[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21723-21724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-8672]


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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: Generic Clearance for Geographic Partnership Programs.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0795.
    Form Number(s): Various.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Burden Hours: 200,450.
    Number of Respondents: 39,109.
    Average Hours per Response: 15 hours on average.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau requests approval from the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a three year extension of the 
generic clearance called the Geographic Partnership Programs (GPPs) 
that covers a number of activities needed to update or conduct research 
on the Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding 
and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) System. The information collected by these 
programs in cooperation with tribal, state, and local governments is 
essential to the mission of the Census Bureau and directly contributes 
to the successful outcome of censuses and surveys conducted by the 
Census Bureau. The generic clearance allows the Census Bureau to focus 
its limited resources on actual operational planning, development of 
procedures, and implementation of programs to update and improve the 
geographic and

[[Page 21724]]

address information maintained in the MAF/TIGER System.
    As part of this renewal request, we will follow the protocol of 
past generic clearances: We will submit clearance requests at least two 
weeks before the planned start of each activity that give more exact 
details, examples of forms and related materials, and final estimates 
of respondent burden. We also will file a year-end summary with OMB 
after the close of each fiscal year giving results of each activity 
conducted.
    The following paragraphs describe the categories of activities to 
be included under the clearance.
    Geographic Support System Initiative (GSS-I)--The GSS-I is an 
integrated program designed to improve address coverage, obtain 
continual spatial feature updates, and enhance the quality assessment 
and measurement for the MTDB. The GSS-I builds on the accomplishments 
of the last decade's MAF/TIGER Enhancement Program (the MTEP) which 
redesigned the MAF/TIGER Database (MTDB), improved the positional 
accuracy of TIGER spatial features, and emphasized quality measurement. 
The Census Bureau plans on a continual update process for the MAF/TIGER 
System throughout the decade to support Census Bureau surveys, 
including the American Community Survey. Major participants are the 
U.S. Census Bureau with tribal, state, and local governments. The 
Census Bureau will contact tribal, state, and local governments to 
obtain files containing their address and spatial data, to explore data 
exchange opportunities, and share best practices.
    Redistricting Data Program--The 2010 Census Redistricting Data 
Program is established in accordance with the provisions of Title 13 
U.S.C. 141(C) and provides the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico the opportunity to specify the small 
geographic areas for which they wish to receive decennial census 
population totals for the purpose of reapportionment and redistricting. 
The law also requires that by April 1 of the year following the 
decennial census the Secretary of Commerce will furnish State officials 
or their designee(s) with population counts for standard census 
tabulation areas (e.g. counties, cities, census blocks, and 
Congressional districts) and if provided by the states, legislative 
districts and voting districts.
    The Census Bureau will conduct Phase 4 and Phase 5 of the 2010 
Census Redistricting Data Program. In Phase 4 of the 2010 Redistricting 
Data Program, states submit new plans for updated congressional and 
state legislative districts to re-tabulate the 2010 Census data to 
these new redistricted boundaries. This phase is scheduled for 2012 and 
into 2013. Changes to congressional and state legislative boundaries 
that might result from further redistricting will be collected in 2014 
and in 2016. Phase 5 of the Redistricting Program is the evaluation of 
the program and the final recommendations for the 2020 Census.
    School District Review Program (SDRP)--The Census Bureau creates 
special tabulations of decennial census data by school district 
geography. These tabulations provide detailed demographic 
characteristics of the nation's public school systems and offer one of 
the largest single sources of children's demographic characteristics 
currently available. Information is distributed through the National 
Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
    The SDRP, conducted by the Census Bureau every two years on behalf 
of the Department of Education, is of vital importance for each state's 
allocation under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Public Law 107-110. 
The school district information obtained through this program, along 
with the 2010 Census population and income data, current population 
estimates, and tabulations of administrative records data, are used in 
forming the Census Bureau's estimates of the number of children aged 5 
through 17 in low-income families for each school district. These 
estimates of the number of children in low-income families residing 
within each school district are the basis of the Title 1 allocation for 
each school district.
    The scope of the SDRP is for state officials to review the Census 
Bureau's current school district information and to provide the Census 
Bureau with updates and corrections to the school district names and 
Federal Local Education Agency (LEA) identification numbers, school 
district boundaries, and the grade ranges for which a school district 
is financially responsible. This includes updating unified, secondary, 
and elementary school districts.
    The list above is not exhaustive of all activities that may be 
performed under this generic clearance. We will follow the approved 
procedure when submitting any additional activities not specifically 
listed here.
    All activities described above directly support the Census Bureau's 
efforts to maintain its address and geographic database in partnership 
with tribal, state, and local governments nationwide. Because tribal, 
state, and local governments have current knowledge of, and data about, 
where housing growth and change are occurring in their jurisdictions, 
their input into the overall development of the address list for the 
Census Bureau makes a vital contribution. Similarly, those governments 
are in the best position to work with local geographic boundaries, and 
they benefit from accurate address and geographic data.
    Affected Public: State, local or Tribal Governments.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 United States Code, Sections 16, 141, and 
193.
    OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0336, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 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 Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) 
or email ([email protected]).

    Dated: April 6, 2012.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-8672 Filed 4-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P