Examples of these types of questions include medical expenses, child 
care, retirement and pension plan coverage, marital history, and 
others.
    The 2011 Re-engineered SIPP instrument is a revision of the 2010 
Re-SIPP test instrument, in which respondents were interviewed during 
the 2010 Dress Rehearsal Re-SIPP Field Test. The Re-engineered SIPP 
will interview respondents in one year intervals, using the previous 
calendar year as the reference period.
    The content of the Re-engineered SIPP will match that of the 2008 
Panel SIPP very closely. The Re-engineered SIPP will not contain free-
standing topical modules. However, a portion of the 2008 Panel topical 
module content will be integrated into the Re-engineered SIPP 
interview. The Re-engineered SIPP will use an Event History Calendar 
(EHC) which records dates of events and spells of coverage. The EHC 
should provide increased accuracy to dates reported by respondents.
    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 need improved and 
expanded data on the income and general economic and financial 
situation of the U.S. population, which the SIPP has provided on a 
continuing basis since 1983. The SIPP has measured levels of economic 
well-being and permitted changes in these levels to be measured over 
time.
    Approximately 4,000 households will be selected for the 2011 Re-
engineered SIPP field test, of which, 3200 households are expected to 
be interviewed. We estimate that each household contains 2.1 people 
aged 15 and above, yielding approximately 6,720 person-level interviews 
in this field test. Interviews take 60 minutes on average. The total 
annual burden for

[[Page 35765]]

2011 Re-engineered SIPP field test interviews would be 6,720 hours in 
FY 2011.

II. Method of Collection

    The 2011 Re-engineered SIPP field test instrument will consist of 
one household interview which will reference the calendar year 2010. 
The interview is conducted in person with all household members 15 
years old or over using regular proxy-respondent rules.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0957.
    Form Number: SIPP/CAPI Automated Instrument.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 6,720 people.
    Estimated Time per Response: 60 minutes per person on average.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,720.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: The only cost to respondents is their 
time.
    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 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: June 17, 2010.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-15085 Filed 6-22-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P